Patent ID: 7275101

Claim:
An inventory management system that manages an inventory of an expendable, comprising: a first storage unit, adapted to store inventory information indicating an inventory number of an expendable which is mounted in a printer and can be replaced, the inventory number being reduced based on replacement of the expendable in the printer; a receiver unit, adapted to receive absence information indicating that the inventory number of the expendable is zero or less than a predetermined number; an instruction unit, adapted to provide, to an external apparatus via a communication line, a delivery instruction for delivery of a new expendable; a second storage unit, adapted to store history information indicating a history of the delivery instruction provided by said instruction unit; and an alarm sending unit, adapted (i) to send an alarm to the external apparatus via the communication line if a new reception of the absence information is received by said receiver unit after said instruction unit provides the delivery instruction for delivery of the new expendable, and if the history information is present in said second storage unit, and (ii) not to send the alarm to the external apparatus if a new reception of the absence information is received by said receiver unit, and if the history information is absent in said second storage unit.