JP7069955B2 - Fault management system, fault management device, fault management method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fault management system, a fault management device, a fault management method and a program.

A help desk system that manages a failure that occurs in a device as failure report information has been conventionally known. In such a help desk system, for example, a user who has detected a failure that has occurred in a device, a help desk person who has been notified of the occurrence of a failure, or the like can input various information related to the failure to create a failure slip information. .. The disability certificate information is also referred to as a ticket, a disability ticket, an incident ticket, a trouble ticket, or the like.

Further, there is known a technique for preventing a situation in which failure slip information is duplicated by displaying a predetermined message on the device when the failure slip information of a failure that has occurred in the device is created. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

Further, there is known a technique for providing users with more detailed information about an incident by grouping trouble report information related to incidents having duplicate causes and providing trouble report information belonging to the same group (for example, patent documents). 2).

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, for example, when a failure of the same cause occurs in different devices, the failure slip information may be duplicated. For example, in a system in which a plurality of devices and a server device operate in cooperation with each other, if the server device fails, the failure report information is duplicated for the failure of the same cause that occurs in each of the plurality of devices. Will be created.

For this reason, for example, in a help desk system in which a fee is charged to a user according to the number of created failure slip information, a large amount of trouble slip information for failures of the same cause is created and the fee becomes high. In some cases.

The embodiment of the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to prevent a large amount of trouble slip information for a failure of the same cause from being created.

In order to achieve the above object, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the failure information regarding the failure generated in the device is input, the device can be used from the storage unit in which the failure slip information for managing the failure is stored. When the search means for searching the fault slip information of the fault having the same cause as the fault that occurred and the fault slip information of the fault having the same cause as the fault that occurred in the device are not searched by the search means, the fault information is used. When the creation means for creating the failure slip information of the failure that occurred in the device and the failure slip information of the failure having the same cause as the failure that occurred in the device are searched by the search means, the failure information is used. , It is characterized by having an update means for updating the searched trouble slip information.

It is possible to prevent a large amount of failure slip information from being created for failures of the same cause.

It is a figure which shows an example of the whole structure of the trouble management system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware composition of the trouble management apparatus and the equipment monitoring apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware composition when the apparatus which concerns on this embodiment is an image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional structure of the trouble management system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of trouble slip information. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the creation or update process of trouble slip information. It is a figure which shows an example of the search condition information. It is a sequence diagram (No. 1) which shows an example of the whole processing when the failure of the same cause occurs in a plurality of devices. It is a figure which shows an example of the display information. It is a sequence diagram (No. 2) which shows an example of the whole processing when the failure of the same cause occurs in a plurality of devices.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “the present embodiment”) will be described. Hereinafter, the fault management system 1 for creating fault slip information in which faults generated in the device are managed will be described. As described above, the disability certificate information is also referred to as a ticket, a disability ticket, an incident ticket, a trouble ticket, or the like. Further, although the term "fault report information" is used in this embodiment, the target managed by the failure report information is not limited to the failure, for example, a failure, an abnormality, an incident, a trouble, a malfunction, or the like. Is also good.

<Overall configuration>
First, the overall configuration of the fault management system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the failure management system 1 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fault management system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a fault management device 10, a device monitoring device 20, and a plurality of devices 30. Further, the fault management device 10, the device monitoring device 20, and the device 30 are communicably connected via a network N such as the Internet.

The fault management device 10 is a computer or a computer system that creates fault slip information for managing faults that have occurred in the device 30. When the failure management device 10 receives information about a failure (hereinafter referred to as "fault information") from the device monitoring device 20, or the failure information is a user (for example, a person in charge of a help desk, a user of the device 30, or a failure). The trouble slip information is created when the information is input by the discoverer, the administrator of the device 30, etc.).

At this time, the fault management device 10 according to the present embodiment newly creates fault slip information only when there is no fault slip information for a fault having the same cause as the fault that occurred in the device 30. On the other hand, the fault management device 10 according to the present embodiment updates the existing fault slip information without newly creating the fault slip information when the fault slip information for the fault of the same cause exists. As a result, for example, when a failure of the same cause occurs in a plurality of devices 30, one failure slip information is created for a plurality of failures caused by the same cause, and duplicate failure slip information is created. Can be prevented.

The device monitoring device 20 is a computer or a computer system that monitors whether or not a failure has occurred in the device 30. When the device monitoring device 20 detects that a failure has occurred in the device 30, the device monitoring device 20 transmits information (fault information) regarding the failure to the failure management device 10.

The device 30 is various electronic devices in which the occurrence of a failure is controlled. Examples of the device 30 include various image forming devices such as an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), a printing device, a scanner device, and a FAX device. However, the device 30 is not limited to the image forming device, and is, for example, any electronic device such as a PC (personal computer), a server device, a router, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a projector, an electronic blackboard device, a digital signage device, and a video conference device. It may be. Hereinafter, when each of the plurality of devices 30 is represented separately, it is referred to as “device 30-1”, “device 30-2”, or the like.

The configuration of the fault management system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and may be another configuration. For example, the fault management system 1 according to the present embodiment may not include the device monitoring device 20.

<Hardware configuration>
Next, the hardware configurations of the fault management device 10, the device monitoring device 20, and the device 30 according to the present embodiment will be described.

<< Failure management device 10 and equipment monitoring device 20 >>
The hardware configuration of the fault management device 10 and the device monitoring device 20 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the fault management device 10 and the device monitoring device 20 according to the present embodiment. Since the fault management device 10 and the device monitoring device 20 have the same hardware configuration, the hardware configuration of the fault management device 10 will be mainly described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fault management device 10 according to the present embodiment includes an input device 101, a display device 102, an external I / F 103, and a communication I / F 104. Further, the fault management device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 105, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 106, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 107, and an auxiliary storage device 108. Each of these hardware is connected by a bus 109.

The input device 101 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, or the like, and is used for a user to input various operations. The display device 102 is, for example, a display or the like, and displays the processing result by the failure management device 10. The fault management device 10 and the device monitoring device 20 do not have to have at least one of the input device 101 and the display device 102.

The external I / F 103 is an interface with an external device. The external device includes a recording medium 103a and the like. The fault management device 10 can read or write the recording medium 103a via the external I / F 103. The recording medium 103a includes, for example, a USB memory, an SD memory card, a flexible disk, a CD, a DVD, and the like.

The communication I / F 104 is an interface for connecting the fault management device 10 to the network N. The fault management device 10 can communicate with other devices via the communication I / F 104.

The ROM 105 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that can hold programs and data even when the power is turned off. The ROM 105 stores, for example, programs and data such as BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), OS (Operating System) settings, and network settings that are executed when the failure management device 10 is started. The RAM 106 is a volatile semiconductor memory that temporarily holds programs and data.

The CPU 107 is an arithmetic unit that realizes control and functions of the entire failure management device 10 by reading programs and data from the ROM 105, the auxiliary storage device 108, and the like onto the RAM 106 and executing processing.

The auxiliary storage device 108 is, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like, and is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data. The programs and data stored in the auxiliary storage device 108 include an OS that is basic software that controls the entire failure management device 10, an application program that provides various functions on the OS, and one or more programs that realize the present embodiment. There is. The auxiliary storage device 108 manages the stored programs and data by a predetermined file system or DB (database).

By having the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2, the fault management device 10 and the device monitoring device 20 according to the present embodiment can realize various processes as described later.

≪Equipment 30≫
A hardware configuration when the device 30 according to the present embodiment is an image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration when the device 30 according to the present embodiment is an image forming apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 3, the device 30 according to the present embodiment includes a controller 301, an operation panel 302, an external I / F 303, a communication I / F 304, and an image processing engine 305. Further, the controller 301 has a CPU 311, a RAM 312, a ROM 313, an NVRAM 314, and an auxiliary storage device 315.

The ROM 313 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that can hold programs and data even when the power is turned off. The RAM 312 is a volatile semiconductor memory that temporarily holds programs and data. The NVRAM 314 is, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory that stores setting information and the like. Further, the auxiliary storage device 315 is, for example, an HDD, an SSD, or the like, and is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data.

The CPU 311 is an arithmetic unit that realizes control and functions of the entire device 30 by reading programs, data, setting information, etc. from the ROM 313, NVRAM 314, auxiliary storage device 315, etc. onto the RAM 312 and executing processing.

The operation panel 302 is an input / output device including an input unit for receiving input from the user and a display unit for displaying. The external I / F 303 is an interface with an external device. The external device includes a recording medium 303a and the like. The device 30 can read or write the recording medium 303a via the external I / F 303.

The recording medium 303a includes, for example, an IC card, a USB memory, an SD memory card, a flexible disk, a CD, a DVD, and the like.

The communication I / F 304 is an interface for connecting the device 30 to the network N. The device 30 can communicate with other devices via the communication I / F 304.

The image processing engine 305 is, for example, a plotter, a scanner, or the like, and is a device that performs various image processing such as printing processing and scanning processing.

By having the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 3, the device 30 according to the present embodiment can realize various processes as described later.

<Functional configuration>
Next, the functional configuration of the fault management system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the failure management system 1 according to the present embodiment.

<< Failure management device 10 >>
The failure management device 10 according to the present embodiment includes an operation reception unit 401, a failure slip information creation / update processing unit 402, a display information creation unit 403, and a display information output unit 404. Each of these parts is realized by a process of causing the CPU 107 to execute one or more programs installed in the fault management device 10.

Further, the fault management device 10 according to the present embodiment has a fault slip information storage unit 405. The failure slip information storage unit 405 can be realized by using, for example, the auxiliary storage device 108. The failure slip information storage unit 405 may be realized by using a storage device or the like connected to the failure management device 10 via the network N.

The operation reception unit 401 accepts an input operation of failure information by a user (for example, a help desk person in charge, a user of the device 30, a person who finds a failure, an administrator of the device 30, etc.). The operation receiving unit 401 may accept the input operation of the failure information performed by using the input device 101 of the failure management device 10, or the terminal device connected to the failure management device 10 via the network N or the like. You may accept the input operation of the trouble information performed in.

The trouble slip information creation / update processing unit 402 performs a process of creating and updating trouble slip information from the fault information. The trouble slip information creation / update processing unit 402 includes a trouble information reception unit 411, a search unit 412, a trouble slip information creation / update unit 413, and an information management unit 414.

The failure information reception unit 411 receives the failure information input by the input operation received by the operation reception unit 401 or the failure information transmitted from the device monitoring device 20.

When the failure information receiving unit 411 receives the failure information, the search unit 412 searches for the failure slip information 1000 satisfying the search condition from the failure slip information storage unit 405 using the search condition indicated by the search condition information 2000. Here, the search condition includes at least a condition that the failure code indicating the cause of the failure is the same. Therefore, the failure slip information 1000 satisfying the search condition is the failure slip information 1000 having at least the same failure code as the failure information received by the failure information reception unit 411. Details of the trouble report information 1000 and the search condition information 2000 will be described later. The search condition information 2000 is stored in, for example, an auxiliary storage device 108 or the like.

When the trouble slip information 1000 satisfying the search condition is not searched by the search unit 412, the trouble slip information creation / update unit 413 creates the trouble slip information from the trouble information received by the trouble information reception unit 411. On the other hand, when the trouble slip information 1000 satisfying the search condition is searched by the search unit 412, the trouble slip information creation / update unit 413 uses the trouble information received by the trouble information reception unit 411 to search the trouble slip. Information 1000 is updated.

The information management unit 414 manages the trouble slip information 1000 stored in the trouble slip information storage unit 405. That is, the information management unit 414 acquires the trouble slip information 1000 from the trouble slip information storage unit 405, or stores the trouble slip information 1000 in the trouble slip information storage unit 405.

The display information creation unit 403 creates display information when the trouble slip information is created or updated by the trouble slip information creation / update processing unit 402. The display information is information for displaying a message or the like indicating that a failure has occurred on the operation panel 302 of the device 30.

The display information output unit 404 transmits the display information created by the display information creation unit 403 to the device 30 in which the failure has occurred.

The trouble slip information storage unit 405 stores the trouble slip information 1000 for managing the fault that has occurred in the device 30. The trouble slip information storage unit 405 stores one or more trouble slip information 1000.

Here, an example of the trouble slip information 1000 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the trouble slip information 1000.

In the failure slip information 1000 shown in FIG. 5, as fields (data items), "fault slip ID", "draft date", "device ID", "fault code", "customer ID", "status", And "priority" etc. are included.

In the "fault slip ID", identification information (fault slip ID) for identifying the fault slip information 1000 is set as a field value. As the failure slip ID, for example, a GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) or the like can be used.

As the "drafting date", the date on which the trouble slip information 1000 is drafted (created) is set as the field value. In the "device ID", identification information (device ID) for identifying the device 30 in which the failure has occurred is set as a field value. As the device ID, for example, the IP (Internet Protocol) address, host name, manufacturing unique number, or the like of the device 30 can be used.

In the "fault code", identification information (fault code) for identifying a fault that has occurred in the device 30 is set as a field value. As the failure code, for example, an error code of a failure generated in the device 30 can be used.

As the field value, the "customer ID" is set with identification information (customer ID) for identifying the customer who owns the device 30 in which the failure has occurred. As the customer ID, for example, an arbitrary character string, a company name, a department name, or the like given to each customer can be used.

In the "state", the state of the failure that occurred in the device 30 is set as the field value. The states are, for example, open indicating that a failure has occurred and no response has been taken to the failure, progress indicating that the failure is being addressed, and response to the failure. There is a close indicating that is completed.

In "Priority", the priority when dealing with a failure is set as a field value.

As described above, the failure slip information 1000 includes various fields and field values for managing the failure that has occurred in the device 30. It should be noted that the failure slip information 1000 may include, for example, "correspondence content" in which the content of the response to the failure is set as a field.

<< Equipment monitoring device 20 >>
The device monitoring device 20 according to the present embodiment has a device monitoring unit 501 and a failure information output unit 502. Each of these parts is realized by a process of causing the CPU 107 to execute one or more programs installed in the device monitoring device 20.

The device monitoring unit 501 monitors whether or not a failure has occurred in the device 30. Further, when the device monitoring unit 501 detects that a failure has occurred in the device 30, the device monitoring unit 501 acquires failure information including the device ID and the failure code from the device 30. Here, the equipment monitoring unit 501 may monitor whether or not a failure has occurred in the equipment 30 by polling the equipment 30 at predetermined time intervals or the like. The failure information includes at least a "device ID" and a "failure code" as fields, but may also include, for example, a "customer ID" or the like.

The failure information output unit 502 transmits the failure information acquired from the device 30 in which the failure has occurred to the failure management device 10.

≪Equipment 30≫
The device 30 according to the present embodiment includes a display information receiving unit 601 and a display control unit 602. Each of these parts is realized by a process of causing the CPU 311 to execute one or more programs installed in the device 30.

The display information receiving unit 601 receives the display information from the fault management device 10. The display control unit 602 displays the display information received by the display information receiving unit 601 on the operation panel 302.

<Details of processing>
Hereinafter, the details of the processing of the failure management system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

<< Creation or update process of failure slip information 1000 >>
First, when the failure management device 10 receives the failure information, the process of creating or updating the failure slip information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of creating or updating the trouble slip information.

The failure information reception unit 411 of the failure slip information creation / update processing unit 402 receives the failure information input by the input operation received by the operation reception unit 401 or the failure information transmitted from the device monitoring device 20 (step S101). As described above, the failure information includes at least a device ID and a failure code.

Next, the search unit 412 of the failure slip information creation / update processing unit 402 searches for the fault slip information 1000 satisfying the search condition from the fault slip information storage unit 405 using the search condition indicated by the search condition information 2000 ( Step S102).

Here, an example of the search condition information 2000 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (c). As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C, the search condition information 2000 includes a "first operand", an "operator", a "second operand", and a "combiner". Is done.

In the "first operand", a field to be searched is set among the fields of the trouble slip information 1000. On the other hand, a field of failure information or a fixed value is set in the "second operand". An operator for comparing the first operand and the second operand is set in the "operator". The logical operator between the "combiner" and the next record included in the search condition information 2000 is set. Further, each record included in the search condition information 2000 represents one condition, and the condition obtained by combining these conditions with a combiner is a search condition.

In the first record (first condition) of the search condition information 2000 shown in FIG. 7A, the first operand is "fault code", the operator is "=", the second operand is "fault code", and the combiner. "AND" is set. Further, in the second record (second condition) of the search condition information 2000 shown in FIG. 7 (a), the first operand is "state", the operator is "≠", and the second operand is "'closed'" ('closed'). Fixed value), and the combiner "-" is set. At this time, the "first condition and the second condition" are the search conditions. This indicates that, of the trouble slip information 1000 stored in the trouble slip information storage unit 405, the trouble slip information 1000 that satisfies both the first condition and the second condition is searched.

That is, in the search condition information 2000 shown in FIG. 7A, the trouble slip information 1000 satisfying both the following (a-1) and (a-2) is searched.

(A-1) The field value of the field "fault code" of the trouble slip information 1000 matches the field value of the field "fault code" of the trouble information.

(A-2) The field value of the field "state" of the trouble slip information 1000 is "closed".

As a result, the failure slip information 1000 having the same cause (that is, the same failure code) as the failure that occurred in the past in the device 30 and not yet closed is searched.

In the first record (first condition) of the search condition information 2000 shown in FIG. 7 (b), the first operand is "fault code", the operator is "=", the second operand is "fault code", and the combiner. "AND" is set. Further, in the second record (second condition) of the search condition information 2000 shown in FIG. 7B, the first operand is "customer ID", the operator is "=", and the second operand is "customer ID". The combiner "AND" is set. Further, in the third record (third condition) of the search condition information 2000 shown in FIG. 7B, the first operand is "state", the operator is "≠", and the second operand is "'closed'" ("closed" (. Fixed value), and the combiner "-" is set. At this time, "the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition" are the search conditions. This indicates that, of the failure slip information 1000 stored in the fault slip information storage unit 405, the fault slip information 1000 that satisfies all of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition is searched. ..

That is, in the search condition information 2000 shown in FIG. 7B, the trouble slip information 1000 satisfying all of the following (b-1), (b-2), and (b-3) is searched.

(B-1) The field value of the field "fault code" of the trouble slip information 1000 matches the field value of the field "fault code" of the trouble information.

(B-2) The field value of the field "customer ID" of the trouble slip information 1000 matches the field value of the field "customer ID" of the trouble information.

(B-3) The field value of the field "state" of the trouble slip information 1000 is "closed".

As a result, the failure slip information 1000 that has the same cause (that is, the same failure code) as the failure that occurred in the past in the device 30 owned by the same customer and has not been closed yet is searched. In this way, by setting the search condition that both the failure code and the customer ID match, the failure slip information 1000 can be managed for each customer.

For example, when a plurality of devices 30 of a plurality of customers are operating in cooperation with a service provided as SaaS (Software as a Service), the server providing the service as SaaS may be stopped. Conceivable. Even in such a case, the failure slip information 1000 can be managed for each customer by setting the search condition that both the failure code and the customer ID match. This is particularly useful when the customer's confidential information or the like is included in the trouble slip information 1000.

In the first record (first condition) of the search condition information 2000 shown in FIG. 7 (c), the first operand is "draft date", the operator is "≧", and the second operand is "2018/1/1". (Fixed value), the combiner "AND" is set. Further, in the second record (second condition) of the search condition information 2000 shown in FIG. 7 (c), the first operand is "fault code", the operator is "=", and the second operand is "fault code". The combiner "AND" is set. Further, in the third record (third condition) of the search condition information 2000 shown in FIG. 7 (c), the first operand is "state", the operator is "≠", and the second operand is "'closed'" ("closed" (. Fixed value), and the combiner "-" is set. At this time, "the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition" are the search conditions. This indicates that, of the failure slip information 1000 stored in the fault slip information storage unit 405, the fault slip information 1000 that satisfies all of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition is searched. ..

That is, in the search condition information 2000 shown in FIG. 7 (c), the trouble slip information 1000 that satisfies all of the following (c-1), (c-2), and (c-3) is searched.

(C-1) The field value of the field "drafting date" of the trouble slip information 1000 is "2018/1/1" or later.

(B-2) The field value of the field "fault code" of the trouble slip information 1000 matches the field value of the field "fault code" of the trouble information.

(B-3) The field value of the field "state" of the trouble slip information 1000 is "closed".

As a result, the failure slip information 1000 having the same cause (that is, the same failure code) as the failure that occurred in the device 30 after January 1, 2018, and which has not been closed yet is searched.

As described above, the search condition information 2000 includes one or more search conditions as a record. In addition to AND, various logical operators such as OR, NAND, and XOR can be set as the field value of the field "combiner" included in each search condition. Further, as the field value of the field "operator" included in each search condition, various comparison operators such as ≦,>, <can be set in addition to =, ≠, and ≧.

Return to FIG. Following step S102, the search unit 412 of the failure slip information creation / update processing unit 402 determines whether or not the failure slip information 1000 satisfying the search condition has been searched from the fault slip information storage unit 405 (step S103).

When the failure slip information 1000 is not searched in step S103 (that is, when the fault slip information 1000 satisfying the search condition does not exist), the fault slip information creation / update unit 402 of the fault slip information creation / update processing unit 402 has a fault slip information creation / update unit 413. Creates failure slip information from the failure information received by the failure information reception unit 411 (step S104). The trouble slip information creation / update unit 413 generates the trouble slip information, for example, by setting the draft date, device ID, fault code, customer ID, status, priority, etc. in each field. Create 1000. At this time, the device ID and the failure code included in the failure information are set as the device ID and the failure code. If the customer ID, status, priority, etc. are included in the failure information, these customer IDs, status, priority, etc. are set. For example, when the state, priority, and the like are not included in the failure information, the state "open", the priority "medium", and the like may be set as default values.

The priority may be set according to the failure code, for example. For example, in the case of a failure code indicating a failure with a high degree of urgency, the priority "high" is set, and in the case of a failure code indicating a failure with a low urgency, the priority is set to "low".

On the other hand, when the trouble slip information 1000 is searched in step S103, the information management unit 414 of the trouble slip information creation / update processing unit 402 uses the trouble slip information 1000 searched in step S102 above as the trouble slip information storage unit. Obtained from 405 (step S105).

Next, the trouble slip information creation / update unit 413 of the trouble slip information creation / update processing unit 402 updates the trouble slip information 1000 acquired in step S105 above (step S106). At this time, the failure slip information creation / update unit 413 adds the device ID included in the failure information received in step S101 above as the field value of the field "device ID" of the failure slip information 1000.

For example, it is assumed that the field value of the field "device ID" of the failure slip information 1000 is "device 001", and the device ID included in the failure information received in step S101 is "device 002". In this case, the trouble slip information creation / update unit 413 adds the device ID "device 002" to the field "device ID" of the trouble slip information 1000, and adds the device ID "device 002" to the field "device ID" of the trouble slip information 1000. The field value is "device 001, device 002". As a result, failures that occur in the plurality of devices 30 due to the same cause are managed by one failure slip information 1000. It can also be said that a plurality of devices 30 in which a failure has occurred due to the same cause are managed by one failure slip information 1000.

The trouble slip information creation / update unit 413 may update fields other than the field "device ID". For example, when the number of device IDs included in the field "device ID" exceeds a predetermined number, the trouble slip information creation / updating unit 413 updates the field "priority" so as to raise the priority. You may. As a result, when a failure occurs in a predetermined number or more of the devices 30 due to the same cause, the priority of the failure can be increased.

In addition, in step S102 above, there may be a case where a plurality of trouble slip information 1000s satisfy the search condition. In this case, in step S106 above, the information management unit 414 may acquire the plurality of failure slip information 1000, or acquire only one of the plurality of fault slip information 1000. You may. When acquiring only one of them, the information management unit 414 may acquire, for example, the trouble slip information 1000 having the latest draft date.

As described above, in the failure management device 10 according to the present embodiment, when a failure occurs in a plurality of devices 30 due to the same cause, the failure that has occurred in each of the plurality of devices 30 is combined with one failure slip information 1000. Can be managed. As a result, in the failure management device 10 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent a situation in which duplicate failure slip information 1000 is created for a failure that occurs due to the same cause.

<< Overall processing when the same failure occurs in multiple devices 30 (Part 1) >>
Next, a failure of the same cause occurs in the plurality of devices 30, and the overall processing when the user inputs the failure information of these failures to the failure management device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram (No. 1) showing an example of overall processing when a failure of the same cause occurs in a plurality of devices 30. Hereinafter, as an example, a case where a failure having the same cause as the failure occurs in the device 30-2 after a failure in which the failure slip information 1000 is not created occurs in the device 30-1 will be described.

When a failure occurs in the device 30-1 (step S201), the user or the like who has detected the occurrence of the failure performs an operation of inputting the failure information. As described above, the user may perform an input operation of failure information using the input device 101 of the failure management device 10, or may use a terminal device or the like connected to the failure management device 10 via the network N. You may use it to input failure information. Further, the person who detects the occurrence of the failure and the person (user) who performs the input operation of the failure information do not have to be the same person. For example, the user of the device 30 may detect the occurrence of a failure, and the call center operator or the like who has been contacted by the user may input the failure information.

When the failure information input operation is performed, the operation reception unit 401 of the failure management device 10 accepts the input operation (step S202).

Next, the failure slip information creation / update processing unit 402 performs the fault slip information creation or update processing (FIG. 6) to create the fault slip information 1000 for managing the fault that occurred in step S201. (Step S203). At this time, in step S101 of FIG. 6, the failure information receiving unit 411 receives the failure information input by the input operation received by the operation receiving unit 401.

Next, the display information creation unit 403 indicates that the field value of the field "state" of the failure slip information 1000 created in step S203 above is a value indicating that a failure is occurring (for example, "open" or "progress". Etc.), create display information (step S204).

Next, the display information output unit 404 includes the display information created in step S204 of the device ID included in the failure information received by the failure information reception unit 411 in step S203 (that is, the device 30). -1) is transmitted (step S205).

When the display information receiving unit 601 receives the display information, the display control unit 602 of the device 30-1 displays the display information on the operation panel 302 (step S206). Here, the display information displayed on the operation panel 302 of the device 30-1 is shown in FIG. The display information G100 shown in FIG. 9 includes a message indicating that a failure has occurred and that the help desk has been contacted. As a result, the user of the device 30-1 can know that the failure has occurred and that the help desk has been contacted. In particular, by displaying that the help desk has been contacted as the display information G100, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the help desk is contacted in duplicate.

Next, when a failure of the same cause as the failure that occurred in the device 30-1 occurs in the device 30-2 (step S207), the user or the like who has detected the occurrence of this failure performs an operation of inputting the failure information.

When the failure information input operation is performed, the operation reception unit 401 of the failure management device 10 accepts the input operation (step S208).

Next, the trouble slip information creation / update processing unit 402 performs the trouble slip information creation or update processing (FIG. 6) to update the trouble slip information 1000 created in step S203 above (step S209). That is, in step S209, for example, the device ID of the device 30-2 is added to the field “device ID” of the failure slip information 1000 created in step S203.

Next, the display information creation unit 403 creates display information when the field value of the field "state" of the failure slip information 1000 updated in step S209 is a value indicating that a failure is in progress. Step S210).

Next, the display information output unit 404 includes the display information created in step S210 in the device ID included in the failure information received by the failure information receiving unit 411 in step S209 (that is, the device 30). -2) is transmitted (step S211).

When the display information receiving unit 601 receives the display information, the display control unit 602 of the device 30-2 displays the display information on the operation panel 302 (step S212). As a result, for example, the display information G100 shown in FIG. 9 is also displayed on the operation panel 302 of the device 30-2. At this time, the display information displayed on the operation panel 302 of the device 30-2 includes information that, for example, a failure having the same cause as the failure that occurred in the device 30-2 also occurs in the device 30-1. May be included.

<< Overall processing when the same failure occurs in multiple devices 30 (Part 2) >>
Next, FIG. 10 describes an overall process when the device monitoring device 20 detects a failure of the same cause that has occurred in the plurality of devices 30 and the device monitoring device 20 transmits the failure information to the failure management device 10. Will be explained with reference to. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram (No. 2) showing an example of overall processing when a failure of the same cause occurs in a plurality of devices 30. Since the processes of steps S201, S204 to S207, and steps S210 to S212 of FIG. 10 are the same as those of FIG. 8, the description thereof will be omitted.

The device monitoring unit 501 of the device monitoring device 20 detects a failure that has occurred in the device 30-1 (step S301). When the device monitoring unit 501 of the device monitoring device 20 detects the occurrence of a failure, the device monitoring unit 501 acquires failure information from the device 30-1 (step S302). The device monitoring unit 501 may, for example, request the device 30-1 to acquire the failure information, and acquire the failure information as a response to this request.

The failure information output unit 502 of the device monitoring device 20 transmits the failure information acquired from the device 30-1 to the failure management device 10 (step S303).

Next, the failure slip information creation / update processing unit 402 creates or updates the fault slip information (FIG. 6) to create the fault slip information 1000 for managing the fault that occurred in the device 30-1. (Step S304). At this time, in step S101 of FIG. 6, the failure information receiving unit 411 receives the failure information transmitted from the device monitoring device 20.

Further, following step S207, the device monitoring unit 501 of the device monitoring device 20 detects a failure that occurred in the device 30-2 (a failure of the same cause as the failure that occurred in the device 30-1) (step S305). When the device monitoring unit 501 of the device monitoring device 20 detects the occurrence of a failure, the device monitoring unit 501 acquires failure information from the device 30-1 (step S306).

The failure information output unit 502 of the device monitoring device 20 transmits the failure information acquired from the device 30-2 to the failure management device 10 (step S307).

Next, the trouble slip information creation / update processing unit 402 performs the trouble slip information creation or update processing (FIG. 6) to update the trouble slip information 1000 created in step S304 above (step S308). At this time, in step S101 of FIG. 6, the failure information receiving unit 411 receives the failure information transmitted from the device monitoring device 20.

<Summary>
As described above, in the failure management system 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the failure slip information 1000 is duplicated when a failure of the same cause occurs in a plurality of devices 30. .. For this reason, for example, when a fee is charged to the user according to the number of created failure slip information 1000 (number of drafts), a large number of failure slip information 1000 for failures of the same cause are created and the fee is high. It will be possible to prevent the situation where it becomes.

When a failure of the same cause occurs in a plurality of devices 30, for example, as a result of a failure in a server (for example, a print server, a scan server, a file server, etc.) linked with the plurality of devices 30, these Examples include cases where a failure occurs in a plurality of devices 30. Alternatively, for example, there may be a problem in a program commonly installed in a plurality of devices 30.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments specifically disclosed, and various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of claims.

1 Failure management system 10 Failure management device 20 Equipment monitoring device 30 Equipment 401 Operation reception unit 402 Failure report information creation / update processing unit 403 Display information creation unit 404 Display information output unit 405 Failure report information storage unit 411 Failure information reception unit 412 Search Section 413 Fault slip information creation / update section 414 Information management section 501 Equipment monitoring section 502 Failure information output section 601 Display information reception section 602 Display control section 1000 Failure slip information 2000 Search condition information

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-215639 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-173941

Claims (9)

When the failure information related to the failure that occurred in the device is input, the failure report information of the failure of the same cause as the failure that occurred in the device is searched from the storage unit that stores the failure slip information for managing the failure. Search method and
When the trouble slip information of the fault having the same cause as the fault that occurred in the device is not searched by the search means, the creating means for creating the fault slip information of the fault that occurred in the device by using the fault information.
When the trouble slip information of the fault having the same cause as the fault that occurred in the device is searched by the search means, the update means for updating the searched fault slip information using the fault information, and
Have,
The failure information includes device identification information for identifying the device in which the failure has occurred.
The failure slip information includes information indicating the priority of response to the failure.
The update means
The device identification information is added to the searched trouble report information, and the update is performed.
When the number of device identification information included in the trouble slip information to which the device identification information is added is equal to or more than a predetermined number, the information indicating the priority included in the trouble slip information is updated so as to have a higher priority. A fault management system characterized by The failure information includes owner identification information that identifies the owner of the device.
The search means is
The failure slip information that is the failure slip information of the same cause as the failure that occurred in the device and includes the owner identification information is searched from the storage unit.
The failure management system according to claim 1 . The search means is
Further, the failure slip information including the information indicating that the response to the failure has not been completed is searched from the storage unit.
The failure management system according to claim 1 or 2 . It has a receiving means for receiving the failure information input by the user or the failure information input from the monitoring device that monitors whether or not a failure has occurred in the device.
The search means is
The failure management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the search is performed when the failure information received by the reception means is input. When the trouble slip information is created by the creation means or when the trouble slip information is updated by the search means, a display for creating display information for displaying information indicating that a failure has occurred on the device is displayed. Information creation means and
A transmission means for transmitting the display information created by the display information creating means to the device, and a transmission means.
The fault management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the fault management system is characterized by having. The fault management system further includes said equipment.
The device is
A receiving means for receiving the display information transmitted by the transmitting means, and a receiving means.
A display control means for displaying the display information received by the receiving means on the display device, and
5. The failure management system according to claim 5 . When the failure information related to the failure that occurred in the device is input, the failure report information of the failure of the same cause as the failure that occurred in the device is searched from the storage unit that stores the failure slip information for managing the failure. Search method and
When the trouble slip information of the fault having the same cause as the fault that occurred in the device is not searched by the search means, the creating means for creating the fault slip information of the fault that occurred in the device by using the fault information.
When the trouble slip information of the fault having the same cause as the fault that occurred in the device is searched by the search means, the update means for updating the searched fault slip information using the fault information, and
Have,
The failure information includes device identification information for identifying the device in which the failure has occurred.
The failure slip information includes information indicating the priority of response to the failure.
The update means
The device identification information is added to the searched trouble report information, and the update is performed.
When the number of device identification information included in the trouble slip information to which the device identification information is added is equal to or more than a predetermined number, the information indicating the priority included in the trouble slip information is updated so as to have a higher priority. A fault management device characterized by When the failure information related to the failure that occurred in the device is input, the failure report information of the failure of the same cause as the failure that occurred in the device is searched from the storage unit that stores the failure slip information for managing the failure. Search procedure and
When the failure slip information of the fault having the same cause as the fault that occurred in the device is not searched by the search procedure, the creation procedure for creating the fault slip information of the fault that occurred in the device using the fault information, and the creation procedure.
When the trouble slip information of the fault having the same cause as the fault that occurred in the device is searched by the search procedure, the update procedure for updating the searched fault slip information using the fault information, and the update procedure.
The computer runs ,
The failure information includes device identification information for identifying the device in which the failure has occurred.
The failure slip information includes information indicating the priority of response to the failure.
The update procedure is
The device identification information is added to the searched trouble report information, and the update is performed.
When the number of device identification information included in the trouble slip information to which the device identification information is added is equal to or more than a predetermined number, the information indicating the priority included in the trouble slip information is updated so as to have a higher priority. A fault management method characterized by doing. When the failure information related to the failure that occurred in the device is input, the failure report information of the failure of the same cause as the failure that occurred in the device is searched from the storage unit that stores the failure slip information for managing the failure. Search procedure and
When the failure slip information of the fault having the same cause as the fault that occurred in the device is not searched by the search procedure, the creation procedure for creating the fault slip information of the fault that occurred in the device using the fault information, and the creation procedure.
When the trouble slip information of the fault having the same cause as the fault that occurred in the device is searched by the search procedure, the update procedure for updating the searched fault slip information using the fault information, and the update procedure.
Let the computer run
The failure information includes device identification information for identifying the device in which the failure has occurred.
The failure slip information includes information indicating the priority of response to the failure.
The update procedure is
The device identification information is added to the searched trouble report information, and the update is performed.
When the number of device identification information included in the trouble slip information to which the device identification information is added is equal to or more than a predetermined number, the information indicating the priority included in the trouble slip information is updated so as to have a higher priority. A program characterized by doing.

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