| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 399008000 | REMOTE MONITORING | 42 |
| 20080205908 | TERMINAL APPARATUS, A CONSUMABLES RESIDUAL QUANTITY DISPLAY PROGRAM, AND A RECORDING MEDIUM - A terminal apparatus, a consumables residual quantity display program, and a recording medium are disclosed. The terminal apparatus, which is connected to a printing apparatus through a network, includes an acquisition unit for acquiring information about consumables of the printing apparatus from the printing apparatus; and a display controller for displaying the information about the consumables, which information is acquired by the acquisition unit, if the information of at least one item of the consumables fulfills a predetermined condition. The display controller may display a no-display specifying screen that prompts a user to specify whether a “no-display” mode should be activated, in which “no-display” mode, displaying the information about the consumables is stopped even if the predetermined condition is fulfilled when the information is to be acquired by the acquisition unit at a next time. | 08-28-2008 |
| 20080219681 | DRIVER SYSTEM OF IMAGE FORMING APPARATUSES AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME - A driver system of image forming apparatuses whose structure is improved to receive a necessary service without additional confirmation by automatically requesting a management service and to improve the efficiency of use of the image forming apparatuses and a method of controlling the same. The driver system of the image forming apparatuses that is provided in a host computer to connect the host computer to the image forming apparatuses in order to perform a management service includes an input unit to receive state information on the image forming apparatuses from the image forming apparatuses and a transmitting unit to transmit a management service requesting signal to a management service supplying unit using the input state information. | 09-11-2008 |
| 20080247767 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PRIORITIZED SERVICING OR MAINTENANCE OF NETWORKED PRINTERS - Methods and systems are presented for prioritizing service or maintenance of networked printers based on affinities between printers and users determined from job tracking data so that printers shared by large numbers of users or high volume printers used by only one or a few users can be serviced or maintained before other printers to provide overall printer support while mitigating user disruption due to unavailable printers. | 10-09-2008 |
| 20080273882 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD THEREOF - In an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a monitoring device for monitoring the operating states of a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the operating amount of a part is detected, information about the operating amount is stored in relation to the part, and the stored information is sent to the monitoring device, the first consumed level of the part, which is calculated by the monitoring device based on the sent information, is acquired, and the acquired first consumed level is output in relation to the part. The second consumed level is calculated based on the stored information. When the first consumed level is acquired from the monitoring device, the first consumed level is output. When the first consumed level cannot be acquired from the monitoring device, the calculated second consumed level is output. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20090003846 | HOST APPARATUS CONNECTED TO IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD THEREOF - A host apparatus which is connected to an image forming apparatus, the host apparatus includes an image processor to process an image with respect to a printing data, and a controller to check a preset common printing property for two or more printing data, to set a common printing property to be applied for the two or more selected printing data and to control the image processor to process the image with respect to the selected printing data and to transmit the set common printing property with the selected printing data to the image forming apparatus. | 01-01-2009 |
| 20090016743 | Printer Consumable Ordering Direct From Printer - A system for enabling ordering of printer supplies directly via a printer. The system provides an option for a user to request value bundled information before placing a printer supply order. By providing the option of requesting value bundled information, a customer can obtain information about printer supply promotions directly via the printer without the need for an information handling system to be coupled to the printer. Additionally, the system provides an encouragement to a customer to purchase a plurality of printer suppliers by providing the customer with incentives for the purchase. | 01-15-2009 |
| 20090041478 | Maintenance Scheduling System, Maintenance Scheduling Method and Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store actual use information of the image forming apparatus and actual use information of a consumable part, and an information transmitting unit configured to transmit the actual use information of the image forming apparatus and the actual use information of the consumable part to a maintenance scheduling system for creating a maintenance schedule for the image forming apparatus. | 02-12-2009 |
| 20090257759 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ORDERING OF PRINTING SUPPLIES BASED ON A SERVICE CONTRACT - A system and method for managing customer orders associated with at least one printer device for consumable supplies under a contract. The method includes receiving printer usage data from at least one printer indicative of consumption of at least one consumable supply and calculating for each printer device based on the received print usage data associated with the printer device an allowed amount of at least one consumable supply that can be ordered for the printer device by a customer based on a contract. The method further includes receiving a customer order request for ordering an amount of a consumable supply for a printer device under the contract; determining whether the requested amount exceeds the allowed amount calculated for the consumable supply for the printer device, and limiting the amount of the requested consumable supply which can be ordered when the determination is positive. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20100054762 | CONTROL METHOD OF HOST DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND HOST DEVICE EMPLOYING THE SAME - A control method of a host device that avoids an error part through a user interface unit to use an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, an image forming apparatus and a host device employing the same, the control method including: requesting error information from the image forming apparatus in the host device; and displaying the error information of the image forming apparatus received from the image forming apparatus on a user interface unit of the host device. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100074633 | Image Forming System - An image forming system includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses and an information processing apparatus connected to a network. Each image forming apparatus includes a remaining-toner sensor for detecting remaining amounts of toner in cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) toner cartridges. The information processing apparatus includes (i) a storage device for storing various types of information obtained from the image forming apparatuses, including apparatus status information such as the remaining amounts of toner, and (ii) a display device for displaying icons representing the remaining amounts of C/M/Y/K toners in a line on a respective apparatus basis, and displaying the icons representing the remaining amounts of C/M/Y/K toners for all of the plurality of image forming apparatuses in lines on a respective color basis so that said lines are perpendicular to said line in which the icons representing the remaining amounts of toner are displayed. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100086316 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COROTRON CLEANING MANAGEMENT IN AN IMAGE PRODUCTION DEVICE - A method and apparatus for corotron cleaning management in an image production device is disclosed. The method may include receiving an input from the corotron cleaning counter, determining if the corotron cleaning counter exceeds a predetermined threshold, wherein if it is determined that the corotron cleaning counter exceeds the predetermined threshold, notifying a maintainer that the corotron requires cleaning, determining if corotron cleaning has been performed, wherein if it is determined that corotron cleaning has been performed, resetting the corotron cleaning counter. | 04-08-2010 |
| 20100158543 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, HOST APPARATUS AND STAPLING CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - An image forming apparatus, a host apparatus and a stapling control method thereof, the method including displaying a plurality of selectable jobs; selecting a plurality of the selectable jobs to be stapled together; and stapling the selected jobs together while maintaining printing properties of each of the respective selected jobs. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100196019 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, CARTRIDGE, AND APPARATUS MAIN UNIT - A magnet is arranged on an RFID tag to be attached to a cartridge. A Hall element is arranged on a printer-side RFID board in a position corresponding to the magnet. When the cartridge is mounted, a printer-side RFID communication section identifies whether or not the mounted cartridge is a certified product according to classification information stored on the RFID tag and a presence/absence of a detection signal from the Hall element. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100226662 | Image forming apparatus - Provided is an image forming apparatus having a network connecting portion, a control portion, and a status information storage portion. When a status request is sent from an external apparatus while the image forming apparatus is in a power-saving status, based on a condition set by a setting portion, the control portion makes a determination of whether (a) to perform supply of power to the main body of the image forming apparatus and acquire a status information to transmit it through the network portion or (b) not to perform supply of power to the main body of the image forming apparatus, but to transmit through the network portion a status information that has been stored in the status information storage portion before the status request, and performs controls based on the determination. | 09-09-2010 |
| 20110013915 | CONSUMABLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes: a predicting unit that predicts a prediction lifetime of a consumable that is detachably mounted in the image forming apparatus, based on consumption information corresponding to an operation of the image forming apparatus; a connection determining unit that determines whether or not the image forming apparatus is connected to a managing apparatus that manages a replacement time of the consumable that is detachably mounted in the image forming apparatus; a consumption information transmitting unit that transmits the consumption information to the managing apparatus located outside the image forming apparatus; a managed lifetime information receiving unit as defined herein; a replacement time determining unit that determines whether or not the replacement time of the consumable has been reached; a learning unit as defined herein; and a prediction lifetime updating unit as defined herein. | 01-20-2011 |
| 20110026942 | MONITORING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE SAME - A monitoring apparatus receives, according to an occurrence of an event (e.g., error or jam) at an image forming apparatus, a notification of information regarding the event that has occurred. The notification is sent with use of address information of the monitoring apparatus registered in the image forming apparatus. The monitoring apparatus stores the received information in a memory unit thereof. Then, the monitoring apparatus acquires the information regarding the event that has occurred at the image forming apparatus by periodically inquiring to the image forming apparatus, and determines whether the acquired information is stored in the memory unit. According to determination that the acquired information is not stored in the memory unit, the monitoring apparatus re-registers the address information of the monitoring apparatus into the image forming apparatus. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110038643 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ACQUIRING MAINTENANCE INFORMATION OF THE SAME - Certain embodiments provide an image forming apparatus including: a print processing unit; a fixing unit; a first storage unit to store use frequency information of respective parts forming the print processing unit and the fixing unit and failure information; a wireless transmission unit; and a controller. The configured allows the wireless transmission unit to transmit maintenance information to a wireless terminal positioning within an area to which the wireless transmission unit transmits a wireless signal. | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110058822 | IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM - An image forming system includes image forming apparatuses that communicate with each other via a network. Each of the image forming apparatuses includes a network computer, a power saving controller for applying a power saving control in a first power saving mode in which a supply of power to a printing function portion that forms an image on a sheet is stopped and a power is fed to the network controller when the apparatus acts as a main apparatus, and applying a power saving control in a second power saving mode in which a supply of power to the printing function portion and the network controller is stopped when the apparatus acts as subordinate apparatus, and a main apparatus deciding unit for deciding the image forming apparatus out of the plurality of image forming apparatuses based on a calculation of power consumption of the plurality of image forming apparatuses. | 03-10-2011 |
| 20110085805 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, MONITORING SYSTEM FOR IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND OPERATION PROGRAM FOR IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus including a controller configured to switch the security level between a first state and a second state. The first state allows printing by an image forming section of only first print data provided with verification information among print data a communication unit received. The second state allows printing by the image forming section of print data the communication unit received irrespective of presence or absence of verification information. When, in the first state, the controller receives a permission signal instructing permission of printing of second print data not provided with verification information, the controller switches the security level from the first state to the second state so as to allow printing of the second print data by the image forming section. | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110129237 | SYSTEM, IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND METHOD THEREOF - A system having an image forming apparatus and an information processing apparatus includes setting whether the status of the image forming apparatus is immediately confirmed by a user, transmitting a file containing a status log based on the status change of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus to an external file server, and displaying a list of the image forming apparatus to be contained in the system on a screen in the information processing apparatus, wherein with respect to the image forming apparatus as to which a setting is made to immediately confirm the status, a button to instruct confirmation of the status of the apparatus is displayed in the list, and wherein when an instruction to confirm the status is executed from the list, status of the image forming apparatus is displayed based on the status log to be contained in the file transmitted from the image forming apparatus. | 06-02-2011 |
| 20110142458 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus that reduces a time period during which no image is formed due to a margin in leading end portion, by calculating the margin in leading end portion from position information of an image and moving forward output timing of a /TOP signal according to the margin in leading end portion. | 06-16-2011 |
| 20110158659 | COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM HAVING CONSUMABLES-USABILITY DETERMINATION PROGRAM, CONSUMABLES-USABILITY DETERMINATION SYSTEM AND METHOD USING THE CONSUMABLES-USABILITY DETERMINATION PROGRAM - A computer readable medium has a consumables-usability determination program product stored thereon. The program product directs a portable terminal to perform as: a model-information inputting section for inputting model information indicating a model of an image forming apparatus; a consumables-information inputting section for inputting consumables information indicating consumables; a first determining section for determining whether the consumables indicated by the consumables information inputted by the consumables-information inputting section is usable to the model indicated by the model information inputted by the model-information inputting section; and a first reporting section for reporting a result determined by the first determining section to the user. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110158660 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Certain embodiments provide an image forming apparatus including: a transmission and reception part to receive print data of each of plural pages page by page. through a USB communication interface; a cassette part; a printing part; a paper discharge part; a manual paper feed tray on which the discharged sheet is set with the image being printed on a side of the sheet and an opposite side of the sheet being to be printed; and a control part that causes the printing part to print an even page on one side of a sheet from the cassette part and to print an odd page on the other side of the same sheet from the manual paper feed tray. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110164886 | MONITORING DEVICE SYSTEM, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND MONITORING DEVICE METHOD - A monitoring device system that includes a user apparatus, including a monitoring device application, and an image forming apparatus. The user apparatus includes an application information sending unit configured to send application information corresponding to the monitoring device application to the image forming apparatus, and a notice information control unit configured to acquire information about the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a display unit configured to display an application information item corresponding to the received application information from the user apparatus, and a communication control unit configured to send the information about the image forming apparatus to the user apparatus in response to a user selecting the displayed application information item at the image forming apparatus. | 07-07-2011 |
| 20110182592 | IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM, CONTROL APPARATUS, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A control apparatus, connected to two image forming apparatuses each forming an image on one of a first face and a second face serving as image forming faces of a continuous recording paper, includes a receiving unit that receives, from each image forming apparatus, information regarding a transfer rate affecting condition that affects a difference in toner transfer rates of the image forming faces; a determining unit that determines, based on a standard amount of toner deposit and the transfer rate affecting condition regarding each of the first face and the second face, a target deposit amount representing a target amount of toner deposit in each of the two image forming apparatuses in such a way that the target deposit amounts have a difference corresponding to the difference in the toner transfer rate between the two image forming apparatuses. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110217049 | PRINT CONTROL APPARATUS AND PRINT CONTROL PROGRAM - A print control apparatus includes a communication unit which communicates with a server, a print instruction acceptance unit which accepts a print instruction to make a printing apparatus execute printing, a judgment unit which judges whether or not the printing apparatus is a registered printing apparatus, a permission unit which permits the printing apparatus to execute printing based on the print instruction when the printing apparatus has been judged to be the registered printing apparatus, a restriction unit which inhibits the printing apparatus from executing printing based on the print instruction when the printing apparatus has not been judged to be the registered printing apparatus, and a notification unit which makes a notification for prompting a user to register the printing apparatus on the server as the registered printing apparatus when the printing apparatus has not been judged to be the registered printing apparatus. | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110299859 | Image forming apparatus, host device and print controlling method - An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a search unit which broadcasts a search message for searching for a connectable host device, a communication interface unit which receives a response message for notifying that a print job is executable from host devices in response to the search message, a user interface unit which displays host devices corresponding to the received response message and receives a selection from a user regarding a host device to be connected from among the displayed host devices, and a controller which controls the communication interface unit to transmit a connection message for requesting connection with the image forming apparatus to the selected host device. | 12-08-2011 |
| 20120002980 | USING MULTIPLE INPUTS FROM MOBILE DEVICES TO REFINE PRINTING DEVICE LOCATION - Methods and printing devices herein establish a current physical position of a printing device and then receive current physical position readings from different portable computing devices (when the portable computing devices or its users are physically interacting with the printing device). The portable computing devices each have a physical position locator. The method then processes the current physical position readings to refine the current physical position of the printing device. | 01-05-2012 |
| 20120002981 | Management server and management method thereof - A management server is provided. The management server includes a reception unit which receives information regarding expendable supplies status from at least one image forming apparatus, a storage unit which stores a management condition for each item of expendable supplies of the at least one image forming apparatus, a management unit which manages expendable supplies in an automatic management mode or in a manual management mode according to the stored management condition for each item of expendable supplies, and a controller which changes an expendable supplies management mode for each item of each image forming apparatus by resetting an expendable supplies management condition for each item of the at least one image forming apparatus according to expendable supplies management status of each of the at least one image forming apparatus. Accordingly, an order for expendable supplies may be placed effectively. | 01-05-2012 |
| 20120148267 | INVENTORY MANAGEMENT DEVICE AND INVENTORY MANAGEMENT METHOD - Provided is an inventory management device, connected over a network to groups of image processing devices, for managing inventory, by device group, of consumable supplies used in the image processing devices. The inventory management device includes an inventory information storage unit that stores inventory information by device group and an inventory supplement selection unit that selects supplies to supplement the inventory. The inventory information includes, in association for each supply, an inventory amount, an image processing device identifier, a device group identifier, a maximum inventory amount for the device group, and a projected replacement timing. When a supply is replaced, the inventory supplement selection unit refers to the inventory information for the device group of the image processing device in which the supply was replaced to select supplies to supplement the inventory without exceeding the maximum inventory amount, starting from the supply with the earliest projected replacement timing. | 06-14-2012 |
| 20120183307 | GENERATION OF DIGITAL ELECTROSTATIC LATENT IMAGES UTILIZING WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS - An electrostatic latent image is formed when the print controller of a print engine wirelessly transmits digital printing signals. Driving electronics receives the wirelessly transmitted digital printing signals and transmits digital signals to address plurality of thin-film transistors (TFTs) individually in a TFT array. Driving electronics also transmit pixel voltages to bias individual TFTs in the TFT array which in turn drives the hole injecting pixels overcoated with a charge transport layer to generate the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the charge transport layer in response to the received digital printing signals. | 07-19-2012 |
| 20120195603 | REMOTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, REMOTE SETTING METHOD AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE - Disclosed is a remote management system including: a first image forming device; a second image forming device which is communicable with the first image forming device by using a first communication system; and a remote management server which is communicable with the second image forming device by using a second communication system, wherein the remote management server transmits setting information for the first image forming device to the second image forming device communicable with the first image forming device by using the first communication system, by using the second communication system, the second image forming device transmits the setting information received from the remote management server, to the first image forming device by using the first communication system, and the first image forming device carries out a setting operation in accordance with the setting information received from the second image forming device. | 08-02-2012 |
| 20120281993 | Addressing for a Memory Device Used in an Image Recording Apparatus - Many devices, such as printers, work with one or more removable unit. Often, the removable units have an electronic circuit that used to communicate with the device. It may be desirable to provide a replacement unit in these devices. The replacement unit must include an electronic circuit that is able to communicate with the original device. Disclosed is a method and apparatus where a replacement unit is provided with a new electronic circuit and a used electronic circuit. The new electronic circuit is electrically connected to the used electronic circuit and uses the used electronic circuit to facilitate communication with the host device. | 11-08-2012 |
| 20120328306 | MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, MANAGEMENT SERVER, AND METHOD THEREFOR - A management server stores stock information on a toner collection box in an image forming apparatus and updates, if a notification received from the image forming apparatus indicates that the toner collection box is full or close to full, the stored stock information of the toner collection box. | 12-27-2012 |
| 20130272723 | MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS MAINTENANCE SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME, AND MANAGEMENT METHOD - A management apparatus communicates, via a communication network, with image forming apparatuses, and includes an information reception device that receives, from each of the image forming apparatuses via the network, prediction-use information useful for predicting a latent image carrier surface contamination level due to discharge products generated during charging, a contamination level prediction device that, on the basis of the received prediction-use information, predicts the latent image carrier surface contamination level of the image forming apparatus corresponding to the prediction-use information, and an instruction transmission device that, if the predicted latent image carrier surface contamination level exceeds a predetermined allowable range, transmits an execution instruction to execute a contamination reduction operation of reducing the contamination of the surface of the latent image carrier due to the discharge products to the image forming apparatus corresponding to the latent image carrier surface contamination level via the network. | 10-17-2013 |
| 20140023382 | MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, MANAGEMENT DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING DEVICE, MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CONTROL METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM - An image forming device provided in a management system manages remaining amount information of consumable contained in a loaded consumable container, detects identification information of a new consumable container to be loaded upon replacing the consumable container, and transmits a replacement notification including identification information, counter information indicating the operation status of the image forming device upon replacement, and remaining amount information of consumable contained in the previously loaded consumable container which has been removed by the replacement to a management device. The management device receives a replacement notification, associates identification information of a consumable container, counter information relating to the replacement of the consumable container, and the remaining amount information with each other based on the replacement notification, and stores the same as management information. | 01-23-2014 |
| 20140023383 | IMAGE FORMING DEVICE, METHOD OF NOTIFYING CONSUMABLE EXHAUSTION, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM - An image forming device includes a calculation unit configured to calculate, based on attribute information of a print job, a supply time point at which supply of consumables becomes necessary due to execution of the print job; and a notification unit configured to notify a user of necessity of the supply of the consumables at a time point obtained by subtracting a transit time it takes for the user to move to the image forming device and a supply time necessary for supplying the consumables from the supply time point. | 01-23-2014 |
| 20140199084 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM, AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD - Provided is an image forming system wherein an image forming apparatus and another apparatus respectively including operation/display units are connected with each other via a network, and a remote operation of the image forming apparatus is enabled via the operation/display unit of the other apparatus, including a control unit for managing a state of the image forming apparatus, wherein when an alarm event occurs in the image forming apparatus during the remote operation, the control unit changes a display content of the operation/display unit of the image forming apparatus on which the alarm event has occurred to a first display form, and changes a display content of the operation/display unit of the other apparatus to a second display form which is different from the first display form. | 07-17-2014 |
| 20150331378 | MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, MANAGEMENT DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING DEVICE, MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CONTROL METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM - An image forming device provided in a management system manages remaining amount information of consumable contained in a loaded consumable container, detects identification information of a new consumable container to be loaded upon replacing the consumable container, and transmits a replacement notification including identification information, counter information indicating the operation status of the image forming device upon replacement, and remaining amount information of consumable contained in the previously loaded consumable container which has been removed by the replacement to a management device. The management device receives a replacement notification, associates identification information of a consumable container, counter information relating to the replacement of the consumable container, and the remaining amount information with each other based on the replacement notification, and stores the same as management information. | 11-19-2015 |
| 20150347072 | IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM - Provided is an image processing apparatus that suspends a maintenance video being reproduced when a maintenance screen is switched from the foreground to the background upon detection of occurrence of an event. If the detected event is not an event occurred in response to a user operation, the image processing apparatus returns a reproduction start position of the suspended maintenance video from the suspended position backwards by a predetermined time. | 12-03-2015 |
| 20160011557 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS TO EXECUTE DIRECT PRINTING INCLUDING AUTHENTICATION | 01-14-2016 |
| 20160062293 | Device Management Apparatus, Recording Medium and Device Management Method That Enables To Supply Replenishing or Replacement Efficiently - A device management apparatus includes an information acquisition circuit, a supply target setting circuit, a supply time prediction circuit, and a simultaneous supply target setting circuit. The supply target setting circuit sets the expendables in a supply requiring time as a supply target of the replenishing or replacement. The supply time prediction circuit predicts a supply requiring time for an expendable other than the supply target of the plurality of expendables based on the acquired information. The simultaneous supply target setting circuit sets the expendable the predicted supply requiring time of which is within a range of a specific identical time period to the supply requiring time for the supply target as a simultaneous supply target. The simultaneous supply target is replenishing or replacement to be supplied to the identical supply destination together with the replenishing or replacement to be supplied to the supply target. | 03-03-2016 |
