Electrophotography – Machine operation – Accounting
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-27
2003-05-27
Ngo, Hoang (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Machine operation
Accounting
C399S024000, C399S027000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06571071
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a consumption information management apparatus, an image formation apparatus, and a consumption information management system. More particularly, this invention relates to the consumption information management apparatus that manages consumption information for consumable items (supplies) such as paper and developer used in copiers, facsimiles, or printers and for a communication fee or the like, and the image formation apparatus provided with the consumption information management apparatus. This invention also relates to the consumption information management system that charges a user for the consumed supplies and a maintenance fee of the image formation apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, a substantial use period of purchased products of various types has been shortened in association with acceleration of technological innovation. Therefore, users tend to use products always with the latest functions by lease or rental rather than purchase of such products whose use cycles are substantially short.
On the other hand, in order to cope with such situations, businesses providing products to users by lease or rental are increasing. Under such circumstances, the image forming devices such as the copiers, facsimiles, or the printers are thought to be provided increasingly to the users by lease or rental.
As for the image forming device based on rental, the user returns a device, which has been used up to that time, to the rental source and at the same time rents a new device in order to always use the device provided with the latest functions by making use of merits of the lease system or rental system.
However, in the conventional rental system of the image forming devices, supplies such as developer and paper are not included in a lease fee or a rental fee, so that the user purchases such supplies separately. Accordingly, when the user is to rent a new device, the supplies remaining inside the image forming device to be returned are also taken to the rental source although these supplies are not used by the user, which brings loss to the user. For example, when the supplies such as developer are supplied to the image forming device to be returned immediately before its return, almost all the supplied items are also taken to the rental source remaining unused.
In these types of image forming devices, properties of developer to be used are generally different from each other for each type of the image forming devices. Therefore, when the image forming device having been used up to that time is returned, there may occur such inconvenience that the developer purchased and stocked by the user as developer for this particular image forming device will be wasted.
Such disadvantages brought to the user in the rental system of the image forming device occur in both of monochrome image forming devices and color image forming devices, but the disadvantages are more significant particularly in the color image forming devices. That is, the color image forming device has developers of respective colors accommodated in a plurality of developer containers, and consumed quantities of the developers of the respective colors are different according to used situations by the user. Accordingly, possibility, such that this color image forming device has run out of the developers of the respective colors accommodated in the developer containers at the time of being returned, is extremely low as compared to that of the monochrome image forming device. Further, the color developers are generally used less frequently than the monochrome developer, but are more expensive.
Accordingly, when the color image forming device is returned, a large quantity of color developers not used frequently, in many cases, remains within the respective developer containers without being consumed. Therefore, when the image forming device is returned, there is a high possibility that the large quantity of developers remaining in the developer containers are also taken to the rental source. Therefore, the loss of the user becomes much larger as compared to that of the monochrome image forming device.
On the other hand, in recent years, it has been recognized, as an important matter, to recycle products and parts that have not yet reached the end of their lives considering the influence over the environments and resources due to disposal of various types of products. Based on such background, in the field of the image forming devices, when a user has purchased an image forming device and quits using it, it is thought to become common that its maker collects the image forming device and provide the device to recycling.
However, when the image forming device purchased and used by the user is provided to the maker as it is for its recycling, for the same reason as the case where the image forming device is rented, it is quite possible that disadvantages for the user may occur. That is, when the image forming device purchased and used by the user is to be collected by its maker, even if unused developer remains within the image forming device, this developer is also delivered to the maker together with the image forming device. If such a case occurs, the developer purchased by the user may be delivered to the maker remaining unused, which is wasteful for the user. This matter becomes more significant particularly in the color image forming device for the same reason as that of the rental image forming device.
Further, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-160452, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-84963, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-19906, it is pointed out that a charging method based on the number of copies to be output, which has been conventionally performed in this type of image forming device, is unfair but charging based on the quantity of consumed toner is a fair and reasonable charging method. In such conventional technologies, a copying service charge is calculated based on the quantity of toner consumed through image formation. However, the point that the toner contained in the developer remaining within a developer container is resulted in charging to the user cannot be resolved by these technologies.
Conventionally, on the other hand, in order to maintain performance of the image forming device, the user may have paid for its maintenance, which is regularly performed, other than the expenses for purchase of the main body of the device or its rental fee. In such a case, as a running cost of the image forming device, the user is required to pay discretely for 1) a loan or a rental fee of the main body of the device, 2) a maintenance fee of the main body of the device, and 3) expenses for purchasing supplies such as developer. Therefore, the user has to manage complicated expenditures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a consumption information management apparatus capable of determining a charge for consumable items so that only supplies actually consumed for image formation are charged to the user, and an image formation apparatus provided with this consumption information management apparatus.
Another object of this invention is to provide a consumption information management system that charges the user of this image formation apparatus for any cost that is reasonable for the user.
According to one aspect of this invention, a consumption information acquisition unit acquires consumption information for the quantity of image visualizing agent consumed through image formation. A storage unit stores cumulative consumption information obtained by accumulating consumption information for an unadjusted quantity for the consumed quantity of image visualizing agent. The “image visualizing agent” mentioned here refers to media used to form an image through development, which includes not only a medium to directly form a visible image but also media contributing to the formed image by such a medium. For example, this image visualizing agent includes powder toner
Ichimiya Kohji
Igari Satoshi
Kanoshima Yuichiro
Kiyota Mamoru
Matsuura Nekka
Ngo Hoang
Ricoh & Company, Ltd.
LandOfFree
Consumption information management apparatus, image... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Consumption information management apparatus, image..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Consumption information management apparatus, image... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3057335