# US 8,788,433 B2 · Invoice amount calculation method, invoice amount calculation device, and printer invoicing system

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- Number: US 8,788,433 B2
- Document ID: US8788433B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/531,852
- Filed: 2012-06-25
- Published: 2013-01-03
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2011-06-30
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Motofumi Shiraiwa; Fumihiko Yanagisawa
- Inventors: Motofumi Shiraiwa; Fumihiko Yanagisawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8788433B2

## CPC

- G06Q 30/04: Billing or invoicing
- B41J 2/17566: {Ink level or ink residue control}
- B41J 2002/17569: {based on the amount printed or to be printed}
- Y04S 50/12: Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS

## Abstract

A manufacturer server 110 that calculates an invoice amount for an inkjet printer has a billing status acquisition unit 342 that acquires billing status information including actual print volume PV, which is the amount of ink used for actual printing not including maintenance during a specific period L1; an actual print volume calculation unit 343 that determines if actual print volume PV is less than or equal to a specific volume V1; and an invoice amount calculation unit 344 that calculates an invoice amount. When actual print volume PV is less than or equal to the specific volume V1, a first invoice amount, which is a fixed amount, is calculated as the invoice amount, and when actual print volume PV exceeds the specific volume V1, a second invoice amount is calculated based on the actual print volume PV as the invoice amount.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An invoice amount calculation method for an inkjet printer that performs maintenance accompanied by ink consumption, the method comprising:
acquiring an actual print volume PV, which is the amount of ink used for actual printing not including maintenance during a specific period L1;
determining if the actual print volume PV is less than or equal to a specific volume V1; and
calculating an invoice amount by calculating (i) a first invoice amount, which is a fixed amount, as the invoice amount when the actual print volume PV is less than or equal to the specific volume V1, or (ii) a second invoice amount based on the actual print volume PV as the invoice amount when the actual print volume PV exceeds the specific volume V1.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The invoice amount calculation method described in claim 1, wherein, when the actual print volume PV is less than or equal to the specific volume V1, the first invoice amount is calculated based on the total of the specific volume V1 and a maintenance volume MV, which is the amount of ink used for maintenance in the specific period L1.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The invoice amount calculation method described in claim 2, wherein the maintenance volume MV is a fixed value, and the first invoice amount is a fixed amount that does not vary according to the actual print volume PV in the specific period L1.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The invoice amount calculation method described in claim 2, wherein the first invoice amount is also calculated based on an adjustment amount that is added to or subtracted from a base fixed amount according to a past actual print volume PV, where the base fixed amount is the product of an ink price and the total of the specific volume V1 and the maintenance volume MV.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The invoice amount calculation method described in claim 1, wherein the first invoice is calculated based on a past actual print volume PV.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The invoice amount calculation method described in claim 5, wherein the past actual print volume PV is an actual print volume in a period immediately prior to the specific period L1.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The invoice amount calculation method described in claim 1, wherein the second invoice amount is calculated based on the product of the actual print volume PV and a coefficient C1, where C1>0, that varies according to a past actual print volume PV.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The invoice amount calculation method described in claim 1, further comprising:
monitoring the actual print volume PV at one or more specific times before the end of the specific period L1; and
issuing a warning when the actual print volume PV is less than or equal to a specific volume V0 (where 0<V0≦V1).

### Claim 9

An invoice amount calculation device for an inkjet printer that performs maintenance accompanied by ink consumption, the device comprising:
an actual print volume acquisition unit that acquires an actual print volume PV, which is the amount of ink used for actual printing not including maintenance during a specific period L1;
an actual print volume evaluation unit that determines if the actual print volume PV is less than or equal to a specific volume V1; and
an invoice amount calculation unit that calculates an invoice amount according to the actual print volume PV, the invoice amount calculation unit
calculating a first invoice amount, which is a fixed amount, as the invoice amount when the actual print volume PV is less than or equal to the specific volume V1, and
calculating a second invoice amount based on the actual print volume PV as the invoice amount when the actual print volume PV exceeds the specific volume V1.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The invoice amount calculation device described in claim 9, wherein, when the actual print volume PV is less than or equal to the specific volume V1, the first invoice amount is calculated as the total of the specific volume V1 and a maintenance volume MV, which is the amount of ink used for maintenance in the specific period L1.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

A printer invoicing system including the invoice amount calculation device described in claim 9 and further comprising a printing system in communication with the invoice amount calculation device and including a print unit that prints by ejecting ink, the printing unit further comprising:
an ejection detection unit that detects ink ejection by the print unit,
a maintenance unit that performs the maintenance according to the detection result from the ejection detection unit, and
an actual print volume measuring unit that measures the actual print volume PV used for printing by the print unit;
wherein the actual print volume acquisition unit acquires the actual print volume PV measured by the actual print volume measuring unit.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The printer invoicing system described in claim 11, wherein, the ejection detection unit detects if ink was ejected each time a specific amount of printing is completed by the print unit, and the maintenance unit performs maintenance when the ejection detection unit detects that ink was not ejected.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The printer invoicing system described in claim 11, wherein the maintenance unit performs maintenance based on ambient conditions including at least one of temperature, barometric pressure, and humidity.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The printer invoicing system described in claim 11, wherein the printing system further includes:
an actual print volume monitoring unit that monitors the actual print volume PV at one or more specific times before the end of the specific period L1 based on the result of the measurement by the actual print volume measuring unit, and
a warning unit that issues a warning when the actual print volume PV is less than or equal to a specific volume V0 (where 0<V0≦V1).