JP2002288318A - Service management method and distribution product used therefor, service management device, service management network system, and computer-readable recording medium recording program for executing service management method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To provide a service management method for providing a distribution product to a service recipient, wherein the service recipient does not need to purchase an extra distribution product in advance. Provide a system that takes into account the number of times of collection. SOLUTION: A storage unit 124 for registering unique information of a distribution product to be delivered to a service recipient and information on the number of times of collection of the distribution product, and an input unit 123 for inputting a use state of the distribution product.
And a calculation processing unit 122 that calculates a billing amount for distribution products whose use has been detected from the number of deliveries of the distribution products in consideration of the information on the number of times of collection of the distribution products. .

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a service management method for consumables / consumables and a service management network system related thereto, and preferably includes consumables / consumables for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a printer. The present invention relates to a management method, a delivery method, a billing method, and the like of consumables / consumables that can be delivered for service recipients and can be charged according to the number of uses.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer is continuously used, it is necessary to replace consumable parts and consumables such as a toner cartridge and a photoreceptor cartridge.

Here, the consumable part means a part such as a photoreceptor cartridge having a photoreceptor as a consumable material, while the consumable part means a toner cartridge having a member such as toner or ink as a consumable material. , Ink cartridges and the like. However, in the case of consumable parts, in the sense that they are replaced with new consumable parts, they are consumables, and there is also a cartridge form in which the photoreceptor cartridge and the toner cartridge are formed as a single cartridge. Therefore, when there is no need to distinguish between the two, the consumer goods will be used in the sense of integrating the two.

[0004] In such equipment that is premised on replacement of consumables, in order to avoid an inoperative state of the equipment due to depletion of the consumables, the equipment user purchases spare consumables in advance. It is common to prepare them.

[0005] At this time, a charge is naturally generated. That is, since the current billing service method is a system in which the right to hold the consumable item is generated after the process of purchasing the consumable item, the right to hold the consumable item cannot be obtained without the purchase process. This is because it is necessary to purchase a consumable item in order to prepare the item.

[0006] In a situation where budget application is severe, it is required to control expenditure on consumables. One solution is to reduce the number of pre-purchased consumables in advance.However, the cycle for replenishing spare consumables is shortened, so that the remaining amount of consumables currently in use and Work such as checking the number of spare consumables must be performed frequently, which increases the burden. Such a work is usually performed by a device user or an administrator, but since it is performed during the original business, there is a great possibility that the work cannot be performed or will not be performed.

[0007] For these reasons, after all, it is often the case that more consumables than necessary at present are purchased as spares.

[0008] On the other hand, if there is a contractual error between the seller and the purchaser of the product, the returned product cannot be returned unless the purchaser has a one-sided fault. I have. Further, as seen in mail-order sales, there is already a business model in which even once received products are returned within a certain period of time unless the product is opened or the like is not opened.

[0009]

However, when the current image forming apparatus is returned to the leasing company due to the expiration of the lease, or when the image forming apparatus is abandoned after the amortization of the image forming apparatus is finished, the user of the apparatus is required to Having a consumer product for a conventional device would be a waste of the consumer product.

[0010] Even if the model is changed at the time of renewal of the lease contract, if the compatibility between the consumable goods for the old apparatus and the consumable goods for the new apparatus is not maintained, it is held. Consumables for older devices that are now completely wasted.

In particular, in a large-volume printing scene in an office or the like, it is necessary to purchase a large amount of consumables in order to meet the demand, which involves a large amount of advance expenditure. Therefore, the damage in the event of the above situation is enormous.

As a method for solving the above-mentioned problem as much as possible, information such as the status of use of equipment, for example, the date and time of the last replacement of a consumable product, the usage time of the device since the consumable product was replaced, the number of printed sheets, etc., is used. There is a technique for estimating the life of the photoconductor and the toner by referring to the information stored in an IC chip or the like provided in the device.

According to the image forming apparatus having such a function, if the life expectancy of the photoreceptor cartridge and the toner cartridge is accurately determined by electronic means, the number of pre-purchased consumable articles is minimized. Even so, there is no possibility that the management of daily consumables cannot be reliably performed by automation.

[0014] However, even if the accuracy of the prediction can be improved, there is no change in that spare consumables are required, and obtaining such consumables involves expense. further,
Depending on the performance of the algorithm that makes the prediction, the prediction accuracy changes drastically, and as long as it is a prediction, essentially 100% accuracy cannot be obtained.

As described above, it is necessary to secure spare consumables in order to avoid an inoperative state of equipment due to depletion of consumables, but in the current charging system, it is necessary to secure such consumables. A further problem is that the spare consumables that need to be purchased and obtained by spending may be wasted without actually being needed.

[0016] On the other hand, when a product once delivered to a certain buyer is returned, the product is in stock. Particularly, in the case of a product customized for the buyer, the product is not authorized due to its specialty. You may not be able to sell at the price. Therefore, the seller needs to create a disposal of the returned product, but it varies depending on the nature of the product or the attitude of the seller, and may be disposed of as a discounted product. In some cases, it may be carried out, or in other cases, it may be sold as a new product without being known to the purchaser.

Making the product a service target for another purchaser again is an efficient service method from the viewpoint of effective use. However, although the brand-new product and the collected product are both unused, there is psychological resistance from the viewpoint of the purchaser as to the purchaser being charged the same fee. Further, if the purchaser is not notified that the product is a reusable product, it may be a factor that the company is evaluated as not being allowed.

Further, it is unavoidable that the product is damaged in appearance at the distribution stage accompanying the collection and re-delivery. If damage can be visually recognized and its degree can be quantified and classified in stages, it is possible to reflect it in the amount charged based on the degree of damage, but creating such an evaluation table requires time. Costly and difficult.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and is provided to a service receiver in order to avoid the inoperative state of equipment due to the depletion of consumables and the inconvenience associated with the depletion of consumables. Of the consumables and consumables that are used, only the consumables and consumables that are actually used can be charged, thereby reducing unnecessary expenses without having to take uncertain methods such as forecasting. A possible method and system are provided.

Further, in a system that also handles collected items, the chargeable amount is calculated using information that can be quantified as the number of times of collection, and the charge calculation system is clarified from the beginning to clarify transparency as a company. The present invention also provides a rational billing system that varies the billing amount based on the number-of-collections information.

Examples of the distribution products as service objects are not limited to the consumables used for equipment requiring the consumables, but also office supplies such as recording paper, daily necessities in ordinary households such as soaps, and the like. It is more efficient for service recipients to pay only for the parts used in the manufacture of products at the factory, such as parts delivered in advance,
Any convenient product can be applied.

[0022]

The service management method according to the present invention is characterized in that, for example, input information provided in a terminal as a computer is provided with information specific to a distribution product delivered to a service recipient and information on the number of times the distribution product is collected. Registering (e.g., as a distribution information table) in a computer-accessible storage unit, and detecting (via a communication means provided in the terminal) the use of the distribution by a service recipient via a network. Certifying the detection of the use as a purchase action (for example, by an arithmetic processing unit provided in the terminal); and certifying the purchase action in the delivery quantity of the distribution material (for example, by the arithmetic processing unit provided in the terminal). Calculating the charge amount in consideration of the information on the number of times of collection of the distribution object for the object, which is executed by the programmed computer. It is characterized in Rukoto.

[0023] According to this, the unused distribution material which has only been delivered to the service recipient is not subjected to the charging process, and only the distribution material which can be recognized as purchased by the service recipient is obtained. The amount is charged to the service recipient. As a result, it is possible to provide a reasonable service that charges the service recipient with a lean charge, reduce the burden of inventory management for the service recipient, and reduce unnecessary advance expenditure, Further, for the service provider, by providing the above-mentioned service, it is possible to reliably secure customers, and therefore, it is possible to stably sell the distribution product.

Further, since the billing amount is calculated in consideration of the information on the number of times of distribution of the distribution material which can be digitized and managed, ambiguity as a basis for calculating the billing amount can be eliminated. Even if the goods are collected, the charged amount can be changed if the number of collections is different. Even sales can be promoted.

Since the collection number information is registered and managed in the recording unit, there is basically no need to form the information in the distribution, and therefore, the collection number information is obtained from the distribution. It is not necessary, and can be easily obtained by computer operation by the service provider, can be electronically processed, and can be easily updated.

In addition, the basic amount is reduced in accordance with the usual selling method, the price reduction effect by mass production, the price reduction for recovering the decline in sales power after a long time has passed since the release, and the demand / The price may be changed to reflect an increase in price due to imbalance in the supply balance.

The collection number information may include, for example, additional information such as "the surface has scratches" or "no packaging" in addition to the collection number.

According to the service management method of the present invention, in a service management method using a computer for providing a distribution product necessary for operating a device, a terminal managed by a service provider delivers to a service receiver. Registering the unique information of the distribution material and the information on the number of times of collection of the distribution material in a storage device accessible by the computer, and setting the device installed in the service receiver to the unique information of the distribution material attached to the device. Reading the information, transmitting the information including the unique information of the distribution to the terminal managed by the service provider, the terminal managed by the service provider, detecting the information via a network, Certifying the attachment to the device as a purchase action based on the unique information of the distribution product, and It is characterized by executing the steps of taking into account the recovery count information of the flow through was computing the billing amount, to the computer as a target a recognized distribution equivalent to.

According to this, the service recipient side detects the use of the distribution material by a simple step of reading the unique information of the distribution material attached to the device, and the service provider side detects the use of the distribution material. By certifying whether or not the purchase corresponds to the specific information, it is possible to accurately know the actual consumption number of the distribution product.

Further, since the terminal managed by the service provider calculates the charge amount in consideration of the number of times of collection of the distribution material that can be digitized and managed, even if the distribution material is the same,
If the number of collections differs, the billing amount can be changed. For example, by reducing the billing amount for a circulation product with a large number of collections, sales are promoted even for a circulation product with a large number of collections. be able to.

Note that the step of reading the unique information of the distribution material and the step of transmitting the information including at least the read information to the service provider may be performed automatically by a device installed in the service receiver. In addition, it can be performed reliably without the service recipient's awareness and without bothering the service recipient. Further, since the processing is performed via a network, real-time processing can be performed.

[0032] Further, the step of reading the unique information of the distribution material attached to the equipment installed in the service recipient, the step of obtaining the use status of the distribution product by the service recipient, and the step of In the case of information determined to be the use of an object, the step of certifying the use as a purchase action can be performed at the same time, so that the processing can be simplified.

According to the service management method of the present invention, among the distribution products delivered to the service recipient, an unused distribution product to be collected from the service recipient after a certain period of time is specified (for example, on a management table). It is characterized by having steps.

[0034] According to this, since the distribution material that is not in use can be collected from the service recipient by specifying the distribution material to be collected, the delivered distribution material can be stored for a long time by the service recipient. , Without being used
Therefore, it is possible to eliminate a state where the information is stored without being purchased. In addition, it becomes possible to deliver the collected distribution material to another service recipient. In other words, a distribution product that has not been used for a certain period of time is judged to have no intention to purchase the delivered service recipient, and is provided to other service recipients, thereby providing a chance to purchase the distribution product. In addition, sales opportunities can be increased.

The collection date may be based on the delivery date, for example, one month after the delivery date, or may be set at the end of each month.

Further, when the distributed material is recyclable, the used distributed material may be collected, and the used distributed material may be collected on the collection date.

The service management device according to the present invention includes a distribution information recording unit for registering a pair of the unique information of the distribution to be delivered to the service receiver and the information on the number of times of collection of the distribution,
An input unit for inputting the use status of the distributed product; and, for the distributed products whose use is detected from the use status, of the distributed products, the distributed product is considered in consideration of the number of collection times of the distributed product. And an arithmetic processing unit for calculating a billing amount for.

According to this, the arithmetic processing unit fetches the number of deliveries from the information on the distribution material registered in the distribution information storage unit, and fetches the number of use from the information on the use situation input via the input unit. By subtracting the number of used items from the number of delivered items, the actual number of consumed items can be obtained. Therefore, charging is not performed for unused distribution items delivered in advance, only for actually used distribution items. Service can be centrally managed.

Further, since the service management device calculates the charge amount in consideration of the number of collection times of the distribution material that can be digitized and managed, even if the same distribution material has a different number of collection times, the charge amount is different. Can be varied, for example,
By reducing the billing amount for distribution products with a large number of collections, sales can be promoted even for distribution products with a large number of collections, and as a result, the service provider's inventory is cleared. be able to.

It is to be noted that if the unique information of the distributed product or the information for specifying the distributed product (eg, product name, model number, etc.) and the service recipient information are stored in pairs at the time of registration, In the use process, even when the service recipient transmits only the information on the distribution to the service management device, the service management device can specify the service recipient using the distribution. Therefore, the amount of information to be received can be reduced as compared with the case where the unique information of the distributed material and the service recipient information are received as a pair when the distributed material is used, so that the input load and the arithmetic processing load are reduced. can do.

The service management device according to the present invention includes a distribution information recording unit for registering a pair of the unique information of the distribution to be delivered to the service receiver and the information on the number of times of collection of the distribution,
A communication unit for detecting the use of the distributed product via a network, and considering the number of times of collection of the distributed product, for the distributed product whose use is detected by the communication unit among the delivered distributed products. And an arithmetic processing unit for calculating a charge amount for the distribution product.

According to this, the use of the distribution material can be automatically detected in the communication unit by receiving the information from the network, so that it is not necessary to separately confirm the use of the distribution material, and the service receiver and the service provider can be provided. The labor of both parties can be saved.

Further, since unique information is assigned to each of the distribution products provided to the service recipient and registered in the storage unit, electronic management is facilitated.
Unique information of the distributed product received from the distributed product attached to the image forming apparatus is the same or different from the registered one, depending on whether the same distributed product is inserted or removed at the time of paper jam treatment, or The arithmetic processing unit can electronically determine whether or not a new distribution product has been mounted due to replacement.
Therefore, when the information of the attached distribution material is new,
Based on the notification result, it is possible to identify the action as a purchase action of the distribution product.

Further, since the use of the distribution product is detected by the communication unit via the network, the service provider can obtain the purchase status of the service recipient reliably and almost in real time while being at a remote place.

If the unique information of the distribution and the service recipient information are stored in pairs at the time of registration, even if there are a plurality of service recipients, based on the unique information of the distribution, , It is possible to identify the service recipient.
That is, by using the unique information of the distribution product as the basic management information, not only the distribution product management but also the service recipient management can be performed. Also, in the process of using the distribution product, even when the service recipient transmits only the unique information of the distribution product to the service management device, the service management device may specify the service recipient using the distribution product. Can be. Therefore, the amount of information to be received can be reduced as compared with the case where the unique information of the distributed material and the contractor information are received as a pair when the distributed material is used, so that the network load and the processing load are reduced. be able to.

The service management network system according to the present invention is a device in which a consumable or consumed distribution material having unique information is a device which is disposed so as to be attachable / detachable. A reading unit for detecting
A first unit including a transmission unit that transmits information including the unique information to the outside via a network, and a controller unit that controls the reading unit and the transmission unit;
Group, a distribution information recording unit for registering the distribution-specific information and the collection count information of the distribution, and a communication unit for communicating with the first group and acquiring information including the specific information And calculating a billing amount for the distribution material, which is used for the distribution material whose use is detected from the information among the distribution products delivered to the first group, in consideration of the collection frequency information of the distribution material. And a second group including a service management device having an arithmetic processing unit.

Thus, the service management method described in claims 1 to 3 can be realized by using a network system, electronic management of the number of collections, and IT technology such as an IC chip.

If the above-mentioned device is a system which is an image forming apparatus, distribution information such as toner cartridges can be centrally managed for a network-connected image forming apparatus via a network.

The service management network system according to the present invention includes a reading unit for detecting the unique information of the distributed material from the distributed material having the unique information, and transmits the information including the unique information to the outside via the network. A first group consisting of a device having a transmission unit, a controller unit for controlling the reading unit and the transmission unit, and a distribution for registering the unique information of the distribution material and the collection count information of the distribution material A product information recording unit, a communication unit that communicates with the first group, and obtains information including the unique information, and a use that is detected from the information among the distribution items delivered to the first group A service management device having a calculation processing unit for calculating a charge amount for the distribution object in consideration of the number of times of collection of the distribution object with respect to the distribution object, It is characterized in that they are composed of.

According to this, the service target is not limited to a distribution product necessary for operating the device, and is delivered to most of the general products generally distributed, that is, the service recipient as a provision. , And all products that can be charged according to the number of uses can be targeted for service.

The reason is that the reading unit of the device has a function of detecting the unique information of the distributed material from the distributed material having the unique information, and does not require the distributed material to be mounted on the device. In addition, most of the commercially available products can be accompanied by unique information for individually specifying the products using various information recording forms such as an IC chip and a barcode.

It should be noted that the service management device may be provided with an input unit for inputting the usage status of the distributed product, and the usage status of the distributed product may be updated as needed by manual input from the input unit.

The program of the present invention executes the service management method of the present invention, and the computer-readable recording medium of the present invention records the program.

According to the above configuration, the service management method of the present invention can be provided to the service receiver by loading the program into the service management device. In addition, by loading the above-described program into a computer, the service management method of the present invention can be provided to a service recipient using a general computer.

The following is a description of the distribution materials used in the service management method of the present invention.

Since the distribution is managed by the service management method according to the present invention, the service provider has an advantage of being able to accurately grasp the usage status, and the service receiver is charged only for the amount used. This has the advantage of not having to pay extra for the reserve.

Further, if it is characterized in that the unique information of the distribution material is formed in advance, the unique information of the distribution product allows the service provider to “ Was delivered in advance? "At the time of distribution.

Further, in electronically detecting the use information of the distribution product of the service recipient, for example, it is possible to judge whether the same distribution product is used or whether a new distribution product is used by exchange. If the information of the distributed product is new, it is possible to identify the purchase of the distributed product based on the notification result.

It is to be noted that the unique information formed in the distribution material is, for example, code information that does not make sense by itself,
The code information of the distribution product may be translated as a product name only by referring to a product table prepared by the service provider.

In this case, since the unique information of the distributed product in the present invention leaks to a third party, or is information with low risk for both the service provider and the service recipient even if it is decrypted, it is encrypted and decrypted. There is no need to perform advanced processing such as conversion. Therefore, compared with the time of reading such information as a security measure, the scale of hardware and software can be reduced, and the processing time can be shortened by not performing decoding, so that high-speed reading is performed. Can be.

Further, if the service provider registers the distribution information and the service recipient information in association with the delivery of the distribution product, the service provider can identify the contractor only by obtaining the specific information of the distribution product. Can be. That is, in addition to the specific information of the distribution, the amount of information transmission can be reduced as compared with the case where the information of the service recipient who is the user of the distribution is obtained as a pair. Can reduce the communication load.

Further, when used in the service management method of the present invention, even if a third party manufactures and sells a copy of the distribution material including the specific information of the distribution material, the service provider does not handle the distribution material. As long as the service is not covered, pirated copies can be eliminated.

Further, if the first information recording body on which the unique information of the distribution material is formed is attached, it is not necessary to directly form the unique information on the distribution material. There is no need to change the production process of the distributed product at all, and a simple step of separately manufacturing a first information recording medium on which unique information is formed and attaching the first information recording medium to the distributed product is added. Only by this means, it becomes possible to make a distribution object a service target according to the present invention.

Further, a plurality of commodities are packaged in one pack, and a first information recording body in which unique information of the distribution material is formed is attached to the packed distribution material. Then, not only a single distributed product but also a new product created by combining the single distributed product with a plurality of or other distributed products can be a service target according to the present invention. For example, as in the case of a car tire, four, and in some cases, two (for front wheels or rear wheels), or when the temporary tire is the same as the mounted tire, five or three are the minimum units, respectively. In this case, a plurality of tires can be collectively provided as one service target in the present invention. Also,
A new set product may be created by combining different distribution products such as shampoo and rinse.

Further, depending on the manufacturer of each distribution product, a method of effectively combining the distribution products is not created, or even if the combination sales cannot be promptly performed, the service provider may not be able to sell the products in the market. In this case, there is an advantage that an optimal combination sale can be promptly performed by using a distributed product.

Further, a product is packed by a packing member, and a first information recording body in which unique information of a distribution material is formed is disposed inside the packing member, and the first information recording body in the packing member is provided. If the portion corresponding to the arrangement position is at least transparent, the arrangement position of the first information recording body inside the packing member corresponds to the transparent portion of the packing member. The content of the product,
That is, since information such as the type and the type can be visually or optically recognized without opening, there is an advantage that the product can be easily confirmed.

Since the information formed on the first information recording medium can be detected visually or optically, the serviceman does not have to open the packing member at the time of delivery of the distribution material,
It is possible to omit a second information recording body, which will be described later, for obtaining information on the delivered distribution product. It can be said that the configuration of the packaging member is largely related to the fact that the information formed on the first information recording medium has no confidentiality.

Further, there is provided a protective material for packing or wrapping the circulating material, and a second information recording body on the surface or inside of which the same information as the specific information of the circulating material is formed. If the service person is characterized by the above, the service person can obtain information on the delivered material at the time of delivery of the distributed material from the second information recording body attached to the surface of the distributed material such as a packing material. Therefore, it is not necessary to open the packing material and the like to take out the distribution product and obtain the unique information formed on the distribution product, and there is no loss of merchantability associated with the opening.

The information formed on the second information recording medium can be obtained by reading with a scanner. For example, if the unique information is formed into a bar code, it can be performed easily and quickly, and the work such as delivery check at the time of delivery can be speeded up.

Further, when the second information recording medium is affixed to the surface of the distribution material, the above-mentioned operation can be sped up because the information can be easily read.

Further, when attaching the second information recording medium to the inside of the distribution material, care must be taken not to cause loss of merchantability due to opening, but compared with the method of attaching to the surface, Since the second information recording body is not damaged such as breakage, it is possible to avoid a situation where information cannot be read due to loss, breakage, etc. of the second information recording body.

If the second information recording medium is formed so as to be separated from the circulating material, it is possible to determine whether the product has not been delivered or has already been delivered, depending on the presence or absence of the second information recording medium. In addition, since the second information recording body can be brought back, even when the scanner is out of order,
Pre-registration can not be avoided,
The information can be read and pre-registered by bringing it back to the service provider's home.

Further, if the second information recording medium is formed so as to be detachable from a distribution material, the presence or absence of the second information recording medium is confirmed. It can be easily distinguished whether the distribution is delivered or before delivery. In addition, the service provider can take the second information recording body back to the service provider's home, and can register the distributed material at the service provider's home after the delivery.
Therefore, it is possible to confirm the delivered product more securely than when registering the unique information of the delivered distributed product at the time of delivery. If both are used in combination, the certainty is further improved.

Further, if the second information recording medium is affixed to a distribution material by an adhesive or the like which can be repeatedly applied,
Even when the second information recording medium is once peeled off after being delivered, it is possible to re-attach the second information recording medium again without damaging the appearance of the distributed product. Such a situation occurs when the service recipient does not purchase the service as a result of maximizing the merits of the service according to the present invention even though the service recipient has once delivered the service to the service recipient. This is the case when goods are collected and delivered to other service recipients.

Further, an IC chip is provided.
If the unique information of the above-mentioned distribution material is stored in the chip, the IC chip which has been conventionally considered to be mounted for the purpose of eliminating piracy can be used as it is, and the It is possible to store the unique information of the distribution product required in the present invention without generating a new cost.

Further, if the cartridge is characterized by being a cartridge storing toner, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is generally designed on the premise that consumables such as the toner cartridge are replaced. Since the market as an aftermarket is larger than that of the forming apparatus itself, pirated manufacture and sales are rampant. In such a situation, the use of the service management method according to the present invention has an effect that a legitimate product can be provided while eliminating pirated copies. That is, since the service provider guarantees and manages all processes of manufacturing, distributing, and selling the distributed product, there is no room for pirated products.
Since the service provider registers the distribution at the time of delivery, only the distribution approved by the service provider can be targeted for service.

Furthermore, if the cartridge is characterized by storing ink, the same effect as the above-described toner cartridge can be obtained for an ink cartridge of an ink jet printer.

[0078]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [Embodiment 1] (Distributed product) In this embodiment, a distributed product constitutes a part of the apparatus in terms of function, and its performance is restored by replacement.
Refers to replacement parts that can be held. For example, when the apparatus is an image forming apparatus, a toner cartridge or a developing cartridge, a photosensitive member cartridge, a cartridge in which a developing member and a photosensitive member are integrally formed, an ink cartridge, an ink tank and a print head are integrally formed. And the like. In the industry, these products are sometimes referred to as supplies.

FIG. 4 shows a general example in which the distribution material 6 is a toner cartridge. Toner cartridge 6 in circulation
0 is wrapped and packed by a wrapping material 62 and a wrapping material 63. These packaging materials 62 and 63
Are used for quality maintenance or protection. The packaging material 62 is, for example, an aluminum pack, and the packaging material 63 is paper or cardboard, which is unnecessary for actual use of the toner cartridge. Therefore, the distribution material 6 in the distribution state includes the packaging material 62 and the packaging material 63, but the distribution material 6 when the device is mounted indicates the toner cartridge 60.

The feature of the present invention resides in that the toner cartridge 60 is provided with an IC chip 61 as a unique information forming section in which unique information capable of individually specifying (identifying) a distribution material is formed. .

The ink cartridge of the ink jet printer has the same configuration.

(Network Configuration and Device Configuration) FIG.
Shows a general configuration on the network between the service provider 10 and the contractor 1.

The service provider 10 provides the contractor 1 (service receiver) with a service relating to the distribution material 6 such as the toner cartridge 60 as described in detail below.

When the service provider 10 is a leasing company or the like, the service may be a service for making a lease contract with the image forming apparatus main body.

The network 20 is, for example, a public network such as a telephone line. Hereinafter, the relationship between the specific contractor 1 and the service provider 10 will be described.

First, the service provider 10 delivers the image forming apparatus 2 and, at the same time, delivers a distribution material 6 such as a toner cartridge 60 suitable for the image forming apparatus 2. In general, even if they are made by the same manufacturer, if the model of the image forming apparatus is different, the distribution material used for the model is often different.
The model number, code number, etc. of the distribution product 6 are determined and confirmed based on the main body information of the image forming apparatus 2.

At this time, the number of deliverables 6 is not particularly limited, and it is sufficient that at least one spare is provided, except for those used immediately in the apparatus main body.

As shown in FIG. 1, as the network 20, the image forming apparatus 2 on the contractor 1 side is connected to the terminal 12 on the service provider 10 side by a telephone line 20A or the like.

The configuration of the image forming apparatus 2 of the contractor 1 will be described below. The image forming apparatus 2 (equipment) includes an image forming unit (not shown) for forming an image on a recording material such as paper with toner, ink, and the like, a toner cartridge 60 as a consumable component, and the toner cartridge 60. Reading unit 4 for reading information (described later)
A transmitting / receiving unit 5 for outputting the read information to the outside,
And a controller unit 3 for controlling the reading unit 4 and the transmitting and receiving unit 5. The sensor circuit 9 includes a sensor for detecting whether the toner cartridge 60 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 2 and a peripheral circuit thereof.
Since ordinary copiers and printers are often equipped, it is assumed that they will be used. However, in the absence of such a sensor, alternative means can be used and is not a necessary requirement.

It is preferable that the toner cartridge 60 has unique information recorded on its surface or inside as described above. For example, as shown in FIG.
The product type number and the ID number are mounted in advance as a chip 61 (first information recording body) and in a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM or a ferroelectric memory therein. Alternatively, it may be formed by a simple method such as a bar code. This is because, in the present invention, the ID number stored in the IC chip 61 does not need any particular confidentiality.

Note that a barcode for specifying a distribution type may be conventionally printed for purposes such as distribution management and inventory management. At this time, the same barcode is used for the same circulation in order to reduce the printing burden, printing time, management burden, and the like. Therefore,
In this state, if the type is different, the barcode can be used to determine the type, but if the type is the same, individual distribution items 6 cannot be determined.

On the other hand, in the present invention, the barcode assigned to the distribution material 6 is unique information capable of individually specifying the distribution material 6, and is different from the conventional technology in that the distribution material 6 can be individually identified. The barcode is different.

In the present invention, the information stored in the IC chip 61 is basically a product type number and an ID number of the specific product (in other words, each cartridge for individually identifying the distribution product 6). ID number) only,
Normally, it is not necessary to rewrite information, so that the memory capacity and functions can be reduced, and the software scale and hardware scale of the memory controller and the like can be greatly reduced.

By providing a toner remaining amount detection sensor as needed, the amount of toner currently in use can be detected relatively accurately.

The reading section 4 differs depending on the form of information formed in the toner cartridge 60. The reading section 4 is a bar code reader in the case of a bar code, and is read from electrical or high frequency reading means in the case of an IC chip. Be composed.

The transmitting / receiving unit 5 is, for example, a modem.
The connection form is not limited to telephone lines,
It may be a TV or the like. Further, the transmission form between the image forming apparatus 2 and the terminal 12 does not need to be all wired, but may be partly transmitted wirelessly. For example, as shown in FIG. 37, the transmission mode of the transmission / reception unit 5 mounted or connected to the image forming apparatus 2 is wireless, and the transmission / reception unit 5 transmits to the second transmission / reception unit 51 installed in the contractor 1 in a wireless state. The second transmission / reception unit 51 can adopt a form in which it is connected to the network 20 (telephone line 20A) in a wired state. In addition, a function for connecting to the local network 21 may be provided. In addition, the part between the second transmission / reception unit 51 and the communication unit 121 of the terminal 12 may naturally use wireless transmission.

The sensor circuit 9 comprises various sensors and peripheral circuits for processing signals from the sensors. The sensors are a door sensor and a cartridge sensor.
An optical type or the like is used. The door sensor is a sensor that detects the open / closed state of the door of the image forming apparatus 2, and the cartridge sensor is a sensor that detects whether the toner cartridge 60 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 2. . The peripheral circuits include a waveform shaping circuit for shaping the waveform of the sensor output, a filter circuit, a binarization circuit, a voltage level adjusting circuit, and the like.
It converts to a digital signal having a logic level of -5V.

The controller unit 3 gives an instruction to the reading unit 4 to access the IC chip 61 and read out the toner cartridge information when the toner cartridge 60 is replaced. Further, it instructs the transmission / reception unit 5 to transmit the read information to the outside as necessary.
In addition, signals from various sensors are monitored, and a predetermined instruction is issued according to the content of the signals. C for controlling the whole device
In the case of an image forming apparatus using a PU, the CPU can be used as the controller unit 3.

Next, the recorded contents of information formed on the toner cartridge 60 will be described. The information (ID number) identifying the toner cartridge 60 is stored in the IC chip 61 as 0011 0001 0010 1101
A binarized 20-digit number such as 1010 is stored in advance. The number of digits is not limited to this. The numbers are created by the service provider 10,
The information is managed on a distribution information table in the distribution information storage unit 124 of the terminal 12.

Next, the meaning of the above numbers will be described.

The four most significant digits indicate the product type and are information for specifying the types of the plurality of toner cartridges 60. In this case, from 0000 to 1111, 1
Up to six models can be distinguished. In the case of a color model, four color toner cartridges 6 of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black) are used.
If 0 is required, the two most significant digits may be assigned to the color information, for example,

[0102]

[Table 1]

Then, up to four models can be distinguished by the remaining two digits. For example, as shown in Table 2.

[0104]

[Table 2]

Alternatively, as shown in Table 3, toner cartridges A and B and photosensitive member cartridges C and D are provided.

[0106]

[Table 3]

These correspondence tables are prepared as a distribution information table in the terminal 12 of the service provider 10 described below.

The remaining 16 digits are, in the above example, individual numbers (unique information) for individually identifying the toner cartridges 60 having the type number of 0011, and are from 0000 0000 0000 0000 to 1111 1111 1111. 65536 numbers up to 1111 are assigned to a single toner cartridge 60 as a single and unique number. This information is also stored in the terminal 12 on the service provider 10 side.
Is added to the distribution information table. Although the individual number has been described as unique information for individually identifying the toner cartridge 60, the entirety of the combination of the type number and the individual number may be positioned as unique information.

Next, the configuration of the terminal 12 (service management device) of the service provider 10 will be described.

The terminal 12 is, for example, a personal computer (PC) or a workstation (WS), and includes a communication unit 121, an arithmetic processing unit 122, and an input unit 12
3, the storage unit 124, and the output unit 125.

The communication section 121 is for connecting to the network 20, and in the case of the telephone line 20A, for example, is a modem. Also, local network 2
2 may be provided.

The operation processing section 122 is a section that performs an operation on information input from the communication section 121 or the input section 123, and is, for example, a CPU and a memory. Memory is RAM for temporarily storing the processing results
And the like. When the arithmetic processing is performed by software, a nonvolatile memory for storing a program describing a processing procedure is prepared. Alternatively, the program may be stored in a storage unit 124 described later, read out from the storage unit 124 during the operation of the program, and developed on the RAM.

The input unit 123 includes, for example, a keyboard,
Mouse, pointing device, image scanner,
It is a barcode scanner or the like, and is used to input information of the contractor 1 and the like.

The storage unit 124 stores information input from the communication unit 121 or the input unit 123 and the arithmetic processing unit 122
(Storage product information storage unit, charging coefficient storage unit, basic charging amount storage unit, list storage unit), for example, a hard disk and an optical disk. The stored contents include the distribution information table shown in Tables 1 to 3 described above, a contractor information table described later, a service management table for each contractor (a management table in which the usage status of the distribution is recorded as needed), and the present invention. There is an application program or the like describing the processing flow of the service management method. Note that the storage unit 124 corresponds to the recording medium of the present invention.

The above-mentioned table and a table described later can be associated with each other using a common key as a primary key. For example, the distribution information table, the service management table, the basic charge amount table, and the unique information—the contractor ID table uses the unique information as a primary key, and includes the contractor table, the service management table, the terminal table, and the unique information.
The contractor ID table can be linked to each other using the contractor ID as a primary key.

The output unit 125 is for soft copy and hard copy of information. The former corresponds to a display such as a CRT or a liquid crystal, and the latter corresponds to a printer.

(Registration Process of Distribution Object of Service) Next, the operation of the system will be described.

[0118] First, the service provider 10 checks the state shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), a distribution information table [1] as a service target is created and stored in the storage unit 124.

An important point of the distribution information table [1] is that the unique information of the distribution 6 and the collection count information of the distribution 6 are associated with each other in pairs. The distribution information table [1] further includes “remarks information of the distribution” for indicating what the distribution 6 is, and the distribution 6
Is provided with "information on presence or absence of accounting" indicating whether or not is charged.

The number-of-collections information is information necessary for calculating the billing in the service of the present invention. In a service that permits the collection of the distribution material, the collected unused distribution material 6 is used again as a service target. In this case, the information is managed by integrating and updating the number of times of collection up to now.
The initial value is “0”, and as the number of collections increases, 1, 2,
3 and so on.

The charge / non-charge information is provided in an auxiliary manner, and indicates whether or not the distribution material 6 is valid as a service target.
Means that it is used by any contractor 1 and is currently invalid as a service object, and "not yet"
This indicates that the distribution material 6 described as “not used by the contractor 1 exists in an unused state, and is effective as a service target.

FIG. 6C shows an example of another distribution information table, which will be described later.

(Registration Process of Contractor Information) Next, the service provider 10 obtains information of the contractor 1 as advance information. As shown in the contractor table [1] in FIG. 7A, the information may be anything as long as the contractor 1 can be specified. For example, when the contractor 1 is one company, the information is represented by a company name. Yes, even in the case of the same company, if a contract is made for each business establishment, it is necessary to specify the business establishment name.

Next, in order to handle the contractor information in the terminal 12, the service provider 10 issues a contractor ID for each contractor 1. The contractor ID is unique,
One ID such as a number such as 000125 is assigned to each contractor 1.

Further, the distribution material 6 as a service object
To obtain the location information for the delivery, and the payment method and the like for the fee collection.

The above contractor information is stored in the storage section 124 of the terminal 12 in the form of an electronic file. FIG. 7 described above.
(A) is an example when the file is displayed on the output unit 125 of the terminal 12.

Next, the service provider 10 dispatches a service person to the contractor 1 to install and set the image forming apparatus 2 and deliver the distribution product 6. When the image forming apparatus 2 is connected and set to be communicable with the external network 20 and becomes communicable, the model number and product of the image forming apparatus 2 are added to the given contractor ID. Information such as individual device ID numbers may be sent.

As long as it is only necessary to know what kind of image forming apparatus the contractor 1 has, the device ID number may be a model number or a product number which can specify the model. If the person 1 has a plurality of the same image forming apparatuses 2 and it is necessary to know information for each image forming apparatus 2 individually, a serial number or the like that can identify the image forming apparatuses 2 The unique information is good.

In the case of a copying machine, a numeric keypad is provided for designating the number of prints, etc., so that the contractor ID number and / or the ID number of the image forming apparatus 2 can be displayed by using the input means. It can be easily input to the forming device 2. If the contractor ID number once entered is stored in a non-volatile memory, there is no need to enter it again when transmitting information from the contractor 1 to the service provider 10. If the image forming apparatus ID number is also stored in a non-volatile memory at the time of shipment, the input operation can be omitted thereafter, and a series of operations can be automatically performed electronically. The above-described nonvolatile memory is formed as a part of the components of the controller unit 3.

As described above, the terminal 12
As shown in (b), necessary items are entered in the contractor table [2]. For example, it is understood that the contractor with the ID number 000003 receives the service according to the present invention for two image forming apparatuses AR-2000 and AR-2001.

The contractor table [1] and the formal contractor table [2] can be combined as common information for associating an ID number (contractor ID). Therefore,
Referring to FIG. 7A, ID number 000 in FIG.
It can be seen that the contractor of 003 is “C Co., Ltd. △△△ Division”.

In this step, the terminal 12 can automatically detect the model of the image forming apparatus 2 of the contractor 1, and can obtain model information as a service target.

Further, even if the toner cartridge 60 for the image forming apparatus 2 is changed for improving the performance or the like and the type number of the toner cartridge 60 is changed, based on the model information of the image forming apparatus 2, Latest toner cartridge 6
0 can be provided. Although an ID number for each product is not particularly necessary, the toner cartridge 6 may be partially changed during manufacture even if the model is the same.
This is in order to properly deal with a change relating to the distribution product 6 such as 0 or the like. Also, before and after the partial change, when a defect of the image forming apparatus 2 is found, the device ID number can be used also when performing additional services such as notifying the contractor 1 of the defect. .

A service management file (the service management table) for each contractor 1 is created in the terminal 12 of the service provider 10 and stored in the storage unit 124. FIG. 8 shows an example of a case where the file is displayed on the output unit 125 of the terminal 12. In this case, the in-use cartridge table (FIG. 9A) and the spare cartridge table (FIG. 9B) are prepared, but only the spare cartridge table may be used. In the initial state, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the cartridge information currently used in the image forming apparatus 2 of the contractor 1 and the spare cartridge information delivered to the contractor 1 are included. Absent.

(Registration process of delivered distribution information)
The service provider 10 collects information on all the toner cartridges 60 to be stored in the contractor 1 in advance, and stores the information in the terminal 12 of the service provider 10 immediately or later.

As an information collecting method, as shown in FIG. 5, an information recording medium 7 (second information recording medium) on which information (specific information of a distribution material) that can individually specify the toner cartridge 60 is described is distributed. The information formed on the information forming portion 73 of the information recording body 7 is read by a scanner when separately attached to the packing material 63 of the article 6 and delivered to the contractor 1 side. The content of the information recording body 7 is the same as the storage content of the IC chip 61 mounted on the toner cartridge 60, for example, an ID number assigned to each toner cartridge 60, but the information forming method is the same. Need not be. That is, it may be converted into a barcode that is read by a barcode scanner. In the present invention, since the ID number stored in the IC chip 61 as the unique information of the distribution product has no special confidentiality, a simple information forming method that does not require complicated data processing such as encryption and decryption is required. Can be adopted.

As described above, the information recording medium 7 having the same contents as the IC chip 61 (that is, the unique information of the distribution product) is separately attached to the packing material 63 of the distribution product 6, so that the serviceman can be provided. Can be obtained from the information recording body 7 attached to the surface of the distribution material 6 such as the packing material 63 when the distribution material 6 is delivered, and the packaging material 63 is opened. There is no need to take out the distribution product 6 and obtain the unique information formed on the distribution product 6, and there is no loss of merchantability associated with opening.

After collecting the information, the serviceman collects the information recording medium 7 to confirm that the reading has been completed. As described above, if the information recording body 7 is formed so as to be separable from the distribution material 6, it can be determined whether the information recording medium 7 is undelivered or already delivered according to the presence or absence of the information recording body 7. In addition, since the information recording body 7 can be brought back, it is possible to avoid a situation in which pre-registration cannot be performed even when the scanner is out of order.
The user can take the information home and read the information and perform pre-registration with the terminal 12.

[0139] In this case, the method of attaching the information recording body 7 is as follows.
As shown in FIG. 5 (a), a part 71 of the protective member such as the packing material 63 or the packing material 62 is adhered to an outer surface portion of the protection member with an adhesive or the like so as to be obtained without opening the toner cartridge 60. Alternatively, the part 72 on which information is written is joined by a stapler or the like,
It is configured so that it can be cut from one.

The material of the information recording body 7 is a film member such as paper or resin, or a sheet member having a thickness that does not cause curling or the like. In the case of a rigid sheet member,
It will be cut off from the cut line K. From the viewpoint of durability and readability of information, a hard resin is preferable.

As another attachment method of the information recording body 7, as shown in FIG. 5B, the packing material of the distribution material 6 is adhered to the back surface of the information recording body 7 on which no information is formed by an adhesive or the like. A portion 72 on which the information 73 is written is cut off from the adhesive portion 71 by cut lines K1 and K2.

Further, as another attachment method of the information recording body 7, as shown in FIG. 5C, the inside 64 of the cover part of the protection member 63 which can be opened and closed without being damaged may be used. As a result, the information recording body 7 does not deteriorate during the distribution process, and therefore, there is no problem even if the material is paper or the like.

In the above description, it is assumed that the distribution material 6 in the distribution state is packed by the packaging material 63. Therefore, the place where the information recording body 7 is attached is the packaging material 63. Means the outermost part. However, the information recording body 7 may be inserted into the pocket portion of the packing material 63 formed in a pocket shape.

As described above, the information stored in the IC chip 61 and the information formed on the information recording body 7 are the same in content, but the formation methods do not necessarily have to be the same. .

The information read by the scanner is immediately transmitted to the terminal 12 on the service provider 10 side via a communication means (not shown). Alternatively, information read by the scanner may be stored in a medium such as a floppy disk, a memory stick, or the like, and may be input to the terminal 12 of the service provider 10 after being brought back.

When transmitting immediately by using the communication means, the information read by the scanner and the contractor ID number are paired and transmitted to the terminal 12. Thus, the terminal 12 can associate the contractor 1 with the information on the distribution material 6 delivered to the contractor 1.

The operation of the terminal 12 will be described in more detail. The contractor 1 is specified from the information received by the communication unit 121. This is the contractor ID included in the received information
Is identified by the arithmetic processing unit 122. Next, the arithmetic processing unit 122 calls the service management table (FIG. 8) relating to the specified contractor 1. The management table is created for each contractor 1 when the service target is clarified at the time of contract or the like.

Next, the arithmetic processing unit 122 extracts the ID number of the toner cartridge 60 included in the received information. The ID number is data to be input in the “all information (all digits)” column in the figure. FIG. 9B shows a state where the input of all the received information is completed. Although the serial numbers are assigned in the order of reception in the figure, the colors may be sorted again. Further, once all received information is temporarily stored in the temporary storage area (or work area) of the storage unit 124, the color information (the highest two digits of all information) included in all information is identified, so that It is also possible to arrange them automatically for each and then automatically input them to the spare cartridge table as shown in FIG. 9B. At this time, for the same color, I
It is advisable to compare the D numbers and enter them in the table in ascending order of the numbers.

In the field, a portable information terminal or the like is used to
The information read by the scanner and the contractor ID number are stored in pairs, and when returning to the service provider 10 home,
The information stored in the portable information terminal may be transferred to the terminal 12 by connecting the terminal 12 and the portable information terminal by wire or by wireless communication such as infrared rays.

Alternatively, without using a scanner on site,
The user returns the collected portion 72 of the information recording body 7 and reads information using an input unit 123 such as a barcode scanner connected to the terminal 12 of the service provider 10 or manually inputs the terminal using a keyboard or the like. 12 may be input. Also in this case, the unique information of the distribution product 6 is input in pair with the contractor ID information. The former method of reading and transmitting information electronically in the field is more immediate and more reliable because it eliminates mistakes between the delivery note content and the actual delivery, so it can be said that it is more preferable. .

The process of inputting the unique information of the distribution material 6 in combination with the contractor ID information is performed before the distribution material 6 is sent from the service provider 10 to the contractor 1.
A mode in which the input is manually input to the terminal 12 on the 0 side using a keyboard or the like may be used.

By the above operation, the number, type and individual number information of the unused toner cartridges 60 delivered to the contractor 1 are stored in the terminal 12 of the service provider 10.

In this embodiment, a case will be described in which information is read and transmitted electronically immediately on site.

The terminal 12 of the service provider 10 updates the information based on the received information. That is, FIG.
(B) shows a case where a total of eight toner cartridges, two for each of the black, yellow, magenta, and cyan toner cartridges 60, are delivered, and different 20-digit code information is input for all of them. In the description of the drawing, from the viewpoint of the user interface, the display related to the type information of the toner cartridge 60 and the like is not limited to the code information,
Actual names are supplementarily used, such as “black toner”. At this point, the arithmetic processing unit 122 determines for each toner cartridge 60 that the information on each toner cartridge 60 is first input to the spare cartridge table, so that the usage status columns are all set to “not used (spare)”. It is displayed automatically.

As other information, the delivery date and the number of times of collection are input.

In the delivery date column, the date when the unique information of the distribution material 6 is input to the spare cartridge table by the input unit 123 or the communication unit 121 is automatically input. Since the terminal 12 is provided with a timer unit (not shown), when the arithmetic processing unit 122 detects that the unique information of the distribution material 6 has been input to the spare cartridge table, the arithmetic unit 122 outputs the current date and time information from the timer unit. Is acquired, and the acquired date and time information is entered in the “delivery date” column. More specifically, “all information (all digits)” provided as “spare cartridge information”
When the input of the column is completed and the “registration” button (not shown) is clicked, the arithmetic processing unit 122 checks the presence or absence of the input in the “all information (all digits)” column. The "delivery date" obtained in the above steps is automatically inputted.

Further, by referring to the distribution information table shown in FIG. 6 or Tables 1 to 3 using the unique information of the distribution 6 input in the “all information (all digits)” column as a search key, Color information (2 most significant digits) ”,“ Device information ”
Is automatically input.

Alternatively, the service provider 10 operates the input unit 1
23, the delivery date may be input. Thus, when the date information of the timer section is different from the actual date, an accurate value can be input.

Next, a method of obtaining the collection number information N will be described.

The arithmetic processing unit 122 reads the value of the number of collections N from the “number of collections N” column with reference to the distribution information table shown in FIG. More specifically, the “all information (all digits)” column in FIGS. 8B and 9B is searched, and if data is input,
The data value (specific information of the distribution product 6) is read. The read information is temporarily stored in the RAM of the arithmetic processing unit 122. If nothing has been input, the process ends.

Next, the arithmetic processing unit 122 reads the distribution information table [1] shown in FIG. 6 from the storage unit 124, and stores the distribution 6 temporarily stored in the RAM already acquired.
The value of the number of collections N for the distribution material is obtained using the unique information of the above as a search key, and is temporarily stored in the RAM. The arithmetic processing unit 122 copies the obtained number-of-collections information N into the “number-of-collections N” column of the spare cartridge information table shown in FIG. 8B.

By the above operation, as shown in FIG. 9B, the "collection number N" column is automatically entered.

In the spare cartridge information table, No. One line specified by ♯ (♯ is 1, 2, 3,...) May be referred to as a record.

The currently used cartridge information table shown in FIG. 9A is used when the unique information of the distribution material 6 is obtained via a network, or when another information such as a telephone call or an e-mail is sent. When the use of the distribution material 6 is confirmed by the means, the information is input, so that there is no change immediately after the delivery, and the contents are the same as those in FIG.

(Process for Confirming Use of Delivered Distribution Material)
The service person opens the toner cartridge 60 necessary for operating the image forming apparatus 2 and sets the toner cartridge 60 in the image forming apparatus 2. Since the image forming apparatus 2 is already connected and set to be communicable with the outside and is in a communicable state, the image forming apparatus 2 sends the toner set to the terminal 12 of the service provider 10 side. The information of the cartridge 60 is transmitted. The terminal 12 transmits the information together with the contractor ID in order to determine from which contractor 1 the information comes.

In the case where the above operation is automatically performed,
This will be described below. The image forming apparatus 2 is generally provided with various sensors for detecting whether the door is opened and closed and whether or not the toner cartridge 60 is mounted.
Has a function of monitoring each sensor. When the mounting of the toner cartridge 60 is detected based on a signal from the toner cartridge sensor, the controller unit 3 instructs the reading unit 4 to read the IC chip 61 of the toner cartridge 60.
To read the information stored in. Further, the controller unit 3 issues a transmission command to the transmission / reception unit 5 to transmit the information from the transmission / reception unit 5. The transmission / reception unit 5 transmits information to the transmission destination described above. Details of the operation will be described later.

On the service provider 10 side, based on the information received by the communication unit 121, the arithmetic processing unit 122 of the terminal 12 uses the image forming apparatus 2 of the contractor 1 as shown in FIG. Update the cartridge information column in use. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, the toner cartridge 60 which has been input as spare cartridge information,
With the above operation, the usage status column is updated from “not used (spare)” to “currently used” for the toner cartridge 60 set as currently used.

Whether the information received by the communication unit 121 includes the unique information of the newly used toner cartridge 60 is determined by checking whether the same unique information has already been recorded in the used cartridge table. It can be detected by the arithmetic processing unit 122 checking. In addition, in the spare cartridge table, the operation status section 122 uses the unique information of the toner cartridge 60 whose usage status column is recorded as “not used (spare)” and the unique information included in the information received by the communication section 121. Can also be detected, for example, when the two coincide with each other, that the information received by the communication unit 121 includes the unique information of the newly used toner cartridge 60.

Thus, the initial setting / registration is completed.

In the above description, the image forming apparatus 2
The information such as the model number of the product and the ID number of each product is automatically sent to the terminal 12 of the service provider 10.
The service provider 10 may be registered in the terminal 12 through the input unit 123.

(Replacement Process of Distribution Material) Next, the operation when the toner cartridge 60 is replaced will be described.

The device manager or the device user in the contractor 1 contracting with the service provider 10 is provided as a spare based on the “toner cartridge exchange” message issued from the image forming apparatus 2. Is replaced with a new toner cartridge 60 that has been used. In this embodiment, a case where only the black toner is consumed will be described.

The used toner cartridge 60 (spare cartridge No. 1) shown in FIG. 10B is taken out from the image forming apparatus 2, and an unused toner cartridge 60 (spare cartridge No. 5) is used instead. Installing.

The image forming apparatus 2 is described below with reference to FIG.
Will be described.

The image forming apparatus 2 is generally provided with a sensor for detecting whether or not the toner cartridge 60 is mounted. Therefore, the detachment and attachment of the toner cartridge 60 can be detected using the reaction result of the sensor.

FIGS. 17A and 17B show an example of the mounting / removing operation of the toner cartridge 60 and the sensor output at that time. The sensor output signal when the toner cartridge 60 is mounted is at a low level, and the sensor output signal when the toner cartridge 60 is detached is at a high level.

Next, the sensor circuit 9 generates a trigger pulse as shown in FIG. 17C based on the sensor output signal. That is, a pulse signal having a constant pulse width is generated with the fall of the sensor output signal as the timing.
In terms of circuit, a sensor output signal can be used as an input signal of the mono-multi vibrator using a mono-multi vibrator, and a pulse rising at the falling timing of the sensor output signal can be generated. Note that the sensor output signal may be input to the mono-multi vibrator through a Schmitt trigger circuit, a filter circuit, and the like so that noise and chattering included in the sensor output signal do not cause malfunction of the mono-multi vibrator. .

As described above, the toner cartridge 6
0 is detected, and the timing is used as a trigger for the reading unit 4 to perform an operation.

Next, when the trigger is generated, the reading section 4 accesses the IC chip 61 of the toner cartridge 60. FIG. 4D shows a period during which the reading unit 4 accesses the IC chip 61. Specifically, it is a strobe signal, and during this period, addressing and data reading are performed. The read data is stored in a volatile memory such as a RAM.

With the fall of the strobe signal as a timing, a pulse signal having a constant pulse width is generated as shown in FIG.

The trigger pulse is used as a timing signal for transmitting the information read by the reading unit 4 by the transmission / reception unit 5. That is, the processing and the like of the information are performed in the transmission / reception unit 5 according to the communication mode by the trigger pulse, and the information is transmitted as shown in FIG.

With the above operation, information on the unused toner cartridge 60 is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 2 to the terminal 12 of the service provider 10.

In the above description, the image forming apparatus 2 is provided with a sensor for detecting whether or not the toner cartridge 60 is mounted. If not, a door sensor may be used. The door is provided to replace the toner cartridge 60 or to remove paper in the event of a paper jam. For safety, the door is provided with a door sensor for checking the open / closed state. That is common. Therefore, when the toner cartridge 60 is replaced, the operation of opening and closing the door always occurs.
Access timing.

Further, in the case of a device without any sensor, it can be coped with by programming the controller 3 so that an event for reading occurs at regular intervals.

At the terminal 12 of the service provider 10, as shown in FIG.
o. 1 and No. 5 are updated to "used" and "currently used", respectively. Also, as shown in FIG. 7A, the in-use cartridge table contains information on the black toner cartridge (replacement date, all information, unique information, collection frequency information, spare cartridge correspondence).
Only updated.

That is, the operation processing section 122 includes the usage status column in the spare cartridge table in the unique information of the toner cartridge 60 recorded as “not used (spare)” and the information received by the communication section 121. When the unique information of the toner cartridge 60 (spare cartridge No. 5) is detected by comparing the
A spare cartridge No. of the same color toner 1 is a spare cartridge No. It is recognized that it has been exchanged for 5. That is, the arithmetic processing unit 122 functions as an exchange certification unit that certifies the exchange of the distribution product 6 by the contractor 1 by detecting a change in the unique information of the distribution product 6 received by the communication unit 121.

[0187] Further, the arithmetic processing section 122, based on this certification, sets the spare cartridge No. 5 is updated to “currently in use”. At this time, the arithmetic processing unit 1
22 detects that the newly used toner cartridge 60 (spare cartridge No. 5) is for black toner and determines that the same toner cartridge 60 for black toner (spare cartridge No. 1) has been used. Certified,
Spare cartridge No. Use status column 1 is "Used"
Update to The spare cartridge table is updated by the determination operation of the arithmetic processing unit 122.

At this stage, since there is no spare black toner cartridge, the service provider 10 sends at least the black toner cartridge to the contractor 1. Figure 1
Nos. 2 (a) and 2 (b) show this state. No. 2 is displayed in the same manner as the initial setting / registration processing. Nine new spare cartridge information has been added.

As described above, the service provider 10
Always monitors the spare toner cartridge information, and simultaneously or before the spare toner cartridge 60 runs out, a new spare toner cartridge 60
Is sent to the contractor 1, thereby preventing the contractor 1 from lacking the consumer goods.

That is, in order for the terminal 12 to perform the above processing electronically, if the number of delivered goods 6 is Nf and the number of used goods 6 is Nu, the arithmetic processing unit 1
22 to calculate Nf-Nu,
If = 0, the arithmetic processing unit 122 performs a process related to a shipping instruction. The value of Nf is stored in the storage unit 124 for each contractor 1, and when performing the above calculation, the storage unit 12
Read the value from 4. When a new delivery is made, the value is updated. In FIG. 11B and the like, the maximum value of the serial number (No. in the figure) can be used as the value of Nf.

The value of Nu is calculated as follows.

The total number of usages up to the previous time is stored in the storage unit 124, and the number of usages as the latest information input to the terminal 12 this time is added to the total number of usages. Thereby, the latest use number can be calculated. For example,
In FIG. 11B and the like, it is possible to add the total number of cases displayed as “used” and “in use” in the usage status column. Also in this case, the cumulative use numerical value stored in the storage unit 124 is updated.

[0193] The contents of the instruction to send are as follows.
May be displayed on the output unit 125 of the service provider 10, or may be notified to the shipping department in the company of the service provider 10 by e-mail or the like using the local network 22 connected to the communication unit 121. It may be something. Further, using the network 20 (telephone line 20A) connected to the communication unit 121,
You may make it notify the notice of dispatch.

The timing at which the spare toner cartridge 60 is sent to the contractor 1 and the judgment thereof are set in advance to a reference number N ($ 0).
The comparison may be performed with the number N ′ stored as a spare on the side, and when N> N ′, it may be performed. As compared with the case of N = 0, the degree of danger decreases, but the number of times of shipment (shipping frequency) increases. Since there is a trade-off between the degree of risk and the number of shipments, N may be set to an appropriate value based on experience.

(Charge Amount Calculation Process) Next, a charge processing method will be described. FIG. 13 is a list of consumer goods to be charged (charging lists [1] to [3]). The charging period is, for example, one month. The consumable item list is used, for example, from one month before the closing date of billing calculation (15th month in this embodiment) based on the spare cartridge table shown in FIGS. 10B and 11B. The extracted cartridge information is extracted. The extraction method at this time is to select the used or currently used ones in the usage status column of the spare cartridge table, and to extract the ones whose use date falls one month before the closing date of the charge calculation. It is done by doing.

The distribution object 6 to be charged is specified as described above.

Next, the processing flow of the accounting calculation will be described with reference to FIG.

Step [10] (S10) The value of the number of collections N of the distribution material 6 is obtained.

More specifically, the distribution information table [1] shown in FIG. 6 is read from the storage unit 124, and the number of collections N of the distribution 6 is obtained based on the unique information of the distribution 6.

Step [11] (S11) Based on the number of collections N, the charging coefficient table [1] shown in FIG. 15 is read from the storage unit 124 to obtain the charging coefficient k. The charging coefficient k is temporarily stored in the RAM of the arithmetic processing unit 122.

Step [12] (S12) The basic charge amount table [1] shown in FIG. 16 is read from the storage unit 124 based on the unique information of the distribution material 6, and the basic charge amount p is obtained. The basic billing amount p is temporarily stored in the RAM of the arithmetic processing unit 122.

Step [13] (S13) Multiply the charging coefficient k and the basic charging amount p temporarily stored in the RAM, and calculate the charging amount P in consideration of the number of collections N.

Step [14] (S14) The contractor 1 is specified by acquiring the contractor ID with reference to the unique information-contractor table shown in FIG.

Step [15] (S15) Based on the result obtained by the above processing, a charging list shown in FIG. 13 is created for each contractor 1.

Step [16] (S16) It is determined whether or not there is another distribution object 6 to be charged. If not, the process is terminated. Return to

If the same contractor 1 is to be repeated from step 10 onward, step 1
4 may be omitted.

In FIG. 13, a list for the past three months is displayed.

According to the charging list [1], the charging coefficient k for the black toner cartridge is k3 (<1), and the charging coefficient k for the Y, M and C toner cartridges is k0 = 1. It can be seen that the adjustment is made according to the number of collections N.

As described above, the present invention is characterized in that only the toner cartridge 60 actually used by the contractor 1 is charged, and the unused toner cartridge 60 is not charged. As a result, the contractor 1 can use the image forming apparatus 2 without holding unnecessary inventory, without causing a lack of consumables, and without performing complicated management. Will be possible.

[0210] In addition, for the distribution material 6 having a large number of collections N, the billing amount can be set to a low value, and the psychological uneasiness of the contractor 1 regarding the use of the distribution material 6 is eliminated, and the purchase is easy. Can make a situation. Service provider 1
For 0, it is possible to reduce the inventory amount by promoting the sales of the distribution material 6 having a large number of collections N.

Further, since the number of spare cartridges is confirmed by detecting that a new toner cartridge 60 is mounted, the conventional image forming apparatus 2 itself can be managed by a single management method. In addition, both inventory management of the spare toner cartridge 60 can be realized.

(Recovery Process) In a general mode of continuous use of the image forming apparatus 2, a new distribution material 6 is replenished to the contractor 1. For example, the contract is canceled by canceling a service contract or the like. It is necessary to collect the distribution material 6 temporarily delivered to the customer's home.

FIG. 12 shows an example of this.
9 is a management table when Y, M, and C toner cartridges indicated by reference numerals 6 to 8 are collected. “Use date”
The information “recovery” is input in the “Usage status” column and the “Usage status” column. The input of the information “collection” is performed by the terminal 12
From the input unit 123. However, in the case of a system in which the collection date is performed after a lapse of a fixed period from the delivery date, a method of automatically inputting the information “collection” at the time of the scheduled collection date may be used. However, in this case, the collection operation is merely a schedule and the collection operation is not confirmed, so it is necessary to separately issue a collection instruction. In addition, until the collection operation is confirmed,
"Scheduled collection", "Collection instruction" or "Scheduled collection date (XX
Year / Month / Day / Day) may be displayed, and when the collection is actually confirmed, a display such as “Recovery” or “Recovery confirmation” may be displayed. The progress of the operation can be reliably confirmed.

For example, when the image forming apparatus 2 is a color printer, only monochrome printing is performed, so that only the service contract for the Y, M, and C color toner cartridges is canceled, or
If it is found after the start of the service that consumption of the Y, M and C color toner cartridges is significantly slower than consumption of the black cartridge, it is better to return the Y, M and C color toner cartridges once delivered. This may occur, for example, when it is determined that both the provider 10 and the contractor 1 are valid.

In the case where the collecting operation is performed, FIG.
The distribution information table is updated as shown in FIG.
That is, in the spare toner cartridge table of FIG. Regarding the circulation product 6 indicated by 6 to 8, the value of the number of times of collection is updated, and the value of “1” is incremented by +1 with respect to the previous value “0”.

Hereinafter, the processing flow for updating the number of collections will be described with reference to FIG.

Step [20] (S20) First, it is determined whether there is any collected distribution material. As a specific method of the determination, for example, it is performed by searching for the distribution material 6 in which the information of “collection” is input in the “use date” column of the spare cartridge table. Alternatively, the collection is performed by referring to a collection table (not shown) managed by the collection section and confirming the presence or absence of the circulation material 6 whose collection has been confirmed.
The collection table is a file that manages the unique information of the distribution material 6 and the presence or absence of collection of the distribution material 6 having the unique information. If it is digitized, the retrieval process can be easily performed by computer processing. Can be. When it is certain that the collection is performed, the above determination may be made at the collection instruction stage without waiting for the confirmation of the collection.

Step [21] (S21) The unique information of the distribution is obtained. In the above example, this is performed by reading out the unique information for the distribution material 6 checked in the collection column in the collection table.

Step [22] (S22) Using the obtained unique information as a search key, based on the distribution information table [1] shown in FIG. Read out.

Step [23] (S23) The value of the number of times of collection read out is incremented by +1 as follows.

N = N + 1 Step [24] (S24) The collection count information column of the distribution information table is updated.

Step [25] (S25) It is determined whether there is any other distribution object to be updated. If not, the process ends. If there is, the process returns to step 21 again.

Next, it is reasonable for the service provider 10 to use the unused distribution material 6 thus collected for another contractor 1.

FIG. 17B shows the contractor ID: 00012
Unique information when the distribution material 6 collected from the contractor 5 is delivered to another contractor 1 (contractor ID: 102611)-
9 shows an example of a contractor table. As can be seen from the comparison with the same figure (a), as of March 22, 2000,
As of June 20 of the same year, for the three distribution articles 6 that have been entered as the contractor ID:
D: 102611.

In the above case, the search for the contractor 1 who newly receives the provision of the collected distribution material 6 can be performed using the contractor table [2] shown in FIG. 7B.

Hereinafter, the processing flow of the above change will be described with reference to FIG.

Step [30] (S30) Model information (AR-2000 in this example) to which the distribution material 6 collected from the contractor with the contractor ID: 000125 is attached.
The primary detection is performed by referring to the contractor table [2] and listing the corresponding contractor ID based on the contractor table [2].

Step [31] (S31) On the basis of the contractor ID information, referring to the spare cartridge table prepared for each contractor 1, the necessary /
Judgment is unnecessary.

The method of determining the necessity / unnecessity is described in, for example, FIG.
The spare cartridge number information such as 0 (a), FIG. 11 (a), and FIG. 12 (a) is searched to detect whether the value is “0” or “1”. If “0”, it indicates that there is no spare cartridge in stock, and for the contractor 1 who wants to use the image forming apparatus 2 continuously, the image forming apparatus 2 Need to prevent inactivity.

Step [32] (S32) As a result of the above determination, the presence of the contractor 1 determined to be "necessary" is detected, and if there is, the process proceeds to step 33, and if not, the process proceeds to step.

Step [33] (S33) As a result of the above detection, if there is a contractor 1 determined to be "necessary", the number is detected.
If the number is 1, the process proceeds to step 36.

Step [34] (S34) If there is no contractor 1 determined to be "necessary" as a result of the above detection, the contractor information column corresponding to the unique information is entered in the unique information-contractor table. , The contractor 1 is not determined, and the unique information-contractor table is updated. At this time, the statement that the contractor 1 has not been determined is the deletion of the contractor ID that has already been entered,
Further, an input such as "pending state" or "-" is made.

Step [35] (S35) With reference to the in-use cartridge table, the first contractor 1 retrieved from among the contractors 1 whose spare cartridge number information is "0" is determined as a candidate. For the determination of the candidate, a period from the use date of the currently used distribution material 6 to the current date and time is calculated with reference to the spare cartridge table, and the contractor 1 having the longest period is determined as the candidate. It may be. According to this, the contractor 1 who needs the replenishment of the new distribution material 6 at the earliest time is predicted.
This is a more rational method. Note that the prediction method may be another method.

Step [36] (S36) If the number of contractors 1 determined to be "necessary" by the branch instruction in step 33 is 1, the contract corresponding to the unique information is stored in the unique information-contractor table. "Required" in the user information column
Overwrite and save the contractor ID of the contractor determined to be.

Step [37] (S37) Instruct the shipping department or the like to send out the distribution material 6 to the contractor 1 determined to be "necessary".

Step [38] (S38) In the unique information-contractor table, the contractor ID of the contractor is overwritten and stored in the contractor information column corresponding to the unique information.

As described above, referring to the unique information-contractor table shown in FIG. 17, the unique information is used as a search key.
Confirm the latest contractor 1 of the distribution material 6 having the unique information
Can be identified.

[0238] The distribution material 6 for which the contractor ID information is not input indicates that the delivery destination has not been determined. Therefore, the service for the contractor 1 who needs the distribution material 6 is provided. Be eligible.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 33 to 36, a description will be given of a processing procedure of the arithmetic processing unit 122 for newly registering and updating the service management table (used cartridge table and spare cartridge table). . Hereinafter, the arithmetic processing unit 12 will be described based on the flowchart.
The control operation of No. 2 will be described. (1) New Registering Process of Spare Cartridge Table Step [40] (S40) First, the new registering table of the spare cartridge table shown in FIG. It is displayed on the output unit 125. The program for newly registering the spare cartridge table is a program for performing the processing of S41 to S48 described below. The program is installed in the storage unit 124 of the terminal 12 in advance, and its execution is performed by detecting a click on the execution button of the program for new registration displayed on the output unit 125.

Step [41] (S41) Next, the "contractor ID", "body model" information, and the "all information (all digits)" information column in the spare cartridge information column are ready for input. Displays that information is waiting to be input. For example, input parts are displayed and prompted using a prompt. FIG. 8 shows a state after the “contractor ID” and “body model” information are input.

Step [42] (S42) Next, it is detected whether or not a confirmation command has been issued for the input contents of the registration screen by clicking a confirmation button (not shown). If the confirmation command has been issued, the process proceeds to S43, and if not, the process directly enters the standby state.

Step [43] (S43) Subsequently, in S23, it is detected whether or not all of the above-mentioned information and the information column (information that must be input) have been completely input. If the input has been completed, the process proceeds to S44, and if there is any item that has not been input, the process proceeds to S45.

Step [44] (S44) In S44, based on the unique information input in the "all information (all digits)" column, "notes on the distribution" in the distribution information table [1] shown in FIG. Read the product name and model number by referring to the columns,
The information is transcribed in the “color information” column, “model information” column, etc. of the spare cartridge table. The date input in the “delivery date” column is based on the fact that the specific information is input in the “all information (all digits)” column. It may be written automatically. The timer function of the terminal 12 is used for the automatic input of the date.

This step is intended to improve the operability of the terminal 12 for the operator. That is, the digitized unique information of the toner cartridge 60 (here, “
Since the operator cannot specifically specify the product name, model number, and the like by only “all information”), this is an additional step and is not necessarily required in computer processing.

Step [45] (S45) If all of the above information and information fields have not been entered in S43, a message for prompting entry is displayed in S45.
Return to 41. More specifically, an error message such as "All information (all digits) have not been input." And a confirmation button for the message are displayed, and when the click of the confirmation button is detected, the process proceeds to S41. Try to return to the state. Note that the state of S41 in this case simply means that input is possible, and does not clear information that has already been input.

Step [46] (S46) Based on the unique information entered in the "all information (all digits)" column, refer to the "collection number N" column in FIG. Is read and transcribed in the “collection number N” column.

Step [47] (S47) Following S46, it is detected whether the new registration of the spare cartridge table has been completed and a registration command has been issued by clicking the registration button.

Step [48] (S48) The above information is stored in the spare cartridge table, and the new registration processing is completed. As a result, the management screen changes as shown in FIGS.

With the above operation, the number, type and individual number information of the unused toner cartridges 60 delivered to the contractor 1 are stored in the terminal 12 of the service provider 10. (2) Updating Process of Spare Cartridge Table 1 Next, the updating process of the spare cartridge table will be described with reference to FIG.

Step [50] (S50) The communication section 121 determines whether or not information (contractor ID and unique information of the distribution product 6) has been received from the contractor 1.

Step [51] (S51) Based on the received contractor ID, the spare cartridge table (see FIG. 9) for each contractor 1 stored in the storage section 124 is read out by the above-mentioned new registration processing, and the necessary Is displayed on the output unit 125 in response to

Step [52] (S52) A date is entered in the "use date" field based on the received unique information of the distribution product 6. The date may be a reception date, and as described above, a method of reading out and copying the timer value at the time of reception using the timer function of the terminal 12 may be used.

Step [53] (S53) The item "currently in use" is entered in the "use status" column. The "usage status" column will be described. The "usage status" column contains the following five items in advance: "no information", "unused (spare)", "currently in use", "used", "collected". Is prepared, and an initial value “no information” is automatically selected and input on the registration screen. When the registration is completed, the status is changed from "no information" to "not (preliminary)".

In this update processing, the unique information obtained by the reception is checked against the registered unique information, and the “usage status” column corresponding to the unique information is changed from “not (preliminary)” to “unused”. Make a change to "currently in use".

Step [54] (S54) It is determined whether or not there is any other received unique information. If there is no such unique information, the above information is updated and the process is terminated. Return to 53. (3) Updating Process 2 of Spare Cartridge Table The above-mentioned step is a process in the case where the use of the distribution material 6 is detected for the first time. An exchange process occurs.

Next, a process of updating the spare cartridge table in the above-described replacement process will be described with reference to FIG.

Step [60] (S60) First, it is determined whether or not the detection of the unique information is the first time.
If it is not the first time and the exchange process is recognized, the following processing is performed.

The details of the above determination will be described. When the unique information is received, the spare cartridge table relating to the contractor 1 is read, and the presence / absence of a record in which “currently in use” is entered in the “use status” column is determined. Search for. When using the distribution material 6 for the first time, the unique information 6
This is the first time, and while there is no input of "currently in use", when exchanging the distribution material 6, the unique information 6 is detected for the second time or later. There is an input of "currently in use".

In the example of FIG. 1 to N
o. In the four records of No. 4, there is an input "currently in use".

Step [61] (S61) The color information is specified by reading the type information of the received unique information. The specific method will be described. Of the received unique information, according to the above-described unique information creation rule, the upper four digits are information indicating a type. 3 can be specified by referring to the distribution information table given by 3 or the like.

In the example of FIG. 11B, the received unique information is No. 5 is the record indicated by AR-2000 from the upper four digits of information “0000”.
It can be seen that this is a black toner cartridge.

When there is only one image forming apparatus 2 as a service target of the contractor 1, the model information can be omitted, and only the color information represented by the upper two digits may be used. .

Step [62] (S62) Using the color information obtained in the above step 61, a search is made for a record in which the "usage status" column has been entered as "currently in use". In the example of FIG. It can be seen that one record corresponds.

Step [63] (S63) The "usage status" column of the record retrieved in step 62 is changed from "currently in use" to "used". In addition, the No. corresponding to the received unique information. For the record No. 5, the “usage status” column is changed from “not used (spare)” to “currently used”.

Step [64] (S64) It is determined whether or not there is any other specific information. If there is no such specific information, the above information is updated and the processing is terminated. Return to 61.

FIG. 11B shows an example of the result of the above processing. No. 1 and No. It can be seen that record 5 has been updated. (4) Updating Process of Spare Cartridge Table 3 Next, with reference to FIG. 36, the updating process of the spare cartridge table in the process of collecting the circulation product 6 will be described.

Step [70] (S70) First, it is determined whether there is a distribution object 6 to be collected based on the reception or input of any collection information.

Step [71] (S71) If there is a distribution object 6 to be collected, a contractor ID is obtained from the unique information of the distribution object 6, and a backup for each contractor 1 is obtained based on the contractor ID. Read cartridge table.

Step [72] (S72) Based on the unique information of the distribution material 6, the information "collection" is input in the "use date" column and the "use status" column of the corresponding record.

Step [73] (S73) The "use date" and "use status" columns of the record are updated.

Step [74] (S74) It is determined whether or not there is other unique information to be collected. If there is no such unique information, the process ends. If there is such unique information, the process returns to step 72. .

One example of the result of the above processing is shown in FIG. No. No. 6 to No. It can be seen that record 8 has been updated.

Next, as for the in-use cartridge table, basically, only a part of the above-mentioned spare cartridge table is extracted, and the data contents are not processed at all and displayed. This is the result of the above arrangement. In this way, if the data subject is only the spare cartridge table and the correction of the information unique to the in-use cartridge table is prohibited, data identity can be maintained between the two tables.

More specifically, in the spare cartridge table, when the record in which the “use date” column is input is a target and there are a plurality of records having the same color type information, the “use date” column is displayed. The latest record information is displayed.

Accordingly, in the example of FIG. 9, although information is partially input in the spare cartridge table,
Since the “Use date” field has not been entered, the cartridge
No information is entered in the table.

In the example shown in FIG. 11B, a record having “00” as color information is No. 1 and No. No. 5 exists, and as a result of comparing the “use date” columns of both, No. 5 is obtained. The information of the record No. 5 is displayed.

It is detected as follows that the contractor 1 has used a pirated copy of an imitation product or the like, which is not a genuine product delivered from the service provider 10.

For example, the information received by the communication unit 121 is
As a result of the operation processing unit 122 collating with the information registered in the service management table shown in FIG.
The arithmetic processing unit 122 determines that the same ID number as the ID number already registered as the ID number or the same individual number (unique information) as the individual number (unique information) already registered as “used” is included. Is detected, the use of a pirated copy of a counterfeit product or the like is suspected.
A process (display process, e-mail transmission process, etc.) for notifying the service provider 10 of the fact is performed.

Thus, the service provider 10 confirms the facts by sending a service person to the contractor 1 who is suspected of using a pirated copy of an imitation or the like, and checks the distribution route of the pirated copy of the imitation or the like. And take other necessary measures to eliminate pirated copies.

[0280] The information received by communication section 121 is collated with information registered in all service management tables created for all contractors 1 respectively. Further, when the distribution product 6 is manufactured or packed, an ID number management file for managing the ID number assigned to each distribution product 6 is separately created and stored in a storage unit such as the storage unit 124, and the communication unit 1.
The information received by 21 may be collated with all the ID numbers registered in the ID number management file. In this case, when the communication unit 121 receives an ID number not registered in the ID number management file or information about the ID number, the arithmetic processing unit 122 can determine that the non-genuine product is not actually manufactured. .

In the embodiment in which the communication unit 121 always receives the contractor ID and the ID number of the distribution product 6 from the contractor 1 side, both the contractor ID and the ID number of the distribution product 6 are used. Is compared with the registered information, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the use check of the pirated copy of the imitation product or the like.

FIG. 39 is a flow chart showing the control operation of the arithmetic processing section 122 regarding the above-mentioned automatic update processing of the spare cartridge table, inventory management, and piracy detection processing in a summarized form. Further explanation will be given.

Step [80] (S80) First, whether information on the distribution product 6 (contractor ID, unique information of the toner cartridge 60, etc.) has been received from the image forming apparatus 2 of the contractor 1 via the communication section 121. A determination is made as to whether or not it is.
If the information has been received, the process proceeds to S81, and if not received, it is in a state of waiting for reception.

Step [81] (S81) The contractor ID is detected from the information on the distribution material 6 received in S80, and a plurality of spare cartridges stored in the storage unit 124 are stored based on the detected contractor ID. From the table, select a spare cartridge with the corresponding contractor ID.
The table (FIG. 10B) is read. The output unit 1
In 25, the read-out spare cartridge table is displayed as necessary.

Step [82] (S82) Next, the "use status" column of the spare cartridge table is searched for the toner cartridge 60 including the unique information (all information) received in S80.

Step [83] (S83) Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the corresponding “usage status” column is recorded as “unused (spare)”. As a result of the determination, if the “usage status” column is recorded as “unused (spare)”,
The process proceeds to 84, otherwise proceeds to S93.

Step [84] (S84) In the above-mentioned S83, the "usage status" column indicates "unused (spare)".
If it is determined that the color information is read from the unique information (all information) of the toner cartridge 60 received in S80, the color type of the toner cartridge 60 is specified. The specific method is as described above (see step [61]).

Step [85] (S85) Next, the "use status" column of the toner cartridge 60 including the color information specified in S84 is searched in the spare cartridge table.

Step [86] (S86) As a result of the search in the "usage status" column in S85, it is determined whether there is a "usage status" column recorded as "currently in use". As a result of the determination, if there is a “usage status” column in which “currently in use” is recorded, the process proceeds to S87; otherwise, the process proceeds to S88.

In other words, if there is no “usage status” column in which “currently in use” is recorded in this step, the unique information is registered in the spare cartridge table, and then the unique information is detected. This corresponds to the first case for the image forming apparatus 2 of the contractor 1. That is, one of the unused toner cartridges 60 that has been delivered to the contractor 1 is first mounted on the image forming apparatus 2, and the unique information thereof is read by the reading unit 4 and transmitted to the terminal 12.

On the other hand, if there is a “usage status” column in which “currently in use” is recorded in this step, the toner cartridge 60 in which “currently in use” is recorded is replaced with the toner cartridge 60 in step S8.
0 corresponds to a case where the toner cartridge 60 has been replaced with the toner cartridge 60 that has received the unique information. That is, as a result of the toner cartridge 60 attached to the image forming apparatus 2 being removed and being replaced with one of the unused toner cartridges 60 that has been delivered to the contractor 1, its unique information is read by the reading unit 4. This is transmitted to the terminal 12.

Step [87] (S87) If there is a “usage status” column in which “currently in use” is recorded in S86, the process proceeds to this step, where “currently in use” is entered. The recorded “usage status” column is updated to “used”, and the process proceeds to S88.

Step [88] (S88) In this step, the toner cartridge 6 containing the unique information (all information) of the toner cartridge 60 received in S30
For 0, the "usage status" column is updated from "unused (spare)" to "currently in use".

Thus, regardless of whether the toner cartridge 60 is first mounted on the image forming apparatus 2 or when the mounted toner cartridge 60 is replaced with another new toner cartridge 60, the spare cartridge table can be used. In the “usage status” column, “currently in use” is recorded, and the toner cartridge 60 attached to the image forming apparatus 2 can be identified based on the record.

Step [89] (S89) Subsequent to S88, in this step, the "usage status" column of the toner cartridge 60 that has received the unique information in S80 is "
If "unused (preliminary)", the date of the day on which the unique information is detected is entered in the "use date" field. The function is used, and a method of reading and copying the timer value at the time of receiving the unique information can be adopted.

Steps

[90] (S90) Next, with respect to the toner cartridges 60 including the color information specified in S84, the number of “unused (spare)” in the “usage status” column is checked.

Step [91] (S91) Subsequently, the number obtained in S90 is compared with a specified value, and the number of toner cartridges 60 whose "usage status" column is "unused (spare)" is determined by the specified value. It is determined whether the value has become equal to or less than the value. If the determination result is equal to or smaller than the specified value, the process proceeds to S92.

If the result of the determination is greater than the specified value, the spare cartridge table updating process ends. Alternatively, the process may return to S80 and the spare cartridge table updating process may be repeated.

Step [92] (S92) In step S91, if the number of toner cartridges 60 whose "usage status" column is "not used (spare)" is equal to or less than the specified value, the contractor 1 has Means that the stock of the toner cartridge 60 for the color placed in the contractor 1 is low, so that the dispatch processing for replenishing the contractor 1 with the toner cartridge 60 is performed. The details of the inventory management are as described above.

Step [93] (S93) On the other hand, if it is determined in S83 that the “usage status” column of the toner cartridge 60 including the received unique information is not “unused (spare)”, the process proceeds to this step. Progresses,
Whether the "Usage status" column is "Currently in use" or not
Judge again.

Step [94] (S94) If the "usage status" column shows "currently in use" in S93, the toner cartridge 60 is
It is determined that the same toner cartridge 60 has not been replaced but the same toner cartridge 60 has been removed for some reason, as will be described later. Therefore, in this case, the spare cartridge table is not updated.

Step [95] (S95) On the other hand, in S93, if the "usage status" column does not indicate "currently in use", it is determined whether there is no record in the corresponding toner cartridge 60. It corresponds to an abnormal state such as “used” or “recovered” in the “usage status” column. That is, the toner cartridge mounted on the image forming apparatus 2 is suspected to be a pirated copy. Specifically, a warning message is displayed on the display screen of the output unit 125, or the local network 22 connected to the communication unit 121 is used to send an e-mail or the like to the in-house management department of the service provider 10. Processing such as notification is performed.

The present invention can be applied not only to a printer but also to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, and a printer). Copy machine, facsimile machine, etc.).

Further, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and a computer (or CPU) of the system or apparatus.
And MPU) reads and executes the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, etc. can be used.

[0307] The program code may be downloaded from another computer system to the storage unit 124 of the terminal 12 via a transmission medium such as a communication network.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) Performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in the memory provided on the function expansion board inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is read based on the instruction of the program code. , The CPU provided in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing,
It goes without saying that a case where the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing is also included.

When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the flowcharts described above.

[0311] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

[0312] Throughout, the main parts of the present invention are:
Since the content is related to the exchange service of consumables and consumables, a contract with the image forming apparatus main body is not always prerequisite and is not essential. In other words, it goes without saying that the service according to the present invention can be applied to a lease contract, a rental contract, or a purchased image forming apparatus main body through another route. However, it is procedurally smooth to use the service management method of the present invention for a lease contract, a rental contract, or a person who has newly purchased an image forming apparatus main body, and to make a contract for the service according to the present invention simultaneously with the main body contract / purchase. Can be performed.

The apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to a copier / printer or the like and a distribution part which is a replacement part thereof. All devices that perform a predetermined operation using the distribution material can be targeted. More preferably,
If the unique information of the distribution material is formed and the information can be read out by the main device, the detachment / attachment of the distribution material can be electronically detected.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, the image forming apparatus 2 used as a contract object by the contractor 1 is
Although the terminal 12 is always connected to the terminal 12 of the service provider 10, it may be one time / day, one time / week, one time / month, or the like in view of the frequency of cartridge replacement. A connection time for the contractor 1 to transmit information is set in advance between the contractor 1 and the service provider 10. For example, in the case of one time / day, the connection is made at 24:00, and at 00:00 on the day. From 23:59 to the storage means (not shown), and the service provider 1
It transmits to the terminal 12 on the 0 side.

When the replacement of the toner cartridge 60 is performed, the information of the newly mounted toner cartridge 60 is transmitted. When the replacement of the toner cartridge 60 is not performed at all, the currently mounted toner cartridge 60 is replaced. The information of the cartridge 60 or information indicating no change is transmitted. Even when the replacement of the toner cartridge 60 has not been performed, by transmitting some information, whether the replacement of the toner cartridge 60 was actually performed is determined.
Alternatively, it is possible to distinguish whether the communication is due to a malfunction of the communication itself.

On the other hand, the terminal 12 on the service provider 10 side
Is activated so as to cover at least the time period transmitted from the device on the contractor 1 side, for example, between 23:55 and 24: 5 (5 minutes before and after the connection is started).
Keep the state of e. Here, the active state refers to a state in which information transmitted from the device of the contractor 1 can be properly processed.

[0317] By limiting the connection time as described above,
In the case of a telephone line, the cost of the communication line can be reduced, and the power consumption of the communication devices (5, 121, etc.) on both the contractor 1 side and the service provider 10 side can be reduced.

In general, the power of the image forming apparatus 2 is turned off during non-working hours such as at night. However, when the connection time is set to the non-working time as described above, If the power of the communication unit is turned off at the same time as the power of the image forming apparatus 2 is turned off, the communication becomes impossible. It is better to take it from the line. The memory of the storage means is a rewritable non-volatile memory so that even if the power of the communication means is accidentally turned off, the contents of the storage means stored up to that time are not erased. It is preferred that

[Third Embodiment] When the image forming apparatus 2 is used, a situation in which paper is jammed inside the apparatus, a so-called paper jam, may occur due to a trouble mainly caused by the apparatus transport system. In this case, in order to remove the paper, the toner cartridge 60 which is removable
Need to take out the kind.

When the same cartridge not related to the cartridge replacement is inserted or removed, it is troublesome to transmit the information one by one according to the procedure described in the above embodiment.

On the other hand, the service provider 10 on the receiver side
Even in the above, it is not only meaningless to receive such non-useful information, but if the update date column or the like is updated,
In the case of the billing calculation, there is a possibility that an erroneous calculation is performed.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the same cartridge is inserted or removed, cartridge information is not transmitted. For this purpose, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 0, an operation unit 8 is provided in the image forming apparatus 2.
The arithmetic unit 8 includes a storage unit 81 and a comparing unit 82. The comparator 82 compares the latest information input from the reading unit 4 with the already stored information. Then, the information is transmitted to the transmission / reception unit 5 and the storage content stored in the storage unit 81 is updated. If the information is the same, a process is performed such that neither the storage update nor the information transmission is performed.

Note that there is no need to separately provide the arithmetic unit 8;
You may comprise so that it may be included in the function of the controller part 3.

Further, in the case of an image forming apparatus having a storage device such as a hard disk as a part of the image forming function,
The hard disk can be used as the storage unit 81.

[Embodiment 4] In the previous embodiment, a method was adopted on the contractor 1 side. However, it is necessary to separately provide an arithmetic unit 8, which causes a problem of increasing the cost of the apparatus.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the received information is “currently in use” on the service provider 10 side.
If the information is the same as the information already registered, the arithmetic processing unit 122 determines that the same cartridge has been removed and inserted, and does not update the information at all. The spare cartridge table and the used cartridge
Perform a process that updates the table. Such processing may be realized by the same hardware as that described in the previous embodiment, or may be performed by software processing in the terminal 12. The latter is better because of its versatility, cost, and flexibility in responding to changes in the control method.

[Embodiment 5] Embodiments 1 to 4 above
Has been described as an example in which the distribution object 6 necessary for the operation of the image forming apparatus 2 is provided as a service target, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is applicable to a case where more general products are provided to the contractor 1 can do.

In the following embodiments, normal products are
Means that are generally available to the general consumer, and therefore, in addition to the goods and consumables actually used or consumed,
It may include a container and a case accommodating them, and a member for packing and wrapping them.

The above-mentioned normal product is newly packed and packaged so as to include a unique information forming section (first information recording body) such as the above-mentioned IC chip 61 which stores information such as an ID number of a product. Consumables and consumables in a state where rework such as has been performed will be referred to as distribution products again. Therefore,
By packing and wrapping a number of normal products together (= packing), this service can also be treated as one new product. On the other hand, in the case where the maker manufactures and sells the above-mentioned packed product by performing the above-mentioned new packing and wrapping by himself as in the assortment set, the maker stores the above-mentioned first information recording body at the time of manufacture or the like. Products that can be packed, wrapped, and the like in a form are also distribution products according to the present invention. In addition, in this system, it may only be called a product. Such an example corresponds to a case where four or two tires or wheels or the like are set as one set, or a case where a plurality of types of daily necessities or favorite items are packed.

[0330] Further, the above-mentioned circulated material is the information recording medium 7
May be processed such as attachment.

[0331] Examples of the distribution product include not only the product to be purchased by the so-called end user, but also components constituting the product if the module maker is the contractor 1. For example, a computer device equipped with a liquid crystal display device
A liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal module, a liquid crystal driver, and the like also correspond to the distribution products.

[0332] Other examples include the following. That is, daily necessities such as shampoos and detergents, cosmetics, nursing care products for infants and the elderly, automobile parts such as tires and modularized components, office supplies, books,
Information recording media such as CDs, video tapes, DVDs, etc., foodstuffs, clothing, medical goods, electronic parts such as ICs, toys, electric / mechanical products, electric / mechanical parts, chemicals, propane gas cylinders that have a relatively long storage period And building materials for houses, etc., and metal and plastic materials.

Further, as can be seen from the above examples, even if the used or consumable actually used or consumed is powder or liquid, gas, or liquid, and cannot be counted, a certain amount is used. If it can be counted by containing
It is, of course, within the scope of the present invention.

(Network System) First, as shown in FIG. 20, the service provider 10 provides the contractor 1 with the second terminal 40, and also supplies paper as a supply product of the printer or an image / movie.・ CD, D on which music, application software, game software, etc. are recorded
Products 65 such as an optical disk such as a VD, a video tape, etc. (a distribution product 6 from the unified notation with the first to fourth embodiments. However, when distinguishing from a distribution product necessary for operation of a device such as the toner cartridge 60, etc.) May be referred to as a product 65.). At this time, there are no particular restrictions on the type of product and the number of products to be delivered. However, except for packed products, it is sufficient that the purpose of the present invention is two or more in order to be effectively executed.

The service provider 10 provides the contractor 1 with a pamphlet or the like in which a list of products to be delivered from the next time on is described, if necessary. As a result, the contractor 1 can determine and instruct the product list to be delivered from the next time onward, and can provide only the products that match the user's needs. Can be increased. Instead of the pamphlet, the contractor 1 requests a desired product from the distribution products 6 listed in advance by the service provider 10 and determines a distribution product 6 to be delivered in advance by reflecting the request result. May be. Details will be described later.

Referring to the block diagram of FIG. 20, in terms of equipment, the second terminal 2 installed on the contractor 1 side connects the terminal 12 on the service provider 10 side with the transmitting / receiving unit 41 via a telephone line 20A or the like. Connected through. The transmission / reception unit 41 is, for example, a modem. The connection form is not limited to a telephone line, but may be CATV or the like. Alternatively, it may be a dedicated network system.

[0337] More specifically, the basic configuration of the second terminal 40 is similar to that of the information recording medium 161 attached to the product 65.
It has a reading section 42 for reading information of (a first information recording medium in place of the IC chip 61), a controller section 43 for performing the control, and a transmitting / receiving section 41 for outputting the read information to the outside. .

In appearance, for example, as shown in FIG. 21, the second terminal 40 includes a power switch 23 of the device, a reading port 212 in which the reading section 42 is accommodated and the information recording medium 161 is installed, and a connector of the transmitting / receiving section 41. 22, display unit 243
It is composed of Note that a cable and a connector for supplying power to the second terminal 40 are omitted.

The second terminal 40 is connected via a communication cable 200 to a network connector 210 installed in a house or the like.

[0340] As shown in FIG. 3B, when the information recording medium 161 such as an IC card is artificially inserted or connected to the reading port 212 of the second terminal 40 as shown in FIG. The information is automatically read, and then, when the transmission button 243 is pressed, control for transmitting the information to the outside from the transmission / reception unit 41 is performed.

By automating the transmission operation,
The transmission button 243 may be omitted.

The terminal 12 on the service provider 10 side is connected via the network 20 (telephone line 20A) or /
And the information of the contractor 1 by using the
They are updated and modified.

(Request for Distribution) Referring to FIG.
A description will be given of a method of determining the distribution material 6 to be delivered to the contractor 1 in advance in consideration of the wishes of the contractor 1.

[0344] Figures (a) and (b) show an example of a screen (hereinafter, referred to as a prior request screen) on which the contractor 1 makes a request for the distribution material 6 to be delivered in advance on the Internet.

In both cases, there is an input field for inputting a contractor ID as information certifying that the service according to the present invention has been provided.

[0346] Fig. (A) shows a case in which a general product category is requested, such as office supplies, entertainment supplies, daily necessities, ..., and Fig. (B) shows a case in which the category is requested. This shows the case of subdivision. These may be used alternatively, or, in the case of FIG. (A), for example, when “entertainment goods” is selected, a prior request screen of the same figure (b) showing details of the category is displayed. It may be newly displayed and make a further input request. In this case, there is no need to display an input field for entering a contractor ID on the advance request screen of FIG. Further, as shown in FIG.
A form in which a specific distribution name is displayed on the advance request screen as in the case of “Δ” information search / utilization software may be used.

The contractor 1 selects a desired product category, a product name, a specific distribution name, and the like on the above-mentioned pre-request screen, and clicks a send button. The result of the questionnaire is transmitted to the terminal of the service provider 10. Sent.
The terminal is generally prepared as a web server, but the terminal 12 described above may be substituted.

FIG. (C) shows the HTML (Hyper Text Ma) of the advance request screen shown in FIG.
rkup Language) part of the source. In this way, a questionnaire can be easily performed by using the <FORM> tag. Further, in order to enable selection of a plurality of items, the TYPE of the <INPUT> tag is used.
“Checkbox” is used as the PE attribute. The file is placed on a web server.

In the embodiment in which the WEB server is substituted for the terminal 12, the list of the distribution products 6 that can be delivered to the contractor 1 is stored in the storage unit 124 (third storage unit) of the terminal 12 as the HTML source. Stored, and in response to a request from the second terminal 40 having a browser function,
Is transmitted from the terminal 12 to the terminal 40 in the form of an HTML document. As a result, the contractor 1
2 can be accessed.

Next, the service provider 10 sums up the request results from the contractor 1.

More specifically, as shown in FIG.
When the contractor 1 selects the item “PC software”, the code data “0210” set in the NAME attribute is transmitted to the terminal 12 via the transmission / reception unit 41 as shown in FIG. You. Similarly, the code data “0220” corresponding to the “foreign movie (DVD)” selected by the contractor 1 is transmitted at the same time.

Therefore, the terminal 12 receives prior request information for each contractor 1, for example, in the form of (contractor ID) + (code data selected by the contractor).

Next, the terminal 12 totals the received prior request information from all the contractors 1. FIG. 41D shows an example of the aggregation table. The code data entered in the data column is one of the selection items shown in FIGS.
The correspondence is one-to-one, and the correspondence is determined by the file shown in FIG. The correspondence is shown in FIG. The number of responses column of the totaling table is the number of responses (the number of requests) totaled for each code data.

Next, the code data is rearranged in the answer number column of FIG.

[0355] Next, for example, the top ten items are determined to be delivered in advance, that is, to be distributed 6 to be serviced by the service management method of the present invention. Note that how many distribution items 6 are determined as service targets is within the selection range of the service provider 10.

Next, referring to FIG. 29 (e), the code data of the distribution material 6 determined by the above processing is translated into a product name or the like, thereby obtaining information that can be understood by humans.

If the number of contractors 1 is not large, distribution materials 6 to be delivered in advance as desired for each contractor 1 may be determined.

The above processing is performed by the arithmetic processing unit 122.
The request program and the tallying program indicating the processing procedure are stored in the storage unit 124.

[0359] As described above, regarding the distribution material 6 delivered to the contractor 1, the contractor 1 is requested in advance to select the distribution material 6 desired to be purchased. And the probability of purchase by the contractor 1 can be improved. Further, since the prior requests are totaled, the service provider 10 can prepare the distribution product 6 based on the result of the prior request. Therefore, ordering and inventory management of the service provider 10 itself becomes easy.

Further, by presenting the list of the distribution items 6 reflecting the result of the prior request to the contractor 1, the popular distribution items 6 can be notified to the contractor 1, so that the purchase probability is further improved. On the other hand, it is possible to obtain an effect of reducing defective stocks that cannot be purchased.

[0361] The service provider 10 can know the popular distribution material 6 and the non-popular distribution material 6 based on the prior request result of the contractor 1 and the like. , Distribution 6 as a service object
By providing quick feedback at the time of selection, it is possible to further improve the probability of purchase, and to provide an efficient service.

(Form of Distribution) Distribution 6 will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 22A shows an opening 6 for accommodating the product 65 and the information recording body 161 (information holding unit).
An example is shown in which a commercial product 6 is formed by wrapping a product 65 and an information recording body 161 using a transparent resin bag-shaped wrapping material 66 having a wrapper 60. After accommodating the product 65 and the information recording body 161, the opening 660 is thermally bonded and sealed (sealed portion 661).

In order to avoid damage of the information recording medium 161 due to collision / friction between the commodity 65 and the information recording medium 161 in the packaging material 66, the information recording medium 161 is attached to the product 65 as necessary. Adhere and fix with tape.

When the capacity of the packaging material 66 is larger than the volume of the product 65, the volume of
Since there is a possibility that the volume will increase as compared with the volume of 5, the air in the packaging material 66 may be evacuated at the time of sealing in order to cope with this.

Next, FIG. 22 (b) shows a product 65 with a packaging material 66 which can take the form of laminate packaging or the like.
And an example in which the information recording body 161 is wrapped. Compared with the method of FIG. 22A, the product 65 and the information recording body 161 can be tightly packaged, so that damage to the information recording body 161 due to the collision of the product 65 and the information recording body 161 can be avoided. . Product 65
No more bulk.

In all of the above, a transparent resin member was used as the packaging material 66, but this is because the contents can be easily checked without opening.

Next, FIG. 22 (c) shows an example in which the merchandise 65 and the information recording body 161 are stored in a cardboard case-like packaging material 66. In each of the above two examples, since a transparent member was used as the packaging material 66, it was possible to confirm the contents of the product 65 from outside even after the packaging processing. In order to respond to such a demand, an opening 662 is provided in the cardboard case-like packaging material 66, and the opening 66 is provided.
2 is formed so as to be covered with a transparent resin film. Thereby, the product 65 can be visually distinguished. In addition,
If the purpose is to check the attached state of the information recording body 161, at least a part of the information recording body 161 has the opening 66.
It may be simply arranged so that it can be seen from two.

In the above example, a card-shaped medium such as a magnetic card and an IC card can be suitably used as the information recording medium 161. Details of the information recording body 161 will be described later.

Next, FIGS. 23A and 23B are examples in which a disc-type medium is used as the information recording medium 161. FIG. FIG. 23A shows the information recording medium 1 with respect to the size of the product 65.
61 shows a case where the size is small, and the product 65 is, for example, an A4 size recording paper containing 100 sheets. FIG. 23B shows the information recording medium 1.
The case where the size of the product 61 is equal to or larger than the size of the product 65 is shown. As the product 65, for example, a cartridge for an ink jet printer or the like is cited. In any case, the transparent resin film 67 is tightly packed.

FIG. 23C shows an example of a medium in which a bar code is formed as the information recording medium 161. In the case of such information formation, to prevent the information content from being visually and easily recognized and imitated,
Further, in order to prevent the information surface from being damaged, the information surface is placed on the product 65 with the information surface facing backward, and tightly packaged with the transparent resin film 67. Instead of the close-packing, the information recording body 161 can be adhered to the product 65 with a cellophane tape or the like.

Further, a plurality of products 65 may be packed and packed so as to form a single package. For example, plain paper (1
00 sheets), photo paper (20 sheets), and sticker paper. In this case, these aggregates become new products in the service management method of the present invention. These examples are shown in FIG.

FIGS. 24A to 24C show cases corresponding to FIGS. 22A to 22C, respectively.

In the above, since the entire product 65 is further packed and packed, from the viewpoint of easy confirmation of the product 65, at least a part of the packing material 66 as a packing and packaging member is formed of a transparent member. did. However, in a mode in which a part of the product 65 is wrapped, the packaging material 66 does not necessarily have to be a transparent member because there is an exposed portion of the product 65.

(Example 1 of First Information Recording Body) Next, as the information recording body 161, it is preferable that unique information of a product is recorded on the surface or inside thereof. For example, in the example of FIG. 22B, the information recording body 161 is an IC chip, and the unique information is stored in the form of electronic data.

The EEPROM and mask R in the IC chip
The product type number and the ID number are stored in a nonvolatile ROM such as an OM in advance. Alternatively, a simple method such as a barcode may be used. For the purpose of eliminating pirated copies, the former, in which it is difficult to produce copies and similar products, is preferred.

In the present invention, the information stored in the IC chip may be basically only the product type number and the ID number of the specific product.

Also, as an IC card and an IC chip,
There is no need to prepare a special one, and various types of memory cards that have been put into practical use, that is, compact flash (registered trademark) (CF), smart media (SM), memory stick (MS), and the like can be used.

In the case of an IC card or an IC chip required in the present invention, the information to be stored is basically only the product type number and the ID number of the specific product, and usually, it is not necessary to rewrite the information. Therefore, the memory capacity and functions can be reduced, and the scale of software and hardware such as a memory controller can be significantly reduced.

(Example 2 of First Information Recording Medium) A case where another information forming method is used will be described.

As the information recording medium 161, a reversible recording material can be used. For example, thermochromism, photochromism, electrochromism, heat,
There are methods of writing and erasing a record by light, magnetism, and electricity.

Among them, heat-sensitive recording media using thermal energy are easy to handle, and have already been put to practical use in supermarkets, car supply stores, etc., and the recording media can be recycled and reused. Has features. The reversible thermosensitive recording medium is a medium utilizing the coloring and decoloring properties of a leuco dye which is an electron-donating dye precursor, and light scattering or refraction due to phase separation and phase transition using a polymer compound. There is a type utilizing a transparent / opaque (white turbid) optical change caused by a change in rate.

As the reading means, basically, a reader for a reversible thermosensitive recording medium may be used.

(Example 3 of First Information Recording Medium) The case of using another information forming method will be described.

FIG. 25B shows an information recording medium 161 as an information recording medium 161.
This is an example using a magneto-optical recording medium, and systems using the medium include MD, M
D2, MO and the like have been put to practical use, and information can be repeatedly recorded, so that a recording medium can be reused. As the reading means, a drive device for a magneto-optical recording medium or a pickup device can be basically used as it is. It can be carried out.

Further, since the amount of recording information required in the present invention is extremely smaller than the disk capacity of the above-mentioned practical use level, a disk with a smaller diameter can be used.
In this case, it is possible to cope with the existing pickup device only by making a simple design change. In order to attach to the product, the size of the information recording body 161 is
Since a smaller disk is required, it becomes necessary to use a disk having a small diameter of 5 cm rather than 12 cm. On the other hand, in the optical disc field, research and development on the reduction of the diameter of discs is constantly progressing, so if these standards and the commercial phase are met, no special capital investment is required, It can be introduced and used without ending in the device.

Note that additional information such as product list information to be delivered next time, new arrival information, and advertisements may be stored in the information recording medium 161 in advance for the purpose of utilizing the storage capacity inherent in the disc.

(Example 4 of First Information Recording Medium) In the above description, the unique information of a product is converted into magnetic data or electronic data.
Although a magnetic card, an IC chip, and an IC card are stored, a lower cost and simpler method will be described.

[0389] Details of the information recording medium 161 will be described. As shown in FIG. 23 (c), the information recording body 161 is, for example, a 10 mm-evolved information such as A00000001... 9-digit alphanumeric characters are printed. The decimal and the number of digits are not limited to these, and may be binary and 14 digits. Further, it may be composed only of numbers. Also, the size of the recording medium is not limited to this, and when the target products are various, it is desirable to match the size of the product with the smallest size. It can be used enclosed in the product,
A single reading means can be used.

Next, the meaning of the alphanumeric characters will be described.

The uppermost alphabetic character is information for specifying the types of a plurality of products. In this case, up to 26 types can be distinguished corresponding to 26 alphabetic characters.

The numeral portion is, for example, an individual number of a product of type A, and a single and unique numeral is assigned to one product.

The method of forming information is not limited to printing, but may be punching, forming irregularities, or bar code.

As the material of the medium, any of paper, plastic, metal, and a composite thereof may be used.
In the case of paper, it can be disposable, can be easily disposed of, and can reduce costs. Further, in the case of plastic, the durability is more excellent, so that it can be recycled and reused. Furthermore, the use of a metal is more excellent in recyclability and reusability, and has an environmental advantage.

The thickness of the medium depends on the material and size, but if it is too thin, there is a problem of curling in the case of paper or plastic sheet. Just refer to it.

Also, the smaller the size, the more
Although it can be accommodated inside small conventional consumables, too small would cause handling problems or be easily lost, so the stamp size is a reasonable lower limit.

(Example 1 of Product Specific Information) Next, as the information recording medium 161, it is preferable that product specific information is formed on the surface or inside thereof. For example, the information recording body 161 is a magnetic card as shown in FIG. 42B, in which unique information is recorded as magnetic information.

In the present invention, the information to be stored in the information recording medium 161 may be basically only the product type number and the ID number of the specific product.

Next, the recorded contents of the information will be described.
In the magnetic card, binarized 20-digit numbers such as 0011 0001 0010 1101 1010 and the like for specifying the product 65 are stored in advance.
The number of digits is not limited to this. Note that such a binary display is used according to the principle of storage of the memory, but from the viewpoint of the man-machine interface, the binary display is used.
It may be a decimal number display. As a result, even a general person other than an expert who has no knowledge of binary numbers can use binary-1.
This information can be handled based on a decimal display that is normally used without performing the decimal conversion.

Next, the meaning of the above numbers will be described.

[0401] The four most significant digits are information for specifying the type of a plurality of products 65. In this case, 0000
From 1111 to 16 types. For example, the assignment shown in Table 4 below can be considered, with the uppermost two digits being a large product category and the next two digits being a small product category.

[0402]

[Table 4]

More specifically, the major classification identification bit defines the paper size, and the minor classification defines the paper type.

For example, if the classification bit for large classification is “00”
Indicates that the product 65 is an A6 size inkjet paper, and the identification bits for small classification are “00”, “01”, “10”, and “1” depending on the content.
There are four types, 1 ", plain paper, special paper,
Glossy paper and photo paper are assigned.

Similarly, the classification bit for large classification is “01”.
Indicates that the product 65 is an A4 size inkjet paper, and the identification bits for small classification are “00”, “01”, “10”, and “1” depending on the content.
There are four types, 1 ", plain paper, special paper,
Glossy paper and photo paper are assigned.

Further, if the identification bit for large classification is "11"
Indicates that the product 65 is a postcard size inkjet paper in which a postal code entry field or the like is printed on the back surface in advance, and further, depending on the content, the identification bits for small classification are “00”, “01”, Four types of "10" and "11" are prepared, and plain paper, special paper, glossy paper, and photo paper are allocated to each of them.

Next, in the above example, the remaining 16-digit number part is the individual number of the product having the type number of 0011 (that is, A6 size, photo paper inkjet paper), and is from 0000 0000 0000 0000 65536 different numbers up to 1111 1111 1111 1111 are assigned as a single and unique number to one product.

[0408] Thus, when the contractor 1 purchases two products 65 of A6 size and photo paper inkjet paper, different individual numbers are assigned to each of them. Purchase information can be obtained accurately based on the number information.

[0409] When sticker paper for an ink jet printer, copy paper, OHP paper, or the like is added as the product 65, the number of large classification bits may be increased.

Also, the number of sheets, for example, photo paper 2
In order to distinguish between a set of zero sheets and a set of 50 sheets of photo paper, an identification bit for that purpose may be further provided.

(Example 2 of Product Specific Information) The above is an ink jet printer paper of the same maker.
Even with the same maker product, the optimal paper characteristics may differ depending on the model, and there is a special paper according to the image forming method, such as a special paper for a video printer. It is easy to apply to these.

Further, as described below, it is possible to include ink-jet printer papers of a plurality of manufacturers.

[0413] The information recording medium 161 stores in advance a binarized 24-digit number such as 00000011 000101 011010 101101 as information for specifying the product 65.
The number of digits is not limited to this. Next, the meaning of the above numbers will be described.

[0414] The six most significant digits are information for specifying the type of a plurality of products 65. In this case, 0000
From 00 to 111111, up to 64 types can be distinguished. For example, the assignment shown in Table 5 below can be considered, with the highest two digits as a product large classification, the next two digits as a product middle classification, and the lowest two digits as a product small classification.

[0415]

[Table 5]

[0416] More specifically, the major classification identification bit defines the manufacturer information, the middle classification indicates the paper size, and the minor classification indicates the paper type.

[0417] For example, the identification bit for the large classification is "00".
Indicates that the product 65 is the inkjet paper of Company A, and the intermediate classification identification bit is “0”.
Four types of “0”, “01”, “10”, and “11” are prepared, each of which represents A6, A4, B5, and postcard size.
Four types, 0 "," 01 "," 10 ", and" 11 ", are prepared, and plain paper, photo paper, dedicated paper, and glossy paper are assigned to each of them.

Similarly, the identification bit for large classification is “01”.
Indicates that the product 65 is the inkjet paper of Company B. The identification bit for middle classification is “0”.
Four types of “0”, “01”, “10”, and “11” are prepared, and represent A6, A4, A3, and postcard size, respectively.
Four types, 0 "," 01 "," 10 ", and" 11 ", are prepared, and plain paper, photo paper, dedicated paper, and glossy paper are assigned to each of them.

[0419] Further, the large classification identification bits "10" and "11" indicate that the product 65 is an ink-jet paper of Company C and Company D, respectively.

Next, in the above example, the remaining numeral portion is 0
A product 65 having a type number of 00001, that is, an inkjet paper of Company A, having a size A6,
The paper type is an individual number assigned to the product 65 of glossy paper.

(Example 3 of Product Specific Information) Next, other information recorded contents will be described. In the information recording body 161, binarized 20-digit numbers such as 0011 0001 0010 1101 1010 are stored in advance as information for specifying the product 65.
The number of digits is not limited to this.

Next, the meaning of the above numbers will be described.

[0423] The four most significant digits are information for specifying the type of a plurality of products 65. In this case, 0000
From 1111 to 16 types. For example, the assignment shown in Table 6 below can be considered, with the upper two digits as a commodity major classification and the next two digits as a commodity minor classification.

[0424]

[Table 6]

[0425] To be more specific, the commodity 65 is an ink cartridge in an ink jet printer, the major classification identification bit represents maker information, and the minor classification is defined to represent model information.

For example, if the identification bit for large classification is “00”
Indicates that the product is an ink cartridge for an ink-jet printer of Company A. Further, depending on the contents, "00", "0"
Four types 1 "," 10 ", and" 11 "are prepared, and model a1, model a2, model a3, and model a4 are assigned to them, respectively.

Similarly, if the classification bit for large classification is “01”
Indicates that the product is an ink cartridge for an ink-jet printer of Company B, and the identification bits for small classification are “00”, “0” depending on the contents.
Four types 1 "," 10 ", and" 11 "are prepared, and model a1, model a2, model a3, and model a4 are assigned to them, respectively.

Further, the large classification identification bits "10" and "11" indicate that the product is an ink cartridge for an inkjet printer of Company C and Company D, respectively.

[0429] Note that since the cartridge form includes an all-color integrated type, black, color separation type, all-color separation type, and the like, in the case of the separation type, the identification bit for small classification is used to specify the color. You can increase the number of digits.

Next, the remaining 16 digits are the individual numbers of the products having the type number of 0011 in the above example.

(Example 4 of Product Specific Information) Next, still another information recording content will be described. In the information recording body 161, information for specifying the product 65, a binarized 20-digit number such as 0011 0001 0010 1101 1010 is stored in advance.
The number of digits is not limited to this.

Next, the meaning of the above numbers will be described.

The four most significant digits are information for specifying the type of a plurality of products 65. In this case, 0000
From 1111 to 16 types. For example, the assignment shown in Table 7 below can be considered, with the upper two digits as a commodity major classification and the next two digits as a commodity minor classification.

[0434]

[Table 7]

[0435] To be more specific, the identification bit for large classification "00" indicates that the product is a CD-ROM, and the identification bits for small classification are "00" and "01" depending on the contents. 4 of ",""10","11"
Types are prepared, and music, game software, application software, and business support software are allocated to each.

Similarly, the identification bit for large classification is “01”.
Indicates that the product is a DVD-ROM, and four types of "00", "01", "10", and "11" are prepared for the small classification identification bits depending on the content. , Movies, navigation software,
Database software such as encyclopedias, etc. are assigned.

Further, the large classification identification bits "10" and "11" indicate that the tape is a VHS standard video tape and an unrecorded raw tape, respectively.

Note that the large classification is not limited to the above.
D, etc., magnetic disks such as removable HDD, floppy (registered trademark) disk, and super disk, DVD-RW, CD-RW, PD (Phase Ch.
optical disk such as an optical disk. Further, a sub-class may be provided below the middle class.

Next, in the above example, the remaining 16-digit number part is the individual number of the product having the type number of 0011. Assigned as a single and unique number to one product.

(Example 1 of second terminal 40) FIGS.
(C) is an example of the second terminal 40 provided to the contractor 1 when a magnetic card is used as the information recording medium 161, and the second terminal 40 is provided with a slit 42a for inserting the magnetic card. In advance, as shown in FIG. 42 (b), by moving the magnetic card artificially along the slit portion 42a, a fixed type head portion provided inside the slit portion 42a of the reading device (FIG. (Not shown).

[0441] The read information is transmitted to the outside by communication means including a transmission / reception section 41, a communication connector 22, a communication cable 200, a network connector 210 and the like, and is transmitted to the communication section 1 of the terminal 12 through the network 20.
21.

Note that the information recording medium 16 is
1 may be fixedly arranged, and the form may be read by moving a movably provided head unit.

(Example 2 of Second Terminal 40) Another embodiment of the second terminal 40 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIGS. 21 (a) to 21 (c) show the information recording medium 16.
This is an example in which a memory card is used as 1 and the second is
Connector section 2 for connecting the memory card to terminal 40 of
12 is provided, and information is electrically read by connecting a memory card to the connector section 212.

[0445] The read information is transmitted to the outside by communication means including the transmission / reception unit 41, the communication connector 22, the communication cable 200, the network connector 210 and the like.

Transmission button 24 for performing an operation of transmitting
3. Eject button for ejecting memory card.

Further, a display section 242 for warning an error message or the like may be further provided.

By providing such a display portion 242,
Since the user can be notified whether the reading has been performed reliably or the information has been transmitted reliably, the user can perform the process with confidence.

(Example 3 of Second Terminal 40) Still another example of the second terminal 40 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIGS. 25A to 25C show the information recording medium 16.
This is an example in which the optical disk 1 is an optical disk, in which the optical disk is rotated and read by a head provided in a reading device, and is basically an optical disk drive device. Depending on the method of inserting the optical disc, the structures shown in FIGS.

FIGS. (A) and (b) show the disc insertion slot 21.
In this embodiment, an optical disk as the information recording medium 161 is inserted, and since there is no loading tray 213 as compared with the method shown in FIG. There are merits such as improvement in cost and cost reduction by reducing parts.

On the other hand, the method shown in FIG. 13C is a type having a tray 213 for accommodating an optical disk, and is superior to the method shown in FIG. It has the advantage of being able to handle discs that have been burned.

In the present invention, the information recording medium 161 is preferably a medium which can be repeatedly recorded in view of its recyclability, but the function of the second terminal 40 is to only read information recorded on the information recording medium 161. So
In order to avoid careless writing and erasing of information, the pickup configuration of the second terminal 40 may be configured to have only a playback-only function.

For example, in the case of a magneto-optical disk, in which information is recorded by magnetic modulation, no magnetic circuit is required. Further, in the case of an optical disk of a phase change type or the like, since laser power for writing and erasing is not required, a laser which outputs a lower output power necessary for reproduction may be used. The reliability can be improved and the cost can be reduced. Further, the control circuit can be simplified for reproduction only.

[0455] The disk-type information recording medium 161 is not limited to a magneto-optical disk, but may be a magnetic disk, a phase-change optical disk, or the like. Further, if recyclability is not desired, a medium such as a CD-ROM or a CD-R may be used.

(Example 4 of Second Terminal 40) The second terminal 40 installed on the consumer side is shown in FIGS. 42 (c) and 25 (c).
43, as shown in FIG. 43, a reading unit for arranging the information recording medium 161 and reading information recorded on the information recording medium 161; an interface unit for communicating with the service provider 10; Display units 24 and 241 such as a liquid crystal display may be provided.

As described above, by configuring the display units 24 and 241 with a liquid crystal display or the like, more information can be instantaneously displayed. Information can be captured and displayed.

For example, by adding a browser function to second terminal 40, WWW (World-Wid
HTML (Hyper) used in e-Web)
Text Markup Language) documents can be displayed. The contents of the document may be a list of distribution products 6 that can be delivered to the contractor 1. As the format of the list, those used in normal online shopping can be used. For example, by checking or clicking on a desired delivery product, the distribution product can be requested as a delivery desired product.

[0459] Thus, the service provider 10 can directly provide the contractor 1 with the HTML document created for the user accessing using a normal PC (personal computer). Yes, there is no need to create a separate file. In addition, if the browser function is a proprietary specification that restricts the function and adds a proprietary function to the one used in a personal computer (PC), software burden by omitting unnecessary functions and hardware scale And improve convenience by adding unique functions.

[0460] In the user, the second terminal 40
Is an easy-to-use information terminal that is not conscious of the OS. There are benefits.

Note that a push-type button 251 shown in FIG. 43A and a push-type button 251 shown in FIG. ) May be provided. Or,
A pointing device such as a capacitance type may be provided in advance, or a connector for connecting an input device 254 such as a mouse may be provided as shown in FIG.

Further, UR for Internet connection
L (Uniform Resource Locato
For input of r) and the like, a keyboard may be provided in advance, or an external connector for connecting a keyboard may be provided.

[0463] These input means play the role of a selection unit when selecting a desired distribution product from a list of deliverable distribution products.

[0464] It is also possible to display the management information of the contractor 1. That is, on the second terminal 40 side, information on each contractor 1, for example, a monthly usage statement is stored in a database, and by accessing the file, the contractor 1 obtains the usage statement for the corresponding month. It can be displayed. This allows you to check in real time,
Further, it is possible to omit issuance of a usage statement, an invoice, and the like, and to promote paperlessness.

Further, the next delivery list can be provided via a network. Compared with catalog distribution, the service provider 10 can reduce the production cost and time associated with paperless, promptly provide the latest information,
The contractor 1 has advantages such as quick request and no storage.

(Example 5 of Second Terminal 40) The difference from the previous embodiment is that the second terminal 40 has an e-mail function instead of or in addition to the browser function. Further, as the information recording body 161, the information recording body 16
1. The information recording medium 1 has the form shown in Example 2 or 4 of FIG.
The following effects are obtained when the information formed in 61 is directly recognizable to humans.

That is, if only the reading section 42 of the second terminal 40 breaks down, the ID number of the contractor 1, the information of the purchased product, and the like are transmitted to the service provider 10 by manual operation. Can be.

(Example 6 of Second Terminal 40) Second Example of Second Embodiment
The terminal 40 has a large-capacity hard disk and a TV tuner function added to the previous embodiment. The large-capacity hard disk may be a built-in type or an external connection type. Thereby, reception and recording of TV broadcasting become possible, and it can function as a set-top box or a home server.

[0469] For audio, a method incorporating an audio board or / and a speaker may be used.
By arranging audio terminals and / or speaker terminals, a method using an external amplifier or speaker may be used.

[0470] In the case of a cable TV or the like, the same cable can be used for broadcast reception and Internet use.

(Example 7 of Second Terminal 40) The second terminal 40 shown in FIG. 44 is obtained by adding a telephone function to the basic configuration shown in FIG. In addition to the communication functions required for the telephone, a keyboard 26 for inputting a number is provided.

[0472] Thus, as in Example 5, if the information formed on the information recording medium 161 is directly recognizable to humans and only the reading unit of the second terminal 40 is out of order, for example, By manual operation, the ID number of the contractor 1, the information of the purchased product, and the like are stored in the service provider 1.
Can be sent to

[0473] Similar to a normal stationary telephone, it is possible to perform the same operation from a plurality of slave units.

(Example 8 of second terminal 40) FIG. 45 (a)
The second terminal 40 shown in (b) is obtained by adding an interface unit 28 to the basic configuration shown in FIG. 20 so that it can be connected to a mobile phone (or PHS) 29. Since the function necessary for the telephone is provided in the mobile phone 29, it can be omitted from the second terminal 40. That is, as the basic function of the second terminal 40, reading information from the information recording medium 161 is sufficient, and the display units 241 and 242 are not necessarily required.

[0475] (Step 1) The controller 43 (see FIG. 20)
When the information recording medium 161 is set in the terminal 40, the information stored in the information recording medium 161 is read out.
An instruction is given to the head unit, the driving unit, and the like, and the reading unit enters a standby state.

(Step 2) The mobile phone 29 is connected to the second terminal 40, and when a request signal for information reading is transmitted from the mobile phone 29 to the second terminal 40, the controller The unit 43 includes the information recording body 16
1 and read out the information, add the unique information of the terminal 40 to the information, and instruct the mobile phone 29 to transmit the information. An error display such as the presence / absence of connection of the mobile phone 29 and the degree of connection (in the case of an electrically incomplete connection or the like) can also be displayed on the display unit 242.

(Step 3) The cellular phone 29 stores information transmitted from the second terminal 40 in an internal memory.

(Step 4) The mobile phone 29 makes a network connection to the terminal 12.

(Step 5) The information stored in the internal memory is transmitted to the terminal 12.

[0480] In the above (Step 1), by separately incorporating a memory means in the second terminal 40, the read information can be stored in the memory. In this case, when the mobile phone 29 is connected to the second terminal 40, the stored information is again stored in the mobile phone 2.
9 to be transmitted. Further, the display unit 2 displays whether or not the information is stored in the memory means.
42.

Also, (Step 3) and (Step 4)
However, it may be reversed.

Further, the information to be transmitted in addition to the information from the information recording medium 161 is not limited to the unique information of the second terminal 40, but may be the user information (contract information) allocated to the contractor 1 from the service provider 10. Person ID). In this case, the second terminal 40 requires a non-volatile memory for storing the user information as compared with the above basic function.

[0483] As described above, even if only the telephone function becomes obsolete due to the progress of technology, only the replacement of the mobile phone is sufficient.
The second terminal 40 can be used as it is. Conversely, if the second terminal 40 becomes obsolete earlier, only the second terminal 40 needs to be replaced, and the mobile phone 29 can be used as it is.

Further, if the telephone function is separated, the portability of the mobile phone 29 can be maximized.

(Registration Process of Distribution Object for Service) Next, the operation of the system will be described.

First, the service provider 10 checks in FIG.
As shown in (2), a distribution information table [2] as a service target is created and stored in the storage unit 124.

An important point of the distribution information table [2] is that the unique information of the distribution 6 and the collection count information are associated in pairs. In the figure, a “charged / uncharged” information column is further provided, which indicates whether the distribution product 6 has been charged.

[0488] The number of collection times information will be described below.
In the service according to the present invention, a system in which the distribution material 6 delivered to the contractor 1 and not purchased by the contractor 1 is collected after a certain period of time is allowed. Therefore, the value of the number of collections of the delivered distribution material 6 is managed by the service provider 10 and is used in calculating the charge amount.

[0489] The "charged / uncharged" information column indicates that the distribution 6
Is valid as a service target, and specifically, means that the distribution material 6 set as “done” is used by the contractor 1 and is invalid as a service target. It can be excluded as described above. On the other hand, the distribution material 6 described as “unused” indicates that it is not used by the contractor 1 but exists in an unused state, which means that it is valid as a service target.

(Contractor Information Registration Process) The contractor table shown in FIG. 7 is created and stored in the storage unit 124 in the same manner as described in the first embodiment.

(Registration Process of Delivered Distribution Information)
The second terminal 40 installed on the side of the contractor 1 is connected and set to be communicable with the outside, and when the second terminal 40 becomes communicable, the model number of the second terminal 40 and the ID number of the product Is sent to the terminal 12 on the service provider 10 side. The terminal 12 can automatically detect the model of the second terminal 40 of the contractor 1 by this step, and separately obtains a plurality of contracts by using the associated model information table and contractor information table. The relevant contractor 1 can be identified from the parties 1.

Alternatively, separately, contractor I
D is provided, and when communicating with the terminal 12, the contractor ID
May also be transmitted to specify the contractor 1. FIG. 26 shows an example of a terminal table and a customer table managed on the terminal 12 side.

[0493] As shown on the left side of the figure, the terminal table is a table in which terminal IDs (device-specific information) and contractor IDs (contractor-specific information) are linked in a one-to-one or one-to-many relationship. It is. On the other hand, the customer table is a table in which contractor IDs and contractor general information such as names and names are linked in a one-to-one relationship, as shown on the right side of FIG. These two tables can be joined by a common key called a contractor ID. For example, the name of the contractor 1 whose terminal ID is "000001" searches the customer table based on the contractor ID. By doing so, it can be understood that "△△ △△".

[0494] In the terminal 12 of the service provider 10, a management table is prepared for each contractor 1 as shown in FIG. At this stage, as shown in FIG. 27, no information is contained in the terminal 12 on the service provider 10 side.

[0495] Next, the service provider 10 collects information on all products to be delivered to the contractor 1 in advance,
The information is stored in the terminal 12 of the service provider 10 immediately or later.

The information collection method has already been described, and a detailed description will be omitted.

[0497] The terminal 12 of the service provider 10 receives the above information and, based on the received information, as shown in FIG.
The corresponding information is entered in the management table. In the description of the figure, from the viewpoint of the user interface, not only the code information but also the actual product name and the like are used for the display regarding the information of the type of the product and the like. At this point, the purchase status columns are all displayed as "not yet".

Thus, the initial setting / registration is completed.

(Purchase Detection Process) Next, the operation at the time of product purchase will be described.

[0500] The contractor 1 opens the product 65 for which purchase has been decided, and sets the information recording medium 161 obtained only by opening the product in the second terminal 40. In this embodiment, separately from the product 65, the product 65
The information recording medium 161 in which unique information for specifying the information is described is included. That is, in order to not only specify the product 65 but also determine the operation of opening the package, the product 65 is enclosed in the packing material or the packing material.

[0501] Since these packaging materials or packaging materials are different from the packaging material or packaging material of the product 65 itself, the product 65 does not lose its merchantability by opening the packaging material or packaging material. However, when the information recording medium 161 is carried in the packing material of the product 65 or the packaging material, the product 65 is regarded as used when the packing material or the packaging material is opened. Alternatively, the merchandise value may be lost except for the opened contractor 1.

[0502] Since the second terminal 40 is already connected and set to be communicable with the outside and is in a communicable state,
The second terminal 40 transmits the product information formed on the set information recording medium 161 to the terminal 12 on the service provider 10 side.

[0503] In the terminal 12 of the service provider 10, the arithmetic processing unit 122 receives the above information, specifies the contractor 1 and the product 65 based on the transmitted information, and as shown in FIG. 1 detects the opening, that is, the purchased product 65, and changes the information in the corresponding purchase status column of the management table to "
Update from “unused (spare)” to “purchase”.

[0504] The contractor 1 contracting with the service provider 10 purchases necessary products from the delivered products 65. The purchase is performed by opening the product 65 for which the purchase has been decided, and causing the second terminal 40 to read the information of the information recording medium 161 obtained only by opening the product 65. The information is transmitted to the terminal 12 of the service provider 10 through the network. , That is, by being recorded in the management table.

(Charging Process) Next, a charging processing method will be described. FIG. 32 shows a list of consumer goods to be charged. The charging period is, for example, one month.
The consumable item list is obtained by extracting, for example, product information used one month before the closing date of billing calculation (15th month in this embodiment) based on the management table. At this time, the method of extraction is to extract those for which "purchase" has been recorded in the purchase status column of the management table and whose use date falls one month before the closing date of the accounting calculation. Done in

[0506] The product 65 to be charged is specified as described above. The processing flow of the billing calculation is as described in the first embodiment.

[0507] Fig. 32 shows a list for the past three months.

As described above, according to the present invention, only the merchandise 65 actually purchased for use by the contractor 1 is charged, and the unused merchandise 65 is not charged. Further, the present invention is characterized in that the billing amount is changed according to the number of times the product 65 has been collected so far. As a result, the contractor 1 can immediately use the necessary product 65 without any upfront expenses, unnecessary inventory, lack of consumables, and complicated procedures. Product 65 without management
Can be used on demand. Further, by setting a low charge for the product 65 whose collection frequency is high, it is possible to eliminate psychological anxiety about the use of the product 65 by the contractor 1 and to create a situation where it is easy to purchase.

(Process of Collecting Unused Products and Delivering New Products) Next, a system of collecting unused products and delivering new products will be described.

[0510] For example, every month,
At a determined date and time, the service provider 10 collects unpurchased commodities 65 from among the commodities 65 delivered in the previous month and performs delivery work for newly delivered commodities in the current month.

FIG. 30 shows a case where the first day of each month is the collection date and the delivery date. Last month, ie 3
Of the products 65 delivered on the first day of the month, the product 65 not purchased by the contractor 1 is specified. The identification is performed by the arithmetic processing unit 1
Reference numeral 22 denotes the management table shown in FIG. 30, the condition 1 in which the record data in the purchase status column is “unused (preliminary)”, and the product 6
5, the retrieval is performed by the condition 2 whose delivery date corresponds to the collection target period, and the merchandise 65 satisfying both the conditions 1 and 2 is selected.

[0512] However, if the first day of each month is determined as the collection date, the search for the condition 2 becomes unnecessary. Further, the management table shown in FIG. 30 is displayed on the display screen of the output unit 125,
A method in which the service provider 10 specifies on the display screen using a pointing device or the like can also be used.

[0513] As a result of such a process of specifying the product 65 to be collected, for example, No. Nos. 2, 3, and 4 are specified. For the two, three, and four products 65, the arithmetic processing unit 122 or the service provider 10 issues a collection instruction to the shipping department of the product 65. Thereby, the product 65
Will be recovered on April 1. When the collection information is input to the terminal 12 of the service provider 10, the information is displayed in the collection date column as shown in FIG.

In addition to the collection of the unpurchased products, the newly delivered products for April, that is, No. 6, 7, and 8 are delivered to Contractor 1. The setting / registration at the time of delivery is as described above, and the description is omitted. When the new delivery information is input to the terminal 12 of the service provider 10, the information is displayed in a delivery date column as shown in FIG.

[0515] The method of selecting a new product is determined by the service provider 10 based on the content of the product purchased so far by the contractor 1 and further taking into account additional information such as family structure. Alternatively, as described above, the contractor 1 selects a product 65 that suits his or her preference from a list of all deliverable products distributed to the contractor 1 in advance, as described above. , The service provider 10 may be notified. The product list is stored in the information recording medium 16.
It may be recorded on a magneto-optical disk as shown in one example of 1, or distributed by a catalog, and further,
Provide in a form that can be browsed through the Internet. By employing these methods, it is possible to provide a product 65 that meets the needs of the contractor 1.

[0516] In addition, if the collection date of the unpurchased product in the previous month and the delivery date of the new product in the current month are the same, it can be said that the collection and delivery work can be unified, which is preferable.

[0517] Fig. 30 shows an example in which the information of the product 65 after collection is continuously present in the future. However, for the product 65 for which the collection date and time has been input and the collection has been confirmed and confirmed,
As shown in FIG. 31, the information may be deleted from the management table or may be displayed.

(Example 1 of Collection of Unused Commodities) In the sales system of the present invention, two services are required: delivery of a new commodity 65 and collection of a commodity 65 not purchased.

[0519] Considering the current distribution system, it is conceivable to use a home delivery vehicle as the service means.
Further, it is efficient to go around a plurality of contractors 1 and simultaneously deliver and collect the goods 65 to one contractor 1.

[0520] In this case, the rules for the goods collected from a certain contractor 1, the goods newly delivered to the contractor 1, the goods collected from another contractor 1, and the goods newly delivered to the contractor 1 are defined by rules. In a mixed state, a large amount of time is required for delivery and collection. Furthermore, if the products 65 are different for each contractor 1, the number of products to be handled becomes enormous, and it becomes impossible to entrust the serviceman who performs delivery and collection to manage the products 65 accurately.

[0521] Even for the same contractor 1, if a single container is used, if the delivered goods and the collected goods are mixed, they cannot be quickly distinguished. , It may take time. For example, if both the delivered product and the collected product are optical discs, a method of collating with the content registered in the terminal 12 of the service provider based on the information such as the title name is certain. Are required, and time is required for collation. On the other hand, before the registration operation is performed, it is possible to determine whether the product is a recovered product or a newly delivered product based on the presence or absence of the second information recording medium 7. Cannot be distinguished exactly.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized in that a dedicated container is prepared for each contractor 1 and further a delivery container and a collection container are prepared. I do. As a result, careless mixing of collected products with newly delivered products is avoided.

[0523] In response to a prior request or the like from the contractor 1, the service provider 10 collectively stores the corresponding products 65 in a new delivery container for each contractor 1 at a merchandise distribution center or the like. At one contractor's home, the serviceman delivers the new delivery container to contractor 1.

[0524] On the other hand, the contractor 1 stores the non-purchased commodities 65 in the container delivered last time (the previous month if the collection cycle is January). At the date of new delivery and collection, a container for new delivery is received from the serviceman, and a container containing the non-purchased product 65 is delivered to the serviceman.

[0525] In order to increase the certainty, it is preferable to form in each container at least information describing a delivery date and a scheduled recovery date. Based on this information, it is possible to determine whether the container is a delivery container or a collection container at the date of the new delivery and collection.

Alternatively, the container color is associated with the delivery month. For example, when the collection cycle is January, the container color is blue when the delivery month is an even number month, and
If the container color for odd months is set to gray, an instant decision can be made.

(Example 2 of Collection of Unused Commodities) In connection with the above embodiment, the present embodiment provides a structure of a delivery car for storing containers and a method for storing the containers in the delivery car.

[0528] The cargo compartment of the parcel delivery vehicle has a structure that is separated or divided into a cargo compartment that accommodates a new delivery container and a cargo compartment that accommodates a collection container.

As a result, new delivery and collection operations can be performed more quickly and accurately.

[0530]

As described above, according to the present invention, among the consumables delivered to the user of the equipment in order to avoid the inoperative state of the equipment due to the depletion of the consumables, the consumer goods actually used are included. Since the user is charged only for this, the consumable can be exchanged without having unnecessary stock on the contractor side.

Also, the delivery work for advance delivery and the billing work need not necessarily be at the same time, and the delivery work is determined and executed based on the actual consumption situation, while the billing work is the delivery work Irrespective of the above, for example, it can be executed periodically with a unit of a month, so that each can be performed in an efficient and convenient best method.

The following is described corresponding to each claim.

In the service management method of the present invention, the computer can access the unique information of the distribution material to be delivered to the service recipient and the collection frequency information of the distribution material (for example, by input means provided in a terminal as a computer). (For example, as a distribution information table) in a storage unit, and (for example, communication means provided in the terminal) detecting, via a network, use of the distribution product by a service recipient (for example, provided in the terminal). Arithmetic processing means)
Qualifying the detection of the use as a purchase action;
Calculating the billing amount by considering the purchase action and the authorized distribution object in consideration of the number of collection times of the distribution object, out of the delivery number of the distribution object (for example, the arithmetic processing means provided in the terminal). It is characterized by being executed by a programmed computer.

[0534] According to this, unused distribution materials that have only been delivered to the service recipient are not subject to the charging process, and only the distribution products that can be recognized as purchased by the service recipient are obtained. The amount is charged to the service recipient. As a result, it is possible to provide a reasonable service that charges the service recipient with a lean charge, reduce the burden of inventory management for the service recipient, and reduce unnecessary advance expenditure, Further, for the service provider, by providing the above-mentioned service, it is possible to reliably secure customers, and therefore, it is possible to stably sell the distribution product.

Further, since the charge amount is calculated in consideration of the information on the number of times of collection of the distribution material that can be digitized and managed, ambiguity as the basis for calculating the charge amount can be eliminated, and the same distribution can be performed. Even if the goods are collected, the charged amount can be changed if the number of collections is different. Even sales can be promoted.

Since the collection number information is registered and managed in the recording unit, basically, it is not necessary to form the information in the distribution, and therefore, the collection number information is obtained from the distribution. It is not necessary, and can be easily obtained by computer operation by the service provider, electronically processed, and easily updated.

[0537] The service management method according to the present invention is a service management method using a computer for providing a distribution product necessary for operating a device. In the service management method, a terminal managed by a service provider delivers to a service recipient. Registering the unique information of the distribution material and the information on the number of times of collection of the distribution material in a storage device accessible by the computer, and setting the device installed in the service receiver to the unique information of the distribution material attached to the device. Reading the information, transmitting the information including the unique information of the distribution to the terminal managed by the service provider, the terminal managed by the service provider, detecting the information via a network, Certifying the attachment to the device as a purchase action based on the unique information of the distribution product, and It is characterized by executing the steps of taking into account the recovery count information of the flow through was computing the billing amount, to the computer as a target a recognized distribution equivalent to.

[0538] According to this, the service recipient side detects the use of the distribution material by a simple step of reading the unique information of the distribution material attached to the device, and the service provider side detects the use of the distribution material. By certifying whether or not the purchase corresponds to the specific information, it is possible to accurately know the actual consumption number of the distribution product.

Further, the terminal managed by the service provider calculates the charge amount in consideration of the information on the number of collections of the distribution that can be digitized and managed.
If the number of collections differs, the billing amount can be changed. For example, by reducing the billing amount for a circulation product with a large number of collections, sales are promoted even for a circulation product with a large number of collections. be able to.

In the service management method of the present invention, among the distribution products delivered to the service recipient, an unused distribution product to be collected from the service recipient after a certain period of time is specified (for example, on a management table). It is characterized by having steps.

[0541] According to this, by specifying the distribution object to be collected, the unused distribution material can be collected from the service recipient, so that the delivered distribution material can be used for a long time by the service recipient. , Without being used
Therefore, it is possible to eliminate a state where the information is stored without being purchased. In addition, it becomes possible to deliver the collected distribution material to another service recipient. In other words, a distribution product that has not been used for a certain period of time is judged to have no intention to purchase the delivered service recipient, and is provided to other service recipients, thereby providing a chance to purchase the distribution product. In addition, sales opportunities can be increased.

The service management device according to the present invention includes a distribution information recording unit for registering paired information specific to the distribution to be delivered to the service receiver and information on the number of times of collection of the distribution,
An input unit for inputting the use status of the distributed product; and, for the distributed products whose use is detected from the use status, of the distributed products, the distributed product is considered in consideration of the number of collection times of the distributed product. And an arithmetic processing unit for calculating a billing amount for.

According to this, the arithmetic processing unit fetches the number of deliveries from the information on the distribution material registered in the distribution information storage unit, and fetches the number of use from the information on the use situation input via the input unit. By subtracting the number of used items from the number of delivered items, the actual number of consumed items can be obtained. Therefore, charging is not performed for unused distribution items delivered in advance, only for actually used distribution items. Service can be centrally managed.

Further, the service management apparatus calculates the charge amount in consideration of the number of times of collection of distribution products that can be digitized and managed. Therefore, even if the distribution items are the same, the charge amount is different. Can be varied, for example,
By reducing the billing amount for distribution products with a large number of collections, sales can be promoted even for distribution products with a large number of collections, and as a result, the service provider's inventory is cleared. be able to.

[0545] The service management device of the present invention includes a distribution information recording unit for registering paired information unique to the distribution to be delivered to the service recipient and information on the number of times of collection of the distribution,
A communication unit for detecting the use of the distributed product via a network, and considering the number of times of collection of the distributed product, for the distributed product whose use is detected by the communication unit among the delivered distributed products. And an arithmetic processing unit for calculating a charge amount for the distribution product.

According to this, the use of the distribution material can be automatically detected in the communication unit by receiving the information from the network, so that it is not necessary to separately confirm the use of the distribution material, and the service receiver and the service provider can be provided. The labor of both parties can be saved.

[0547] Further, since unique information is assigned to each of the distribution products provided to the service recipient and registered in the storage unit, electronic management becomes easy.
Unique information of the distributed product received from the distributed product attached to the image forming apparatus is the same or different from the registered one, depending on whether the same distributed product is inserted or removed at the time of paper jam treatment, or The arithmetic processing unit can electronically determine whether or not a new distribution product has been mounted due to replacement.
Therefore, when the information of the attached distribution material is new,
Based on the notification result, it is possible to identify the action as a purchase action of the distribution product.

Also, since the communication unit detects the use of the distribution material via the network, the service provider can obtain the purchase status of the service recipient reliably and almost in real time while staying at a remote place.

The service management network system according to the present invention is a device in which a consumable or consumed commodity having unique information is provided in a detachable manner. A reading unit for detecting
A first unit including a transmission unit that transmits information including the unique information to the outside via a network, and a controller unit that controls the reading unit and the transmission unit;
Group, a distribution information recording unit for registering the distribution-specific information and the collection count information of the distribution, and a communication unit for communicating with the first group and acquiring information including the specific information And calculating a billing amount for the distribution material, which is used for the distribution material whose use is detected from the information among the distribution products delivered to the first group, in consideration of the collection frequency information of the distribution material. And a second group including a service management device having an arithmetic processing unit.

Thus, the service management method described in claims 1 to 3 can be realized by using a network system, electronic management of the number of collections, and IT technology such as an IC chip.

If the device is a system that is an image forming apparatus, distribution information such as toner cartridges can be centrally managed for the image forming apparatus connected to the network through the network.

The service management network system according to the present invention includes a reading unit for detecting the unique information of the distribution material from the distribution material having the unique information, and transmits the information including the unique information to the outside via the network. A first group consisting of a device having a transmission unit, a controller unit for controlling the reading unit and the transmission unit, and a distribution for registering the unique information of the distribution material and the collection count information of the distribution material A product information recording unit, a communication unit that communicates with the first group, and obtains information including the unique information, and a use that is detected from the information among the distribution items delivered to the first group A service management device having a calculation processing unit for calculating a charge amount for the distribution object in consideration of the number of times of collection of the distribution object with respect to the distribution object, It is characterized in that they are composed of.

According to this, the service target is not limited to the distribution items necessary for operating the device, but is delivered to most of the general products generally distributed, that is, to the service receiver as a provision. , And all products that can be charged according to the number of uses can be targeted for service.

The program of the present invention executes the service management method of the present invention, and the computer-readable recording medium of the present invention records the program.

According to the above configuration, the service management method of the present invention can be provided to the service recipient by loading the program into the service management device. In addition, by loading the above-described program into a computer, the service management method of the present invention can be provided to a service recipient using a general computer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a service management network system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a form of a distribution product according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a connection image of the service management network system according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a packing state of a distribution product according to the present invention.

FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (c) are explanatory diagrams for explaining a distribution form of a distribution product according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a distribution information table in which distribution information and collection count information of the distribution are registered in pairs.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing an example of a contractor table displayed on an information management screen.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing an example of a management table (initial state) displayed on an information management screen.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing an example of a management table (at the time of pre-registration) displayed on an information management screen.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a management table (at the time of using a distribution product) displayed on an information management screen.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of a management table (at the time of distribution of goods) displayed on an information management screen.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are diagrams showing an example of a management table (at the time of distribution collection) displayed on the information management screen.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a billing method.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow of a charging processing method according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a charging coefficient table used for charging processing according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a basic billing amount table used for billing processing according to the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a unique information-contractor ID table according to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow of a method of updating the number of collections.

19 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow of a method for updating the unique information-contractor ID table shown in FIG.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of another service management network system according to the present invention.

21 is another example of a device used in the service management network system shown in FIG.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example in which unique information of a normal product is integrally formed.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing another example in which unique information of a normal product is integrally formed.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing still another example in which unique information of a normal product is integrally formed.

FIG. 25 is still another example of the devices used in the service management network system shown in FIG.

26 is a diagram showing a state in which a terminal management table and a customer table are combined using a contractor ID as a key in the service management network system shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of a management table (initial state) displayed on the information management screen in the service management network system shown in FIG.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of a management table (at the time of pre-registration) displayed on an information management screen in the service management network system shown in FIG.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of a management table (at the time of using a distribution product) displayed on the information management screen in the service management network system shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of a management table (at the time of distribution collection) displayed on the information management screen in the service management network system shown in FIG. 20;

31 is a diagram illustrating an example of a management table (at the time of distribution product collection) when a display relating to a distribution target to be collected is deleted from the management table illustrated in FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating a charging method in the service management network system shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow for performing initial registration of a service management table.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow for performing an initial update of the service management table.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow including the second and subsequent updates of the service management table.

FIG. 36 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow including an update at the time of collection of the service management table.

FIG. 37 is a schematic diagram of still another service management network system according to the present invention;

38 (a) to 38 (f) are diagrams showing timing charts for explaining the operation of the device.

FIG. 39 is a flowchart showing a flow of a control operation of an arithmetic processing unit regarding an automatic update process of a spare cartridge table.

FIG. 40 is a schematic diagram of another service management network system according to the present invention.

41 (a) to (e) are diagrams for explaining a prior request method for a distribution product.

FIG. 42 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a second terminal used in the service management network system shown in FIG.

FIG. 43 is still another example of a device used in the service management network system shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 44 shows still another example of a device used in the service management network system shown in FIG.

FIG. 45 shows still another example of a device used in the service management network system shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Contractor (service receiver, consumer) 2 Image forming apparatus (equipment) 3 Controller part 4 Reading part 5 Transmission / reception part 6 Distribution material 7 Information recording body (2nd information recording body) 8 Operation part 9 Sensor circuit 10 Service Provider 12 Terminal (service management device) 20 Network 24 Display unit 40 Second terminal 41 Transmission / reception unit 42 Reading unit 43 Controller unit 60 Toner cartridge (distributed product) 61 Unique information holding unit (first information recording body) 63 Packaging Material (protective material) 65 Commodity (distributed material) 66 Packaging material (packing member) 67 Transparent resin film (packing member) 81 Storage unit 82 Comparison unit 121 Communication unit 122 Operation processing unit 123 Input unit 124 Storage unit (first, second) 2. Third storage unit, list storage unit, recording medium) 125 output unit 161 information recording body (first information recording body) 241 Radical 113 251 push button (selector) 252 button (selector)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme court ゛ (Reference) G03G 21/00 396 G03G 21/00 396 510 510 (54) [Title of Invention] Service management method and its use Distribution product, service management device, service management network system, and computer-readable recording medium recording program for executing service management method

Claims (9)

[Claims] A step of registering, in a storage unit accessible by a computer, information specific to a distribution to be delivered to a service recipient and information on the number of times the distribution has been collected; Detecting through a network, certifying the use detection as a purchase action, and, among the number of deliveries of distribution, collecting the information on the number of times of collection of the distribution with respect to the purchase identified as the purchase action. Calculating the billing amount in consideration of the above, causing the programmed computer to execute the method. 2. A service management method using a computer for providing a distribution product necessary for operating a device, wherein a terminal managed by a service provider stores information specific to the distribution product to be delivered to a service recipient, and Registering information on the number of times of collection of the distribution material in a storage device accessible by the computer, reading a unique information of the distribution material attached to the device by a device installed at the service recipient; Transmitting the information including the unique information of the product to the terminal managed by the service provider; detecting by the terminal managed by the service provider the information via a network; Certifying the attachment to the device as a purchase action based on the Calculating the billing amount in consideration of the information on the number of times of collection of the distribution material by the computer. 3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of specifying an unused distribution material to be collected from the service recipient after a predetermined period out of the distribution products delivered to the service recipient. Service management method using a computer. 4. A distribution information recording unit for registering the unique information of the distribution to be delivered to the service receiver and the information on the number of times of collection of the distribution, and an input unit for inputting a use state of the distribution. And an arithmetic processing unit that calculates a billing amount for the distribution in consideration of information on the number of times of collection of the distribution, with respect to the distribution whose use is detected from the usage status, among the delivered distributions, A service management device comprising: 5. A distribution information recording unit for registering a pair of information specific to a distribution to be delivered to a service recipient and information on the number of times of collection of the distribution, and detecting use of the distribution via a network. And a communication unit for performing the operation, and calculating a billing amount for the distribution object in consideration of information on the number of times of collection of the distribution object, for the distribution object whose use is detected by the communication unit among the delivered distribution objects. A service management device, comprising: an arithmetic processing unit. 6. A device for distributing and consuming consumables having unique information, wherein the device is detachably provided, and a reading unit for detecting the unique information of the distributable material from the distributable material. A first group of devices including a transmitting unit that transmits information including the unique information to the outside via a network, and a controller unit that controls the reading unit and the transmitting unit; A distribution information recording unit that registers the unique information and the number of times of collection of the distribution, and a communication unit that communicates with the first group and acquires information including the unique information;
An arithmetic processing for calculating a charge amount for a distribution product, which is used for the distribution product whose use is detected from the information, in consideration of the number of times of collection of the distribution product, among the distribution products delivered to the first group. And a second group including a service management device having a service management unit. 7. A reading unit for detecting unique information of a distributed product from a distributed product having unique information, a transmitting unit for transmitting information including the unique information to the outside via a network, the reading unit, A first group including devices having a controller unit that controls the transmission unit; a distribution information recording unit that registers the unique information of the distribution and collection number information of the distribution; A communication unit that communicates with one group and obtains information including the unique information;
An arithmetic processing for calculating a charge amount for a distribution product, which is used for the distribution product whose use is detected from the information, in consideration of the number of times of collection of the distribution product, among the distribution products delivered to the first group. And a second group including a service management device having a service management unit. 8. A program for executing the service management method according to claim 1. Description: 9. A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 8 is recorded.