Image processing apparatus

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a printing unit for printing an image using an expendable component;

a communication circuit connectable to a supplier of the expendable component via a communication network; and

an order controller for controlling said communication circuit to transmit order information for ordering the expendable component to the supplier, when it is confirmed that a number of maintenance operations of the expendable component corresponds to an order-unit quantity of the expendable cornponent;

wherein said order controller includes reporting means for issuing an order transmission report reflecting a result of transmission of the order information, and said reporting means includes means for controlling said printing unit such that at least the order information is printed as an image when transmission of the order information has failed.

2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said order controller includes means for confirming that a maintenance operation of the expendable component has been completed.

3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said order controller includes input means for inputting data for the order-unit quantity, and updating means for updating the order-unit quantity by the data input from said input means.

4. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a printing unit for printing an image using an expendable component;

a communication circuit connectable to a supplier of the expendable component via a communication network; and

an order controller for controlling said communication circuit to transmit order information for ordering the expendable component to the supplier, when it is confirmed that a number of maintenance operations of the expendable component corresponds to an order-unit quantity of the expendable component;

wherein the order controller includes input means for inputting a maintenance completion notice that a maintenance operation of the expendable component has been completed, and inhibiting means for inhibiting the order information from being transmitted without detection of the maintenance completion notice.

5. An image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said order controller includes reporting means for issuing an order transmission report reflecting a result of transmission of the order information.

6. An image processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said reporting means includes means for controlling said printing unit such that at least the order information is printed as an image when transmission of the order information has failed.

7. An image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said order controller includes input means for inputting data for the order-unit quantity, and updating means for updating the orderunit quantity by the data input from said input means.

8. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a printing unit which prints an image using an expendable component;

a communication circuit connectable to a supplier of the expendable component via a communication network; and

an order controller which determines whether a maintenance operation of the expendable component is required a number of times corresponding to an order-unit quantity of the expendable component, and which controls said communication circuit to transmit order information to order the expendable component to the supplier when the order controller determines that the number of maintenance operations corresponds to the order-unit quantity;

wherein said order controller issues an order transmission report reflecting a result of transmission by the communication circuit and controls said printing unit such that at least the order information is printed as an image when the transmission of the order information by the communication circuit has failed.

9. An image processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said order controller includes an input unit to input data for the order-unit quantity, and an update device which updates the order-unit quantity by the data input from said input unit.

10. An image processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said order controller detects that a maintenance operation of the expendable component has been completed.

11. An image processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said order controller includes an input unit to input a maintenance completion notice that a maintenance operation of the expendable component has been completed.