Patent Publication Number: US-11040539-B2

Title: Printing system, server, and control method of printing system

Description:
The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2019-030747, filed Feb. 22, 2019, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a printing system, a server, and a control method of the printing system. 
     2. Related Art 
     In the related art, as shown in JP-A-2017-209851, a technique of an ink jet printing apparatus is known, in which the residual amount of ink in the ink container such as an ink cartridge is detected before performing the maintenance process, and when the residual ink amount is lower than the amount of ink consumed by the maintenance process, a user is prompted to replace the ink cartridge by the LED provided in the printing apparatus blinked in a predetermined pattern. 
     In the technology disclosed in JP-A-2017-209851, when a user is located away from a printing apparatus, in other words, when the user wants the printing apparatus at a remote location to perform a maintenance process, the user cannot validate the blinking of the LED, so that the user can not perform the maintenance process. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a printing system includes a printing apparatus including an ink container, and a server coupled to the printing apparatus via a network, wherein the server includes a controller that acquires maintenance information including residual ink amount information indicating an residual amount of ink in the ink container of the printing apparatus, determines whether a maintenance process is configured to be performed based on the acquired maintenance information, and instructs the printing apparatus to perform the maintenance process when it is determined that the maintenance process is configured to be performed. 
     According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a server is coupled to a printing apparatus including an ink container via a network, wherein the server includes a controller that acquires maintenance information including residual ink amount information indicating an residual amount of ink in the ink container of the printing apparatus, determines whether a maintenance process is configured to be performed based on the acquired maintenance information, and instructs the printing apparatus to perform the maintenance process when it is determined that the maintenance process is configured to be performed. 
     According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a method of controlling a printing system, where the printing system includes a printing apparatus including an ink container and a server coupled to the printing apparatus via a network, wherein the server performs the method, the method comprising: acquiring maintenance information including residual ink amount information indicating an residual amount of ink in the ink container of the printing apparatus, determining whether a maintenance process is configured to be performed based on the acquired maintenance information, and instructing the printing apparatus to perform the maintenance process when it is determined that the maintenance process is configured to be performed. 
     According to an aspect of the present disclosure, in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, the program causes a server coupled to a printing apparatus including an ink container via a network to acquire maintenance information including residual ink amount information indicating an residual amount of ink in the ink container of the printing apparatus, determine whether a maintenance process is configured to be performed based on the acquired maintenance information, and instruct the printing apparatus to perform the maintenance process when it is determined that the maintenance process is configured to be performed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a system configuration diagram of a first printing system. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a support PC. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a server. 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a customer PC. 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a printing apparatus. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of part of a printing mechanism and a maintenance mechanism of the printing apparatus. 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart showing a flow of a series of processes including a maintenance process by the first printing system. 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram illustrating an example of an error display screen. 
         FIG. 9  is a system configuration diagram of a second printing system. 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart showing a flow of a series of processes including a maintenance process by the second printing system. 
         FIG. 11  is a flowchart showing a flow of a series of processes including a maintenance process according to Modification 1. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     First Embodiment 
     Hereinafter, a printing system, a server, a control method of the printing system, and a program according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.  FIG. 1  is a system configuration diagram of a first printing system SY 1 . The first printing system SY 1  includes a support personal computer (PC)  1 , a server  2 , a customer PC 3 , and a printing apparatus  4 . The support PC 1 , the server  2 , and the customer PC 3  are coupled via a network NW. The customer PC 3  and the printing apparatus  4  are coupled via a communication line  5 . The communication line  5  may be a dedicated line such as a cable or a network line such as a local area network (LAN). The network NW is assumed to be an Internet communication network in the present embodiment, but may be a network line such as a LAN. 
     In the figure, an example is shown in which one support PC 1  and one customer PC 3  are coupled to one server  2 , but a configuration in which a plurality of support PCs  1  and a plurality of customer PCs  3  are coupled to one server  2  may be used. A configuration in which a plurality of printing apparatuses  4  is coupled to one customer PC 3  may also be used. 
     In the present embodiment, the printing apparatus  4  is assumed to be an ink jet printer. The printing apparatus  4  may be a printer having only a printing function, or may be a multifunction machine having a copy function and a scanner function in addition to the printing function. 
     In the first printing system SY 1 , the customer PC 3  and the printing apparatus  4  are installed on the customer side such as a company or a store. The customer PC 3  acts as an intermediary between the server  2  and the printing apparatus  4 . On the other hand, the support PC 1  and the server  2  are terminals on the service provider side that provide support services for the printing apparatus  4  to customers. The service provider performs, for example, a service related to maintenance and billing of the printing apparatus  4  as a support service. In order to implement these services, the server  2  collects various pieces of information of the printing apparatus  4  via the customer PC 3 . For example, the server  2  collects information indicating the residual amount of an ink cartridge  62  (see  FIG. 6 ) as an example of an ink container provided in the printing apparatus  4 , the free capacity of a maintenance box  78  (see  FIG. 6 ), the status of the printing apparatus  4 , and the number of printed sheets for color printing/monochrome printing and for single-sided printing/double-sided printing. 
     Of the information of the printing apparatus  4  collected by the server  2 , information indicating the residual amount of the ink cartridge  62  is hereinafter referred to as “residual ink amount information”. Information indicating the free capacity of the maintenance box  78  is referred to as “free capacity information”. Further, the residual ink amount information and the free capacity information are hereinafter collectively referred to as “maintenance information”. 
     When the maintenance process is instructed from the support PC 1 , the server  2  acquires the maintenance information of the printing apparatus  4  via the customer PC 3 , and determines whether the maintenance process can be performed based on the acquired maintenance information. When the server  2  determines that the maintenance process can be performed, the server  2  instructs the customer PC 3  to perform the maintenance process of the printing apparatus  4  from which the maintenance information has been acquired. 
     Next, the hardware configuration of the support PC 1 , the server  2 , the customer PC 3 , and the printing apparatus  4  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 2 to 5 .  FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the support PC 1 . The support PC 1  includes a support PC controller  11 , a support PC operation unit  12 , a support PC display unit  13 , a support PC communication unit  14 , and a support PC storage unit  15 . 
     The support PC controller  11  includes a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and the like in addition to a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), and controls respective units in the support PC 1 . The support PC operation unit  12  refers to, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, and is used for operations such as the designation of the printing apparatus  4  on which the maintenance process is to be performed and the instruction of the maintenance process to the designated printing apparatus  4 . The support PC display unit  13  refers to, for example, a liquid crystal display and displays various pieces of information such as an error display screen D (see  FIG. 8 ). The support PC communication unit  14  communicates with the server  2  via the network NW. 
     The support PC storage unit  15  refers to, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) and stores an operating system (OS)  15   a , a WEB browser  15   b , and the like. The OS  15   a  is basic software for operating various application programs. The WEB browser  15   b  is an application program for displaying a WEB page. Using the WEB browser  15   b , the support PC controller  11  displays, on the support PC display unit  13 , various pieces of information such as the error display screen D that the server  2  provides as a WEB page. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the server  2 . The server  2  includes a server controller  21 , a server communication unit  22 , and a server storage unit  23 . The server controller  21  is an example of a “controller”. 
     The server controller  21  includes a processor such as a CPU, a ROM and a RAM, and controls respective units in the server  2 . The server communication unit  22  communicates with the support PC 1  and the customer PC 3  via the network NW. 
     The server storage unit  23  refers to, for example, an HDD, and stores an OS  23   a , a WEB server program  23   b , a server side control program  23   c , a database  23   d , and the like. The OS  23   a  is basic software for operating various application programs. The WEB server program  23   b  is an application program for the server  2  to function as a WEB server. The server controller  21  generates a WEB page using this WEB server program  23   b.    
     The server side control program  23   c  is an application program for communicating with the customer PC and controlling the printing apparatus  4  in cooperation with the customer PC. The server controller  21  collects various pieces of information of the printing apparatus  4  using the server side control program  23   c , and stores the collected information in the database  23   d . Using the server side control program  23   c , the server controller  21  instructs the customer PC to collect the maintenance information of the printing apparatus  4 , determines whether the maintenance process can be performed based on the maintenance information acquired from customer PC, and when it is determined that the maintenance process can be performed, instructs the customer PC to perform the maintenance process of the printing apparatus  4 . 
     The database  23   d  stores various pieces of information collected from the printing apparatus  4 . The information stored in the database  23   d  may be collected periodically or may be collected at a predetermined time from the printing apparatus  4 . The information stored in the database  23   d  includes the maintenance information, and when the maintenance process is instructed from the support PC 1 , the customer PC is instructed to collect maintenance information regardless of the information collection timing for storing in the database  23   d.    
     The database  23   d  stores a printing apparatus table in which the address of the customer PC 3  that is capable of communicating with the server  2  is associated with the device name and the device ID of the printing apparatus  4  coupled to the customer PC 3 . The server controller  21  refers to the printing apparatus table and provides the support PC 1  with a device name list for the printing apparatus  4  as a WEB page, thereby accepting the designation of the printing apparatus  4  on which the maintenance process is to be performed. The printing apparatus  4  on which the maintenance process is to be performed is hereinafter referred to as the “target printing apparatus  4 ”. In addition, when the server controller  21  accepts the designation of the target printing apparatus  4 , the server controller  21  designates the device ID of the designated target printing apparatus  4  and instructs the customer PC 3  addressed in association with the device ID to collect maintenance information. 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the customer PC 3 . The customer PC 3  includes a customer PC controller  31 , a customer PC operation unit  32 , a customer PC display unit  33 , a customer PC first communication unit  34 , a customer PC second communication unit  35 , and a customer PC storage unit  36 . 
     The customer PC controller  31  includes a processor such as a CPU, a ROM and a RAM, and controls respective units in the customer PC 3 . The customer PC operation unit  32  refers to, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, and is used for operations or generating print data to be transmitted to the printing apparatus  4 , issuing a print instruction to the printing apparatus  4 , and the like. The customer PC display unit  33  refers to, for example, a liquid crystal display and displays various pieces of information such as an editing screen (not shown) for editing print data. The customer PC first communication unit  34  communicates with the server  2  via the network NW. The customer PC second communication unit  35  communicates with the printing apparatus  4  via the communication line  5 . 
     The customer PC storage unit  36  refers to, for example, an HDD, and stores an OS  36   a , a client side control program  36   b , a print driver  36   c , and the like. The OS  36   a  is basic software for operating various application programs. The client side control program  36   b  is an application program for communicating with the server  2 . The customer PC controller  31  communicates with the server  2  using this client side control program  36   b , and performs control to collect various pieces of information from the printing apparatus  4 , cause the printing apparatus  4  to perform the maintenance process, and the like. 
     The print driver  36   c  is a control program for performing print control on the printing apparatus  4 . The customer PC controller  31  performs, using the print driver  36   c , control to generate print data of a command system readable by the printing apparatus  4 , acquire the status of the printing apparatus  4 , and the like. The status acquisition may be performed using the client side control program  36   b  instead of using the print driver  36   c.    
       FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the printing apparatus  4 . The printing apparatus  4  includes a printing apparatus controller  41 , a printing apparatus operation unit  42 , a printing apparatus display unit  43 , a printing mechanism  44 , a maintenance mechanism  45 , and a printing apparatus communication unit  46 , a printing apparatus storage unit  47 . 
     The printing apparatus controller  41  includes a processor such as a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and controls respective units in the printing apparatus  4 . The printing apparatus operation unit  42  refers to, for example, an operation panel or various buttons, and is used by the user to perform various operations on the printing apparatus  4 . The printing apparatus display unit  43  refers to, for example, an operation panel, and displays various pieces of information such as the residual amount of the ink cartridge  62  and the status of the printing apparatus  4 . 
     The printing mechanism  44  is a mechanism that performs printing on a print medium such as copy paper. The printing mechanism  44  includes an ink jet print head  64  (see  FIG. 6 ), a head drive mechanism that drives the print head  64 , a print medium transport mechanism that transports the print medium, and the like. 
     The maintenance mechanism  45  is a mechanism for performing the maintenance process of the print head  64 . Although details will be described later, the maintenance mechanism  45  includes a capping device  71  (see  FIG. 6 ), the maintenance box  78  (see  FIG. 6 ), and the like. In this embodiment, the maintenance mechanism  45  is used for performing a flushing process of ejecting ink in order to prevent ejection failure separately from image formation on the print medium from ink nozzles  66  (see  FIG. 6 ) provided in the print head  64 , and a suction process of sucking ink from the ink nozzles  66 . 
     The printing apparatus communication unit  46  communicates with the customer PC 3  via the communication line  5 . The printing apparatus storage unit  47  refers to, for example, a flash memory, and stores firmware  47   a  and the like. The firmware  47   a  is a control program for controlling the printing apparatus  4 . The printing apparatus controller  41  performs communication control with the customer PC 3  and control of the printing mechanism  44  and the maintenance mechanism  45  using the firmware  47   a.    
     Next, the printing mechanism  44  and the maintenance mechanism  45  of the printing apparatus  4  will be described with reference to  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of part of the printing mechanism  44  and the maintenance mechanism  45 . As shown in the figure, the printing apparatus  4  includes, part of the printing mechanism  44 , a carriage  61  capable of reciprocating in the main scanning direction indicated by an arrow X, and the print head  64  that is mounted on the carriage  61  and ejects ink onto the print medium as the carriage  61  moves. 
     In the present embodiment, the four-color ink cartridge  62  that store ink to be supplied to the print head  64  is mounted on the carriage  61 . The ink cartridge  62  includes a cyan ink cartridge  62   a  storing cyan ink, a black ink cartridge  62   b  storing black ink, a yellow ink cartridge  62   c  storing yellow ink, and a magenta ink cartridge  62   d  storing magenta ink. Instead of mounting the ink cartridge  62  on the carriage  61 , ink may be supplied from the ink cartridge  62  arranged at another location to the print head  64  via an ink tube. 
     The print head  64  is provided with a large number of the ink nozzles  66  that eject ink. The ink nozzles  66  are arranged as a plurality of nozzle rows on a lower face  65  of the print head  64 , that is, the nozzle hole forming face. The ink nozzles  66  include a cyan nozzle row  66   a  for ejecting ink supplied from the cyan ink cartridge  62   a , a black nozzle row  66   b  for ejecting ink supplied from the black ink cartridge  62   b , a yellow nozzle row  66   c  for ejecting ink supplied from the yellow ink cartridge  62   c , and a magenta nozzle row  66   d  for ejecting ink supplied from the magenta ink cartridge  62   d.    
     The print head  64  is driven by an actuator configured using a piezo element, and changes the pressure in the cavity filled with the ink supplied from the ink cartridge  62  to eject ink from the ink nozzles  66  communicating with the cavity. 
     With the above configuration, the printing apparatus  4  forms an image on a print medium by performing a transport operation of transporting the print medium in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction by the print medium transport mechanism, and a printing operation of ejecting ink from the print head  64  while reciprocating the carriage  61  in the main scanning direction. On the other hand, the printing apparatus  4  moves the carriage  61  so that the print head  64  is positioned at the home position in a standby state in which no printing operation is performed.  FIG. 6  shows a state in which the print head  64  is positioned at the home position. The capping device  71  is disposed immediately below the print head  64  positioned at the home position. 
     The printing apparatus  4  includes, as the maintenance mechanism  45 , the capping device  71  and the maintenance box  78 . The capping device  71  includes a box-shaped cap main body  72  having an open upper face, a waste ink tube  76  serving as a flow path of ink discharged from the cap main body  72 , and a suction pump  77  that sucks ink. The cap main body  72  has a frame made of an elastic member, and the internal space of the cap main body  72  is a head storage space  73  for storing the print head  64 . The cap main body  72  is configured to be movable up and down by a lifting device (not shown), and the print head  64  is stored in the head storage space  73  at the raised position. 
     A discharge hole  75  penetrating a lower face  74  is formed in the lower face  74  of the cap main body  72 . The ink discharged from the discharge hole  75  is stored in the maintenance box  78  via the waste ink tube  76 . 
     The printing apparatus  4  performs the maintenance process using the capping device  71  as described above. In the present embodiment, the printing apparatus  4  performs a flushing process and a suction process as the maintenance process. The order, processing time, the number of repetitions, and the like of the flushing process and the suction process in the maintenance process are based on a predetermined sequence. Therefore, the amount of ink consumed by the maintenance process is a predetermined amount, and the server  2  stores the amount of each color of ink consumed by the maintenance process as part of the server side control program  23   c.    
     The flushing process is a process of performing waste ejection of ink from the ink nozzles  66  into the cap main body  72  in a state where the print head  64  is not stored in the head storage space  73 . The ink collected in the head storage space  73  is discharged into the maintenance box  78  through the discharge hole  75  and the waste ink tube  76  by the suction of the suction pump  77 . In this way, by performing the flushing process, it is possible to eliminate the ejection failure due to the increased viscosity of ink in the ink nozzles  66  and the ink supply path from the ink cartridge  62  to the ink nozzles  66 . 
     On the other hand, the suction process is a process of sucking ink collected in the ink nozzles  66  in a state where the print head  64  is stored in the head storage space  73 . When the suction pump  77  is driven in a state where the print head  64  is stored in the head storage space  73 , air is sucked out from the ink nozzles  66 . As a result, the inside of the ink nozzles  66  is in a negative pressure state, and the ink collected in the ink nozzles  66  is forcibly sucked. 
     Next, a flow of a series of processes when the first printing system SY 1  causes the printing apparatus  4  to perform the above-described the maintenance process will be described with reference to a flowchart of  FIG. 7 . Here, it is assumed that a customer who has installed the printing apparatus  4  requests a service provider who provides a support service to perform a maintenance process, and starts a series of processes with the consent of both parties. In addition, it is assumed that an operator who operates the support PC 1  performs a login operation and the like on the server  2  and can browse a WEB page provided from the server  2 . 
     The support PC 1  designates the target printing apparatus  4  on the maintenance process instruction screen (not shown) provided from the server  2  (S 01 ), and instructs the maintenance process of the target printing apparatus  4  (S 02 ). The server  2  identifies the target printing apparatus  4  designated by the support PC 1  as a maintenance process target (S 03 ), and instructs the customer PC 3  to collect information on the target printing apparatus  4  (S 04 ). At this time, the server  2  refers to the printing apparatus table stored in the database  23   d , and regards the customer PC 3  associated with the device ID of the target printing apparatus  4  specified by the support PC 1  as the address to specify the device ID to instruct information collection. 
     The customer PC 3  identifies the target printing apparatus  4  based on the device ID designated by the server  2  (S 05 ), and collects maintenance information from the target printing apparatus  4  (S 06 ). As described above, the customer PC 3  collects residual ink amount information and free capacity information as maintenance information. 
     The residual ink amount information is information indicating the residual amount of each color of ink in the ink cartridge  62 . That is, the residual ink amount information is information indicating the residual amount of ink in each of the cyan ink cartridge  62   a , the black ink cartridge  62   b , the yellow ink cartridge  62   c , and the magenta ink cartridge  62   d . Further, the residual ink amount information may indicate the residual ink amount by a relative value, such as the expression in which “XX %” of the ink remains with respect to the capacity of the ink cartridge  62 , or may indicate the residual ink amount by an absolute value, such as the expression in which “XX cc” of the ink remains. The free capacity information may also indicate the free capacity of the maintenance box  78  by a relative value or an absolute value. 
     When the customer PC 3  collects the maintenance information from the target printing apparatus  4  (S 06 ), the customer PC 3  transmits the collected maintenance information to the server  2  (S 07 ). When the server  2  acquires maintenance information from the customer PC 3  (S 08 ), the server  2  determines whether the maintenance process can be performed based on the acquired maintenance information (S 09 ). Here, the server  2  determines that the maintenance process can be performed when the residual amount of each of the four colors of inks in the ink cartridges  62  is larger than the predetermined amount of the respective four colors of inks consumed by the maintenance process, and the free capacity of the maintenance box  78  is larger than the total value of the predetermined amount of the four colors of ink consumed by the maintenance process. For example, the server  2  determines that the maintenance process cannot be performed when the residual amount of ink in any one color of the four colors of inks in the ink cartridges  62  is smaller than the predetermined ink consumption of the color. 
     When it is determined that the maintenance process cannot be performed (S 09 : No), the server  2  displays the error display screen D on the support PC 1  (S 10 ).  FIG. 8  is a diagram illustrating an example of the error display screen D. A first message  81  indicating that the maintenance process cannot be performed, a second message  82  making notification that the ink cartridge  62  has the insufficient residual amount of ink, a third message  83  making notification that the maintenance box  78  has the insufficient free capacity, and a confirmation button  84  are displayed on the error display screen D. 
     The second message  82  includes a first check box  82   a , a second check box  82   b , a third check box  82   c , a fourth check box  82   d , and a fifth check box  82   e . The first check box  82   a  is in the checked stated when the maintenance process cannot be performed due to the insufficient residual amount of ink in the ink cartridge  62 . In addition, depending on the ink color of the ink cartridge  62  with the insufficient residual ink amount, any one or more of the second check box  82   b , the third check box  82   c , the fourth check box  82   d , and the fifth check box  82   e  are in the checked stated. In addition, the third message  83  includes a sixth check box  83   a . The sixth check box  83   a  is in the checked stated when the maintenance process cannot be performed due to the insufficient free capacity of the maintenance box  78 . When the operator of the support PC 1  validates the first message  81 , the second message  82 , and the third message  83 , and selects the confirmation button  84 , the error display screen D is hidden from view. 
     On the other hand, when it is determined that the maintenance process can be performed (S 09 : Yes), the server  2  instructs the customer PC 3  to perform the maintenance process (S 11 ). The customer PC 3  receives the instruction from the server  2  and instructs the printing apparatus  4  to perform the maintenance process (S 12 ). The printing apparatus  4  performs the maintenance process according to the instruction from the customer PC 3  (S 13 ). 
     On the other hand, after instructing the printing apparatus  4  to perform the maintenance process, the customer PC 3  monitors the completion of the maintenance process (S 14 ). Specifically, the customer PC 3  monitors the completion of the maintenance process by monitoring the status of the printing apparatus  4 . When the customer PC 3  acquires the status indicating the completion of the maintenance process from the printing apparatus  4 , the customer PC 3  transmits a completion notification indicating the completion of the maintenance process to the server  2  (S 15 ). When the server  2  acquires the completion notification from the customer PC 3  (S 16 ), the server  2  displays, on the support PC 1 , the completion message indicating the completion of the maintenance process (S 17 ). 
     Although not specifically shown, when the customer PC 3  cannot acquire the status indicating the completion of the maintenance process from the printing apparatus  4  in S 14  of the flowchart of  FIG. 7 , the customer PC 3  transmits a notification to the server  2  that the maintenance process has not been completed, and the server  2  displays an error message to that effect on the support PC 1 . 
     As explained above, according to the first printing system SY 1  of the first embodiment, the server  2  communicates with the customer PC 3  via the network NW, and determines whether the maintenance process can be performed based on the maintenance information of the printing apparatus  4  acquired from the customer PC 3 . When it is determined that the maintenance process can be performed, the server  2  instructs the customer PC 3  to perform the maintenance process of the printing apparatus  4 , so that the maintenance process can be performed by the printing apparatus  4  at a remote location. 
     In this way, the service provider can improve the efficiency of service support related to the maintenance service of the printing apparatus  4  by performing the remote maintenance of the printing apparatus  4 . In addition, the customer also has the merit that the downtime of the printing apparatus  4  related to the maintenance process can be reduced. 
     In addition, the maintenance information includes the residual ink amount information and the free capacity information, so that it is possible to prevent the residual amount of ink in the ink cartridge  62  of the printing apparatus  4  from being depleted, or the free capacity of the maintenance box  78  from being lost when instructing the maintenance process from server  2 . 
     In addition, the server  2  acquires, as the residual ink amount information, information indicating the residual amount of each color of ink in the ink cartridge  62 , and when the residual amount of ink in the ink cartridge  62  in any one of the colors is expected to be sufficient, it is determined that the maintenance process cannot be performed, so that it is possible to prevent the residual amount of ink in the ink cartridge  62  in any one of the colors from being depleted by the maintenance process. 
     Second Embodiment 
     Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 9 and 10 . A second printing system SY 2  according to the second embodiment has a system configuration in which the customer PC 3  is omitted from the first printing system SY 1  according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, a description will be given focusing on differences from the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Moreover, the modification applied to the component similar to the first embodiment is applied similarly to this embodiment. 
       FIG. 9  is a system configuration diagram of the second printing system SY 2 . The second printing system SY 2  includes a support PC 1 , a server  2 , and a printing apparatus  4 ′, which are coupled via the network NW. That is, the server  2  according to the present embodiment communicates with the printing apparatus  4 ′ without going through the customer PC 3 . Therefore, the printing apparatus  4 ′ according to the present embodiment includes the client side control program  36   b  (see  FIG. 4 ) in the printing apparatus storage unit  47  (see  FIG. 5 ) of the printing apparatus  4  according to the first embodiment. In addition, the server  2  according to the present embodiment stores, in the database  23   d , a printing apparatus table in which the device name of the printing apparatus  4 ′ capable of communicating with the server  2  and the address thereof are associated with each other. 
       FIG. 10  is a flowchart showing a flow of a series of processes when the second printing system SY 2  causes the printing apparatus  4 ′ to perform the maintenance process. S 21  to S 23  are the same as S 01  to S 03  in the flowchart (see  FIG. 7 ) showing the processing of the first printing system SY 1 . The server  2  instructs the target printing apparatus  4 ′ designated by the support PC 1  to collect information (S 24 ). At this time, the server  2  refers to the printing apparatus table stored in the database  23   d  and instructs the target printing apparatus  4 ′ of the address designated by the support PC 1  to perform information collection. 
     The printing apparatus  4 ′ collects maintenance information of its own apparatus based on an instruction from the server  2  (S 25 ), and transmits the collected maintenance information to the server  2  (S 26 ). When the server  2  acquires the maintenance information from the printing apparatus  4 ′ (S 27 ), the server  2  determines whether the maintenance process can be performed based on the acquired maintenance information (S 28 ). When it is determined that the maintenance process cannot be performed (S 28 : No), the server  2  displays the error display screen D (see  FIG. 8 ) on the support PC 1  (S 29 ). When it is determined that the maintenance process can be performed (S 28 : Yes), the server  2  instructs the printing apparatus  4 ′ to perform the maintenance process (S 30 ). The printing apparatus  4 ′ performs the maintenance process according to the instruction from the server  2  (S 31 ), and transmits a completion notification indicating the completion of the maintenance process to the server  2  (S 32 ). When the server  2  acquires the completion notification from the printing apparatus  4 ′ (S 33 ), the server  2  displays a completion message indicating the completion of the maintenance process on the support PC 1  (S 34 ). 
     As explained above, according to the second printing system SY 2  of the second embodiment, the server  2  communicates with the printing apparatus  4 ′ via the network NW, and determines whether the maintenance process can be performed based on the maintenance information acquired from the printing apparatus  4 ′. When it is determined that the maintenance process can be performed, the server  2  instructs the printing apparatus  4 ′ to perform the maintenance process, so that the maintenance process can be performed by the printing apparatus  4 ′ at a remote location. That is, according to the second printing system SY 2 , the same action and effect as in the first embodiment can be achieved with a simple configuration in which the customer PC 3  is omitted from the first printing system SY 1  according to the first embodiment. 
     Although two embodiments have been described above, the following modifications can be applied without limited to these embodiments. 
     Modification 1 
     Although the maintenance process is based on a predetermined sequence, that is, the maintenance process performed by the printing apparatus  4  is one type, in each of the above embodiments, the printing apparatus  4  may be capable of performing a plurality of types of maintenance processes. Further, in this case, the server  2  may acquire nozzle information indicating the state of the ink nozzles  66  provided in the print head  64  of the printing apparatus  4  and determines the type of maintenance process based on the acquired nozzle information. 
       FIG. 11  is a flowchart showing a flow of a series of processes including a maintenance process according to this modification. Here, a case where the system configuration of the first printing system SY 1  is used is illustrated. It is assumed that information obtained by detecting, by an actuator using a piezo element, residual vibration due to the pressure change in the cavity filled with ink supplied from the ink cartridge  62  in the print head  64  is used as nozzle information indicating the state of the ink nozzles  66 . By using this method, it is possible to acquire nozzle information whether ink is being ejected or ink is not being ejected. In addition, various defects of the ink nozzles  66  such as air bubbles in the ink nozzles  66 , the increased viscosity of ink, and the foreign matter adhesion can be detected by the detection signal obtained by detecting, by the actuator, residual vibration due to the pressure change in the cavity. 
     In the flowchart of  FIG. 11 , S 41  to S 45  are the same as S 01  to S 05  in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 . The customer PC 3  collects maintenance information and nozzle information from the target printing apparatus  4  on which the maintenance process is to be performed (S 46 ). As described above, the customer PC 3  collects, as nozzle information, the detection signal obtained by detecting, by the actuator, residual vibration due to the pressure change in the cavity. When the customer PC 3  collects the maintenance information and the nozzle information from the target printing apparatus  4 , the customer PC 3  transmits the acquired information to the server  2  (S 47 ). When the server  2  acquires the maintenance information and the nozzle information from the customer PC 3  (S 48 ), the server  2  determines the type of maintenance process based on the acquired nozzle information (S 49 ). 
     Here, the type of maintenance process is distinguished by, for example, a flushing process having a plurality of levels of intensity based on a difference in ink consumption when performing the flushing process among the maintenance processes. For example, when the printing apparatus  4  may be capable of performing any of a normal flushing process in which the first ink consumption is required and a powerful flushing processes in which the second ink consumption is required where the second ink consumption is larger than the first ink consumption, the server  2  determines either of the normal flushing process or the powerful flushing process based on the acquired nozzle information. Here, for example, when acquiring nozzle information indicating defects such as air bubbles in the ink nozzles  66 , increased viscosity of ink, and foreign matter adhesion, it is determined that the powerful flushing process is performed, and when acquiring nozzle information that does not indicate these defects, it is determined that the normal flushing process is performed. 
     When the server  2  determines the type of maintenance process (S 49 ), the process proceeds to S 09  in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , and it is determined whether the determined type of maintenance process can be performed based on the acquired maintenance information. 
     As explained above, according to this modification, the server  2  determines the type of maintenance process based on the nozzle information indicating the state of the ink nozzles  66 , and determines whether the determined type of maintenance process can be performed, so that the server  2  can cause the printing apparatus  4  to perform the maintenance process suitable for the state of the ink nozzles  66 . Further, since the information detected by the actuator for ejecting ink is used as nozzle information, it is not necessary to provide the printing apparatus  4  with a special configuration for detecting the state of the ink nozzles  66 . 
     Modification 1 
     The server  2  may use, as nozzle information, information other than information detected by the actuator. For example, information obtained by optically detecting, for each ink nozzles  66 , a state in which no ink droplet is ejected from the ink nozzles  66  may be used as the nozzle information. In addition, information obtained by detecting an ejection failure of the ink nozzles  66  by a known method may be used as the nozzle information. 
     Modification 2 
     When the printing apparatus  4  is capable of performing a plurality of types of maintenance processes, the type of maintenance process may be selectable by the operator of the support PC 1 . In this case, the server  2  provides the support PC 1  with a maintenance process selection screen as a WEB page, and accepts selection of the maintenance process on the maintenance process selection screen. Further, the server  2  determines whether the accepted type of maintenance process can be performed based on the acquired maintenance information. According to this configuration, the operator of the support PC 1  can select a desired type of maintenance process from among a plurality of types of maintenance processes. 
     Further, when it is determined that the accepted type of maintenance process cannot be performed based on the acquired maintenance information, the server  2  may make notification of the type of maintenance process that can be performed. For example, it is assumed that the printing apparatus  4  is capable of performing either the normal maintenance process or the powerful maintenance process, the operator of the support PC 1  selects the powerful maintenance process, and the server  2  determines from the maintenance information that the powerful maintenance process cannot be performed, but the normal maintenance process can be performed. In this case, the server  2  may display, on the support PC 1 , a message indicating that the powerful maintenance process cannot be performed, but the normal maintenance process can be performed. According to this configuration, the operator of the support PC 1  can grasp the type of maintenance process that can be performed. 
     Modification 3 
     In the above embodiments, the server  2  acquires, as maintenance information, the residual ink amount information and the free capacity information. The server  2  may acquire only one of them, and may determine whether the maintenance process can be performed. Alternatively, information other than the residual ink amount information and the free capacity information may be acquired as the maintenance information. Examples of the maintenance information may include the elapsed time from the previous maintenance process, the number of printed sheets printed after the previous maintenance process, the number of replacements of the ink cartridge  62 , the ink type, the ambient temperature of the printing apparatus  4 , the ambient humidity of the printing apparatus  4  and the like. Further, the server  2  may determine the type of maintenance process in consideration of the above maintenance information. 
     Modification 4 
     In the embodiments described above, the server  2  performs the flushing process and the suction process as the maintenance process, but may perform only one of the processes. Alternatively, a process other than the flushing process and the suction process may be performed as the maintenance process. Examples of the maintenance process may include a wiping process of wiping the lower face  65  of the print head  64 , that is, the nozzle hole forming face of the print head  64 , and a micro-vibration process of driving the actuator to vibrate the tip of the ink nozzles  66  to such an extent that ink is not ejected. 
     Modification 5 
     In addition, in the flushing process as the type of maintenance process, the server  2  may determine any of three flushing processes instead of determining any of the two types of flushing processes which are the normal flushing process and the powerful flushing process. The types of maintenance processes may be distinguished not only by the difference in ink consumption in the flushing process but also by the difference in the maintenance process sequence. The difference in the sequence refers to, for example, in what order each maintenance process such as a flushing process, a suction process, and a wiping process are performed, how much time is taken, and how many times it is performed. 
     Modification 6 
     Further, the server  2  may determine the type of maintenance process based on the acquired maintenance information and the acquired nozzle information. For example, the server  2  may determine which of the normal flushing process and the powerful flushing process is performed based on the acquired maintenance information and the acquired nozzle information. 
     Modification 7 
     In the embodiments described above, the server  2  instructs the printing apparatus  4  to collect the information based on the maintenance process instruction from the support PC 1 , but may instruct the printing apparatus  4  to collect the information at a predetermined timing. Examples of the predetermined timing may include when the server  2 , the customer PC 3 , or the printing apparatus  4  is started, or a predetermined time, or regular time intervals. Alternatively, the nozzle information shown in Modification 1 may be acquired at a predetermined timing, and when a defect of the ink nozzles  66  is detected, collection of the maintenance information of the printing apparatus  4  may be instructed. 
     Modification 8 
     In the above embodiments, the server  2  acquires the maintenance information when instructing the printing apparatus  4  to collect information. At this time, the server  2  may acquire the status of the printing apparatus  4  at the same time, and when it is determined from the acquired status that the maintenance process cannot be performed, the server  2  may display an error message indicating the fact on the support PC 1 . For example, when the server  2  acquires a status indicating that the printing apparatus  4  is performing printing or a status indicating that an error has occurred in the printing apparatus  4 , the server  2  determines that the maintenance process cannot be performed. 
     Modification 9 
     The method of performing the respective processes of the support PC 1 , the server  2 , the customer PC 3  and the printing apparatus  4  described in the above embodiments and the above modifications, programs for executing the respective processes of the support PC 1 , the server  2 , the customer PC 3  and the printing apparatus  4 , and a computer-readable recording medium on which the programs are recorded are also included in the scope of the right of the disclosure. Moreover, the configuration may be a combination of the respective embodiments and the respective modifications. 
     Modification 10 
     In addition, the ink jet method of the printing apparatus  4  is not limited to the piezo method using a piezo element as an actuator, and other methods such as an electrostatic actuator method and a bubble method may be employed. Further, the printing method of the printing apparatus  4  is not limited to the serial head method, and other methods such as a line head method may be employed. Further, instead of the support PC 1  and the customer PC 3 , various pieces of information processing terminals such as various tablet terminals and smartphones may be used. The ink cartridge  62  may be an ink container such as a pouch-type ink pack or an ink tank that stores ink poured from an ink bottle. In addition, the processes of the support PC 1 , server  2 , customer PC 3 , and printing apparatus  4  such as the processes performed with the cooperation of hardware and software can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the disclosure, for example. 
     APPENDIX 
     Hereinafter, a printing system, a server, a control method of the printing system, and a program will be additionally described. The first printing system SY 1  includes the printing apparatus  4  including the ink container  62  and the server  2  coupled to the printing apparatus  4  via the network NW. The server  2  includes the server controller  21  that acquires maintenance information including residual ink amount information indicating an residual amount of ink in the ink container  62  of the printing apparatus  4 , determines whether a maintenance process can be performed based on the acquired maintenance information, and instructs the printing apparatus  4  to perform the maintenance process when it is determined that the maintenance process can be performed. 
     The server  2  is coupled to the printing apparatus  4  including the ink container  62  via a network NW. The server includes the server controller  21  that acquires maintenance information including residual ink amount information indicating an residual amount of ink in the ink container  62  of the printing apparatus  4 , determines whether a maintenance process can be performed based on the acquired maintenance information, and instructs the printing apparatus  4  to perform the maintenance process when it is determined that the maintenance process can be performed. 
     In a method of controlling the first printing system SY 1 , the first printing system SY 1  includes the printing apparatus  4  including an ink container  62  and the server  2  coupled to the printing apparatus  4  via the network NW. The server  2  performs the method. The method includes acquiring maintenance information including residual ink amount information indicating an residual amount of ink in the ink container  62  of the printing apparatus  4 , determining whether a maintenance process can be performed based on the acquired maintenance information, and instructing the printing apparatus  4  to perform the maintenance process when it is determined that the maintenance process can be performed. 
     In a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the server side control program  23   c , the program causes the server  2  coupled to the printing apparatus  4  including the ink container  62  via the network NW to acquire maintenance information including residual ink amount information indicating an residual amount of ink in the ink container  62  of the printing apparatus  4 , determine whether a maintenance process can be performed based on the acquired maintenance information, and instruct the printing apparatus  4  to perform the maintenance process when it is determined that the maintenance process can be performed. 
     According to this configuration, the server  2  acquires maintenance information including residual ink amount information indicating the residual amount of ink in the ink container  62  from the printing apparatus  4  coupled via the network NW, and determines whether the maintenance process can be performed based on the acquired maintenance information. When it is determined that the maintenance process can be performed, the server  2  instructs the printing apparatus  4  to perform the maintenance process, so that the user can causes the printing apparatus  4  at a remote location to perform the maintenance process. In addition, the server  2  determines whether the maintenance process can be performed based on the maintenance information, so that it is possible to prevent the residual amount of ink in the ink container  62  of the printing apparatus  4  from being depleted by instructing the maintenance process. “The printing apparatus  4  and the server  2  are coupled via the network NW” means a concept including not only the case where the printing apparatus  4  and the server  2  are directly coupled, but also the case where the printing apparatus  4  and the server  2  are coupled via some kind of relay device. 
     In the first printing system SY 1 , it is preferable that the maintenance process include at least one of the flushing process of performing waste ejection of ink from the ink nozzles  66  provided in the print head  64  of the printing apparatus  4  and the suction process of sucking ink from the ink nozzles  66 . 
     According to this configuration, the server  2  can cause the printing apparatus  4  to perform at least one of the flushing process and the suction process as the maintenance process. 
     In the first printing system SY 1 , the maintenance information preferably includes the free capacity information indicating the free capacity of the maintenance box  78  that stores the ink discharged in the maintenance process. 
     According to this configuration, the server  2  determines whether the maintenance process can be performed based on the free capacity information indicating the free capacity of the maintenance box  78 , so that it is possible to prevent the free capacity of the maintenance box  78  of the printing apparatus  4  from being depleted by instructing the maintenance process. 
     In the first printing system SY 1 , it is preferable that the printing apparatus  4  be capable of performing a plurality of types of maintenance processes, and the server controller  21  accept, among the plurality of types of maintenance processes, selection of any type of maintenance process, determine whether the accepted type of maintenance process can be performed based on the acquired maintenance information, and when it is determined that the maintenance process cannot be performed, make notification of the type of maintenance process that can be performed. 
     According to this configuration, since the server  2  accepts selection of any type of maintenance process among a plurality of types of maintenance processes, so that the user can select a desired type of maintenance process. When the server  2  determines that the maintenance process selected by the user cannot be performed, the server  2  makes notification of the type of maintenance process that can be performed, so that the user can grasp the type of maintenance process that can be performed. 
     In the first printing system SY 1 , it is preferable that the printing apparatus  4  be capable of performing a plurality of types of maintenance processes, and the server controller  21  acquire nozzle information indicating the state of the ink nozzles  66  provided in the print head  64  of the printing apparatus  4 , determine the type of maintenance process based on the acquired nozzle information, and determine whether the determined type of maintenance process can be performed based on the acquired maintenance information. In this case, it is preferable that the printing apparatus  4  change the pressure in the cavity filled with ink of the print head  64  by driving the actuator, and eject ink from the ink nozzles  66  communicating with the cavity, and the nozzle information be information obtained by detecting, by the actuator, residual vibration due to the pressure change in the cavity. 
     According to this configuration, the server  2  determines the type of maintenance process based on the nozzle information indicating the state of the ink nozzles  66  provided in the print head  64  of the printing apparatus  4 , and determines whether the determined type of maintenance process can be performed, so that the server  2  can cause the printing apparatus  4  to perform the maintenance process suitable for the state of the ink nozzles  66 . Further, when the information detected by the actuator for ejecting ink is used as nozzle information, it is not necessary to provide the printing apparatus  4  with a special configuration for detecting the state of the ink nozzles  66 . 
     In the first printing system SY 1 , it is preferable that the printing apparatus  4  be capable of performing a flushing process having a plurality of levels of intensity as at least part of the maintenance process, and the server controller  21  determine which flushing process is performed, based on the acquired nozzle information, among a normal flushing process in which the first ink consumption is required and a powerful flushing processes in which the second ink consumption is required where the second ink consumption is larger than the first ink consumption. 
     According to this configuration, the server  2  can appropriately determine which flushing process is performed among the normal flushing process and the powerful flushing process based on nozzle information indicating the state of the ink nozzles  66  provided in the print head  64  of the printing apparatus  4 . 
     In the first printing system SY 1 , it is preferable that the printing apparatus  4  include a plurality of ink containers  62  corresponding to a plurality of colors, and the residual ink amount information be information indicating the residual amount of each color of ink in the ink container  62 . 
     According to this configuration, since it is determined whether the maintenance process can be performed based on information indicating the residual amount of each color of ink in the ink containers  62  corresponding to a plurality of colors, it is determined that the maintenance process cannot be performed when the residual amount of any one color of ink in the ink containers  62  is expected to be depleted, so that it is possible to prevent the residual amount of any one color of ink in the ink containers  62  from being depleted by the maintenance process.