Patent ID: 7921175

Claim:
An online service system comprising: a client terminal; a transfer server; and a plurality of service providing apparatuses each capable of communicating via a network, wherein the client terminal is connected with a printer, and the client terminal comprises: a display unit that automatically displays a status screen on a display when print processing is begun, the status screen including a support instruction unit; a first acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a purchase place of the printer via a printer driver of the printer; a second acquisition unit that acquires information indicating ink remaining amount of the printer when the support instruction unit is operated; a first transmission unit that transmits additional information including the information indicating the ink remaining amount of the printer and the information indicating the purchase place of the printer to the transfer server by adding the additional information to a first address for accessing the transfer server; a reception unit that receives, from the transfer server, a second address to which the information indicating at least the ink remaining amount of the printer of the additional information is added by the transfer server, the second address for accessing a service providing apparatus designated by the transfer server; and a second transmission unit that transmits the information added to the second address to the designated service providing apparatus by accessing the service providing apparatus using the second address to which the information indicating at least the ink remaining amount of the printer is added, wherein the transfer server comprises: a designation unit that designates one of the plurality of service providing apparatuses based on the information indicating at least the purchase place of the printer of the additional information added to the first address; an addition unit that adds the information indicating at least the ink remaining amount of the printer of the additional information to the second address for accessing the designated service providing apparatus; and a notification unit that notifies the client terminal of the second address to which the information indicating at least the ink remaining amount of the printer is added by the addition unit, and wherein the service providing apparatus comprises: a screen information generation unit that generates screen information on the ink of the printer based on the information added to the second address by the addition unit, when the service providing apparatus is accessed using the second address to which the information indicating at least the ink remaining amount of the printer is added received from the client terminal; and a screen information transmission unit that transmits the generated screen information to the client terminal.