JP5045732B2 - Ordering / ordering system, ordering apparatus, image forming apparatus, ordering method, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for purchasing on-line consumables for devices such as image forming apparatuses, and more particularly to a technology for placing an order using an order form corresponding to the amount of consumables consumed so far.

  There are devices that operate while consuming consumables, such as printing media such as printing paper in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, or image forming media such as toner and ink. In such a device, it is necessary to replenish from time to time if there are no consumables. Therefore, the user must purchase when there are no consumables. On the other hand, a manufacturer that provides equipment such as a printer can improve user satisfaction by using the equipment and giving something back to the user who consumes a lot of consumables.

  Also, with the spread of the Internet, so-called online shopping, in which products are purchased through the Internet, has been put into practical use, and printer consumables are sold.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for placing an order for consumables online according to the usage status of the consumables of each user.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique for placing an order for consumables using an order form corresponding to the amount of consumables consumed so far.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a consumables ordering system comprising an ordering device and an order receiving server, wherein the ordering device includes information indicating the amount of consumables used so far in an image forming apparatus, Means for acquiring from the image forming apparatus; means for transmitting information indicating the usage amount acquired by the acquiring means to the order receiving server; and means for ordering from the consumable ordering form corresponding to the usage amount; The order receiving server includes a storage unit that stores information related to a plurality of order forms for each usage amount, a unit that receives information indicating the usage amount transmitted from the ordering device, and the received usage amount. Information relating to the order form corresponding to the amount of consumables used so far in the image forming apparatus is extracted from the storage means and transmitted to the ordering apparatus. And means, the.

  Thus, it is possible to place an order using a different order form depending on the amount of consumables used so far in the image forming apparatus.

  A consumables ordering device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a usage amount acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a usage amount of a consumable item that has been used in a certain image forming apparatus; Order form obtaining means for obtaining order form information of the consumables corresponding to the usage amount from an order receiving server that accepts the ordering of the consumables based on information indicating the usage amount of the consumables.

  Accordingly, it is possible to place an order for consumables using different order forms depending on the amount of consumables used in the image forming apparatus so far.

  In a preferred embodiment, the usage amount acquisition unit further acquires identification information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus. The order form acquisition unit includes: a transmission unit configured to transmit information indicating the consumption amount of the consumables acquired by the usage amount acquisition unit and identification information of the image forming apparatus to the order receiving server; And receiving means for receiving order form information corresponding to the usage amount when it is confirmed that the identification information of the image forming apparatus is the identification information of an existing image forming apparatus. .

  Accordingly, since the serial number of the actual image forming apparatus is required, there is a certain effect in preventing fraud.

  In a preferred embodiment, the consumable is an ink cartridge, and upon detecting that the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge used in the image forming apparatus is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the order form acquisition means The consumable ordering form information corresponding to the quantity is acquired.

  In a preferred embodiment, the consumable item is an ink cartridge, and the information indicating the usage amount of the consumable item is information indicating the number of ink cartridges used, and ink of the ink cartridge used in the image forming apparatus. When it is detected that the remaining amount is equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the order form acquisition unit may acquire order form information corresponding to the number of ink cartridges used so far.

  Thus, when it is detected that the remaining amount of ink is equal to or less than the predetermined amount, an order form corresponding to the number of ink cartridges used so far can be obtained, and the ink cartridge can be ordered at that time. It becomes like this.

  In a preferred embodiment, the consumable is an ink cartridge, the information indicating the amount of the consumable used is information indicating the number of used ink cartridges, and the image forming apparatus uses a plurality of types of ink cartridges simultaneously. If it is a model to be used, the usage amount acquisition unit may acquire information indicating the number of used ink cartridges by type from the image forming apparatus.

  Thereby, in the image forming apparatus using a plurality of types of ink cartridges, the number of used cartridges is managed.

  An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an image forming medium that accommodates an image forming medium therein and an image forming medium container that includes a storage device, and the image forming medium in the mounting part. A reading unit that reads identification information of the image forming medium container from the storage device when the container is mounted; and a storage unit that stores the identification information of the image forming medium container read by the reading unit; .

  Thus, the serial number of the image forming medium container mounted on the image forming apparatus is stored in the storage unit.

  In a preferred embodiment, the image forming apparatus may further include a counting unit that counts the amount of the image forming medium container used in the image forming apparatus with reference to the storage unit.

  Thereby, it is possible to know the amount of the image forming medium container that has been used in the image forming apparatus so far.

  An order receiving device for consumables according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: means for storing information relating to a plurality of order forms for each usage amount of consumables used in an image forming apparatus; and an ordering device for ordering the consumables. Means for receiving information indicating the amount of consumption of the consumables used in a certain image forming apparatus, and the information indicating the amount of usage received from the storage means to the image forming apparatus so far. Means for extracting information on an order form corresponding to the amount of used consumables used and transmitting the information to the ordering device.

  Accordingly, it is possible to provide an ordering form corresponding to the consumption amount of the consumables in the user's image forming apparatus to the user's ordering apparatus who wants to order the consumables.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an ordering system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing data stored in a memory 23. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure in a printer. It is a figure which shows an example of the warning screen of an ink remaining amount. It is a figure which shows an example of the selection screen of an ordering method. It is a figure which shows an example of the ordering screen which displayed the ordering form. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence in a host apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence in an order receipt server.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an ordering system for ink cartridges used in a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system includes a host device 1 that controls the printer and orders ink cartridges, a printer 2, and an order receiving server 5. The host device 1 and the order receiving server 5 are connected via a network 9. An input device 6 such as a keyboard and a pointing device and a display device 7 such as a liquid crystal display are connected to the host device 1.

  The host device 1 and the order receiving server 5 are typically general-purpose computers having a processor, a memory, an interface, and the like, such as a personal computer. Each function or configuration of the host device 1 and the order receiving server 5 described below is realized by executing a predetermined computer program, for example. As a result, the host device 1 operates as a printer control device and an ordering device, and the order receiving server 5 operates as an order receiving device.

  In the embodiment described below, an ordering system for an ink cartridge used in an inkjet printer capable of color printing, in which an image is formed by ejecting ink onto a printing medium such as printing paper, will be described as an example. However, this system can also be applied to ordering of consumables used in image forming apparatuses such as printers, copiers, and facsimiles in addition to ink cartridges. Here, the consumable item may be, for example, a printing medium such as a toner cartridge of a laser printer or printing paper.

  The printer 2 is connected to the host device 1 via the host interface 21. The printer 2 includes a printing mechanism 30 that actually performs printing, and a printing mechanism control unit 22 that controls the printing mechanism. The printing mechanism control unit 22 includes, for example, a processor (not shown) for executing various programs, a memory 23 for recording programs and data, and the like. The memory 23 can be realized by a non-volatile storage element such as an EEPROM. An identifier for identifying the printer 2, for example, a serial number, is stored in a storage device (not shown) of the printing mechanism control unit 22 or the printing mechanism 30.

  The printing mechanism 30 includes, for example, a print head 32, a paper feed mechanism (not shown), a control circuit (not shown) that controls these, and the like. The printing mechanism 30 further includes a mounting portion 31 for detachably mounting the ink cartridge 40 containing ink.

  The print head 32 ejects ink supplied from the ink cartridge 40 in order to form an image on the print medium when the ink cartridge 40 is attached to the attachment unit 31.

  The ink cartridge 40 that can be attached to and detached from the mounting unit 31 includes, for example, storage units 41 (41C, 41M, 41Y, and 41K) that store C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black) inks, respectively. ). Each accommodating portion 41 includes a storage element 42 (42C, 42M, 42Y, 42K). Each storage element 42 may be a semiconductor element such as an IC (integrated circuit). Each storage element 42 stores, for example, a model number of the ink cartridge 40, information for identifying the ink cartridge 40, for example, a serial number, and ink management information indicating the remaining amount (or usage amount) of ink of each color. The ink management information is stored in the corresponding storage elements 42C, 42M, 42Y, and 42K for each ink.

  In the present embodiment, the ink remaining amount of each container 41 can be known by referring to the ink management information. In addition to this, for example, a sensor for detecting the ink remaining amount is provided. The remaining amount of ink may be detected by the printer 2 and notified to the host device 1.

  The printing mechanism 30 further reads out data stored in each storage element 42 or writes data to the reader / writer 33 (33C, 33M) when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the mounting portion 31. , 33Y, 33K). The reader / writers 33C, 33M, 33Y, and 33K read or update the ink management information stored in the corresponding storage elements 41C, 41M, 41Y, and 41K, respectively.

  The ink cartridge 40 may be a four-cartridge type in which each accommodating portion 41 is configured separately, a single cartridge type in which all the accommodating portions 41 are integrated, or a accommodating portion. A two-cartridge type may be used in which 41C, 41M, and 41Y are integrated, and the accommodating portion 41K is a separate body. One storage element 42 may be provided for each cartridge. That is, in the case of the one cartridge type, the storage elements 42C, 42M, 42Y, and 42K are one storage element, and in the case of the two cartridge type, the storage elements 42C, 42M, and 42Y are one storage element and the storage element 42K. One storage element may be used. At this time, the reader / writer 33 may be provided corresponding to the storage element 42. In any of the 1-cartridge type, the 2-cartridge type, and the 4-cartridge type, one serial number is assigned to one cartridge and stored in the storage element 42 of each cartridge.

  The printing mechanism control unit 22 manages the serial number of the ink cartridge 40 mounted on the mounting unit 31. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, a description will be given by taking an example of a one-cartridge type in which all containers 41 are integrated. In the case of the two-cartridge type and the four-cartridge type, the same processing is performed for each cartridge. . For example, when the cartridge 40 is mounted on the mounting unit 31, the printing mechanism control unit 22 instructs the reader / writer 33 to read the serial number from the storage element 42. The serial number read out in this way is stored in the serial number list area 231 of the memory 23 schematically shown in FIG. At this time, if the read serial number is already registered in the serial number list area 231, it may not be stored redundantly. As a result, the serial number of the cartridge 40 attached to the attachment unit 31 of the printer 2 is registered in the serial number list area 231.

  Further, the printing mechanism control unit 22 counts the number of cartridges 40 that have been mounted on the mounting unit 31 so far, based on the serial numbers stored in the serial number list area 231, and uses the number (count value). Is stored in the counter area 232 of the memory 23. As a result, the number of ink cartridges used in the printer 2 is counted and registered in the counter area 232.

  Here, only when the serial number belongs to a predetermined number or a group of a predetermined number, the number used may be counted.

  In the case of the two-cartridge type or the four-cartridge type, the serial number list area 231 and the counter area 232 are secured for each cartridge.

  A processing procedure for counting the number of used ink cartridges in the printer 2 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  The printing mechanism control unit 22 determines whether the ink cartridge has been replaced by monitoring whether the ink cartridge 40 is attached to or detached from the ink cartridge mounting unit 31 (S11). When it is detected that the ink cartridge 40 is newly attached to the attachment unit 31 (S11: Yes), the reader / writer 33 reads the serial number of the cartridge from the storage element 42 (S12). The printing mechanism control unit 22 checks whether or not the serial number of the cartridge 40 read here is registered in the serial number list area 231 of the memory 23 (S13). If the serial number is not registered in the serial number list area 231 of the memory 23 (S13; No), the number of ink cartridges stored in the counter area 232 is incremented by 1 and updated. (S14).

  Referring to FIG. 1 again, as shown in FIG. 1, the host device 1 includes a printer interface 11, a printer driver 12 that generates print data and causes the printer to execute printing, and manages or controls the printer, and a network. And an interface 13.

  In the figure, a printer interface 11 is connected to a host interface 21 on the printer 2 side by wired or wireless communication means. Communication is performed according to a predetermined protocol. The printer interface 11 transmits various types of information about the printer such as sending print data to the printer 2, information about the amount of ink used or remaining amount of ink from the printer 2, and information about the number of ink cartridges used (details will be described later). To receive.

  The network interface 13 inputs / outputs information to / from the network 9 and transmits / receives information related to ordering to / from the order receiving server 5 connected to the network 9.

  The printer driver 12 sends various commands to the printer 2 to control the printer. The printer driver 12 includes an ink remaining amount management unit 15 and an order processing unit 16.

  The remaining ink management unit 15 manages the remaining ink levels of the ink cartridges 40 mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 31 of the printer 2. For example, the remaining ink management unit 15 acquires ink management information from the printer 2 and detects the remaining ink. Here, the timing for acquiring the ink management information is arbitrary. For example, when the printer is turned on, when the ink cartridge 40 is attached to the attachment unit 31, or when the printer driver 12 receives a print job. Etc.

  If the detected ink remaining amount is below a predetermined threshold, the ink remaining amount management unit 15 notifies the order processing unit 16 of the ink remaining amount. The predetermined threshold value used here is, for example, a state indicating an ink end in which the printer 2 recognizes that there is no ink in the container 41, or a near end indicating that the remaining amount of ink has approached the ink end. Alternatively, it may be in an ink-low state.

  The order processing unit 16 performs processing for ordering an ink cartridge from the order receiving server 5. For example, when the order processing unit 16 receives the notification of the remaining amount of ink and detects the container 41 in which the remaining amount of ink reaches the ink end or the ink low, the ink remaining amount warning screen 100 as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed. It is displayed on the device 7.

  As shown in the figure, the warning screen 100 includes, for example, an indicator 110 that schematically indicates the remaining amount of each ink, and an ink order button 120 that accepts an operation when the user desires an ink order. In this screen 100, when the user makes an input for selecting the ink order button 120 using the input device 6, the order processing unit 16 accepts this input and displays the order method selection screen 200 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed.

  As shown in the figure, the selection screen 200 includes, for example, an indicator 210 schematically showing the remaining amount of ink similar to the warning screen 100 and ordering mode selection buttons 221, 222, and 223. The order method selection buttons include a Web order button 221, a fax order button 222, and a telephone order button 223. On this screen 200, the user can select a desired one from three ordering methods. Here, when the user makes an input for selecting the Web order button 221 using the input device 6, the order processing unit 16 accepts this input and requests the order receiving server 5 to obtain an order form via the network interface 13. Send.

  The order processing unit 16 accesses the order receiving server 5 based on address information such as a predetermined URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the order receiving server 5 and acquires information on the order form. For example, the order processing unit 16 acquires information indicating the used number of cartridges stored in the counter area 231 of the memory 23 and the serial number of the printer 2 from the printer 2, and acquires the used number of cartridges and the serial number of the printer 2. Generate an order form acquisition request that includes a number. Further, the order form acquisition request may include information indicating the model number of the cartridge that has become an ink end or ink low. The information indicating the model number of the ink cartridge can be acquired from the printer 2 when generating an order form acquisition request, or may be held in advance by the printer driver 12. Then, the order processing unit 16 transmits an order form acquisition request to the order receiving server 5.

  The order receiving server 5 performs processing as described later, extracts information related to the order form corresponding to the used number of cartridges that are in the ink end or ink low, and transmits them to the host device 1.

  When the host device 1 receives the information related to the order form, the order processing unit 16 causes the display device 7 to display an order screen 300 as shown in FIG. When the user inputs necessary information such as the order quantity on the ordering screen 300 and selects the ordering button 310, the ordering processing unit 16 is based on the information displayed on the ordering screen 300 and the input information. Thus, information for ordering the ink cartridge is transmitted to the order receiving server 5.

  Referring now to FIG. 1, the order receiving server 5 includes a network interface 51, an order receiving processing unit 52, a printer serial number storage unit 53, and an order form storage unit 54.

  The network interface 51 inputs / outputs information to / from the network 9 and transmits / receives information related to ordering to / from the host device 1 connected to the network 9.

  The printer serial number storage unit 53 stores a serial number of a commercially available printer. The list of serial numbers stored in the printer serial number storage unit 53 is acquired and registered in advance from a printer manufacturer or the like.

  The order form storage unit 54 stores order form data for displaying an order screen (see FIG. 6) used by the user to order an ink cartridge in the host device 1. In the present embodiment, for example, as the order form, a different form according to the number of ink cartridges used and a normal order form (for regular price sales) are prepared. Thereby, for example, when performing discount sales according to the number of ink cartridges already used, it is possible to prepare an order form displaying a discount price in advance.

  The order processing unit 52 performs processing for receiving an order from the host device 1. For example, when an order form acquisition request is received from the host device 1, predetermined order form information is extracted from the order form storage unit 54 and transmitted to the host device 1 via the network interface 51.

  Here, the order form information is extracted as follows, for example. First, when the serial number of the printer 2 is included in the order form acquisition request, it is confirmed whether or not the serial number is registered in the printer serial number storage unit 53. When the serial number of the printer 2 is not registered, a normal order form may be extracted. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the ink cartridge from being illegally ordered at a discount price using the camouflaged serial number.

  When the order number of the ink cartridge is included in the order form acquisition request, the order form corresponding to the used number is extracted from the order form of the ink cartridge of the model number.

  Further, when receiving the ordering information including information such as the order quantity input from the ordering screen 300 (see FIG. 6), the order receiving processing unit 52 receives an order based on this information. This information may include, for example, the model number, order quantity, sales price, and the like of the ink cartridge.

  Next, the ordering process procedure in the host device 1 and the order receiving server 5 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  The remaining ink management unit 15 acquires ink management information from the printer 2 and checks whether there is an ink remaining that is equal to or less than a threshold value indicating ink end or ink low (S21). This ink remaining amount check can be performed at an arbitrary timing, but can also be performed, for example, when the printer 2 is turned on, when a print request is made, or when an ink cartridge is replaced.

  Here, if there is ink whose remaining amount is equal to or less than the threshold (S21: Yes), the order processing unit 16 causes the display device 7 to display a warning screen 100 as shown in FIG. When the ink order button 120 is selected on the warning screen 100 (S22: Yes), an ordering method selection screen 200 as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. Further, when the Web order button 221 is selected on the selection screen 200 (S23: Yes), the order processing unit 16 acquires information indicating the serial number and the number of used printers 2 from the printer 2 (S24). Then, the order processing unit 16 generates an order form acquisition request and transmits it to the order receiving server 5 (S25). This order form acquisition request includes at least information indicating the serial number of the printer 2 and the number of ink cartridges used.

  Here, referring to FIG. 8, the order receiving server 5 receives the order form acquisition request sent from the host device 1 (S31). Then, the order processing unit 52 searches the printer serial number storage unit 53 to determine whether or not the serial number of the printer included in the acquisition request is that of an actual printer (S32). When the serial number does not exist in the printer serial number storage unit 53 (S32: No), a standard order form is extracted from the order form storage unit 54 and transmitted to the host device 1 (S34).

  On the other hand, if the serial number exists in the printer serial number storage unit 53 (S32: Yes), the order is for use with an actual printer, and therefore an order corresponding to the number of used items included in the acquisition request. The form is extracted from the order form storage unit 54 and transmitted to the host device 1 (S33).

  Referring again to FIG. 7, when returning to step S25, the printer driver 12 receives the order form information transmitted from the order receiving server 5 in step S33 or S34. Then, based on the received order form information, the order processing unit 16 displays an order screen 300 displaying the order form on the display device 7 and accepts an input such as the order quantity. Based on this, order information is generated and transmitted to the order server 5 (S26).

  The order form acquisition request includes the number used, and the order server 5 selects the order form, but when the URL is determined in advance according to the number used, the order processing unit 16 performs conversion, It is also possible to directly access URLs according to the number of use.

  As a result, in the order form for each used number of ink cartridges, the sales price discounted according to the number of used cartridges is presented, so the user can purchase ink cartridges at the presented price.

  In the above embodiment, the number of ink cartridges used in the printer 2 is counted. However, the information stored in the serial number list area 231 is passed to the printer driver 12 as it is, and the printer driver 12 or the order server 5 receives the information. The number of ink cartridges used may be counted.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the number of used ink cartridges is counted as one by simply mounting the ink cartridge 40 in the ink cartridge mounting portion 31, but it is counted when an ink end or ink low is detected. You may make it up. Further, when reading the serial number of the ink cartridge, the ink management information of the cartridge is also read out and stored in the memory 23. When it is confirmed that the ink has been used from the ink full state to the ink end or ink low, The number of ink cartridges used may be counted.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the number of ink cartridges used is counted, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to employ a configuration in which the cumulative usage amount of ink is calculated and an ordering form corresponding to this is obtained based on the cumulative usage amount.

  The above-described embodiments of the present invention are examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those embodiments. Those skilled in the art can implement the present invention in various other modes without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Host device, 2 ... Printer, 3 ... Order receiving server, 12 ... Printer driver, 15 ... Ink remaining amount management part, 16 ... Order processing part, 22 ... Printing mechanism control part, 23 ... Memory, 31 ... Mounting part, 32 Print head 40 Ink cartridge 100 Ink level warning screen 200 Ordering method selection screen 300 Ordering screen

Claims (8)

An ordering system for consumables of an image forming apparatus, comprising an ordering device and an order receiving server,
The image forming apparatus includes:
When the amount of the image forming medium in the image forming medium container changes from a predetermined full state to a predetermined end state or low state, the number of image forming medium containers that have been mounted on the image forming apparatus so far is used. A means for counting,
The ordering device is:
The information indicating the used number, and use the number obtaining means for obtaining from the image forming apparatus,
Means for transmitting to the order receiving server information indicating the used number acquired by the used number acquiring means;
Ordering from an ordering form of the image forming medium container corresponding to the number of use,
The order receiving server is
Storage means for storing information on a plurality of order forms for each used quantity ;
Means for receiving information indicating the used number transmitted from the ordering device;
Based on the received information indicating the used number , information relating to the order form corresponding to the used number of image forming medium containers mounted so far in the image forming apparatus is extracted from the storage unit, and the ordering apparatus Means for receiving and ordering consumables. An apparatus for ordering consumables for an image forming apparatus,
The number of image forming medium containers counted from the image forming apparatus in which the amount of the image forming medium is changed from a predetermined full state to a predetermined end state or a low state, and has been mounted so far in the image forming apparatus. Used number acquiring means for acquiring information indicating the number of used image forming medium containers from the image forming apparatus;
Order form acquisition means for acquiring order form information of the image forming medium container corresponding to the used number from an order receiving server that accepts an order of the image forming medium container based on the information indicating the used number. Consumable ordering equipment. The used number acquisition means further acquires identification information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus,
The order form acquisition means includes:
Transmitting means for transmitting information indicating the used number acquired by the used number acquiring means and identification information of the image forming apparatus to the order receiving server;
Receiving the ordering form information of the image forming medium container corresponding to the used number when the order receiving server confirms that the identification information of the image forming apparatus is the identification information of the existing image forming apparatus The consumables ordering device according to claim 2, further comprising means. The image forming medium container is an ink cartridge ;
When the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridges that are used in pre-Symbol image forming apparatus is changed from the predetermined full state to the predetermined end state or the low state, the ink cartridge mounted so far by the image forming apparatus Is counted by the image forming apparatus,
The consumable ordering apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the ordering form obtaining unit obtains ordering form information corresponding to the number of ink cartridges mounted so far in the image forming apparatus. The image forming medium container is an ink cartridge ;
When pre-Symbol image forming apparatus is a model that uses a plurality of kinds of ink cartridges at the same time, the use number acquisition unit, the information indicating the type-specific use the number of the ink cartridge is acquired from the image forming apparatus, The consumable ordering apparatus according to claim 2. A mounting portion for storing an image forming medium container that stores an image forming medium therein and includes a storage device;
A reading unit that reads identification information of the image forming medium container and management information indicating the amount of the image forming medium from the storage device when the image forming medium container is mounted in the mounting unit;
A storage unit for storing identification information of the image forming medium container read out by the reading unit and management information of the image forming medium ;
Referring to the storage unit, when the amount of the image forming medium in a certain image forming medium container has changed from a predetermined full state to a predetermined end state or low state, the image forming medium has been mounted on the image forming apparatus so far. A counting unit for counting the number of image forming medium containers used;
An image forming apparatus comprising: An ordering method in an ordering device for consumables of an image forming apparatus,
The number of image forming medium containers counted from the image forming apparatus in which the amount of the image forming medium is changed from a predetermined full state to a predetermined end state or a low state, and has been mounted so far in the image forming apparatus. Information indicating the number of used image forming medium containers is obtained from the image forming apparatus,
Based on the information indicating the use number, the order receiving server which receives an order of the image forming medium container to obtain an order form information of the image forming medium container corresponding to the use quantity,
On the basis of the information entered for ordering form, it transmits order information to the order receiving server, ordering consumables.   A computer program for an ordering device for consumables of an image forming apparatus,
  The number of image forming medium containers counted from the image forming apparatus in which the amount of the image forming medium is changed from a predetermined full state to a predetermined end state or a low state, and has been mounted so far in the image forming apparatus. Used number acquiring means for acquiring information indicating the number of used image forming medium containers from the image forming apparatus;
  As an order form acquisition means for acquiring order form information of the image forming medium container corresponding to the used number from an order receiving server that accepts an order of the image forming medium container based on the information indicating the used number, A computer program that allows an ordering device to function.

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