Charging method and charging system
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorsYuki Kuwahara, Shigeru Tsuji, Takefumi Inui, Keiichi Taguchi
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method of charging for ink in an ink container consumed by a printing unit during printing. The method of charging includes obtaining information on an amount of the ink consumed; and implementing charging on the basis of the information. Before the amount of the ink in the ink container consumed reaches a predetermined value, first charging is implemented according to a charging basis in which usage-based charging is implemented on the basis of the amount of the ink consumed. After the amount of the ink consumed reaches the predetermined value, second charging is implemented according to a charging basis different from the charging basis applied to the first charging.
Claims16
A method of charging for ink in an ink container consumed by a printing unit during printing, the method comprising:
- obtaining information on an amount of the ink consumed by performing one or more processes that comprise calculating, by an ink counter of a detector, the amount of ink consumed from the ink container;
- and
- implementing charging on the basis of the information;
- wherein (i) when the ink counter detects that the ink container is in a first consumption amount status, first charging is implemented for the ink container according to a charging basis in which usage-based charging is implemented on the basis of the amount of the ink consumed, and (ii) after the detector detects that the ink container is in a second consumption amount status, second charging is implemented for the ink container according to a charging basis different from the charging basis applied to the first charging.
A charging system comprising:
- a printing unit configured to print using ink in an ink container;
- an information obtaining unit configured to obtain information on an amount of the ink consumed from the ink container, the information obtaining unit comprising a detector that comprises an ink counter configured to calculate the amount of ink consumed from the ink container and to detect a first consumption amount status of the ink container;
- and
- a charging implementation unit configured to charge for the amount of the ink consumed from the ink container, on the basis of the information obtained by the information obtaining unit,
- wherein the charging implementation unit is configured such that (i) when the ink counter detects that the ink container is in a first consumption amount status of the ink container, the charging implementation unit implements charging for the ink container according to a charging basis in which usage-based charging is implemented on the basis of the amount of the ink consumed, and (ii) when the detector detects that the ink container is in a second consumption amount status of the ink container, the charging basis for the ink container is changed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.