JP2004180276A - Remote management system, communication device therefor, control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily perform setting for validating a function of communication with an external device as needed. <P>SOLUTION: In an image forming apparatus 100 provided with a communication means for communicating with a mediating device 101 and a request processing means (NRS) for returning a valid response to a request received from the mediating device 101 via the communication means, a validating operation is performed to the request processing means for turning functions of the request processing means itself into a valid state in accordance with a predetermined trigger and until the validating operation is performed, the request processing means may be set into a standby state that the valid response is not returned to the received request. In such a case, an equipment search request received from the mediating device 101 may be used as the predetermined trigger. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

  The present invention includes a communication device having a function of returning a response to a request received from an external device, a communication device, a remote management mediation device connected to the communication device, and a management device connected thereto. The present invention relates to a remote management system for a communication device, a communication device control method as described above, and a program executed by a computer that controls the communication device.

Conventionally, including image processing devices such as printers, facsimile (FAX) devices, digital copiers, scanner devices, and digital multifunction devices with communication functions, network home appliances, vending machines, medical devices, power supplies, air conditioning systems, A communication device (electronic device) that has a communication function (communication means) in a measuring system such as gas, water, electricity, etc. is a managed device, and a management device (external device) of a service center (management center) is a public line, etc. A remote management system for remotely managing these managed devices via a communication line (or a dedicated line) has been proposed.
Alternatively, if the managed device does not have a communication function, or if the managed device has a communication function but does not have a function for communicating with the management device, the managed device communicates with the management device. Also proposes a remote management system in which a remote management mediation device with a possible communication function (hereinafter simply referred to as “mediation device”) is connected via a communication line, and the management device remotely manages the managed device via the communication line and the mediation device. Have been.

For example, when the managed device is an image forming device (image processing device) such as a digital copying machine, an intermediate device (line adapter) is installed together with the image forming device in a customer's office or the like, and the image forming device and the service are installed. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known an image forming apparatus management system that enables communication with a management apparatus (monitoring terminal apparatus) in a center via a public line and an intermediary apparatus, and manages the state of an image forming apparatus at a customer by the management apparatus. (See Patent Document 1)
JP-A-6-237330

  According to such an image forming apparatus management system, the state of the image forming apparatus at the customer's site can be easily grasped on the service center side, so that a failure occurs in the image forming apparatus or the service life of parts is approaching. If the remaining consumables are running low, contact the customer and warn them, dispatch a serviceman to perform repairs, accept orders for consumables, etc., easily or automatically. Therefore, labor required for maintenance of the image forming apparatus can be reduced.

By the way, at the time of factory shipment, an image forming apparatus used for constructing such an image forming apparatus management system has a function for communicating with the management apparatus for the following reasons (1) to (4). CSS function) is disabled, and communication with the management device cannot be performed.
(1) If the CSS function is enabled before shipment from the factory, a communication error may occur that communication cannot be performed with the management device after installation at a customer site even if appropriate settings and connections are not made. Therefore, it may be erroneously recognized that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the management apparatus, and a warning (display of a message, electronic mail, or the like) may be erroneously issued.
(2) Since setting work after installation of an intermediary device (image forming device having the function of the intermediary device) corresponding to the CSS function is difficult, the customer is prevented from installing the intermediary device.

(3) The maintenance contract may differ depending on the customer, and the CSS function must not be operated in the case where the contract for using the CSS function is not made or in the area where the service is not provided in the first place. There has been a demand to sell image forming apparatuses having common functions.
(4) Since the customer's telephone line is used for communication with the management device, it was necessary to indiscriminately enable the CSS function so as not to occupy the line.

To enable the CSS function of the image forming apparatus, it is necessary to install the image forming apparatus in a customer's office or the like and then enable the CSS function to enable communication with the management apparatus. I was going through such a procedure.
That is, first, an image forming apparatus having a CSS function is purchased, a service person visits a customer who has made a contract to use the CSS function, and the CSS function is enabled by a service person setting mode (SP mode) of the image forming apparatus. Make settings to Then, after the service person contacts the service center by telephone or the like, the image forming apparatus is operated to confirm the connection with the management apparatus of the service center. If the connection confirmation is successful, the service center contacts the serviceman to inform the serviceman, and thereafter, the image forming apparatus at the customer and the management apparatus of the service center can communicate with each other.

For this reason, in order to install an image forming apparatus having a CSS function at the customer site and to enable the CSS function (communication function with the management device), a service person is dispatched to the customer site each time to perform the CSS function one by one. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a work for making the method effective, and there is a problem that labor and cost are required.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can be automatically enabled only when one or more communication devices installed at a customer need a communication function with an external device. The purpose is to be.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a communication device (electronic device) such as an image forming device, a remote management system for a communication device including the communication device, a remote management mediation device, and a management device. And a program for causing a computer that controls the communication device to execute necessary functions (functions according to the present invention).
A communication apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: communication means for communicating with an external device; and request processing means for returning a valid response to a request received from said external device via said communication means. The request processing means performs an activation operation to activate the function of the request processing means itself in response to a predetermined trigger, and is effective for the received request until the activation operation is performed. And a standby setting means for setting a standby state in which no response is returned.
A communication device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the communication device according to the first aspect, wherein the request processing unit returns the information of the communication device as a valid response when the received request is an information acquisition request. It is what it was.

A communication apparatus according to claim 3, comprising: communication means for communicating with an external device; and request processing means for returning a valid response to a request received from said external device via said communication means. The request processing means performs an activation operation to activate the function of the request processing means itself in response to a predetermined trigger, and is effective for the received request until the activation operation is performed. A standby setting means for setting a standby state in which no response is returned, wherein the predetermined trigger is a predetermined request received from the external device.
A communication device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the communication device according to the third aspect, wherein the request processing unit returns information of the communication device as a valid response when the received request is an information acquisition request. It is what it was.
A communication device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the communication device according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein the request processing means has a function in the standby state that a function is invalid for a request other than the predetermined request. It is provided with a means for returning a response.

A communication device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the communication device according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, wherein the predetermined request includes address information of a source of the request, and the address information is transmitted during the validation operation. A communication destination information storage means for storing as communication destination information is provided.
A communication device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the communication device according to the sixth aspect, wherein the request processing means returns a valid response only to a request received from a source relating to the communication destination information.
The communication device according to the invention of claim 8 is the communication device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the request processing means is in a state other than the standby state and the communication destination information is stored in the communication destination information storage means. When the predetermined request is received from a device other than the external device related to the communication destination information, a means for returning a response indicating that the function is disabled is provided.

A communication device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the communication device according to any one of the third to eighth aspects, wherein the request processing means notifies the request source of the predetermined request when performing the activation operation. A means for notifying is provided.
A communication device according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the communication device according to any one of the third to ninth aspects, wherein the request processing unit is set to the standby state when the standby setting unit receives a predetermined request from the external device. Is provided.
A communication device according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the communication device according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein the request processing means determines whether or not to return a valid response to the request received from the external device. Immediately after the reception, the judgment is made by referring to the operation state at that time.
A communication device according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is the communication device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein a request received by the communication means and a response returned by the request processing means are described in a structured language format. is there.

  A remote management system for a communication device according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is a remote management system for a communication device including one or more communication devices and an external device connected directly or indirectly to the communication device. The external device is connected to the communication device via a network, has a remote management mediation device having request transmission means for transmitting various requests to the communication device, and is connected to the remote management mediation device via the Internet, A management device that manages the communication device connected to the remote management mediation device by causing the management mediation device to transmit the various requests, a communication unit that communicates with the external device, Request processing means for returning a valid response to a request received from the external device via the communication means; and And a standby setting means for performing a validating operation for setting the function of the request processing means itself to a valid state, and setting a standby state for not returning a valid response to the received request until the validating operation is performed. And providing the predetermined trigger as a predetermined request received from the external device.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the remote management system for a communication device according to the thirteenth aspect, the request transmission means of the remote management mediation device periodically transmits the predetermined request to the communication device. Is transmitted.
A remote management system for a communication device according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention is the remote management system for a communication device according to the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, wherein the remote management mediation device includes an operation unit for inputting various instructions, The request transmitting means transmits the predetermined request to the communication device in accordance with an instruction from the operation unit.
A communication device remote management system according to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention is the communication device remote management system according to any one of the thirteenth to fifteenth aspects, wherein the remote management mediation device stores identification information of a communication device to be managed by itself. The request transmitting means of the remote management mediation device transmits the predetermined request only to the communication device corresponding to the identification information.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the remote management system for a communication device according to any one of the thirteenth to sixteenth aspects, the activation operation is performed on the communication device by the request processing means. A means for conducting a communication test with the management device via the remote management mediation device.
According to a eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the remote management system for a communication device according to any one of the thirteenth to seventeenth aspects, a predetermined request from the external device is sent to the standby setting means of the communication device. A means for setting the request processing means to the standby state when receiving the request.

  20. A remote management system for a communication device according to claim 19, wherein the remote management system includes one or more communication devices, and a request transmission unit connected to the communication device via a network and transmitting various requests to the communication device. An intermediary device, and a management device connected to the remote management intermediation device via the Internet and configured to manage the communication device connected to the remote management intermediation device by transmitting the various requests to the remote management intermediation device. A transmission request presence / absence inquiry means for periodically inquiring whether or not there is a transmission request to the management device, wherein the remote management mediation device comprises The request transmitting means of the intermediary device responds to the inquiry of the transmission request to the management device by the transmission request presence / absence inquiry means. Means for transmitting the request to the communication device only when a request is received from the communication device, the communication device communicating with the remote management mediation device, and the remote management mediation device via the communication device. Request processing means for returning a valid response to a request received from the server; and performing an activation operation for setting the function of the request processing means to an active state in response to a predetermined trigger. There is provided a standby setting means for setting a standby state in which a valid response is not returned to the received request until the operation is performed.

A control method for a communication device according to a twentieth aspect of the present invention includes a communication unit that communicates with an external device, and a request processing unit that returns a valid response to a request received from the external device via the communication unit. A method of controlling the communication device, wherein the request processing means performs an activation operation for activating a function of the request processing means itself in response to a predetermined trigger, and the reception processing is performed until the activation operation is performed. In response to the request, a valid operation is not returned.
According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in the control method for a communication device according to the twentieth aspect, a predetermined request received from the external device is used as the predetermined trigger.
A control method for a communication device according to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention is the control method for a communication device according to the twenty-first aspect, wherein the predetermined request includes address information of a source of the request. The address information is stored as communication destination information, and the request processing means is caused to return a valid response only to a command received from a source related to the communication destination information.

24. A program according to claim 23, wherein a request for returning a valid response to a request received from said external device via said communication means to a computer controlling a communication apparatus having communication means for communicating with an external device. The processing function and the request processing function are activated according to a predetermined trigger to activate the function of the request processing function itself, and the request is valid for the received request until the activation operation is performed. This is a program for realizing a standby setting function of setting a standby state that does not return a response.
The program according to claim 24 is the program according to claim 23, wherein the predetermined trigger is a predetermined request received from the external device.
A program according to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention is the program according to the twenty-third aspect or the twenty-fourth aspect, wherein the predetermined request includes address information of a source of the request. A program for realizing a function of storing information as communication destination information in a storage unit, wherein the request processing function is a function of returning a valid response only to a request received from a transmission source related to the communication destination information. Things.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the communication apparatus, the remote management system of the communication apparatus, and the control method of the communication apparatus of the present invention, the setting can be automatically changed when necessary and the communication function with the external apparatus can be enabled, so that it is unnecessary In such a case, the communication function can be disabled, while the operation of incorporating the device into the remote management system (to enable communication with an external device) can be performed extremely easily.
Further, according to the program of the present invention, the operation and function of such a communication device can be realized by causing a computer to control the communication device, and the same effect can be obtained.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
First, a configuration example of a remote management system using a communication device according to the present invention as a managed device will be described.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of the remote management system. Here, a communication device (electronic device) having a communication function and managed by the management device is referred to as a “managed device” for convenience of description.

  This remote management system includes image forming apparatuses such as printers, fax machines, digital copiers, and digital multifunction peripherals, image processing apparatuses including scanners, network home appliances, vending machines, medical equipment, power supplies, air conditioning systems, gas This is a management system in which an electronic device having a communication function in a weighing system such as a water supply system or an electric system is a managed device 10 (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 10f). As an external device connected to the managed device 10 (as viewed from the managed device side), an intermediary device which is a remote management intermediary device connected to the managed device 10 by a network such as a LAN (local area network). 101 (101a, 101b, 101c), and a management device 102 that functions as a server device connected to the mediation device 101 via the Internet 103. The management device 102 is connected to each managed device 10 via the mediation device 101. Can be centrally managed remotely. The managed device 10 and the mediation device 101 are installed in an office or the like on the device user (user) side, and the management device 102 is installed in a service center (management center).

Here, in order to realize a service (NRS) that is managed remotely by the management apparatus 102 using a new method, the mediation apparatus 101 and software that support NRS are installed in a network such as a LAN on the device user side. The management device 10 is connected. The mediation device 101 and the managed device 10 are also equipped with CSS-compatible software in order to realize a service (CSS) that is managed remotely by the management device 102 using a conventional method. In order to realize NRS, the mediation device 101 and the managed device 10 may be initially installed as in the case of realizing CSS. Note that a dedicated line may be used instead of the public line.
As a public line (or a dedicated line), there are a fixed telephone line such as an analog line, an ADSL line, a digital line (ISDN line) and a line using an optical fiber, and a mobile telephone line such as a mobile telephone line and a PHS line.

The connection between the mediation device 101 and the managed device 10 is not limited to a network, but may be performed by a serial connection conforming to the RS-485 standard or the like, a parallel connection conforming to the SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) standard, or the like. Is also good. For example, in the case of the RS-485 standard, up to five managed devices 10 can be connected to the mediation device 101 in series.
Further, the mediation device 101 and the managed device 10 form various hierarchical structures according to the usage environment.

  For example, in the installation environment A shown in FIG. 1, the mediation device 101a that can establish a direct connection with the management device 102 by HTTP (hyper text transfer protocol) has a simple hierarchical structure in which the managed devices 10a and 10b follow. However, in the installation environment B shown in the figure, since four managed devices 10 are installed, the load becomes large if only one intermediary device 101 is installed. Therefore, the mediation device 101b that can establish a direct connection with the management device 102 by HTTP follows not only the managed devices 10c and 10d but also another mediation device 101c, and the mediation device 101c manages the managed devices 10e and 10f. It forms a hierarchical structure that can be further followed. In this case, information issued from the management device 102 for remotely managing the managed devices 10e and 10f is transmitted to the managed device 10e or 10f via the mediation device 101b and the mediation device 101c which is a lower node thereof. Will be reached.

Further, as in the installation environment C, managed devices with mediation function (hereinafter, also referred to simply as “managed devices”) 11a and 11b in which the managed device 10 also has the function of the mediation device 101 are separately provided as mediation devices. The connection to the management device 102 may be made via the Internet 103 without intervention.
Although not shown, the managed device 10 can be further connected to the managed device 11 having the mediation function.
In each of the installation environments A, B, and C, a firewall 104 (104a, 104b, 104c) is installed in consideration of security. This firewall 104 is configured by a proxy server.
Further, a terminal device such as a personal computer or another electronic device (external device) can be connected to each of the managed devices 10 and 11 via a network.

In such a remote management system, the mediation apparatus 101 has an application program for controlling and managing the managed apparatus 10 connected thereto.
The management device 102 is installed with an application program for performing control management of each mediation device 101 and control management of the managed device 10 via the mediation device 101. Each of the nodes in the remote management system, including the managed device 10, transmits a "request" which is a request for processing to a method of an application program to be mounted by RPC (remote procedure call). "Response" as a result of the performed processing can be obtained.

That is, the mediation device 101 or the managed device 10 connected thereto can generate a request to the management device 102, pass it to the management device 102, and obtain a response to the request, while the management device 102 A request to the mediation device 101 is generated and delivered to the mediation device 101, and a response to the request can be obtained. This request includes causing the mediation device 101 to transmit various requests to the managed device 10 and acquiring a response from the managed device 10 via the mediation device 101.
To realize RPC, a known protocol (communication standard) such as SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), HTTP, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), COM (Component Object Model), CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture), and the like. , Technology, specifications, etc. can be used.

The data transmission / reception model of this transmission / reception is shown in the conceptual diagram of FIG. In this figure, the existence of the firewall 104 is not considered.
(A) is a case where a request to the management device 102 has occurred in the managed device 10. In this case, the managed device 10 generates a managed device-side request a, and the management device 102 that has received the request a via the intermediary device 101 returns a response a to the request. It can be assumed that there are a plurality of mediation devices 101 shown in FIG. (A) shows a case in which not only the response a but also the response delay notification a 'is returned. This is because when the management device 102 receives a request from the managed device via the mediation device 101 and determines that a response to the request cannot be returned immediately, it notifies the response delay notification and disconnects the connection once. However, this is because a response to the above-mentioned request is newly delivered at the time of the next connection.

  (B) is a case where a request for the managed device 10 has occurred in the management device 102. In this case, the management device 102 generates a management device-side request b, and the managed device 10 that has received the request b via the mediation device 101 returns a response b to the request. In the case of (B), returning the response delay notification b 'when the response cannot be returned immediately is the same as the case of (A).

Next, the physical configuration of the management device 102 shown in FIG. 1 will be briefly described. The management device 102 is configured by a control device including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, a database, a modem, a proxy (Proxy) server, and the like. Have been. The configuration will be described later in detail.
Further, the physical configuration of the intermediary device 101 shown in FIG. 1 will be briefly described. The configuration will be described later in detail.
In the managed device 11 with the mediation function, these units may be simply added to the managed device 10 in order to realize the function of the mediation device 101, but the CPU, ROM, and RAM provided in the managed device 10 The functions of the intermediary device 101 can also be realized by making the CPU execute an appropriate application or program module using hardware resources such as.

Hereinafter, as a more specific example of the remote management system shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus management system which is a remote management system in which an image forming apparatus which is a communication apparatus according to the present invention is a managed apparatus will be described. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus management system. The only difference from FIG. 1 is that it has been changed to “image forming apparatus” 110, and a description of the overall configuration of the system will be omitted.
The image forming apparatus 100 is a digital multifunction peripheral having functions such as copying, facsimile, and scanner, and a function of communicating with an external device, and has an application program for providing a service related to those functions. It is. Further, the image forming apparatus with mediation function 110 is obtained by adding the function of the mediation apparatus 101 to the image forming apparatus 100.

The physical configuration of such an image forming apparatus 100 (or 110) will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a physical configuration in the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a controller board 200, an HDD (hard disk drive) 201, an NV-RAM (non-volatile RAM) 202, a PI (personal interface) board 203, a PHY (physical media interface) 204, An operation panel 205, a plotter / scanner engine board 206, a power supply unit 207, a finisher 208, an ADF (automatic document feeder) 209, a paper feed bank 210, and other peripheral devices 211 are provided. Each of these units is a hardware resource in the image forming apparatus 100.

Here, the controller board 200 corresponds to a control unit, includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and controls each function via a PCI-BUS (Peripheral Components Interconnect-Bus) 212. The HDD 201 corresponds to a storage unit. The NV-RAM 202 is a non-volatile memory corresponding to a storage unit, such as a flash memory.
The PI board 203 and the PHY 204 correspond to communication means and perform communication with the outside, and correspond to, for example, a communication board. The PI board 203 has an interface conforming to the RS485 standard, and is connected to a public line via a line adapter. As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 and the intermediary apparatus 101 can be connected using the PI board 203. The PHY 204 is an interface for communicating with an external device via a network.

Here, ENGRDY in the figure is a signal line for notifying the controller board 200 that various initial settings on the engine unit side have been completed and preparation for transmission and reception of commands with the controller board 200 has been completed. PWRCTL is a signal line for controlling power supply to the engine unit from the controller board 200 side. The operation of these signal lines will be described later.
The operation panel 205 includes an operation unit for inputting various instructions by a user's operation, and a display unit for displaying a setting state and an operation state of the image forming apparatus 100.

Next, a software configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 (or 110) will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration of the image forming apparatus 100.
The software configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 includes an application module layer, a service module layer, and a general-purpose OS layer. Then, programs constituting these software are stored in the HDD 201 or the RAM on the controller board 200, read out as necessary, and executed by the CPU on the controller board 200. Then, the CPU executes these programs as needed, thereby realizing each function according to the present invention.

  The software of the application module layer is constituted by a program for causing the CPU to function as a plurality of application control means (processing executing means) for realizing a predetermined function by operating hardware resources. A CPU is interposed between a hardware resource and each application control means, accepts operation requests for hardware resources from a plurality of application control means, arbitrates the operation requests, and controls execution of operations based on the operation requests. And a program for functioning as a service control unit (processing execution unit) that performs the processing.

Note that, among these functions, a method of realizing a function related to communication with the management apparatus 102 (function as a communication unit) differs depending on the image forming apparatus 100 and the image forming apparatus 110. That is, in the case of the image forming apparatus 110, since the function of the mediation apparatus 101 is provided, the function related to communication with the management apparatus 102 can be realized by the CPU executing the corresponding program. In the case of the image forming apparatus 100, a function related to communication with the management apparatus 102 can be realized by executing the corresponding program by the CPU and using the mediation apparatus 101.
Further, the image forming apparatus 100 includes an event detection unit including a sensor or the like in an engine unit including a scanner engine and a plotter engine. This event detection means can detect an event such as an abnormality.

  The service module layer includes an operation control service (OCS) 300, an engine control service (ECS) 301, a memory control service (MCS) 302, a network control service (NCS) 303, a fax control service (FCS) 304, and a system control service ( SCS) 306, system resource manager (SRM) 307, image memory handler (IMH) 308, delivery control service (DCS) 316, and user control service (UCS) 317. In the application module layer, an NRS application (hereinafter simply referred to as “NRS”) 305, a CSS application (hereinafter simply referred to as “CSS”) 315, a copy application 309, a fax application 310, a printer application 311, a scanner application 312, a network file An application 313 and a web application 314 are mounted. Further, a general-purpose OS 320 is mounted on the general-purpose OS layer.

These will be described in more detail.
The OCS 300 is a module that controls the operation panel 205.
The ECS 301 is a module that controls an engine unit such as a hardware resource.
The MCS 302 is a module that performs memory control, and acquires and releases an image memory, uses the HDD 201, and the like, for example.
The NCS 303 is a module that performs mediation processing between the network and each application program in the application module layer.
The FCS 304 is a module that performs facsimile transmission / reception, facsimile reading, facsimile reception printing, and the like.

The SCS 306 is a module that performs start management and end management of each application program in the application module layer according to the content of the command.
The SRM 307 is a module that controls a system and manages resources.
The IMH 308 is a module for managing a memory for temporarily storing image data.
The DCS 316 is a module that transmits and receives image files and the like stored in the HDD 201 and the memory on the controller board 200 using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) or File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
The UCS 317 is a module that manages user information such as destination information and address information registered by a user (device user).

Each of the NRS 305 and the CSS 315 is a module that integrates functions related to remote management (functions related to communication with the management apparatus 102) using different methods.
The copy application 309 is an application program for implementing a copy service.
The fax application 310 is an application program for implementing a fax service.

The printer application 311 is an application program for implementing a printer service.
The scanner application 312 is an application program for implementing a scanner service.
The net file application 313 is an application program for implementing a net file service.
The web application 314 is an application program for implementing a web service.
The general-purpose OS 320 can use an operating system such as UNIX (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), or Windows (registered trademark). The operating system manages processing for executing programs in the service module layer and the application module layer. Here, if UNIX or Linux is used, security due to open source is secured and there are advantages such as easy availability of source code.

Here, the operation of the above-described ENGRDY signal and PWRCTL signal will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6A shows an example of the operation of the ENGRDY signal and the PWRCTL signal when the device starts up. When the main power switch (AC-POWER-SW) is turned on, power is supplied from the power supply unit of AC-POWER (AC 100 V) to the power supply unit (main power supply) 207 (AC power is turned on), and the power supply unit 207 is turned on. In this state, the power supply from the power supply unit 207 to the entire device including the controller board 200 is started, and at the same time, the ENGDY signal goes high. In this state, communication with the engine unit cannot be performed. This is because the initial setting of the engine unit has not been completed. Then, after a certain period of time, the initialization of the engine unit is completed, and communication with the engine unit becomes possible when the ENGRDY signal becomes low.

  Next, FIG. 6B shows an example of the operation of the ENGDY signal and the PWRCTL signal when the mode shifts to the energy saving mode. When the power supply unit 207 is in the ON state (during power supply from the power supply unit 207 to the entire apparatus), for example, an operation of a software power key (not shown) on the operation panel 205 is instructed to stop power supply to the engine unit which is a hard unit. Then, in order to shift to the energy saving mode, the PWRCTL signal is turned off by the controller board 200. At the same time, the power supply from the power supply unit 207 to the engine unit stops. Along with this, the ENGRDY signal becomes High and shifts to the energy saving mode. Next, the case of returning from the energy saving mode is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 9C shows an example of the operation of the ENGDY signal and the PWRCTL signal when returning from the energy saving mode. When returning from the above energy saving mode (B), for example, an operation to release power supply to the engine unit is instructed by operating a soft power key, and the PWRCTL signal is turned on by the controller board 200. At the same time, the suspension of power supply from the power supply unit 207 to the engine unit is released. However, as shown in the above (A), the ENGDY signal is in a High state until the initialization of the engine unit is completed, and when the initialization is completed, communication with the engine unit becomes possible, and the Low and the ENGDY signals are transmitted. Become.

Next, the internal configuration of the NRS module included in the software configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 will be further described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the NRS 305. As shown in the drawing, the NRS 305 performs processing between the SCS 306 and the NCS 303. The web server function unit 500 performs a response process for a request received from the outside. The request here may be, for example, a SOAP request according to a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) described in an XML (Extensible Markup Language) format which is a structured language. The web client function unit 501 performs a process of issuing an external request. A libsoap 502 is a library for processing SOAP, and a libxml 503 is a library for processing data described in XML format. Further, libgwww 504 is a library that processes HTTP, and libgw_ncs 505 is a library that performs processing with the NCS 303.
The CPU on the controller board 200 executes the NRS 305 to issue request processing means for returning a valid response to a request received from an external device via the PHY 204, or to issue a request to the outside. Request issuing means, standby setting means for setting a standby state in which a valid response is not returned to a received request until an activation operation is performed, and communication destination information storage means for storing address information as communication destination information in a storage means. Implement the function of

Next, the physical configuration of the mediation device 101 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the mediation apparatus 101.
As described above, the mediation device 101 is installed in the office of a device user or the like, and includes a CPU 52, an SDRAM 53, a flash memory 54 (non-volatile memory), an internal clock (real-time clock circuit) 55, and an Op-Port. (Operation unit connection port) 56, PHY 57, modem 58, HDD control unit 59, extended I / F 60, RS232 I / F61, RS485 I / F62, HDD63 and the like. The mediation device 101 is connected to the CE terminal 105 and the image forming apparatus 100 on the network via the PHY 57. The image forming apparatus 100 can be connected via the RS232 I / F61 and the RS485 I / F62, but this interface is not used here. Note that a DRAM or an SRAM may be used instead of the SDRAM 53. Further, instead of the flash memory 54, another nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM may be used.

Next, the software configuration of the mediation apparatus 101 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration of the mediation apparatus 101.
As shown in FIG. 9, the software in the mediation apparatus 101 is composed of three layers: an application layer 70, a service layer 80, and a protocol layer 90. Then, programs constituting these software are stored in the HDD 63, the SDRAM 53, or the flash memory 54 as storage means, read out as necessary, and executed by the CPU 52. Then, the CPU 52 executes these programs as necessary and controls the apparatus, thereby realizing the functions according to the present invention (functions as request transmission means and transmission request presence / absence inquiry means).

In this software, the application layer 70 has a device control method group 71 and an NRS application method group 72.
The device control method group 71 includes methods of management target information setting, device setting, firmware update, polling setting change, log output, and start-up processing, and starts processing according to the features of the present invention and is a managed device. This is a program for performing information management, communication settings, and the like of the image forming apparatus 100.
The NRS application method group 72 includes methods of log collection, firmware download, device command execution, device setting change, supply notification, abnormality notification, device activation / deployment, device life / death confirmation, and various notifications from the image forming apparatus 100. And a program for causing the image forming apparatus 100 to perform an operation according to a request from the management apparatus 102.

Next, the service layer 80 includes a security service 81, a communication service 82 for connected devices, a communication service 83 for a management device, and a scheduler service 84.
The security service 81 is a module that generates and executes a job for preventing or preventing illegal outflow of internal information or the like to the outside.
The connection device communication service 82 is for exchanging information with the network connection device connected to the intermediary device 101, so as to search for a device for which information is to be acquired, manage connection with the target device, transmit and receive files, This module generates and executes jobs for parameter management, APL management, and the like.
The management device communication service 83 is a module that generates and executes jobs such as command reception, file transmission / reception, information request, and information transmission (information notification) with the management device 102.

The scheduler service 84 is a module that deploys a remote control application based on predetermined set time information.
The next protocol layer 90 is provided with methods for generating and executing a job for transmitting and receiving information using a protocol corresponding to an information transmission / reception target. In other words, it is possible to control SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), HTTP, Hypertext Transfer Protocol Security (HTTPS) used as its lower protocol, FTP, etc. so as to widely support the communication environment of the network connection device via the network. Methods.

Next, a physical configuration of the management apparatus 102 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a physical configuration of the management device 102.
The management device 102 includes a modem 601, a communication terminal 602, a proxy (Proxy) server 603, an operator terminal 604, a database 605, a control device 606, and the like.
The modem 601 manages communication with the mediation device 101 (or the image forming device 110) on the device user side (for example, the user using the image forming device) via a public line, and modulates and demodulates data to be transmitted and received. I do. The modem 601 and a communication terminal 602 described later function as communication means.
The communication terminal 602 controls communication by the modem 601.
Data is transmitted and received to and from the line adapter and the mediation device 101 via the public line.

The proxy server 603 performs communication (data transmission / reception) with the intermediary device 101 on the user (device user) side via the Internet 103 and security management. This proxy server 603 also functions as a communication unit.
The operator terminal 604 is a terminal operated by a center operator who is an administrator of the service center. The operator terminal 604 accepts input of various data by an operation on an input unit such as a keyboard and a pointing device (mouse or the like) by the center operator. Information to be notified to the operator is displayed on the display unit. The input data includes, for example, customer information such as an IP address and a call destination telephone number used when the mediation apparatus 101 or the image forming apparatus 110 of each user communicates with the management apparatus 102.

The database 605 is stored in a storage device such as a HDD (hard disk device) of a server (not shown), and the IP address and telephone number of the mediation device 101 and the image forming device 110 on each user side, and data (information) received from those devices. And various data such as data input from the operator terminal 604, a model database and a customer database, and a program according to the present invention.
The control device 606 includes a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like (not shown), and controls the entire management device 102 as a whole. The CPU executes the above-described program as needed, and uses the modem 601, the communication terminal 602, the proxy server 603, the operator terminal 604, or the database 605 to provide the function according to the present invention (as a request transmitting means). Function) can be realized.

An example of a communication sequence at the time of data transmission / reception performed in the image forming apparatus management system of FIG. 3 based on the above-described configuration will be described. Note that the following processing is actually executed by the CPU operating according to the program, but for convenience of explanation, the program is assumed to execute the processing. Hereinafter, the same applies when the description is made assuming that the program performs some processing.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication sequence at the time of data transmission and reception performed between the management device 102, the mediation device 101, and the image forming device 100 illustrated in FIG.

  In this example, first, the mediation apparatus 101 performs polling (inquiry as to whether there is a transmission request) to the management apparatus 102 via the Internet 103 (S601). That is, a polling SOAP message to which an identifier that is its own identification information is added is generated (the polling information is converted into an XML format that is a structured language format), and an HTTP message (including a SOAP message) is generated based on the SOAP message. An HTTP message is generated and transmitted to the management apparatus 102 via the Internet 103. As shown in FIG. 3, since a firewall 104 is provided between the mediation device 101 and the management device 102, a communication session cannot be established from the management device 102 to the mediation device 101. Therefore, even if it is desired to transmit a request to the mediation apparatus 101 (or the image forming apparatus 100 via the mediation apparatus 101), it is necessary to wait for polling (inquiry as to whether there is a transmission request) from the mediation apparatus 101 as described above. is there. If there is no firewall 104, there is no need to perform polling.

  Upon receiving the HTTP message (HTTP request) from the mediation device 101, the management device 102 generates an HTTP message (HTTP response) including a SOAP message of information indicating a request to acquire a charging counter (counter information), and transmits the HTTP message (HTTP response) to the Internet 103. The response is sent as a response to the polling to the corresponding mediation device 101 (the source of the received SOAP message) via (S602). At this time, the corresponding mediation apparatus 101 is recognized based on the identifier added to the SOAP message in the received HTTP message. As described above, if a response (HTTP response) to a communication (HTTP request) from inside the firewall 104, data can be transmitted from outside the firewall 104 to the inside.

Upon receiving the HTTP message from the management device 102, the mediation device 101 generates a SOAP message of information indicating a charging counter acquisition request based on the HTTP message, and transmits the SOAP message to the image forming apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus via the network. It transmits to the NRS 305 of S100 (S603).
The NRS 305 notifies the SCS 306 of a charging counter acquisition request described in the SOAP message received from the mediation device 101 (S604).
Upon receiving the notification of the charging counter acquisition request from the NRS 305, the SCS 306 reads the charging counter data stored in the NV-RAM 202 (or the HDD 201) (S605). Then, the read data (response data) of the charging counter is transferred to the NRS 305 (S606).

Upon receiving (acquiring) the accounting counter data (counter information indicating the counter value) from the SCS 306, the NRS 305 generates a SOAP message of the data (converts the received data into an XML format, which is a structured language format). Then, it is transmitted to the mediation apparatus 101 via the network (S607).
Upon receiving the SOAP message of the accounting counter data from the NRS 305, the mediation apparatus 101 generates an HTTP message based on the SOAP message, and transmits it to the management apparatus 102 via the Internet 103 (S608).
Thus, data transmission and reception are performed by the communication sequence.

Next, an example of a communication sequence when data is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 100 to the management apparatus 102 via the intermediary apparatus 101, which is different from FIG. 11, will be described.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication sequence when data is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 100 to the management apparatus 102.
In this example, first, the OCS 300 notifies the SCS 306 that a user call key (not shown) on the operation panel 205 has been pressed (S701).
Upon receiving the notification from the OCS 300 that the user call key has been pressed, the SCS 306 notifies the NRS 305 of a user call request (S702).

Upon receiving the notification of the user call request from the SCS 306, the NRS 305 generates a SOAP message of user call information for notifying the user call, and transmits it to the intermediary device 101 via the network (S703).
Upon receiving the SOAP message of the user call information from the NRS 305, the mediation apparatus 101 adds an identifier, which is its own identification information, to the SOAP message, generates an HTTP message based on the SOAP message, and manages the HTTP message via the Internet 103. A user call is made to the device 102. That is, an HTTP message including the SOAP message of the user call information to which the own identifier is added is reported to the management device 102 via the Internet 103 (S704). In this case, since the transmission is performed from the inside to the outside of the firewall 104, the mediation apparatus 101 can transmit data by itself establishing a session to the management apparatus 102.
Here, the pattern after the processing in step S704 will be described separately from the following (A) to (C).

First, in (A), the management apparatus 102 receives the HTTP message including the SOAP message of the user call information from the intermediary apparatus 101 of the user, and when the reception is completed normally, the fact (the user call is If the call result (success) is not normally terminated (abnormal termination), an HTTP message including a SOAP message of the information indicating the call result (successful user call) is generated. Then, this is transmitted as a response to the mediation apparatus 101 of the report source via the Internet 103 (S705).
Upon receiving the HTTP message including the SOAP message of the information indicating the call result from the management apparatus 102, the mediation apparatus 101 generates a SOAP message of the information indicating the call result based on the HTTP message, and transmits the SOAP message to the user call via the network. The key is transmitted to the NRS 305 of the image forming apparatus 100 whose key is pressed (S706).

Upon receiving the SOAP message of the information indicating the call result from the mediation apparatus 101, the NRS 305 interprets (determines) the call result indicated by the SOAP message and notifies the SCS 306 of the result (S707).
When the SCS 306 receives the call result, it hands it over to the OCS 300.
Upon receiving the call result from the SCS 306, the OCS 300 displays the content thereof, that is, a message indicating whether the user call succeeded or failed, on the operation panel 205 (S708).

Next, in (B), if the mediation apparatus 101 determines that there is no response from the management apparatus 102 even after a lapse of a specified time (predetermined predetermined time), the mediation apparatus 101 returns a call result indicating that the user call has failed. A SOAP message of the indicated information is generated and transmitted to the NRS 305 (S709).
Upon receiving the SOAP message of the information indicating the call result indicating failure, the NRS 305 interprets the call result indicating failure described in the SOAP message and notifies the SCS 306 of the result (S710).
When the SCS 306 receives the call result from the NRS 305, it hands it over to the OCS 300.

Upon receiving the call result from the SCS 306, the OCS 300 displays the content thereof, that is, a message indicating that the user call failed, on a character display on the operation panel 205 (S711).
Next, in (C), if the NRS 305 determines that there is no response from the mediation apparatus 101 even after the specified time has elapsed, it notifies the SCS 306 of a call result indicating that the user call has failed (S712).
When the SCS 306 receives the call result from the NRS 305, it hands it over to the OCS 300.
Upon receiving the call result from the SCS 306, the OCS 300 displays the content thereof, that is, a message indicating that the user call failed, on a character display on the operation panel 205 (S713).

  Here, in order to transmit data from the management apparatus 102 to the relay apparatus 101 (or the image forming apparatus 100 via the relay apparatus 101) via the firewall 104, the data is transmitted in the form of a response to an HTTP request from the relay apparatus 101. However, the means that goes through the firewall 104 is not limited to this. For example, using the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), the management apparatus 102 sends a mail describing or attached data to be transmitted from the management apparatus 102. Transmission to the mediation device 101 is also conceivable. However, HTTP is excellent in terms of reliability.

  Here, in the image forming apparatus 100, the CPU that controls each hardware resource including the plotter engine and the operation panel 205 monitors the status of each hardware resource, and a predetermined condition such as abnormality in any one of the hardware resources. When an event occurs, the event is detected and different processing is performed depending on the type of the event. Therefore, information serving as a criterion for determining the type of the event is required. In the example of FIG. 13, data of a table showing an example of information (reference information) serving as a criterion for determining the type of the event (abnormal) is shown. Shows the structure. Here, “SC (serviceman call)” corresponds to “abnormal”. As shown in the figure, the type is determined based on the detected SC. Therefore, each type will be described.

The “Type A” is one in which the SC is displayed on the operation panel 205 and the use is prohibited (unusable), and the type cannot be canceled by the user, and the “SC reset” from the management apparatus 102 is not possible. For example, a fixing system SC is used.
“Type B” is an SC in which only a specific function in which an abnormality is detected (detected) cannot be used. During normal use, SC display is not performed on the operation panel 205, but SC display is performed on the operation panel 205 only when a function in which an abnormality is detected is selected. For example, this corresponds to a case where the duplex mode is selected when the duplex unit is abnormal.
“Type C” does not display on the operation panel 205 even when an SC occurs, but internally logs only the occurrence of the SC. For example, a case where communication is disabled is applicable.

  For “Type D”, use of the main power supply (power supply unit 207) is turned off / on (operation of turning it off and then on again) or by using the soft power key. Is released by the operation of. After the main power is turned on (power is turned on), the SC may be detected again, and it may not be apparently released. For example, a motor abnormality corresponds to this. It is conceivable that the reference information for the determination is stored in a predetermined storage area of the NV-RAM 202 (or the HDD 201). It should be noted that, as in the case of the SC of the scanner engine and the SC of the plotter engine, events of each unit are also treated as events of different types.

Next, an embodiment of the above-described image forming apparatus 100 and image forming apparatus management system, that is, an operation which is a feature of the present invention and a configuration for realizing the operation will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. explain. Note that the image forming apparatus 110 also performs an operation that is a feature of the present invention, but is similar to the image forming apparatus 100, and thus the description is omitted here.
As described above, this image forming apparatus 100 is provided with both a communication unit corresponding to the public line and a communication unit corresponding to the Internet communication.
Then, the image forming apparatus 100 connects to the mediation apparatus 101 via a network such as a LAN, and remote management (remote service: RS) by the CSS method for communicating with the management apparatus 102 via the mediation apparatus 101 and the public line. The mediation apparatus 101 and the management apparatus 102 communicate with the management apparatus 102 via the Internet 103 so as to be able to be remotely managed by the NRS method. Since the image forming apparatus 110 has the function of the mediation apparatus 101, it has the same configuration.

Specifically, as a program for transmitting information such as the status of the device in response to a request from the management device 102, and for notifying the management device 102 of the occurrence of an abnormality in the device, A CSS 315 corresponding to the CSS method and an NRS 305 corresponding to the NRS method are provided.
Then, the NCS 303 passes the request received via the public line via the CSS 315 and the request received via the Internet 103 or a network such as a LAN to the SCS 306 via the NRS 305 as shown in FIG. When a request is issued from the image forming apparatus 100 side, the data is transferred from the SCS 306 to the NCS 303 on the same route. The SCS 306 controls the validity / invalidity of the functions of the CSS 315 and the NRS 305 in accordance with the setting of the apparatus, so that both types of remote management can be selectively supported.
An RS state setting register (hereinafter referred to as “RS state setting”) is provided to perform this setting. The four states shown in Table 1 can be set by the RS state setting register.

“Invalid” indicates that both the CSS 315 and the NRS 305 are disabled, “CSS” enables the function of the CSS 315 only, and the NRS 305 is disabled, and “NRS enabled” indicates the function of the CSS 315. Are disabled and the function of the NRS 305 is enabled. "NRS setting wait" will be described later.
The function invalidation does not necessarily mean that no operation is performed, but also includes a case where a response indicating that the function is invalid is returned to the received request. Further, as described above, the CPU on the controller board 200 realizes the functions as the request processing unit and the request issuing unit by executing the NRS 305. Therefore, when the function of the NRS 305 is invalidated, the functions of these units are invalidated. Will do.

Here, the relationship between the processing including the RS state setting (NRS validation) and the communication operation via the network will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a communication sequence for explaining the relationship.
First, when the image forming apparatus 100 receives a device status acquisition request from the mediation device 101 in a state where the RS status setting is not “NRS enabled”, as shown in FIG. Instead, an NG (failure) response is returned as a response (device status acquisition response) indicating that the function of the NRS 305 is invalid. By doing so, the mediation device 101 that is the source of the request cannot receive a normal response, not because of a communication error or the fact that the target image forming device 100 is not connected in the first place. , The function of the NRS 305 is invalidated by the image forming apparatus 100. Note that, even when a request to use the function of the NRS 305 other than the device state acquisition request is received, the same processing as described above can be performed. The request to use the function of the NRS 305 is generated by performing some operation (processing) on the NRS 305.

Further, in a state where the RS state setting is not “NRS enabled”, even if there is a serviceman call (SC) generation notification from the SCS 306 as shown in FIG. Not performed. Note that, even when a request (notification) for using a function of the NRS 305 other than the SC occurrence notification is received, the same processing as described above can be performed.
As described above, when the RS status setting is not “NRS valid”, the image forming apparatus 100 does not return a valid response to the request received from the external apparatus, and also performs a request or notification from the image forming apparatus 100 side. Absent.

On the other hand, when the RS state setting is set to “NRS enabled” by the activation operation described later, a request or notification (notification) is made from the image forming apparatus 100 side, for example, as shown in FIG. An operation of transmitting a communication test call request for a communication test to the mediation apparatus 101 and receiving the result as a response is performed. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 14D, when a serviceman call (SC) generation notification is received from the SCS 306, an SC notification is issued to the mediation apparatus 101, and the result is received as a response. Note that a request for using a function of the NRS 305 other than the communication test call request and the SC occurrence notification can also be transmitted to the mediation apparatus 101.
Further, an operation of returning a valid response to the request received from the external device is also performed. For example, as shown in FIG. 14E, when the device status acquisition request is received, the SCS 306 stores information indicating the device status and the like. The acquisition is executed, and the result is returned as a device status acquisition response (success).

Conversely, as in another example shown in FIG. 15, when the RS state setting is set to “NRS setting wait” by the standby setting operation described later, the RS state setting is not “NRS valid”. As shown in (C) and (D), thereafter, the request or notification from the image forming apparatus 100 is stopped, and the operation of returning a valid response to the request received from the external apparatus is not performed.
Note that there may be a time lag between the reception of the request and the transmission of the response, during which the RS state setting may be changed. However, whether or not a valid response to the request is returned immediately after the reception of the request The determination is made by referring to the RS state setting at that time. FIG. 16 shows an example of such a case.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 16A, with respect to a device status acquisition request received in a state where the RS status setting is “NRS enabled”, even if the NRS 305 is invalidated before responding thereafter, as shown in FIG. Returns a valid response to The request to invalidate the NRS 305 is generated only by a key operation on the operation panel 205 by the user. Note that a request to change the RS state setting to “NRS setting wait” can be generated by a key operation on the operation panel 205. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16B, a failure response is returned for a jam log information acquisition request received after the RS state setting is set to other than “NRS enabled”, for example, to “wait for NRS setting”.

A feature of the present invention is that a setting state of “waiting for NRS setting” is provided for the RS state setting. This state is a standby state in which the apparatus is connected to the image forming apparatus management system shown in FIG. 3 and waits for a setting required for remote management by the NRS method. Both the functions of the CSS 315 and the NRS 305 are disabled. When a predetermined request (for example, a device search request) is received from the intermediary device 101 shown in FIG. 3, an activation operation of changing the RS status setting register to “NRS valid” to activate the NRS operation (function) Is what you do.
The above-mentioned RS state setting register is provided in the NV-RAM 202 (or the HDD 201) shown in FIG. 4 and its contents are changed according to an instruction (request) from the operation panel 205 or an instruction from the CPU on the controller board 200. Can be changed, and when the RS status setting register is set to “wait for NRS setting”, this CPU functions as a standby setting unit.

Hereinafter, a process performed when a request from an external device is received in the image forming apparatus 100 will be described, including an operation of the necessary setting described above. 17 to 19 are flowcharts showing this processing, and the processing shown in these flowcharts is processing according to the embodiment of the control method of the communication device according to the present invention. Here, an operation related to the remote management of the NRS method will be described.
The CPU provided on the controller board 200 of the image forming apparatus 100 always executes the NRS 305 shown in FIG. 5 during operation of the apparatus, and monitors the reception of requests and notifications from external apparatuses via the PHY 204. Then, when these are received, the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 17 is started.

First, the received contents are checked in step S1. If it is a device search request, the process proceeds to step S2. The device search request is a command that requests the mediation apparatus 101 to search for the image forming apparatus 100 to be managed that is connected to the relay apparatus 101.
In step S2, the RS status setting is checked. If it is "waiting for NRS setting", the process proceeds to step S3.

Then, in step S3, the IP address of the mediation apparatus 101 that is the transmission source of the device search request is stored in the NV-RAM 202 as communication destination information. The device search request is a type of request issued by the mediation device 101 to the image forming device 100, and is transferred as a SOAP request (SOAP message) described in XML format. Since the information includes an IP address, the tag may be extracted and stored by referring to the tag. In this process, the NV-RAM 202 functions as a communication destination information storage unit.
By this process, the mediation device 101 that is the transmission source of the device search request is recognized as the mediation device that should mediate the connection to the management device 102.

In the next step S4, a device search response, which is a response to the device search request, is transmitted to the mediation device 101 with "success".
Then, in step S5, a setting change notification is also transmitted, and the process ends once. This setting change notification is a notification indicating that the content of information (communication destination information) of the image forming apparatus 100 that is the communication destination of the mediation apparatus 101 has been changed. Every time the setting is changed, the mediation device 101 is notified that the setting has been changed, and this notification is also performed as a part thereof. The setting change notification may be included in the response to the device search request.
Here, FIGS. 20 and 21 show format examples of the device search request and the device search response transmitted as the SOAP request, respectively.

On the other hand, if the RS state setting is “invalid” or “CSS” in step S2, the function of the NRS 305 is invalid, and the process proceeds to step S7 to indicate “failure” indicating that to the device search request. Is transmitted (device search response), and the process ends.
If the RS state setting is "NRS enabled" in step S2, the process proceeds to step S6, where the IP address of the mediation device that is the transmission source of the device search request is compared with the IP address stored as the communication destination information. I do.
If they match, the mediation device of the transmission source has already been set as the communication destination, so the process proceeds to step S4 to transmit a response to the device search request with "success", and performs the following processing. The processing may be omitted and the processing may be terminated.

  If they do not match in step S6, it means that a device search request has been received from a mediation device different from the mediation device already set as the communication destination, but one mediation device 101 is assigned to each image forming device 100. In such a case, a response of "failure" is returned in step S7 and the process is terminated in order to configure the monitoring system in such a case as in the case where the function of the NRS 305 is invalid.

If the received content is a setting notification in step S1, the process proceeds to step S8. When the mediation apparatus 101 receives the setting change notification transmitted by the image forming apparatus 100 in step S5, the mediation apparatus 101 transmits a notification indicating that the image forming apparatus 100 has been recognized as a management target to the image forming apparatus 100. This is a setting notification. The setting notification is a command by which the mediation apparatus 101 requests the image forming apparatus 100 to be managed by itself to be controlled by the management apparatus 102 through itself. Since this setting notification is transmitted as a SOAP request like other requests, it can be regarded as a kind of request.
In step S8, the setting of the RS status setting register is changed from "waiting for NRS setting" to "valid NRS". At this point, the image forming apparatus 100 becomes an apparatus to be managed by the management apparatus 102. Thereafter, the image forming apparatus 100 can return a normal response to the received request and can transmit a request or a notification to an external apparatus. Become like

  Next, in step S9, a communication test is performed with the management apparatus 102 in order to confirm whether the transmission and reception of such information can be performed normally. However, it does not directly communicate with the management device 102, but transmits a request to the mediation device 101 to perform a communication test with the management device 102, and the mediation device 101 performs a test to the management device 102 accordingly. The procedure is such that a request is transmitted, and a response from the management device 102 that has returned to the request is received from the mediation device 101. Therefore, only the intermediary device 101 is a transmission / reception partner of the image forming apparatus directly.

It should be noted that a server device having a request transmission / reception function is provided instead of the management device 102 to transmit / receive a request to / from the mediation device, and the management device 102 is connected separately from such a server device, for example, by a public line or a LAN. You may make it provide. In such a case, a test request is further transmitted from the server device to the management device 102, and a response from the management device 102 is received via the server device and the mediation device 101.
When the response is received, the result of the communication test is displayed on the operation panel 205 or transmitted to the administrator by e-mail to notify the administrator, and the process is terminated. At this time, if the result is successful, there is no problem. If the result is unsuccessful, the problem is solved by automatically performing a coping process or requesting the user to cope.

If the received content is a standby setting request in step S1, the process proceeds to step S10 in FIG. Here, the standby setting request is a command by which the mediation apparatus 101 requests the image forming apparatus 100 under the management of the management apparatus 102 through the self-management apparatus 101 to be removed from the management. This is used when the image forming apparatus 100 is placed under the control of the management apparatus 102 via another mediation apparatus 101.
In step S10, the RS status setting is checked. Then, if "NRS is valid", the process proceeds to step S11.
In step S11, the setting of the RS status setting register is changed from "NRS valid" to "NRS setting wait". At this point, the image forming apparatus 100 becomes a device that is not managed by the management device 102, and returns a normal response to a request received thereafter, or sends a request or notification to an external device. Will not be done. In step S11, the IP address stored as the communication destination information may be deleted at the same time.

In the next step S12, a response to the standby setting request is returned with "success", and the process ends. Note that the response is returned here because the standby setting request is received before the setting of the RS status setting register is set to “NRS setting wait”. At this point, since the RS state setting is already “waiting for NRS setting”, the setting change notification is not separately transmitted, but the content may be included in the standby setting response.
If the RS status setting is “invalid”, “CSS” or “waiting for NRS setting” in step S10, the function of the NRS 305 is invalid, and the process proceeds to step S13 to notify the device search request accordingly. Then, the response of "failure" is transmitted and the process is terminated.

  If the received content is not any of the device search request, the setting notification, and the standby setting request in step S1, the process proceeds to step S14 in FIG. 19, and the RS state setting is checked as in step S2, and "NRS enabled". If so, the flow advances to step S15 to perform normal processing for the request, and ends. This processing is, for example, a response to the charging counter acquisition request described with reference to FIG. 8. The request is transmitted to the SCS 306, the SCS 306 issues a request to a required application or module, and executes the request. The result is returned to the NRS 305.

If the setting is other than "NRS valid" in step S14, the function of the NRS 305 is invalid, and a response of "failure" indicating the fact is transmitted to the request in step S16, and the process ends.
Before the processing shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the IP address of the request source is compared with the IP address stored as the communication destination information in the same manner as in step S6 in FIG. The request may be processed, and if the two do not match, a "failure" response may be returned.
In the processing shown in the above flowchart, the processing in steps S3 to S5 when the device search request is received and the processing in step S8 when the setting notification is received thereafter are the activation operations.
In the operation of steps S10 to S12 in FIG. 18, the CPU provided on the controller board 200 functions as a standby setting unit.

By the way, when the image forming apparatus management system as shown in FIG. 3 is configured and the image forming apparatus is managed by the NRS method, first, the image forming apparatus 100 and the mediation apparatus 101 are connected to the LAN in an appropriate order. When the connection is established, the mediation apparatus 101 stores the identification information of the image forming apparatus to be managed by itself as kitting information. FIG. 22 shows an example of the identification information. For example, the model number and the IP address of the image forming apparatus to be managed may be stored. Note that this identification information is basically preferably stored in advance according to the contract contents of the remote service before shipment, but may be added or changed after installation. In addition, a user (device user) or a serviceman (CE) may be able to specify a range for transmitting a device search request to the mediation device 101 using an IP address or the like.
The RS status register in the image forming apparatus 100 is set to “wait for NRS setting” at the time of installation.

  When connected to a LAN (network), the mediation apparatus 101 periodically (at predetermined intervals) or receives an instruction from an operation unit connected to the Op-Port 56 shown in FIG. A device search request including its own IP address information is transmitted to the IP address stored as identification information in accordance with the above key operation, and the device of the IP address is controlled by the management device 102 through itself. Try to put in.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a detailed example of a communication sequence for NRS validation between the image forming apparatus 100 and the mediation apparatus 101 in this case, and shows details of a portion surrounded by a broken line in FIG. .
When the mediation apparatus 101 makes a device search request as described above in step S101, the image forming apparatus 100 that has received the request performs the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 17, stores the IP address included in the device search request, The device search response (S102) and the setting change notification (S103) are transmitted to the mediation device of the IP address.
Since the setting change notification includes the model number, the IP address, the device ID, and the like of the image forming apparatus 100, the relay apparatus compares these information with the identification information of the image forming apparatus 100 to be managed. Then, if they match, the communication partner that transmitted the device search request is authenticated as a management target, and a setting notification is transmitted in step S104.

Upon receiving this, the image forming apparatus 100 performs the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 17 again, and this time changes the setting of the RS state setting register from “waiting for NRS setting” to “valid NRS”. At this point, the image forming apparatus 100 is managed by the management apparatus 102 via the mediation apparatus 101. That is, it is incorporated into the image forming apparatus management system.
Thereafter, a communication test call request shown in step S105 is made as a communication test, and the process ends when a successful response is received in step S106.
As described above, by using the above-described device search request, a process of automatically incorporating the image forming apparatus 100 into the image forming apparatus management system can be performed.

On the other hand, when the image forming apparatus 100 once managed by the management apparatus 102 is to be removed, it is made clear that the image forming apparatus 100 is no longer under management, and the image forming apparatus 100 is again managed by the management system. In order to facilitate the incorporation as described above, the mediation apparatus 101 transmits a standby setting request to the target image forming apparatus 100 and returns the apparatus to the standby state. Try. Even when another intermediary device 101 is set as a communication destination of the image forming device 100 and the image forming device 100 is to be managed by the management device 102 via another intermediary device 101, as described above, this is not changed. Since the setting cannot be performed, a standby setting request is transmitted similarly.
Here, when the image forming apparatus 100 is under the management of the management apparatus 102, the NRS state setting is “NRS valid”.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a detailed example of a communication sequence for standby setting between the image forming apparatus 100 and the intermediary apparatus 101 in this case, and shows details of a portion surrounded by a broken line in FIG.
That is, when the mediation apparatus 101 issues a standby setting request as described above in step S111, the image forming apparatus 100 that has received the request performs the processing shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 17 and 18, and changes the NRS state setting to “NRS setting wait”. ", And transmits a standby setting response to the intermediary device 101 which has transmitted the request in step S112, and terminates the process. Thus, the image forming apparatus 100 has been removed from the management system.
As described above, by using the above-described standby setting request, it is possible to perform processing for removing the image forming apparatus 100 from the image forming apparatus management system. At this time, the communication function with the external device (the function of the NRS 305) is enabled by a predetermined request such as the device search request described above in the same procedure as when the image forming apparatus 100 is incorporated for the first time. It can be returned to a state where it can be incorporated.
Note that the standby setting request may be manually transmitted to the mediation device 101 by instructing the mediation device 101, or may be automatically transmitted by the mediation device 101 in response to a predetermined trigger. Further, it is preferable that a predetermined request such as a device search request is not transmitted to the image forming apparatus 100 that has transmitted the standby setting request.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, the standby state is provided in the NRS 305, and the setting of “wait for NRS setting” is enabled, so that the intermediate apparatus is installed at the customer's site to manage the image forming apparatus. When incorporated (connected) into the system, the settings of the image forming apparatus can be automatically changed by simply connecting the intermediary apparatus and the image forming apparatus via a network such as a LAN to enable the function of the NRS 305. Therefore, the work of incorporating the image forming apparatus into the management system can be easily performed. Further, at this time, it is not necessary for the service person to visit and perform a long-time operation, and the service cost of the management system can be reduced. This effect is particularly exhibited when a large number of image forming apparatuses are incorporated into the management system at one time.

On the other hand, in the state of “waiting for NRS setting”, the image forming apparatus does not attempt to transmit a request or a report by itself, so even if no intermediary apparatus is provided, no error occurs due to the absence of a communication partner. Operations other than the management system can be performed normally. Furthermore, since an NG response is returned for a request other than the request that triggers NRS activation, even when connected to the same network as the mediation device, it is possible to leave the request in a state where it is not incorporated in the management system. .
Further, since a predetermined request from an external device is used as a trigger for NRS activation, it is possible to prompt the image forming apparatus to activate NRS by using information in a format similar to that used for the management operation in the management system.

  In addition, when a predetermined request from an external device is received, the RS status setting is returned to “waiting for NRS setting”, so that in addition to the above effects, the relocation of the device and the reorganization of the management system are easily performed. be able to. That is, after receiving the above-described standby setting request, the image forming apparatus is in a state where it can be incorporated into the management system in the same procedure as in the case of the first connection. By transmitting the predetermined request, the setting for placing the image forming apparatus under the control of the management apparatus via another intermediary apparatus can be easily and automatically performed from the intermediary apparatus side. In this case, when the image forming apparatus is once removed from the management system, it is possible to prevent a problem such as giving a warning or the like by erroneously recognizing that the communication with the intermediary apparatus has become impossible. it can. The same applies to the case where the image forming apparatus is physically or logically disconnected from the network by removal or the like.

Further, since the intermediary device issues a predetermined request such as a device search request periodically (every predetermined time), even if a new image forming device is added, the device can be easily incorporated into the management system. be able to. If a predetermined request is issued according to an instruction from the operation unit by the user, the NRS function of the image forming apparatus can be enabled without waiting for a predetermined time to elapse, and the image forming apparatus can be incorporated in the management system.
In addition, if a communication test is performed with the management device after NRS is enabled, it is possible to confirm whether communication required for management can be performed normally and to improve the reliability of the system. Can be.

In the case where the intermediary devices are provided in a plurality of stages as in the installation environment B in FIG. 3, the vertical relationship between the intermediary devices can be set similarly to the case of the image forming apparatus. In this case, it is assumed that not only the image forming apparatus to be managed but also the identification information of the lower order intermediate apparatus is stored in the upper order intermediate apparatus.
Further, the identification information of the image forming apparatus stored in the mediation apparatus may be used as the search range of the IP address. In this case, when making a device search request, the device is transmitted by multicast to the range, and by referring to the device search response and the setting change notification returned from the image forming apparatus, the device which the user places under management from among them. May be selectable.

In addition, the image forming apparatus manually specifies the IP address of the mediation apparatus as communication destination information, changes the RS status setting register to “NRS valid”, and allows the image forming apparatus to wait for a request from the mediation apparatus. You may make it able to be integrated in a management system.
Furthermore, although efficiency is not good considering network traffic, the image forming apparatus issues a search request to the intermediary apparatus, and conversely, if an appropriate response is obtained, "NRS enabled" It is also possible to do.
Also, a predetermined request such as a device search request can be transmitted from the management device to the image forming apparatus via the mediation device. In this case, the management device polls the mediation device (inquires whether there is a transmission request). ), The image forming apparatus can receive the request via the intermediary apparatus by transmitting the request.

  Here, in the above embodiments, the image forming apparatus having the communication function has been described as an example of the communication apparatus (electronic device) according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It can be applied to various communication devices with communication functions, including network home appliances, vending machines, medical equipment, power supplies, air conditioning systems, gas / water / electricity metering systems, etc., and computers that can be connected to a network. is there. Also, even when these communication devices are managed devices, the remote management system can be operated in the same manner as in the case described above. Further, also in the remote management system of the communication device, the configurations of the communication device, the mediation device, the management device, and the connection form thereof are not limited to the above embodiments.

Further, the program according to the present invention can store various functions according to the present invention, that is, a request processing unit and a standby setting unit, in a computer that controls a communication device such as the above-described image forming apparatus provided with a communication unit that communicates with an external device. This is a program for realizing the function and further the communication destination information storage means (the function as a means for storing the address information as the communication destination information in the storage means). Such effects can be obtained.
Such a program may be stored in a storage means such as a ROM or an HDD provided in the computer from the beginning, but may be stored in a non-volatile storage medium such as a CD-ROM or a flexible disk, an SRAM, an EEPROM, or a memory card as a recording medium. It can also be provided by recording it on a medium (memory). Each of the above-described procedures can be executed by installing the program recorded in the memory in the computer and causing the CPU to execute the program, or reading and executing the program from the memory by the CPU.
Further, the program can be downloaded from an external device provided with a recording medium storing the program or an external device having the program stored in the storage means and executed.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is applicable to various communication devices such as network home appliances, vending machines, medical devices, power supply devices, air conditioning systems, gas / water supply / electricity metering systems and computers, and computers controlling the communication devices. .

It is a conceptual diagram showing an example of composition of a remote management system of a communication device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a data transmission / reception model in the remote management system. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image forming apparatus management system that is an example of a communication apparatus management system according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a physical configuration example of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 3. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing an ENGRDY signal and a PWRCTL signal in the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of an NRS module in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the mediation device of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration of the mediation device. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a physical configuration example of a management device 102 in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication sequence for describing data transmission and reception performed in the image forming apparatus remote management system illustrated in FIG. 3. It is a figure showing an example of other communication sequences.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a table of information serving as a reference for determining a type of abnormality. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication sequence for describing data transmission and reception between an image forming apparatus and an intermediary apparatus in the image forming apparatus management system illustrated in FIG. 3. It is a figure showing an example of other communication sequences. It is a figure which shows an example of the other communication sequence. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a communication sequence when an image forming apparatus, which is an example of the communication apparatus of the present invention, receives a request from an external device. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a process continued from FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the processing of another part following FIG. 18. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a format example of a device search request transmitted as a SOAP request. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a format example of a device search response transmitted as a SOAP request. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of identification information of an image forming apparatus to be managed by itself that is stored in the mediation apparatus of FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication sequence for describing data communication between the image forming apparatus and the mediation apparatus when the mediation apparatus transmits a device search request to the image forming apparatus. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication sequence for explaining data communication between the image forming apparatus and the mediation apparatus when the mediation apparatus transmits a standby setting request to the image forming apparatus.

Explanation of reference numerals

10: Managed Device 11: Managed Device with Mediation Function 52: CPU 53: SDRAM 54: Flash Memory 55: Internal Clock 56: Op-Port 57, 204: PHY 58, 601: Modem 59: HDD Control Unit 63, 201 : HDD 70: Application layer 80: Service layer 90: Protocol layer 100: Image forming device 101: Mediation device 102: Management device 103: Internet 104: Firewall 105: CE terminal 110: Image formation device with mediation function 202: NV-RAM 205: operation panel 206: plotter / scanner engine board 300: OCS 301: ECS 302: MCS 303: NCS 304: FCS 305: NRS 306: SCS 30 : SRM 308: IMH 309: Copy application 310: Fax application 311: Printer application 312: Scanner application 313: Net file application 314: Web application 315: CSS 316: DCS 320: General-purpose OS 603: Proxy server 604: Operator terminal 605 : Database 606: Control device

Claims (25)

Communication means for communicating with an external device;
Request processing means for returning a valid response to the request received from the external device via the communication means,
The request processing means performs an activation operation to activate the function of the request processing means in response to a predetermined trigger, and returns a valid response to the received request until the activation operation is performed. A communication device comprising a standby setting means for setting a standby state. The communication device according to claim 1,
The communication device, wherein the request processing unit is a unit that returns information of the communication device as a valid response when the received request is an information acquisition request. Communication means for communicating with an external device;
Request processing means for returning a valid response to the request received from the external device via the communication means,
The request processing means performs an activation operation to activate the function of the request processing means in response to a predetermined trigger, and returns a valid response to the received request until the activation operation is performed. There is provided a standby setting means for setting the standby state,
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined trigger is a predetermined request received from the external device. The communication device according to claim 3,
The communication device, wherein the request processing unit is a unit that returns information of the communication device as a valid response when the received request is an information acquisition request. The communication device according to claim 3 or 4,
The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said request processing means includes means for returning a response indicating that the function is invalid to a request other than said predetermined request in said standby state. The communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The predetermined request includes address information of a source of the request,
A communication device, further comprising a communication destination information storage unit for storing the address information as communication destination information at the time of the activation operation. The communication device according to claim 6,
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the request processing unit returns a valid response only to a request received from a transmission source related to the communication destination information. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein
The request processing means functions when the predetermined request is received from a device other than the external device related to the communication destination information while the communication destination information is stored in the communication destination information storage means in a state other than the standby state. A communication device having means for returning a response indicating that is invalid. The communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 8,
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the request processing means includes means for notifying a source of the predetermined request of performing the activation operation. The communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 9,
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the standby setting unit includes a unit that sets the request processing unit to the standby state when a predetermined request is received from the external device. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The request processing means is configured to determine whether or not to return a valid response to a request received from an external device by referring to an operation state at that time immediately after receiving the request. Communication device. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
A communication device, wherein the request received by the communication unit and the response returned by the request processing unit are described in a structured language format. A remote management system for a communication device including one or more communication devices and an external device connected directly or indirectly to the communication device,
The external device is connected to the communication device via a network, has a remote management intermediary device having request transmitting means for transmitting various requests to the communication device, and is connected to the remote management intermediation device via the Internet, and the remote management A management device that manages the communication device connected to the remote management mediation device by causing the mediation device to transmit the various requests,
A communication means for communicating with the external device, a request processing means for returning a valid response to a request received from the external device via the communication means, A standby setting for performing an activation operation to activate the function of the request processing means itself in response to a trigger and setting a standby state in which a valid response is not returned to the received request until the activation operation is performed. Means and
The remote management system for a communication device, wherein the predetermined trigger is a predetermined request received from the external device. The remote management system for a communication device according to claim 13,
The remote management system for a communication device, wherein the request transmission unit of the remote management mediation device periodically transmits the predetermined request to the communication device. The remote management system for a communication device according to claim 13 or 14,
The remote management mediation device includes an operation unit for inputting various instructions,
The request transmitting means of the remote management mediation device transmits the predetermined request to the communication device in accordance with an instruction from the operation unit, the remote management system for a communication device. The remote management system for a communication device according to any one of claims 13 to 15,
The remote management mediation device is provided with storage means for storing identification information of a communication device to be managed by itself.
The request transmitting means of the remote management intermediary device, when transmitting the predetermined request, transmits the request only to the communication device corresponding to the identification information. The remote management system for a communication device according to any one of claims 13 to 16,
The communication device further comprising means for performing a communication test with the management device via the remote management mediation device when the validation operation is performed by the request processing means. Equipment remote management system. The remote management system for a communication device according to any one of claims 13 to 17,
The remote management system for a communication device, wherein the standby setting unit of the communication device includes a unit that sets the request processing unit to the standby state when a predetermined request is received from the external device. One or more communication devices, a remote management mediation device connected to the communication device via a network, and having a request transmitting unit for transmitting various requests to the communication device; and a remote management mediation device connected to the remote management mediation device via the Internet. A remote management system for a communication device, comprising: a management device that manages the communication device connected to the remote management mediation device by transmitting the various requests to the remote management mediation device,
The remote management intermediary device is provided with a transmission request presence / absence inquiry unit that periodically inquires the management device whether there is a transmission request,
The request sending means of the remote management mediation device, the request for the transmission request to the management device by the transmission request presence inquiry means, only when a request is received from the management device, the request is transmitted to the communication device Means to send to
Communication means for communicating with the remote management mediation device, request processing means for returning a valid response to a request received from the remote management mediation device via the communication means, the request processing means, Performs an activation operation to activate the function of the request processing means itself in response to a predetermined trigger, and enters a standby state in which a valid response to the received request is not returned until the activation operation is performed. A remote management system for a communication device, comprising a standby setting unit for setting. Communication means for communicating with an external device;
Request processing means for returning a valid response to a request received from the external device via the communication means, the control method of a communication device,
The request processing means performs an activation operation to activate the function of the request processing means in response to a predetermined trigger, and returns a valid response to the received request until the activation operation is performed. A method for controlling a communication device, wherein an operation in an idle state is performed. The control method for a communication device according to claim 20,
A method for controlling a communication device, wherein a predetermined request received from the external device is used as the predetermined trigger. The control method for a communication device according to claim 21,
The predetermined request includes address information of a source of the request,
At the time of the activation operation, the address information is stored as communication destination information,
A control method for a communication device, characterized by causing the request processing means to return a valid response only to a command received from a source related to the communication destination information. A computer that controls a communication device including a communication unit that performs communication with an external device,
A request processing function for returning a valid response to a request received from the external device via the communication unit,
The request processing function performs an activation operation to activate the function of the request processing function itself in response to a predetermined trigger, and returns a valid response to the received request until the activation operation is performed. A program to realize the standby setting function to set the standby state. The program according to claim 23,
The program is characterized in that the predetermined trigger is a predetermined request received from the external device. The program according to claim 23 or 24,
The predetermined request includes address information of a source of the request,
The computer includes a program that also realizes a function of storing the address information as communication destination information in a storage unit at the time of the enabling operation,
The program according to claim 1, wherein the request processing function is a function of returning a valid response only to a request received from a transmission source related to the communication destination information.

Images