JPH05199351A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the facsimile equipment sending the information relating to the operating state to the management equipment even when the operating state is not sensed. CONSTITUTION:Various information is sent to a management equipment 3 by the key entry of an operation section 15 of the facsimile equipment 1. Thus, even when the information is other than information relating to the operating state (fault state) sensed by a sensing section 17, since the information is sent by the management equipment 3, even when a fault other than so-called maintenance service takes place, the information is sent without phone contact or the like.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus for transmitting various kinds of information necessary for maintenance and management of electronic devices such as a facsimile machine and a copying machine installed in an office or the like by using a general public line. ..

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a facsimile machine which is capable of forming an image on a plain paper by using a copying process has become widespread, and a mechanism using such a copying process causes a high proportion of troubles. Due to the need for regular overhauls to maintain performance, it is desired to enhance the service system for maintenance and management, and in particular, prompt and accurate response is strongly desired so that recovery from troubles can be performed early. ..

As a conventional maintenance management method, generally, the facsimile apparatus itself detects its own state and displays the contents of trouble or the time when a specific part needs to be replaced on the display, or the consumable item is displayed. If it is necessary to notify the user by displaying a near-empty display (display indicating that the consumable item is almost out of stock), and the user recognizes it, and determines that a so-called service person should be called, the facsimile machine concerned It is customary to contact the maintenance service bureau, which is entrusted with the maintenance of the device, by means such as a telephone.

However, in the case of contacting by telephone or the like as described above, the following problems are brought about.

(1) The user cannot perform his or her own work to explain the content of the trouble, and is forced to lose time.

(2) The user may erroneously recognize the trouble display content and inform the maintenance service station of information different from the actual trouble content.

(3) Even if there is a trouble display on the display, the user may be left unknowingly,
In such a case, the minor trouble may progress to the serious trouble.

(4) Since the maintenance service station prepares necessary parts and the like on the basis of the content of the trouble after receiving the contact from the user and goes to the user's place,
I can't get a quick response.

Therefore, in recent years, the facsimile apparatus on the user side detects its own operation state, converts the detected content into communication information, and transmits it automatically or in response to a transmission request from the maintenance service station, and then the maintenance service. A method has been proposed in which the station receives the transmitted communication information, converts the communication information into, for example, character information, and prints it out to recognize the operating state of the facsimile apparatus on the user side and perform maintenance management ( Japanese Patent Application No. 1-302749).

When carrying out the above-mentioned maintenance management method,
First, the user needs to install a facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting the above-mentioned information regarding the operating state. After that, a so-called service person goes to the office of the user who is going to make a contract and consults with the user about the contract contents of the maintenance management of the facsimile machine. When the contract is established, the service person sets the opening information for activating the function to the facsimile apparatus having the function of automatically transmitting the information on the operation state.

The opening information is what kind of maintenance function is selected, that is, what kind of information is transmitted to the maintenance service station, and information about the facsimile machine to be contracted, such as model name and contractor. , The contract number, and the telephone number of the maintenance service office to which the information is sent.

[0012]

In the above-mentioned facsimile machine, only the information on the operating state of the machine detected by the set function is automatically transmitted to the maintenance service station. For this reason, in the case where a trouble that is not detected by the set function, that is, a trouble that is not covered by the maintenance management service, occurs, the operator will contact the maintenance service station by means such as a telephone as in the past. It is necessary to take the above-mentioned problem, which causes the above-mentioned problems.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile apparatus capable of transmitting information regarding the operating state to the management apparatus even when the operating state is not detected.

[0014]

The present invention is directed to a facsimile communication means for transmitting and receiving image data via a public line, a recording means for recording image data on recording paper, and an image data by optically reading a document. Information about the detected operating state is sent to a reading unit that converts the operating state to at least the operating state detecting unit that detects the operating state of at least the facsimile communication unit, the recording unit, and the reading unit, and a management device that manages the operating state. In a facsimile apparatus, which comprises an operating state transmitting means for transmitting via a public line, and which automatically transmits information on the operating state detected to the management device when the operating state is detected, information to be transmitted to the management device is transmitted. An information input means for inputting, and an input information transmitting means for transmitting the information input by the information inputting means to the management device. A facsimile device that.

Further, the invention is characterized in that the recording means records the information inputted by the information input means on a recording paper.

Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the facsimile apparatus includes a memory for storing the information input by the information input means.

[0017]

According to the present invention, the information to be transmitted inputted by the information input means is transmitted to the management device by the input information transmitting means. Thus, in addition to the information on the operating state detected by the operating state detecting means, for example, the information on the operating state not detected by the operating state detecting means is transmitted to the management device. Therefore, for example, even when a trouble not covered by the maintenance management service occurs, information about the trouble can be transmitted to the so-called maintenance service station by a key input operation by the operator.

According to the invention, the information input by the information input means is recorded on the recording paper by the recording means. Therefore, the user of the facsimile device can easily confirm the information transmitted to the management device.

Further according to the present invention, the information input by the information input means is stored in the memory. Therefore, for example, in a facsimile machine having a display means, even if recording by the recording means cannot be performed, the stored information can be displayed on the display means. Further, by reading the information stored in the memory as needed, the information can be recorded on the recording paper after the recording by the recording means becomes possible.

[0020]

1 is a block diagram showing the basic construction of a facsimile apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The facsimile device 1 is connected to the telephone line 2 and transmits / receives image data to / from other facsimile devices.
Various information can be transmitted / received to / from the management device 3 described later via the telephone line 2. Facsimile device 1
Performs an electrostatic copying process of forming a charged image and recording (transferring) it on a recording sheet.

The facsimile apparatus 1 includes a control unit 11 realized by a microcomputer or the like, and the control unit 11 includes a communication control unit 12, a reading unit 13, a recording unit 14, and
The operation unit 15, the display unit 16, the detection unit 17, and the memory 1
And 8 are connected. The communication control unit 12 includes an incoming call detection circuit, a modem, etc., demodulates the received image data and gives it to the control unit 11, and modulates the image data to be sent and outputs it to the telephone line 2. The reading unit 13 is a CCD described later.
It includes a (charge-coupled device), a lens, an exposure device, and the like, and when a document is transmitted, the document is optically read, converted into an electric signal (image data), and given to the control unit 11. At the time of copying a document, the document is exposed to form a document image on the surface of the photoconductor provided in the recording unit 14 described later.

The recording unit 14 includes a photoconductor, a developing device, a charger, a fixing device, and the like, and transfers an image onto recording paper by the electrostatic copying process described above.

The operation unit 15 is provided with numerical keys, which will be described later, and various function setting keys. The display unit 16 is realized by a liquid crystal display device or the like, and input data from the operation unit 15,
The operating state of the facsimile apparatus 1, for example, error information or information indicating that the consumable item is out is displayed.

The detection unit 17 detects the operating state of the facsimile apparatus 1, more specifically, an abnormal state, and supplies the control unit 11 with information regarding the detected operating state. In the control unit 11,
Trouble content determination means, trouble type determination means, and communication information conversion means (not shown) are provided, and each of these means operates under the control of the detection unit 17.

The trouble content discriminating means discriminates the content of the trouble or the like which has occurred, based on the information detected by the detection section 17. The trouble type determining means determines whether the trouble or the like determined by the trouble content determining means is of a type requiring a so-called service man call. The type of trouble that does not require a serviceman call is a trouble that the user can relatively easily deal with, such as a paper jam or a recording paper shortage. The type of trouble requiring a serviceman call is, for example, a trouble that the user cannot deal with, such as when the life of the photoconductor of the recording unit 14 is exceeded.

The memory 18 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM stores programs for controlling various operations of the facsimile apparatus 1, and the RAM manages the programs. A registration area of the opening information transmitted from the device 3, a work area used for processing operation by the control unit 11, and the like are set. In addition, the memory 18 stores information about the operation state transmitted to the management device 3 by a key input operation by the operation unit 15.

The management device 3 is a device having a so-called personal computer as a basic configuration, and transmits / receives data to / from the facsimile device 1 and other terminal devices via the telephone line 2. The management device 3 includes a control unit 31 including a CPU (central processing unit), and the control unit 31 is connected to a modem 32, a recording unit 33, a display unit 34, and an operation unit 35.

The modem 32 demodulates the received data and gives it to the control unit 31, and modulates the data to be sent given from the control unit 31 and outputs it to the telephone line 2. Recording unit 3
3 is realized by a thermal printer or the like, and records image data received through the telephone line 2 and various kinds of received information, or information input from the operation unit 35 on a recording paper such as a thermal recording paper. The display unit 34 is a liquid crystal display device or a CRT.
It is realized by a (cathode ray tube) or the like and displays various information received through the telephone line 2 and information input from the operation unit 35. The operation unit 35 is provided with a plurality of key switches such as numeric keys and various function setting keys for designating the operating state of the management device 3.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the operation unit 15 described above. The operation unit 15 is a numerical key 15a for inputting the dial number of the other party when making a call, and a start / copy key 15b for starting transmission of image data or printing a communication result table by the recording unit 14. , A stop key 15c for stopping transmission of image data, and a mode switching key 15d for selecting various functions.

In this embodiment, among various information other than the image data transmitted to the management device 3, information other than the information relating to the operation state detected by the detection unit 17, that is, the set opening information is set. For information about troubles other than the maintenance service based on the information, the operator may select, for example, "*" of the mode switching key 15d and the numeric keypad 15a.
It can be sent arbitrarily by pressing the key.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of the facsimile apparatus 1. Facsimile apparatus 1 generally includes reading unit 1
3, a recording unit 14, and a document transport unit 19. When the document 41 is inserted into the document insertion port 42, the document 4 is detected by the document detection sensor 43 realized by a micro switch or the like.
It is detected that 1 is set. After that, when the operator operates the copy key (not shown) or the above-mentioned start / copy key 15b to start the transmission, the transport operation of the document 41 is started.

At the time of transmitting the original, the original 41 is placed on the roller 44.
And the pressing member 45, and the pair of conveying rollers 46 convey the transparent glass 47 to the exposure area where the transparent glass 47 is installed. In the exposure area, the original surface of the original 41 is irradiated with the light from the light source 48, and the reflected light is incident on the CCD 51 via the mirror 49 and the lens 50. The incident light is converted into an electric signal (image data) by the CCD 51 and is given to the control unit 11. The exposed original 41 is conveyed by a pair of paper ejection rollers 52 and ejected onto the original tray 53.

An exposure head 54 is arranged below the mirror 49 in FIG. 3, and at the time of copying the original 41, the electrostatic copying process is executed together with the above-described original feeding operation. The original image exposed by the exposure head 54 is transferred to the lens 55.
An image is formed on the photosensitive drum 58 via the mirrors 56 and 57.

The photosensitive drum 58 is rotated in the direction of arrow 59. The surface of the photoconductor drum 58 is uniformly charged by the corona charger 60. Next, the exposure head 54 irradiates a portion other than the original image with light to remove the charged electric charge in the exposed portion to form an electrostatic latent image in which the electric charge remains in the original image portion. In the developing unit 61, toner, which is colored fine particles charged in a polarity opposite to that of the electrostatic latent image, is supplied from the toner cartridge 62 and adhered to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image. Next, a recording paper is superposed on the toner image, and a charge having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is applied to the recording paper from the surface of the recording paper on the side opposite to the photosensitive drum 58, and the toner image is formed by electrostatic force. Transfer to recording paper.

The recording paper is stored in a recording paper cassette 64, conveyed to a conveyance path by a paper feed roller (not shown), and supplied by a paper feed roller 65 to a transfer area where the transfer device 63 is arranged.

The toner image transferred onto the recording paper is fixed on the recording paper by applying heat or pressure by the fixing device 66. On the other hand, the latent image charges on the photosensitive drum 58 after the transfer are removed by the charge remover 70. Further, the residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 58 without being transferred is removed by a cleaner (not shown). By repeating the series of processes from the charging to the cleaning, the original image is continuously copied onto the recording paper.

The recording paper on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed by the paper discharge roller 67 and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 68.

In the vicinity of the exposure head 54, the exposure head 5
A cooling fan 69 for cooling the heat of No. 4 is arranged.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the operation at the time of transmitting information regarding the operating state of the facsimile apparatus 1. When the detection unit 17 detects the operating state (abnormal state) in step a1, the control unit 11 determines in step a2 whether the detected abnormal state needs to be automatically transmitted to the management device 3. It When it is not necessary to automatically transmit, that is, when the detected abnormal state is not included in the maintenance service based on the preset opening information, the operation unit 15 operates the key for transmitting information in step a3. Determine if an input operation is being performed. When a key input operation for information transmission is performed, a call operation is performed to the management device 3 in step a4, and information such as a signal indicating the trouble is transmitted in step a5. In step a3,
If no key input operation is performed, the operation ends.

In step a2, when the detected abnormal state is a trouble included in the maintenance service based on the preset opening information, for example, the photosensitive drum 58.
If there is a problem such as the end of the service life of the device, in step a8, the management device 3 is called and
At 9, the detected abnormal state, that is, information indicating that the photosensitive drum 58 needs to be replaced is transmitted, and the operation is ended.

At step a6, it is determined whether the printer of the recording unit 14 can be used. When you can use
In step a7, when the information transmitted in step a5 is printed on the recording paper to end the operation and cannot be used, for example, when the abnormal state detected in step a1 is related to the printer, step a10 is selected.
Then, the transmitted information is stored in the memory 18. At step a11, the stored information is displayed and output on the display unit 16, and the operation is completed.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the detection unit 1
Even if the information other than the information related to the abnormal state of the facsimile apparatus 1 detected by No. 7, that is, the information that is not subject to the maintenance service based on the preset opening information, is transmitted to the management apparatus 3 by the key input operation by the operator. can do. As a result, even when a trouble that is not subject to maintenance management occurs in the facsimile machine, it is possible to send information regarding the trouble to the management device 3.

The transmitted information is printed out by the recording unit 14 or stored in the memory 18 and displayed and output by the display unit 16. As a result, the operator can visually check the transmitted information and improve the convenience and usability of the facsimile device 1.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention, even information other than the information relating to the operation state detected by the operation detecting means can be transmitted to the management device. Therefore, for example, even if a trouble not covered by the maintenance management service occurs, the information can be transmitted to the maintenance service station without contact by telephone, etc., and the convenience and usability of the facsimile apparatus are improved. Can be made

Further, according to the present invention, the information to be transmitted is printed out on the recording paper by the recording means. Therefore, the user of the facsimile device can easily confirm what information has been transmitted.

Further, according to the present invention, the information to be transmitted is stored in the memory and can be arbitrarily displayed on the display means, for example. Therefore, the user of the facsimile device can easily confirm what information has been transmitted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a facsimile apparatus 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a facsimile device 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an operation unit 15.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining an operation at the time of transmitting information regarding an operation state of the facsimile device 1.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Facsimile device 2 Telephone line 3 Management device 11 Control unit 12 Communication control unit 14 Recording unit 17 Detection unit 18 Memory

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile communication means for transmitting and receiving image data via a public line, a recording means for recording image data on recording paper, a reading means for optically reading a document and converting it into image data. Operation for detecting the operating state of the facsimile communication means, the recording means and the reading means, and an operation for transmitting information on the detected operating state to a management device for managing the operating state via a public line. A facsimile apparatus that includes status transmission means, and that transmits information relating to the detected operating state to the management apparatus automatically when the operating state is detected, information input means for inputting information to be transmitted to the management apparatus; Facsimile apparatus comprising: input information transmitting means for transmitting the information input by the information input means to the management device. . 2. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit records the information input by the information input unit on a recording sheet. 3. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the facsimile apparatus includes a memory that stores information input by the information input means.