JP2005216142A - Information transmission program, computer, and information transmission system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information transmission program which makes a computer execute information transmission processing for also notifying information indicating a correspondence between an image forming device and the computer to which the image forming device is connected, when notifying information related to the image forming device to a user, and to provide the computer which executes the information transmission processing, and an information transmission system. <P>SOLUTION: In a PC 1, a printer management monitor 11 obtains printer information from printers 2-4 and records the information in a printer information file 22. A mailer 12 obtains the printer information from the printer information file 22, obtains PC information from a PC information file 23 and transmits correspondence information indicating correspondences between each of the printers 2-4 and the PC 1 to which the printers 2-4 are connected, to a PC 84 that becomes a transmission destination, by electronic mail. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information transmission program, a computer, and an information transmission system.

Conventionally, the following systems are known as systems for notifying a user of information relating to an image forming apparatus.
First, in Patent Document 1 below, in a system including a first computer to which an image forming apparatus is locally connected and a second computer that can communicate with the first computer via a network, the first computer However, a technique is described in which various information is acquired from the image forming apparatus via the local connection I / F, and the second computer acquires this information from the first computer via the network.

  By using such a system, the user can obtain information regarding the image forming apparatus locally connected to the first computer by operating the second computer.

Patent Document 2 below describes an image forming apparatus that notifies a user by e-mail when an abnormality occurs.
JP 2000-293324 A JP 2003-131858 A

  However, in the system described in Patent Document 1, the second computer simply notifies the user of information about the image forming apparatus, and uses the information about the first computer to which the image forming apparatus is locally connected. Could not be notified. For this reason, even if the user looks at the information notified by the second computer, the user may not be able to easily understand which computer the image forming apparatus is connected to.

  Further, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2 only transmits information about the image forming apparatus by e-mail, and does not transmit information about the computer to which the image forming apparatus is connected by e-mail. For this reason, the user may not easily understand to which computer the image forming apparatus is connected by looking at the electronic mail transmitted from the image forming apparatus.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a computer to which the image forming apparatus is connected when notifying a user of information related to the image forming apparatus. It is an object to provide an information transmission program for causing a computer to execute an information transmission process for notifying information indicating a correspondence relationship with the information. Moreover, it is providing the computer which performs the said information transmission process, and an information transmission system.

Hereinafter, the characteristic configuration of the present invention will be described in detail.
The information transmission program of the present invention is
An information transmission program for causing a computer connected to an image forming apparatus to execute an information transmission process,
The information transmission process includes:
A computer information acquisition procedure for acquiring computer information which is information about the computer;
An image forming apparatus information acquisition procedure for acquiring image forming apparatus information which is information relating to the image forming apparatus;
Including correspondence information indicating correspondence between the computer and the image forming apparatus based on the computer information acquired in the computer information acquisition procedure and the image forming apparatus information acquired in the image forming apparatus information acquisition procedure. An email creation procedure to create an email;
And an e-mail transmission procedure for transmitting the e-mail created in the e-mail creation procedure to a destination.

  When the computer executes the above procedures according to the information transmission program, the computer acquires computer information that is information about the computer. The computer information is obtained from, for example, a main storage device (for example, ROM, RAM) or an auxiliary storage device (for example, a hard disk device) included in the computer. The specific information content is arbitrary, but at least used. Information is selected so that the user can identify which computer information the user sees.

  The computer also acquires image forming apparatus information that is information relating to the image forming apparatus. This image forming apparatus information includes, for example, information on the usage frequency such as the number of printed sheets for each paper size or the total number of printed sheets, information on the usage level of replacement parts such as drum replacement time, the remaining amount of toner or ink, the remaining amount of recording paper, etc. Information on the degree of wear of consumables, information on the number of occurrences of abnormalities such as the number of paper jams, and the like.

  Then, based on the computer information and the image forming apparatus information, an e-mail including correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the computer and the image forming apparatus is created, and the e-mail is transmitted to the transmission destination.

  Therefore, if the computer executes the information transmission process according to the information transmission program having such a procedure, the user can know the information regarding the image forming apparatus by looking at the e-mail received at the transmission destination. The correspondence relationship between the image forming apparatus and the computer to which the image forming apparatus is connected can be known. Also, since the correspondence information is transmitted by e-mail, the correspondence information can be received at an arbitrary place where the e-mail can be received, unlike the case where the information is received by a computer on the network.

The information transmission program may be configured as follows.
First, the e-mail creation procedure may be a procedure for creating the e-mail in which the correspondence information is described in a body of the e-mail.

In this case, since the correspondence information is described in the body of the e-mail, the correspondence information can be viewed even by mailers or portable terminals that cannot receive the attached file.
The e-mail creation procedure may be a procedure for creating the e-mail in which the correspondence information is attached as an e-mail attachment file.

  In this case, since the correspondence information is attached as an attached file of an e-mail, the correspondence information can be displayed in a more easily viewable manner by using a mailer or mobile terminal that can receive the attached file.

Further, the information transmission process is a process including a computer information input procedure for causing a user to input information used as at least a part of the computer information,
The computer information acquisition procedure may be a procedure for acquiring the computer information including information input by a user in the computer information input procedure.

  In this case, since the information input by the user is included in the computer information, the user corresponds to the computer information as compared with the case where the computer information is composed only of information not input by the user. It becomes possible to more easily identify which computer the computer is.

Further, the computer information input procedure may be a procedure for allowing a user to input installation location information, which is information relating to the installation location of the computer.
In this case, since the installation location information is included in the computer information, the user can more easily identify where the computer corresponding to the computer information is the computer installed.

Further, the computer information input procedure may be a procedure for allowing a user to input administrator information, which is information relating to an administrator of the computer.
In this case, since the administrator information is included in the computer information, the user can more easily identify who the computer corresponding to the computer information is managed by. The administrator information may be any information that can identify who the administrator is. More specifically, the administrator's name, email address, telephone number, etc. should be used as the administrator information. Can do.

In addition, the information transmission process is a process including an input information storage control procedure for storing information input by a user in the computer information input procedure in a computer information storage unit included in the computer,
The input information storage control procedure overwrites old information stored in the computer information storage means with new information input by the user in the computer information input procedure every time information is input by the computer information input procedure. Procedure
The computer information acquisition procedure may be a procedure for acquiring the computer information including the information stored in the computer information storage means in the input information storage control procedure.

  In this case, each time information is input by the computer information input procedure, the old information stored in the computer information storage means is overwritten with new information input by the user in the computer information input procedure. The latest computer information can always be obtained from the computer information storage means.

The computer includes a computer name storage unit that is connected to a network and stores a computer name used to identify the computer on the network.
The information transmission process is a process including a computer name storage control procedure for storing a computer name read from the computer name storage unit in a computer information storage unit included in the computer,
The computer name storage control procedure is a new computer in which an old computer name stored in the computer information storage means is read from the computer name storage means prior to causing the computer to execute the computer information acquisition procedure. Overwriting with a name,
The computer information acquisition procedure may be a procedure for acquiring the computer information including the computer name stored in the computer information storage means in the computer name storage control procedure.

  In this case, since the computer information including the computer name can be acquired in the computer information acquisition procedure, the user corresponding to the computer information does not include the computer name in the computer information. This makes it easier to identify which computer is above.

The computer includes an address information storage unit that is connected to a network and stores address information used when communicating with other nodes on the network.
The information transmission process is a process including an address information storage control procedure for storing address information read from the address information storage unit in a computer information storage unit included in the computer,
Prior to causing the computer to execute the computer information acquisition procedure, the address information storage control procedure includes a new address read out from the address information storage unit. It is a procedure to overwrite with information,
The computer information acquisition procedure may be a procedure for acquiring the computer information including the address information stored in the computer information storage means in the address information storage control procedure.

  In this case, since the computer information including the address information can be acquired in the computer information acquisition procedure, the user can connect the computer corresponding to the computer information to the network as compared with the case where the computer information does not include the address information. This makes it easier to identify which computer is above.

Further, the information transmission process is a process including a computer information update determination procedure for determining whether or not the computer information has been updated,
The e-mail creation procedure may be a procedure for creating the e-mail when it is determined in the computer information update determination procedure that the computer information has been updated.

  In this case, when it is determined in the computer information update determination procedure that the computer information has been updated, an e-mail is created. Therefore, when the computer information is updated, the latest information can be notified to the user by e-mail. .

Further, the information transmission process is a process including an old computer information storing procedure for storing the computer information used when the email is created in the email creating procedure as old computer information,
The computer information update determination procedure compares the content of the old computer information stored in the old computer information storage procedure with the content of the computer information acquired in the computer information acquisition procedure. In this case, it may be a procedure for determining that the computer information has been updated.

  In this case, an e-mail is created when the contents of the computer information are updated, so that when the contents of the computer information are updated, the latest information can be notified to the user by e-mail.

The computer is capable of executing a plurality of processes in parallel, acquires the image forming apparatus information from the image forming apparatus, and stores the acquired image forming apparatus information in the image forming apparatus information storage unit included in the computer. The image forming apparatus information storing process to be stored in is executed in parallel with the information transmission process,
The image forming apparatus information acquisition procedure included in the information transmission process includes: acquiring the image forming apparatus information stored in the image forming apparatus information storing unit by the image forming apparatus information storing process from the image forming apparatus information storing unit; It should be a procedure to acquire.

  In this case, since the computer acquires the image forming apparatus information from the image forming apparatus information storage means included in the computer in the image forming apparatus information acquisition procedure, it is different from the one that directly acquires the image forming apparatus information from the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus information can be acquired without being affected by the operating state on the image forming apparatus side.

  In other words, the operating state of the image forming apparatus may change from time to time, and when the computer executes the image forming apparatus information acquisition procedure, even if the image forming apparatus information is directly acquired from the image forming apparatus, depending on the timing, There is a possibility that it takes time to acquire the forming apparatus information or the image forming apparatus information cannot be acquired. In this regard, if the image forming apparatus information can be acquired at an appropriate timing by the image forming apparatus information storing process, the computer can execute the image forming apparatus information acquisition procedure from the image forming apparatus information storage unit. Since the image forming apparatus information only needs to be acquired, the image forming apparatus information can be acquired without being affected by the operating state on the image forming apparatus side.

Further, the information transmission process is a process including an image forming apparatus information update determination procedure for determining whether or not the image forming apparatus information has been updated.
The e-mail creation procedure may be a procedure for creating the e-mail when it is determined in the image forming apparatus information update determination procedure that the image forming apparatus information has been updated.

  In this case, an e-mail is created when it is determined that the image forming apparatus information has been updated in the image forming apparatus information update determination procedure. Therefore, when the image forming apparatus information is updated, the latest information is sent to the user by e-mail. Can be notified.

The information transmission process is a process including an old image forming apparatus information storing procedure for storing the image forming apparatus information used when the e-mail is generated in the e-mail generating procedure as old image forming apparatus information. Yes,
The image forming apparatus information update determination procedure includes the contents of the old image forming apparatus information stored in the old image forming apparatus information storing procedure and the contents of the image forming apparatus information acquired in the image forming apparatus information acquiring procedure. The procedure may be a procedure for determining that the image forming apparatus information has been updated when the contents of the two are different.

  In this case, an e-mail is created when the contents of the image forming apparatus information are updated. Therefore, when the contents of the image forming apparatus information are updated, the latest information can be notified to the user by e-mail.

In addition, the information transmission process stores old image forming apparatus information that stores, as old image forming apparatus information update date / time information, the update date / time of the image forming apparatus information used when the e-mail was created in the e-mail creating procedure It is a process that includes the update date and time information storage procedure,
The image forming apparatus information update determination procedure includes the update date and time of the old image forming apparatus information stored in the old image forming apparatus information update date and time information storing procedure and the image forming apparatus acquired in the image forming apparatus information acquisition procedure. The procedure may be a procedure for comparing the information update date and time and determining that the image forming apparatus information has been updated when the update date and time are different.

  In this case, since the e-mail is created when the update date / time of the image forming apparatus information is updated, when the update date / time of the image forming apparatus information is updated, the latest information may be notified to the user by e-mail. it can.

In addition, the information transmission process is a process including a period elapse determination procedure for determining whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the e-mail was created or transmitted.
The e-mail creation procedure may be a procedure for creating the e-mail when it is determined in the period elapse determination procedure that a predetermined period has elapsed.

  In this case, an e-mail is created each time a predetermined period has elapsed since the e-mail was created or sent, so the latest information can be used by e-mail even if there is no change in computer information or image forming device information. Can be notified.

Further, the information transmission process is a process including a transmission schedule information input procedure for causing a user to input transmission schedule information for setting the transmission time of the e-mail,
The e-mail creation procedure may be a procedure for creating the e-mail when the transmission time indicated by the transmission schedule information has arrived.

  In this case, since the e-mail is created when the transmission time indicated by the transmission schedule information arrives, the latest information is notified to the user by e-mail even if there is no change in the computer information or the image forming apparatus information. Can do. In particular, because sending schedule information is input by the user, it is possible to create an email according to the schedule desired by the user, unlike the case of creating an email according to a default schedule that is not input by the user. become.

Further, the information transmission process is a process including a transmission instruction input procedure for causing a user to input a transmission instruction for the electronic mail,
The e-mail creation procedure may be a procedure for creating the e-mail when the transmission instruction is input.

  In this case, if the user inputs a transmission instruction, an e-mail is created. Therefore, even if there is no change in the computer information and the image forming apparatus information and the transmission time according to the transmission schedule has not arrived, the transmission instruction is input. Then, the latest information can be notified to the user by e-mail.

Next, the computer of the present invention
A computer to which an image forming apparatus is connected,
Computer information acquisition means for acquiring computer information which is information about the computer;
Image forming apparatus information acquisition means for acquiring image forming apparatus information which is information relating to the image forming apparatus;
Correspondence relation information indicating correspondence relation between the computer and the image forming apparatus based on the computer information acquired by the computer information acquisition means and the image forming apparatus information acquired by the image forming apparatus information acquisition means. An email creating means for creating an email including:
And e-mail transmission means for transmitting the e-mail created by the e-mail creation means to a destination.

  In this computer, the computer information acquisition means acquires computer information that is information about the computer. The computer information is obtained from, for example, a main storage device (for example, ROM, RAM) or an auxiliary storage device (for example, a hard disk device) included in the computer. The specific information content is arbitrary, but at least used. Information is selected so that the user can identify which computer information the user sees.

  Further, in this computer, the image forming apparatus information acquisition unit acquires image forming apparatus information that is information relating to the image forming apparatus. This image forming apparatus information includes, for example, information on the usage frequency such as the number of printed sheets for each paper size or the total number of printed sheets, information on the usage level of replacement parts such as drum replacement time, the remaining amount of toner or ink, the remaining amount of recording paper, etc. Information on the degree of wear of consumables, information on the number of occurrences of abnormalities such as the number of paper jams, and the like.

  Then, based on the computer information and the image forming apparatus information, the e-mail creating unit creates an e-mail including correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the computer and the image forming apparatus, and the e-mail is sent to the e-mail transmitting unit. Sends to the destination.

  Therefore, by using such a computer, the user can know information about the image forming apparatus by looking at the e-mail received at the transmission destination, and the image forming apparatus and the image forming apparatus are connected. You can know the correspondence with other computers. Also, since the correspondence information is transmitted by e-mail, the correspondence information can be received at an arbitrary place where the e-mail can be received, unlike the case where the information is received by a computer on the network.

Next, the information transmission system of the present invention includes:
An information transmission system comprising an image forming apparatus and a computer to which the image forming apparatus is connected,
The computer is
Computer information acquisition means for acquiring computer information which is information about the computer;
Image forming apparatus information acquisition means for acquiring image forming apparatus information which is information relating to the image forming apparatus;
Correspondence relation information indicating correspondence relation between the computer and the image forming apparatus based on the computer information acquired by the computer information acquisition means and the image forming apparatus information acquired by the image forming apparatus information acquisition means. An email creating means for creating an email including:
And an e-mail transmitting unit that transmits the e-mail created by the e-mail creating unit to a destination.

  In the computer included in the information transmission system, the computer information acquisition unit acquires computer information that is information about the computer. The computer information is obtained from, for example, a main storage device (for example, ROM, RAM) or an auxiliary storage device (for example, a hard disk device) included in the computer. The specific information content is arbitrary, but at least used. Information is selected so that the user can identify which computer information the user sees.

  In the computer included in the information transmission system, the image forming apparatus information acquisition unit acquires image forming apparatus information that is information relating to the image forming apparatus. This image forming apparatus information includes, for example, information on the usage frequency such as the number of printed sheets for each paper size or the total number of printed sheets, information on the usage level of replacement parts such as drum replacement time, the remaining amount of toner or ink, the remaining amount of recording paper, etc. Information on the degree of wear of consumables, information on the number of occurrences of abnormalities such as the number of paper jams, and the like.

  Then, based on the computer information and the image forming apparatus information, the e-mail creating unit creates an e-mail including correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the computer and the image forming apparatus, and the e-mail is sent to the e-mail transmitting unit. Sends to the destination.

  Therefore, if an information transmission system including such a computer is used, the user can know information about the image forming apparatus by looking at the e-mail delivered to the transmission destination. It is possible to know the correspondence with the computer to which the image forming apparatus is connected. Also, since the correspondence information is transmitted by e-mail, the correspondence information can be received at an arbitrary place where the e-mail can be received, unlike the case where the information is received by a computer on the network.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the user can be notified of information related to the image forming apparatus. At this time, the correspondence relationship between the image forming apparatus and the computer to which the image forming apparatus is connected, Can inform the user.

Next, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an information transmission system exemplified as an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the configuration provided outside the information transmission system is also shown.

In the present embodiment, the information transmission system includes a personal computer 1 (hereinafter referred to as PC1) and a plurality of printers 2 to 4 connected to the PC1.
As is well known, the PC 1 includes a control unit mainly composed of a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., an input unit composed of a keyboard and a pointing device, an output unit such as a display, and a non-volatile storage means such as a hard disk. A storage unit and the like are provided. The PC 1 includes Windows (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), MacOS (registered trademark), etc. as an OS (Operating System), input / output functions such as keyboard input and screen output, memory serving as a main storage unit, Basic functions commonly used by applications, such as an access function to a hard disk as an auxiliary storage unit, are provided by the OS. Since various functions provided by these OSs are known per se, a detailed description thereof is omitted here. In the following description, it is assumed that the PC 1 has various functions provided by Windows (registered trademark). Continue the explanation on the premise of.

  Each of the printers 2 to 4 corresponds to a printer job language (PJL). PJL is a command language that enables control of various functions of each of the printers 2 to 4, and is a well-known language that was developed by Hewlett-Packard Company and later adopted by other companies. Among these printers 2 to 4, the printers 2 and 3 are connected to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port of the PC 1, and the printer 4 is connected to a parallel port of the PC 1.

  The OS installed in the PC 1 has a multitask function capable of executing a plurality of processes in parallel in a time-sharing manner. With this multitask function, various means configured by software function on the PC 1. The printer management monitor 11 and the mailer 12 function as means related to the information transmission system. The auxiliary storage unit of the PC 1 includes a PJL command file 21, a printer information file 22, a PC information file 23, a setting file 24, a transmitted printer information file 25, and a file accessed by the printer management monitor 11 and the mailer 12. A transmitted PC information file 26 is provided.

  The printer management monitor 11 reads the PJL command from the PJL command file 21 in the PC 1 and gives the printer information to the printers 2 to 4 by acquiring the PJL command to the printers 2 to 4. 22 is a software module that executes processing to be stored in 22.

  A plurality of PJL commands are described in the PJL command file 21, and all of the plurality of PJL commands are given to the printers 2 to 4. As a result, a plurality of items of printer information corresponding to a plurality of PJL commands are returned from each of the printers 2 to 4, and the plurality of items of printer information are stored in the printer information file 22.

  The printer information file 22 includes the same number of records as the number of printers connected to the PC 1 (three in this embodiment), and one record includes a plurality of items corresponding to one printer. Is stored. Specifically, in this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2, “Printer.No”, “Printer Name”, “Port Name”, “ROM Version”, “Ser.No”, “Drum Life” “,“ Page count ”,“ Jam count ”,“ Toner Change ”, and the above nine items of printer information are stored in the printer information file 22.

  “Printer.No” is a serial number assigned to the printers 2 to 4 locally connected to the PC 1, “Printer Name” is the model name of each printer 2 to 4, and “Port Name” is the connection to each printer 2 to 4. The input / output port name, “ROM Version” is the ROM version number of each printer 2 to 4, “Ser.No” is the serial number of each printer 2 to 4, and “Drum Life” is each printer 2 to 4. Drum remaining service count, “Page count” is the number of prints in each printer 2-4, “Jam count” is the number of paper jams in each printer 2-4, “Toner Change” is the number of toner changes in each printer 2-4 It is.

  The mailer 12 acquires the printer information stored in the printer information file 22 and the PC information stored in the PC information file 23, and shows the correspondence between the PC 1 and the printers 2 to 4 based on these information. It is a software module that executes processing for creating and sending an electronic mail including correspondence information.

  The PC information file 23 stores a plurality of items of PC information related to PC1. Specifically, in the case of the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3, “IP address”, “PC name”, “Location”, “Contact”, “Note”, and the above five items of PC information are PC. It is stored in the information file 23.

  “IP address” is a numerical string indicating a logical address on the network assigned to PC1, “PC name” is a name (character string) assigned to PC1 to identify PC1 on the network, and “Location” is PC1. Installation location information (character string), “Contact” is the administrator information of the PC 1, and in this embodiment, the administrator's telephone number (character string) and “Note” can arbitrarily store information (character string). For example, the item is used when there is information to be stored other than the other four items.

  The setting file 24 stores setting data that defines various operating conditions of the mailer 12. In addition, a copy of the printer information file 22 is stored in the transmitted printer information file 25, and a copy of the PC information file 23 is stored in the transmitted PC information file 26. How to use these files, etc. Will be described together with the description of the processing by the mailer 12.

  As is well known, the PC 1 transmits an e-mail using an SMTP server and receives an e-mail using a POP server. The SMTP server and the POP server may be physically installed anywhere as long as the connection with the PC 1 is established and communication is possible. In the present embodiment, the PC 1 is connected to the LAN. The description will be continued assuming that the SMTP server 52 and the POP server 53 are prepared on the LAN 51 and connected to the (Local Area Network) 51. Also, the configuration of the e-mail transmission destination can be various for each transmission destination. In this embodiment, the Internet 71 is interposed between the PC 1 and the transmission destination. Will be described assuming that there is an SMTP server 82, a POP server 83, and a personal computer 84 (hereinafter referred to as a PC 84) connected via the LAN 81.

  The e-mail transmitted from the PC 1 is first transmitted to the SMTP server 52 via the LAN 51, and then transmitted to the POP server 83 via the Internet 71 by the SMTP server 52. Then, the PC 84 obtains an electronic mail from the POP server 83 by accessing the POP server 83. The electronic mail transmitted from the PC 84 is first transmitted to the SMTP server 82 via the LAN 81, and is transmitted to the POP server 53 via the Internet 71 by the SMTP server 82. Then, the PC 1 obtains an electronic mail from the POP server 53 by accessing the POP server 53.

Next, the operation | movement aspect of this information transmission system is demonstrated.
First, printer monitoring processing by the printer management monitor 11 executed in the PC 1 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. This printer monitoring process is a process that is started when the PC 1 is started up and then repeatedly executed until the power of the PC 1 is turned off.

  When the printer monitoring process is started, the PC 1 first waits until the time set in the timer is reached (S101: NO). When the time set in the timer is reached (S101: YES), the PC 1 is locally connected to the PC 1. For the printers 2 to 4, one printer to which no command file has been transmitted is selected (S105), and the PJL command read from the PJL command file 21 is transmitted (S107). Then, the reply sent from the target printer is received (readback), and the printer information of the printers 2 to 4 is output to a file (printer information file 22) (S109).

  These processes of S105 to S109 are executed in order for all the printers 2 to 4, and when the command file is not transmitted to all the printers 2 to 4 (S111: NO), the process of S105 Returning to the process, the next printer is processed. If the command file is transmitted to all the printers 2 to 4 (S111: YES), the process returns to the process of S101, and thereafter, this process is started from the point where it waits until the time set in the timer again. repeat.

  Through the above processing, the printer information file 22 provided in the PC 1 stores the printer information of the printers 2 to 4 every time when the time set in the timer comes.

Next, information transmission processing by the mailer 12 executed in the PC 1 will be described.
First, before executing this information transmission process, the user needs to set information transmission method and information related to the PC 1 in advance. This setting is an interactive process using GUI (Graphical User Interface) in the PC 1. It can be implemented.

  More specifically, when the user performs an operation (for example, an operation for starting the setting process of the mailer 12) for the user to perform settings related to the information transmission process on the PC 1, FIG. A setting screen as shown in FIG.

  In this setting screen, the radio button 101 in the “Mail Type” section allows the user to select whether the email type is the attached file format [CSV (MIME)] or the text format [Plain Text]. In an information transmission process to be described later, an e-mail of the format selected here is created and transmitted.

  In the “Location” column 103 in the “Client Information” section, a character string indicating the installation location can be arbitrarily input, and in the “Contact” column 105, the administrator of the PC 1 can be contacted. A character string indicating a telephone number can be arbitrarily input, and information (character string) that is likely to be useful for specifying the PC 1 can be arbitrarily input in the “Note” column 107.

  In addition, a check box 111 is provided in the “Send Mail” item, and the setting in the “Send Mail” item can be switched between valid / invalid depending on whether or not the check box is checked. In the “Send Mail Address” column 113 in the “Send Mail” section, an e-mail destination mail address can be entered, and in the “SMTP Server Address” column 115, an SMTP server used for sending an e-mail. The address (domain name) of (SMTP server 52 in the case of this embodiment) can be entered, and the “From Address” column 117 contains the mail address that will be described as the sender in the email. Can be entered.

  The “Send Log Status” button 121 is a button for manually sending an e-mail. The user performs a pressing operation (clicking using a pointing device, pressing a shortcut key to which an equivalent function is assigned). If the operation is performed, the same applies to the following, an email is immediately created and transmitted.

  The “Schedule Setting” section includes a schedule display field 123, an “Add” button 125, an “Edit” button 127, a “Delete” button 129, an “Auto Send (Latest Date & Time)” check box 131, “Auto Send”. (Latest Data) ”check box 133 is provided.

  The schedule display field 123 is an area for displaying the currently set automatic transmission schedule. The “Add” button 125 is a button that is pressed when it is desired to add a new automatic transmission schedule, the “Edit” button 127 is a button that is pressed when it is desired to modify the currently set automatic transmission schedule, and the “Delete” button 129 is This button is used to delete the currently set automatic transmission schedule.

  In the schedule display field 123, a plurality of automatic transmission schedules are displayed, and only one of them is highlighted. When the “Edit” button 127 or the “Delete” button 129 is operated, the highlighted schedule is subject to correction or deletion.

  When the “Add” button 125 or the “Edit” button 127 is operated, the PC 1 displays a schedule setting screen as shown in FIG. In this schedule setting screen, a radio button 161 can be used to select whether to transmit [Specified Time] to be transmitted at a specific time or [Specified Cycle] to be transmitted every predetermined time.

  When transmitting at a specific time, the start time of the process can be entered in the “Starting Time” column 163, and the transmission cycle can be set to one of [Everyday], [Weekly], and [Monthly] every day with the radio button 165. can do. If the transmission cycle is set to [Weekly] every week, a list of days of the week can be displayed and selected in the drop-down menu column 167. If the transmission cycle is set to [Monthly] every month, the date is input to the date input column 169. be able to. On the other hand, when transmitting every predetermined time, the time can be input in the time input field 171.

  After inputting these items, the user presses a “Submit” button 173 to reflect the input, and a “Cancel” button 175 to cancel without reflecting the input. When the “Submit” button 173 is pressed, the data input on the schedule setting screen is recorded in the setting file 24 and the setting screen shown in FIG. 5 is displayed again. When the “Cancel” button 175 is pressed, the data input on the schedule setting screen is discarded and the setting screen shown in FIG. 5 is restored.

  Now, when the “Auto Send (Latest Date & Time)” check box 131 is checked in the “Schedule Setting” section of the setting screen shown in FIG. 5, the date of the printer information file 22 is updated. An e-mail is sent. When the “Auto Send (Latest Data)” check box 133 is checked, an e-mail is transmitted when the contents of the printer information file 22 or the PC information file 23 are updated.

  In other words, the schedule displayed in the schedule display field 123 is a schedule for sending an e-mail regardless of whether or not a file has been updated, whereas “Auto Send (Latest Date & Time ) ”When the check box 131 is checked, the e-mail sending condition is that the file date (time stamp) is updated, and the“ Auto Send (Latest Data) ”check box 133 is checked. In this case, the e-mail transmission condition is that the contents of the file are updated.

  Furthermore, a check box 135 is provided in the “Recieve Setting Mail” item, and the setting in the “Recieve Setting Mail” item can be switched between valid / invalid depending on whether the check box is checked or not. In the “Pop Server Address” column 137 in the “Recieve Setting Mail” section, the address (domain name) of the POP server (POP server 53 in this embodiment) used for receiving the e-mail can be entered. In the “Mail Account Name” column 139, a mail account necessary for designating a specific mailbox from among a plurality of mailboxes managed by the POP server can be entered. Can enter the password required to access the mailbox identified by the mail account.

  After inputting these items, the user presses a “Submit” button 151 to reflect the input, or a “Cancel” button 153 to cancel without reflecting the input. When the “Submit” button 151 is pressed, the data input on the schedule setting screen is recorded in the PC information file 23 and the setting file 24, and the recorded data is referred to in the information transmission process described later. become. When the “Cancel” button 153 is pressed, the data input on this schedule setting screen is discarded.

  Of the items set on the setting screen, items entered in the “Location” column 103, the “Contact” column 105, and the “Note” column 107 in the “Client Information” section are PC information files as part of the PC information. Items other than these are recorded in the setting file 24.

On the premise that the above settings are made in advance, the PC 1 executes an information transmission process by the mailer 12. This information transmission process is a process as shown in FIG.
When the information transmission process is started, the PC 1 records the current PC state in the PC information file 23 (S201). In the process of S201, the current PC status is recorded in the PC information file 23 with the IP address and computer name assigned to the PC 1. By the process of S201, the item “ “IP address” and “PC name” are recorded (see FIG. 3).

  Subsequently, the PC 1 determines whether or not the timer has come (S203). More specifically, the automatic transmission schedule displayed in the schedule display field 123 in the setting screen shown in FIG. 5 is recorded in the setting file 24 as already described. When starting this processing, the PC 1 acquires the setting contents of the automatic transmission schedule from the setting file 24, calculates the next transmission time, and sets the transmission time in the timer. In the process of S203, an affirmative determination is made when the time set in the timer at the start of this process arrives (S203: YES), and in this case, the process proceeds to S221.

  On the other hand, when it is not the time of the timer (S203: NO), the PC 1 determines whether or not the transmission button is pressed on the GUI (S205). The send button here is the “Send Log Status” button 121 shown in FIG. 5, and it is determined that the user is performing a pressing operation (S205: YES). In this case, S221 is performed. Move on to processing.

  If the transmission button is not pressed on the GUI (S205: NO), the PC 1 determines whether the update notification is checked (S207). Specifically, in the process of S207, it is determined whether or not the “Auto Send (Latest Date & Time)” check box 131 shown in FIG. 5 is checked. : YES), it is subsequently determined whether or not the date (time stamp) of the printer information file 22 has been updated (S209). In the process of S209, the date of the printer information file 22 is compared with the date of the transmitted printer information file 25. If the former is a newer date than the latter (S209: YES), the process proceeds to S221. To do.

  When the update notification is not checked (S207: NO), or when the date of the printer information file 22 is not updated (S209: NO), the PC 1 determines whether the change notification is checked. (S211). Specifically, in the processing of S211, it is determined whether or not the “Auto Send (Latest Data)” check box 133 shown in FIG. 5 is checked. If it is checked (S211: YES) Subsequently, the PC 1 determines whether or not there is a difference between the contents of the transmitted printer information file 25 and the contents of the printer information file 22 (S213). If there is a difference between the contents of the transmitted printer information file 25 and the contents of the printer information file 22 in the process of S213 (S213: YES), the process proceeds to S221. If there is no difference between the contents of the transmitted printer information file 25 and the contents of the printer information file 22 in the processing of S213 (S213: NO), the PC 1 stores the contents of the transmitted PC information file 26 and the PC information file 23. It is determined whether there is a difference in content (S215). If there is a difference between the content of the transmitted PC information file 26 and the content of the PC information file 23 in the process of S215 (S215: YES), the process proceeds to S221.

  When the process proceeds to the process of S221 in the processes of S203 to S215 described above, the PC 1 sets a mail destination (S221). This destination is the mail address input in the “Send Mail Address” column 113 in FIG. 5 and recorded in the setting file 24. In the process of S221, the mail address is acquired from the setting file 24. Then, the PC 1 executes transmission data creation processing (S223). This process is a process as shown in detail in FIG.

  When the processing shown in FIG. 8 is started, the PC 1 first copies the PC information file and the printer information file as transmission history data (S301). Specifically, the printer information file 22 is copied to the transmitted printer information file 25 including the time stamp, and the PC information file 23 is copied to the transmitted PC information file 26 including the time stamp. As a result, even if the printer information file 22 and the PC information file 23 are subsequently updated, the PC information and the printer information that are to be transmitted by e-mail this time are the transmitted printer information file 25 and the transmitted information as transmission history data. It remains in the PC information file 26. The transmitted printer information file 25 and the transmitted PC information file 26 are used to determine whether the printer information file 22 and the PC information file 23 have been updated when the processes of S213 and S215 are executed. Referenced.

  Subsequently, the PC 1 determines whether the “Mail Type” of the electronic mail to be created in the subsequent processing is “CSV” (S303). Specifically, the “Mail Type” of the email to be created in the subsequent processing is selected by the radio button 101 in the “Mail Type” section of FIG. 5 and recorded in the setting file 24. In this process, “Mail Type” is acquired from the setting file 24.

  When “Mail Type” is “CSV” (S303: YES), the PC 1 opens the temporary file for transmission as an attached file (S305), and first arranges the item names of the PC information by separating them with commas. The file is written in one line (S307), and the contents of the PC information are arranged in a comma-delimited format and written in the file in one line (S309).

  Also, the printer information item names are arranged in a comma-delimited format and written in one line in the file (S311). Further, the printer information contents corresponding to one printer are arranged in a comma-delimited format, and the line is added to the file in one line. (S313).

  Then, it is determined whether or not all the information of the connected printer has been written (S315). If all the information has not been written (S315: NO), the process returns to S313. As a result, in the case of this embodiment, since the three printers 2 to 4 are connected to the PC 1, the processing of S313 to S315 is repeated three times, which is the same number as the number of printers 2 to 4. In this repetitive process, every time the process of S313 is executed, the contents of the printer information corresponding to another one printer are arranged in a comma-separated form and written to the file in one line.

  When all the information of the connected printer is written (S315: YES), an attached file type mail header is prepared (S317), a temporary file for transmission is attached (S319), and this process is finished.

  The e-mail created by the processes of S305 to S319 in this way is composed of an e-mail body part as illustrated in FIG. 9A and an attached file as illustrated in FIG. 9B. . The attached file illustrated in FIG. 9B is a so-called CSV (Comma Separated Values) format file, which is a highly versatile file that can be referred to in a table format using commercially available spreadsheet software or the like. .

  On the other hand, if “Mail Type” is not “CSV” in the process of S303 (S303: NO), the PC 1 prepares a plain text type mail header (S321), and then the PC information is set as an item. The contents are read as a set and written in the body of the mail (S323). As for the printer information, similarly to the PC information, the printer information is read with the items and contents set, and is written in the body of the mail (S325).

  Then, it is determined whether or not all the information of the connected printer has been written (S327). If all the information has not been written (S327: NO), the process returns to S325. As a result, in the case of the present embodiment, since the three printers 2 to 4 are connected to the PC 1, the processes of S325 to S327 are repeated three times, which is the same number as the number of printers 2 to 4. In this iterative process, every time the process of S325 is executed, the printer information corresponding to another printer is read as a set of items and contents and written in the body of the mail. become. When all the information of the connected printer is written (S327: YES), this process is finished.

  Thus, the e-mail created by the processing of S321 to S327 is composed only of the e-mail main body as illustrated in FIG. PC information and printer information are described in the body of the e-mail, but unlike the attached file illustrated in FIG. 9B, items and contents are described as a set separated by commas in one line. . Such an e-mail body is not as versatile as a CSV file, but the contents can be viewed using ordinary e-mail transmission / reception software. If you have equipment, you can easily see its contents.

  When the process of S319 or S327 is completed as described above, the process of S223 in FIG. 7 is completed, so the PC 1 transmits the electronic mail created in the process of S223 (S225). As a result, an e-mail is transmitted from the PC 1 to the SMTP server 52 via the LAN 51, and thereafter, as is well known, an e-mail is sent to the destination by the function of the SMTP server 52. After finishing the process of S225, it returns to the process of S201 and the process from S201 is repeated again.

  The above is a description of the processing when sending an e-mail. If the change notification is not checked in the processing in S211 (S211), or the transmitted PC information file in the processing in S215. If there is no difference between the contents of 26 and the contents of the PC information file 23 (S215: NO), the process does not proceed to the process of S221. In this case, the PC 1 executes the setting change process (S231). This setting change process is a process as shown in detail in FIG.

  When the setting change process is started, the PC 1 first determines whether or not the setting has been changed using the GUI (S401). As described above, in the PC 1, when the user performs an operation for performing settings related to the information transmission process (for example, an operation for starting the setting process of the mailer 12), FIG. 5 is displayed on the display screen of the PC 1. Since the setting screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed, the user can perform an input operation on the setting screen to change the setting related to the information transmission process. The display of the setting screen and the execution of the input operation shown in FIGS. 5 to 6 may be performed by starting a setting program different from the mailer 12.

  If the PC information file 23 is a dedicated file used only by the mailer 12, the possibility that the PC information file 23 is changed to PC information unintended by the user may be reduced. It is even better to protect the mailer 12 or setting program so that it cannot be changed. From that point of view, a method of storing in the work memory of the mailer 12 is also conceivable.

  In the process of S401, it is determined whether or not such a setting change has been performed. If the setting has been changed (S401: YES), the setting input through the GUI is stored (S403). As described above, the items input in the “Location” column 103, the “Contact” column 105, and the “Note” column 107 in FIG. 5 are recorded in the PC information file 23 as part of the PC information. Items other than these are recorded in the setting file 24.

  By the way, although the process of S401-S403 demonstrated above becomes a process for performing a setting change using GUI provided in PC1, in this embodiment, the said setting change is also performed using an email. It can be implemented.

  That is, when the processing of S403 is completed, the PC 1 accesses the POP server 53 and tries to acquire an e-mail addressed to this system (S405). If the mail can be received (S407: YES), the setting designated by the mail is stored (S409).

  Here, the e-mail to be received by the PC 1 is, for example, an e-mail transmitted from the PC 84. As shown in FIG. 12, the PC 84 inputs setting items in the mail text (S501), inputs the mail address of the PC (PC1 in this embodiment) whose setting is to be changed (S503), and based on those inputs. Processing such as transmitting the created electronic mail (S505) is performed, and the electronic mail is sent out. This e-mail is first transmitted to the SMTP server 82, transmitted from the SMTP server 82 to the POP server 53, and transmitted from the POP server 53 to the PC 1 by the process of S405.

  The e-mail transmitted from the PC 84 to the PC 1 has the setting contents described in a predetermined format as exemplified in FIG. The setting contents are almost the same as those entered in the GUI, but the setting items in the “Recieve Setting Mail” section prepared in the GUI cannot be changed by e-mail from the viewpoint of security. It has become.

  In the process of S409, when an e-mail as illustrated in FIG. 13 is received, the e-mail body is read and analyzed line by line, setting items and setting contents are extracted, and the extracted setting contents are input via the GUI. As in the case of the above, it is recorded in either the PC information file 23 or the setting file 24 in accordance with the setting item.

  When the process of S409 is completed in this way, the process of S231 shown in FIG. 7 is completed. After the process of S231 is completed, the process returns to S201, and the processes from S201 are repeated again. . The information transmission process described above is repeatedly executed at a frequency of about once every 1 to 5 minutes, for example.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to this information transmission system, the user can know information related to the printers 2 to 4 by looking at the e-mail that has arrived at the transmission destination. 4 and the PC 1 to which the printers 2 to 4 are connected. Therefore, unlike a system in which only information related to the printers 2 to 4 is sent, the user can know that the printers 2 to 4 are connected to the PC 1. In addition, since the correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the PC 1 and the printers 2 to 4 is transmitted by e-mail, the e-mail can be received unlike information that can be exchanged only by computers on the same network. Correspondence information can be received at any arbitrary location.

  Also, depending on the settings, the correspondence information can be described in the body of an email or attached as an attached file, so if it is described in the body of an email, a mailer that cannot receive the attached file Even users who use mobile terminals can view correspondence information. When attached as an attached file, the correspondence information can be displayed in a more easily viewable manner by using general-purpose spreadsheet software or the like.

  The PC information in the correspondence information includes installation location information “Location”, administrator information “Contact”, and optional description information “Note” that the user will arbitrarily input in this information transmission system. Compared to the case where only “IP address” and “PC name” required for network operation are used as PC information, even users who are not familiar with network-related settings can handle PC information. It is possible to more easily identify which PC is the PC among many PCs existing on the network. It is also easy to go to the installation location of the PC by looking at the installation location information, and to contact the administrator of the PC by looking at the administrator information. Furthermore, since the PC information in the correspondence information includes “IP address” and “PC name”, if you are a detailed user regarding network-related settings, look at these items and change the PC information. It is possible to easily identify which PC is the corresponding PC among many PCs existing on the network.

  Correspondence information is obtained by using a timing according to a schedule set by the user, a timing when the update date / time or contents of the printer information file 22 is updated, a timing when the contents of the PC information file 23 are updated, and a GUI. Since it can be arbitrarily set to send as an e-mail at various timings such as the timing when the user presses the send button ("Send Log Status" button 121 shown in FIG. 5), the user thinks that it is necessary. The timing can be set, and the latest correspondence information at the timing can be notified to the user by e-mail.

  Furthermore, when the PC 1 executes the process as the mailer 12, the printer information is not acquired directly from the printers 2-4, but is acquired from the printer information file 22, so that the printers 2-4 are in a busy state. The printer information can be acquired without being affected by the operating state of the printers 2 to 4 even if the printer is in a power-off state.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said specific one Embodiment, In addition, it can implement with a various form.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which an attachment file is created in a CSV file format and transmitted by e-mail as a file in which correspondence information is recorded has been described. However, the format of the attachment file itself is arbitrary. For example, an attached file may be created in an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) format and attached to an e-mail. In this case, the correspondence information can be viewed with a web browser capable of displaying the HTML file.

In the above embodiment, the administrator information is a telephone number for contacting the administrator. However, this may be a mail address for contacting the administrator.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which each procedure constituting the information transmission process is executed in a specific order. However, a procedure that does not cause a problem even if the order is changed can be executed in any order. is there.

  If some specific examples are given, for example, the timing of executing the processing of S231 (setting change processing) shown in FIG. 7 is not required to be the timing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 (position of S231). Not necessarily. More specifically, if a setting change process corresponding to S231 is executed in a series of flow from the determination of whether mail transmission is necessary in S203 to S225 to the mail transmission, there is a possibility that unexpected mail contents of the user are transmitted. Therefore, it is not desirable to perform the setting change process at such timing. In particular, there is a setting change process equivalent to S231 after the mail is determined to be transmitted in S203, S205, S207 to S209, S211 to S213, and S211 to S215 until the actual mail is transmitted in S225. Is not desirable. Therefore, in order to avoid these undesirable timings, in the present embodiment, the setting change process of S231 is executed at the timings shown in FIG. However, if the above-mentioned undesirable timing can be avoided, there is no problem even at a timing other than the execution timing of S231 shown in FIG. If it is configured to prevent settings from being changed at an undesired timing (for example, measures such as temporarily protecting the settings file so that it cannot be rewritten during the period when it is desired to prohibit rewriting the settings file). 7), it is not always necessary to execute the setting change processing in the processing flow shown in FIG. 7, and a processing flow different from the processing flow shown in FIG. 7 (for example, by the multitask function of the OS). It is also conceivable to execute the setting change process in the process flow of another process executed in parallel.

  In FIG. 7, the determination steps S203, S205, S207, and S211 do not necessarily have to be executed in this order, and any of these determination steps may be executed first. Further, the determination steps of S213 and S215 are the same regardless of the execution order.

  Further, the execution timing of the processing of S201 (PC information file update processing) shown in FIG. 7 does not necessarily have to be the timing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 (position of S201), as shown in FIG. Any time before the start of the process of writing the PC information in the mail or the attached file in the processes of S307 and S323 may be used. However, in the present embodiment, the PC information file 23 and the transmitted PC information file 26 are compared in the process of S215, and the PC information file 23 needs to be updated at this point. Further, in the process of S301 shown in FIG. 8, the PC information file 23 is copied to the transmitted PC information file 26 in order to leave the transmitted PC information as transmission history data. The file 23 needs to be updated. Therefore, for the convenience of updating the PC information file 23 before the processes of S215 and S301 are performed, the process of S201 is performed at the timing illustrated in FIG. In other words, if the relationship with the timing of executing the processes corresponding to S215 and S301 is taken into consideration, the process of S201 can be executed at an arbitrary timing before the processes of S307 and S323 are started.

  Furthermore, the execution timing of the processing of S301 shown in FIG. 8 (processing for saving the transmitted printer information file / transmitted PC information file) is also required to be the timing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 (position of S301). Not necessarily. However, in the present embodiment, the transmitted printer information file 25 and the transmitted PC information file 26 are used as comparison targets at the time when the processes of S213 and S215 are executed again in the repeated process. , It is necessary to execute processing equivalent to S301. If processing corresponding to S301 is executed at a timing other than the above embodiment, for example, if it is configured to execute processing equivalent to S301 after confirming that mail transmission by the processing of S255 has been successful, mail transmission is not performed. This is desirable because it is possible to save the transmitted printer information and transmitted PC information that have succeeded reliably.

The schematic block diagram of the information transmission system demonstrated as embodiment of this invention. The figure which showed the contents of the printer information file in a tabular format. The figure which showed the content of PC information file in the table format. 10 is a flowchart of printer monitoring processing by a printer management monitor. The figure which shows a setting screen. The figure which shows the schedule setting screen for mail transmission. The flowchart of the information transmission process by a mailer. The flowchart of the production process of the data for transmission. The figure which illustrates the email of an attachment file format. The figure which illustrates the email of a text format. The flowchart of a setting change process. The flowchart of a setting change mail transmission process. The figure which illustrates a setting change mail.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Personal computer, 2-4 ... Printer, 11 ... Printer management monitor, 12 ... Mailer, 21 ... PJL command file, 22 ... Printer information file, 23 ... PC Information file, 24... Setting file, 25... Transmitted printer information file, 26... Transmitted PC information file, 52 and 82... SMTP server, 53 and 83. ··the Internet.

Claims (20)

An information transmission program for causing a computer connected to an image forming apparatus to execute an information transmission process,
The information transmission process includes:
A computer information acquisition procedure for acquiring computer information which is information about the computer;
An image forming apparatus information acquisition procedure for acquiring image forming apparatus information which is information relating to the image forming apparatus;
Including correspondence information indicating correspondence between the computer and the image forming apparatus based on the computer information acquired in the computer information acquisition procedure and the image forming apparatus information acquired in the image forming apparatus information acquisition procedure. An email creation procedure to create an email;
An information transmission program comprising: an e-mail transmission procedure for transmitting the e-mail created in the e-mail creation procedure to a transmission destination. The information transmission program according to claim 1, wherein the e-mail creation procedure is a procedure for creating the e-mail in which the correspondence information is described in a body of the e-mail. The information transmission program according to claim 1, wherein the e-mail creation procedure is a procedure for creating the e-mail in which the correspondence information is attached as an e-mail attachment file. The information transmission process is a process including a computer information input procedure for allowing a user to input information used as at least part of the computer information,
The information according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the computer information acquisition procedure is a procedure for acquiring the computer information including information input by a user in the computer information input procedure. Send program. 5. The information transmission program according to claim 4, wherein the computer information input procedure is a procedure for allowing a user to input installation location information, which is information relating to an installation location of the computer. The information transmission program according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the computer information input procedure is a procedure for allowing a user to input administrator information, which is information relating to an administrator of the computer. The information transmission process is a process including an input information storage control procedure for storing information input by a user in the computer information input procedure in a computer information storage unit included in the computer,
The input information storage control procedure overwrites old information stored in the computer information storage means with new information input by the user in the computer information input procedure every time information is input by the computer information input procedure. Procedure
The said computer information acquisition procedure is a procedure which acquires the said computer information containing the information memorize | stored in the said computer information storage means in the said input information storage control procedure. The any one of Claims 4-6 characterized by the above-mentioned. Information transmission program described in 1. The computer is connected to a network and includes computer name storage means for storing a computer name used for identifying the computer on the network.
The information transmission process is a process including a computer name storage control procedure for storing a computer name read from the computer name storage unit in a computer information storage unit included in the computer,
The computer name storage control procedure is a new computer in which an old computer name stored in the computer information storage means is read from the computer name storage means prior to causing the computer to execute the computer information acquisition procedure. Overwriting with a name,
The computer information acquisition procedure is a procedure for acquiring the computer information including the computer name stored in the computer information storage means in the computer name storage control procedure. Information transmission program described in Crab. The computer includes an address information storage unit that is connected to a network and stores address information used when communicating with other nodes on the network.
The information transmission process is a process including an address information storage control procedure for storing address information read from the address information storage unit in a computer information storage unit included in the computer,
Prior to causing the computer to execute the computer information acquisition procedure, the address information storage control procedure includes a new address read out from the address information storage unit. It is a procedure to overwrite with information,
The computer information acquisition procedure is a procedure for acquiring the computer information including address information stored in the computer information storage means in the address information storage control procedure. Information transmission program described in Crab. The information transmission process is a process including a computer information update determination procedure for determining whether or not the computer information has been updated,
10. The e-mail creation procedure is a procedure for creating the e-mail when it is determined in the computer information update determination procedure that the computer information has been updated. Information transmission program described in Crab. The information transmission process is a process including an old computer information saving procedure for saving the computer information used when creating the email in the email creating procedure as old computer information,
The computer information update determination procedure compares the content of the old computer information stored in the old computer information storage procedure with the content of the computer information acquired in the computer information acquisition procedure. The information transmission program according to claim 10, wherein the information is a procedure for determining that the computer information has been updated. The computer can execute a plurality of processes in parallel, acquires the image forming apparatus information from the image forming apparatus, and stores the acquired image forming apparatus information in an image forming apparatus information storage unit included in the computer The image forming apparatus information storage process to be executed is executed in parallel with the information transmission process,
The image forming apparatus information acquisition procedure included in the information transmission process includes: acquiring the image forming apparatus information stored in the image forming apparatus information storing unit by the image forming apparatus information storing process from the image forming apparatus information storing unit; The information transmission program according to claim 1, wherein the information transmission program is an acquisition procedure. The information transmission process is a process including an image forming apparatus information update determination procedure for determining whether or not the image forming apparatus information has been updated.
The e-mail creation procedure is a procedure for creating the e-mail when it is determined in the image forming apparatus information update determination procedure that the image forming apparatus information has been updated. Item 13. The information transmission program according to any one of Items 12. The information transmission process is a process including an old image forming apparatus information storing procedure for storing the image forming apparatus information used when the e-mail is generated in the e-mail generating procedure as old image forming apparatus information,
The image forming apparatus information update determination procedure includes the contents of the old image forming apparatus information stored in the old image forming apparatus information storing procedure and the contents of the image forming apparatus information acquired in the image forming apparatus information acquiring procedure. 14. The information transmission program according to claim 13, wherein the information transmission program is a procedure for judging that the image forming apparatus information has been updated when the two contents are different from each other. The information transmission process stores the update date / time of the image forming apparatus information used when the email was created in the email creation procedure as old image forming apparatus information update date / time information. A process that includes information storage procedures,
The image forming apparatus information update determination procedure includes the update date and time of the old image forming apparatus information stored in the old image forming apparatus information update date and time information storing procedure and the image forming apparatus acquired in the image forming apparatus information acquisition procedure. The information transmission program according to claim 13, wherein the information transmission program compares the update date and time of the information and determines that the image forming apparatus information has been updated when the update date and time are different. The information transmission process is a process including a period elapse determination procedure for determining whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the e-mail was created or transmitted.
The e-mail creation procedure is a procedure for creating the e-mail when it is determined that a predetermined period has elapsed in the period elapse determination procedure. Information transmission program described in 1. The information transmission process is a process including a transmission schedule information input procedure for allowing a user to input transmission schedule information for setting the transmission time of the e-mail,
The information transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the e-mail creation procedure is a procedure of creating the e-mail when a transmission time indicated by the transmission schedule information arrives. program. The information transmission process is a process including a transmission instruction input procedure for causing a user to input a transmission instruction for the e-mail;
The information transmission program according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the electronic mail creation procedure is a procedure of creating the electronic mail when the transmission instruction is input. A computer to which an image forming apparatus is connected,
Computer information acquisition means for acquiring computer information which is information about the computer;
Image forming apparatus information acquisition means for acquiring image forming apparatus information which is information relating to the image forming apparatus;
Correspondence relation information indicating correspondence relation between the computer and the image forming apparatus based on the computer information acquired by the computer information acquisition means and the image forming apparatus information acquired by the image forming apparatus information acquisition means. An email creating means for creating an email including:
An electronic mail sending means for sending the electronic mail created by the electronic mail creating means to a transmission destination. An information transmission system comprising an image forming apparatus and a computer to which the image forming apparatus is connected,
The computer is
Computer information acquisition means for acquiring computer information which is information about the computer;
Image forming apparatus information acquisition means for acquiring image forming apparatus information which is information relating to the image forming apparatus;
Correspondence relation information indicating correspondence relation between the computer and the image forming apparatus based on the computer information acquired by the computer information acquisition means and the image forming apparatus information acquired by the image forming apparatus information acquisition means. An email creating means for creating an email including:
An information transmission system comprising: an e-mail transmission unit configured to transmit the e-mail generated by the e-mail generation unit to a transmission destination.

Images