| CPC H04N 1/344 (2013.01) [H04N 1/32673 (2013.01); H04N 1/346 (2013.01)] | 12 Claims |
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1. A consuming device comprising:
a holder configured to hold therein a consumable;
a display; and
a controller,
wherein the consuming device is operable in an operating mode, the operating mode being switchable between a billing mode in which the consuming device can consume the consumable within a permitted consumption quantity and a non-billing mode in which the consuming device can consume the consumable without any restriction imposed by the permitted consumption quantity,
wherein the controller is configured to perform:
(a) setting the operating mode to one of the billing mode and the non-billing mode;
when the operating mode is set to the non-billing mode in (a):
(b) executing, in response to receiving an execution instruction, a prescribed operation consuming the consumable, the prescribed operation being executed in (b) while consuming the consumable irrespective of the permitted consumption quantity without decreasing the permitted consumption quantity;
when the operating mode is set to the billing mode in (a):
(c) acquiring the permitted consumption quantity including a newly purchased consumption quantity paid for by a user;
(d) displaying the permitted consumption quantity on the display; and
(e) executing, in response to receiving the execution instruction, the prescribed operation, the prescribed operation being executed in (e) while consuming the consumable and decreasing the permitted consumption quantity acquired in (c) until the decreased permitted consumption quantity reaches a predetermined quantity, and
wherein when the operating mode is set to the non-billing mode in (a), the controller does not display the permitted printing quantity on the display.
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