JP2006013814A - Electronic apparatus and management method thereof, and control program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic apparatus the maintenance of which can efficiently be carried out. <P>SOLUTION: A digital composite machine 1 having particular functions and capable of transmitting information to a plurality of transmission destination terminals 2 connected via a network 3 includes: a diagnostic section 11 for detecting whether a state of its own machine is abnormal or normal; a calculation section 13 for acquiring an elapsed time from a prescribed point of time until an abnormity state first takes place; and a transmission section 20 that determines the transmission destination terminal 2 to which the information is transmitted depending on whether or not the elapsed time is within a preset setting time and transmits the information to the determined transmission destination terminal 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device capable of transmitting information to the outside and a management method thereof, and more particularly to an electronic device that transmits information to the outside when the electronic device is in an abnormal state and a management method thereof. Is.

  Generally, when a digital multi-function peripheral having a function such as a copier becomes an abnormal state, a service person who performs maintenance on the electronic device repairs the digital multi-function peripheral.

  By the way, in recent years, various attempts have been made not only to transmit information via a network but also to exert various other functions by connecting various electronic devices such as computers and copiers to a network such as a LAN. ing. In particular, various techniques for effectively managing electronic devices using an electronic mail function have been proposed.

  An example of a digital multi-function peripheral that has a communication function and transmits / receives information via a network is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, information is transmitted to a predetermined transmission destination after the operation of the digital multifunction peripheral is resumed. Information is transmitted only to a predetermined transmission destination.
JP 2002-236576 A (publication date; August 23, 2002)

  However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, when information is transmitted from the digital multifunction peripheral, the information is always transmitted to a predetermined transmission destination (a terminal held by the management center or service person). Specifically, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, immediately after a serviceman completes repair of a digital multifunction peripheral and the abnormal state is resolved, that is, the serviceman is near the digital multifunction peripheral. Even in the state, when the digital multifunction peripheral detects an abnormal state and transmits information related to the abnormal state, the information is always transmitted to a management center far from the digital multifunction peripheral. In this case, information is transmitted from the management center far from the digital multifunction peripheral to a service person near the digital multifunction peripheral, and the service person who receives this information goes to maintenance of the digital multifunction peripheral. Become. Therefore, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that efficient maintenance of the digital multifunction peripheral cannot be performed.

  In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, it is possible to set so that information is always transmitted to a serviceman. In this case, however, the serviceman is in a digital composite in an abnormal state. Regardless of whether you are near or far away from the machine, information is always transmitted, and efficient maintenance cannot be performed.

  The above-mentioned problem is the same not only in digital multifunction peripherals but also in various electronic devices having a communication function.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that can efficiently maintain an electronic device and a management method thereof.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electronic device according to the present invention is an electronic device capable of transmitting information to a plurality of transmission destination terminals, and is in an abnormal state or a normal state. Detection means for detecting whether there is, acquisition means for acquiring an elapsed time from the predetermined time point until the first abnormal state, and whether or not the elapsed time is within a preset set time In addition to selecting at least one of the plurality of transmission destination terminals, a transmission means is provided for transmitting abnormal information regarding the abnormal state to the determined transmission destination terminal.

  Examples of the plurality of transmission destination terminals include a service center that always manages the electronic device, a terminal owned by a service person who performs maintenance of the electronic device, and the like.

  According to the above configuration, a transmission destination (transmission destination terminal) that transmits abnormality information depending on whether or not the elapsed time from the predetermined time point to the first abnormal state is within a preset time. Is determined.

  Thereby, for example, when the elapsed time is within a preset time, the abnormality information is transmitted to the terminal owned by the serviceman who performed maintenance of the electronic device, while the elapsed time is When the preset time is exceeded, the abnormality information can be transmitted to the service center. In the former case, the service person who performed maintenance of the electronic device is likely to be still near the electronic device, and can immediately go to maintenance of the electronic device. In the latter case, the service person who performed maintenance on the electronic device is likely not to be near the electronic device, and therefore transmits abnormality information to the service center. In other words, with the above configuration, the abnormality information can be transmitted to the optimum transmission destination according to the elapsed time from the predetermined time point until the first abnormal state is reached. Thereby, an electronic device can be managed efficiently.

  The electronic device according to the present invention includes monitoring means for monitoring that specific information for specifying a transmission destination terminal for transmitting the abnormality information is input, and the monitoring means is configured to monitor the specific information at the predetermined time point. When the transmission means determines that the elapsed time is within the set time, the transmission means transmits the abnormality information to the transmission destination terminal corresponding to the input specific information. A configuration is more preferable.

  According to said structure, when the elapsed time from the time the specific information for specifying the transmission destination terminal which transmits abnormality information was input is acquired, and this elapsed time is within the preset set time, Sets the transmission destination of the abnormality information to the transmission destination terminal corresponding to the specific information.

  Accordingly, for example, after a serviceman who performs maintenance of an electronic device performs maintenance of the electronic device, the specific information of the terminal owned by the serviceman is input to the electronic device. If the electronic device detects an abnormal state within a preset time after the input, the abnormal information is transmitted to the terminal of the service person. Further, there is a high possibility that the service person is still near the electronic device within the preset time. Therefore, when the electronic device detects an abnormal state within a predetermined elapsed time, the service man can be immediately sent for re-maintenance of the electronic device by transmitting the abnormality information to the service man.

  In the electronic device according to the present invention, it is more preferable that the predetermined time point is a time point when the abnormal state returns to a normal state before the time point when the abnormal state is first set.

  According to the above configuration, by determining the transmission destination of information according to the determination whether or not the elapsed time from the return from the previous abnormal state to the abnormal state again is within the set time, It is possible to select a transmission destination of appropriate abnormality information.

  Moreover, by setting it as said structure, the elapsed time until it will be in an abnormal condition first after becoming an abnormal condition last time will be acquired. And the transmission destination of information is determined according to this elapsed time. Therefore, for example, when the elapsed time is short, the abnormality information is transmitted to the service person, while when the elapsed time is long, the abnormality information is transmitted to the management center. It can be performed.

  The electronic device according to the present invention includes a storage unit that associates and stores the content of an abnormal state that has occurred in the past and a destination terminal that has transmitted information on the abnormal state, and the content of the abnormal state detected by the detection unit. Search means for searching for a match with the contents of the abnormal state that occurred in the past stored in the storage means, the elapsed time is within the set time, and the past matched by the search means More preferably, when the content of the abnormal state is searched, the transmission means transmits the abnormal information to the destination terminal associated with the matched content of the past abnormal state.

  According to the above configuration, if the elapsed time is within the set time and the abnormal state detected by the detection means matches the content of the abnormal state that occurred in the past, The abnormal information is transmitted to the transmission destination that has transmitted the information on the abnormal state occurring in As a result, abnormality information having the same contents can be transmitted to the same destination terminal, so that the abnormality information can be transmitted to a destination terminal that is highly likely to cope with the abnormal state.

  Note that, for example, when the abnormal state occurs for a plurality of reasons, the search means may be a case where only a part of the content of the abnormal state stored in the storage means matches. It may be determined that they match.

  In the electronic device according to the present invention, it is more preferable that the transmission unit determines a transmission destination terminal that transmits abnormality information according to the content of the abnormal state when the elapsed time is within the set time.

  The electronic device according to the present invention preferably has a configuration in which the transmission unit determines a transmission destination terminal that transmits abnormality information according to the content of the abnormal state among the determined transmission destination terminals.

  For example, it is preferable to transmit the abnormality information to a transmission destination that can deal with the abnormal state when determining a transmission destination terminal that transmits the abnormality information according to whether or not it is within the set time. Specifically, the transmission destination terminal is determined according to the content of the abnormal state among the transmission destination terminals determined according to whether or not it is within the set time.

  According to said structure, since the transmission destination which transmits abnormal information is determined according to the content of the abnormal condition, abnormal information can be transmitted to the transmission destination which can deal with an abnormal condition reliably.

  In addition, as a method of determining the transmission destination terminal that transmits the abnormality information according to the content of the abnormal state, for example, the content of the abnormal state stored in advance and the transmission destination that transmits the abnormal information with respect to the abnormal state There is a method of determining a transmission destination terminal that transmits abnormality information with reference to content storage means stored in association with a terminal.

  The content storage means may be the same as the storage means, for example.

  When the electronic device according to the present invention determines that the abnormal state has not been resolved after the predetermined waiting time has elapsed since the transmission unit transmitted the abnormality information to the transmission destination terminal, the transmission that transmitted the abnormality information A configuration in which abnormality information is transmitted again to the destination terminal is more preferable.

  According to the above configuration, after the abnormal information is transmitted to the transmission destination terminal, if the abnormal state has not been resolved, the same abnormal information is transmitted to the same transmission destination terminal again. be able to.

  When the electronic device according to the present invention determines that the abnormal state has not been resolved after a predetermined standby time has elapsed since the transmission unit transmitted the abnormality information to the transmission destination terminal, the transmission unit transmits the abnormality information. A configuration in which the abnormality information is transmitted to a destination terminal different from the destination terminal is more preferable.

  According to the above configuration, after the abnormal information is transmitted to the transmission destination terminal, if the abnormal state is not resolved, the transmission destination that transmitted the abnormal information determines that the abnormal state cannot be resolved and is different. Abnormal information is transmitted to the destination terminal. Thereby, abnormality information can be transmitted to the transmission destination terminal which may be able to eliminate the abnormal state.

  More preferably, the electronic device according to the present invention includes a notification unit that notifies that the transmission unit is in an abnormal state when the transmission unit cannot transmit the abnormality information.

  According to the above configuration, when the transmission unit cannot transmit the abnormal information, it can notify the outside other than the transmission destination terminal that transmits the abnormal information that it is in an abnormal state. The operator of the electronic device can know that it is in an abnormal state, and can know that the transmission unit cannot transmit abnormality information. Examples of the notification means for notifying the contents of the abnormal state include a display means for notification by display, a voice output means for notification by voice, an output means for outputting abnormality information to a sheet or the like, and the like. .

  According to the electronic device management method of the present invention, in the electronic device management method capable of transmitting information to a plurality of destination terminals, it is determined whether the electronic device is in an abnormal state or a normal state. A detection process for detecting, an acquisition process for acquiring an elapsed time from the predetermined time point until the first abnormal state, and abnormality information depending on whether or not the elapsed time is within a preset set time And a transmission step of determining the transmission destination terminal to be transmitted and transmitting the abnormality information to the determined transmission destination terminal.

  Thereby, for example, when the elapsed time is within a preset time, the abnormality information is transmitted to the terminal owned by the serviceman who performed maintenance of the electronic device, while the elapsed time is When the preset time is exceeded, the abnormality information can be transmitted to the service center. Therefore, with the above configuration, abnormal information can be transmitted to an optimal transmission destination according to the elapsed time from the predetermined time point until the first abnormal state occurs, so that electronic devices can be managed efficiently. it can.

  The control program according to the present invention is a control program for operating the electronic device to solve the above-described problem, and is a communication program for causing a computer to function as each of the above-described means.

  With the above configuration, the electronic device can be realized by realizing each unit of the electronic device with a computer.

  A recording medium according to the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded.

  With the above configuration, the electronic device can be realized on a computer by a control program for the electronic device read from the recording medium.

  An electronic device according to the present invention is an electronic device having a specific function and capable of transmitting information to a plurality of destination terminals connected via a network, and the state of the device itself is abnormal Detecting means for detecting whether it is normal or normal, acquisition means for acquiring an elapsed time from the predetermined time point until the first abnormal state, and the elapsed time is within a preset set time In addition to determining a transmission destination terminal that transmits the abnormality information according to whether or not the transmission information is transmitted, the transmission unit transmits the abnormality information to the determined transmission destination terminal.

  An electronic device management method according to the present invention is a method for managing an electronic device that has a specific function and that can transmit information to a plurality of destination terminals connected via a network. A detection step for detecting whether the state of the electronic device is an abnormal state or a normal state, an acquisition step for acquiring an elapsed time from a predetermined time point to the first abnormal state, and the elapsed time are set in advance. And determining a transmission destination terminal that transmits the abnormality information according to whether or not it is within the set time, and transmitting the abnormality information to the determined transmission destination terminal.

  Thereby, for example, when the elapsed time is within a preset time, the abnormality information is transmitted to the terminal owned by the serviceman who performed maintenance of the electronic device, while the elapsed time is When the preset time is exceeded, the abnormality information can be transmitted to the service center. Therefore, with the above configuration, abnormal information can be transmitted to an optimal transmission destination according to the elapsed time from the predetermined time point to the first abnormal state, so that the electronic device can be managed efficiently. There is an effect that can be.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows. In the present invention, for example, when a service person sets a calling period, the service person is directly contacted using an e-mail only within the calling period starting from the setting time. In this way, when maintenance is necessary again after the maintenance work is completed, an e-mail can be sent directly to the service person. In other words, when maintenance is required again, a serviceman who is likely to be still nearby can be called, so that maintenance can be performed quickly. In addition, since the setting to directly send an e-mail to the service person is canceled when the calling period is exceeded, for example, when the service person is not nearby, the e-mail can be prevented from being sent to the service person. it can. That is, when the electronic device according to the present embodiment returns to the normal state from the previous abnormal state and then returns to the abnormal state within a preset time, the normally set information transmission In this configuration, abnormal information (hereinafter simply referred to as information) relating to an abnormal state is transmitted to a specific transmission destination terminal (transmission destination terminal possessed by a service person) instead of a terminal.

  In the following description, a digital multi-function peripheral having an image forming function will be described as an example of the electronic device, but the present invention is not limited to this. The electronic device may be any device capable of transmitting information to the outside, such as an image forming apparatus (network copying machine), a FAX, or a printer (network printer).

  As shown in FIG. 1, a management system for digital multifunction peripherals according to the present invention (hereinafter abbreviated as a management system as appropriate) includes a plurality of digital multifunction peripherals 1 connected to the digital multifunction peripheral 1 via a network 3. Destination terminal 2 (two in FIG. 1). The digital multifunction device 1 includes a transmission unit (transmission means), and the digital multifunction device 1 is connected to the network 3 such as various computer networks such as the Internet via the transmission unit.

  The digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment includes an image forming unit 10, a diagnosis unit (detection unit) 11, an information storage unit (storage unit) 25, a transmission unit (transmission unit) 20, and a calculation unit (acquisition). Means) 13 is provided. The digital multi-function peripheral 1 further preferably includes an operation input unit (monitoring unit) 30, a timer 15, a time storage unit 14, and a search unit (search unit) 16 as necessary.

  The image forming unit 10 has a specific function in the digital multi-function peripheral 1. Specifically, the image forming unit 10 forms an image on a recording material based on image data transmitted from the outside or generated inside. In FIG. 1, the image forming unit 10 is illustrated as the specific function, but is not limited to the above. Examples of the specific function include a FAX transmission unit (not shown) and an image reading unit.

  The diagnosis unit 11 diagnoses the state of the image forming unit 10. Then, the diagnosis unit 11 determines that the image forming unit 10 can operate normally as a normal state and the image forming unit 10 cannot operate normally (cannot operate) as an abnormal state. When the diagnosis unit 11 determines that the state of the image forming unit 10 is an abnormal state, the diagnosis unit 11 notifies the determination unit 21 that the state is an abnormal state. Further, it is more preferable that the diagnosis unit 11 transmits the contents of the abnormal state to the determination unit 21 and the information storage unit 25 when the image forming unit 10 is in an abnormal state. Further, the diagnosis unit 11 can understand the content of the abnormal state by analyzing information transmitted from the image forming unit 10 in the abnormal state.

  The information storage unit 25 stores various information stored in the digital multi-function peripheral 1. Specifically, the information storage unit 25 includes a transmission destination storage unit 26, a history storage unit 27, and an importance level storage unit 28.

  The transmission destination storage unit 26 stores the address of the transmission destination terminal 2 that is a transmission destination when transmitting information from the electronic mail communication unit 22 described later to the external transmission destination terminal 2. Further, the transmission destination storage unit 26 stores the address of the transmission destination terminal 2 input via the transmission destination input unit 33 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the history storage unit 27 stores the contents of the abnormal state of the image forming unit 10 determined by the diagnosis unit 11. Furthermore, when the diagnosis unit 11 determines that the image forming unit 10 is in an abnormal state, the history storage unit 27 associates the content of the abnormal state with the address of the destination terminal 2 that has transmitted the content of the abnormal state. Is remembered.

  That is, the history storage unit 27 stores a correspondence relationship between the address of the transmission destination terminal 2 transmitted in the past and the content of the abnormal state transmitted to the transmission destination terminal 2.

  The importance storage unit 28 indicates the correspondence between the contents of the abnormal state diagnosed by the diagnosis unit 11 and the address of the destination terminal 2 that transmits information according to the content of the abnormal state. Specifically, the importance storage unit 28 stores the address of the transmission destination terminal 2 that transmits information according to the type of abnormal state.

  In other words, the history storage unit 27 records the past transmission history (the address of the destination terminal 2 and information transmitted to the address), while the importance level storage unit 28 stores the contents of the abnormal state. Accordingly, the address of the information transmission destination terminal 2, that is, the correspondence between the content of the abnormal state and the transmission destination terminal that transmitted the information related to the abnormal state (FIG. 2) is stored.

  The transmission unit 20 transmits information to the external transmission destination terminal 2 (two in FIG. 1) via the network 3.

  The transmission unit 20 includes a determination unit 21 and an e-mail communication unit 22. The electronic mail communication unit 22 transmits electronic mail to the outside via the network 3. The determination unit 21 will be described later.

  The operation input unit 30 receives external input and presents information to the outside. Note that the outside here indicates an operator who operates the digital multi-function peripheral 1 in particular, and does not necessarily pass through the network 3. The operation input unit 30 includes an audio output unit 31, a display unit 32, and a transmission destination input unit 33.

  The display unit 32 is, for example, a display panel, and displays various information indicating the state and operation status of the digital multi-function peripheral 1. Specifically, for example, the display unit 32 can display information for inputting an information transmission destination when the image forming unit 10 is in an abnormal state. The voice output unit 31 outputs various information by voice.

  The transmission destination input unit 33 inputs information that can identify the transmission destination terminal 2 when transmitting the information. Specifically, the address of the destination terminal 2 to which information is transmitted is input. The transmission destination input unit 33 detects that the specific information (here, an address) has been input by the operator.

  The search unit 16 searches the history storage unit 27 of the information storage unit 25 for content that matches the content of the abnormal state based on the content of the abnormal state notified from the determination unit 21. The address of the destination terminal 2 associated with the contents of the abnormal state is extracted from the storage unit 27 and notified to the determination unit 21. In addition, the search unit 16 searches the importance storage unit 28 of the information storage unit 25 based on the content of the abnormal state notified from the determination unit 21 to determine whether there is content that matches the content of the abnormal state. In some cases, the address of the destination terminal 2 associated with the content of the abnormal state is extracted from the importance storage unit 28 and notified to the determination unit 21. That is, the search unit 16 searches the information (destination terminal 2) stored in the information storage unit 25 based on the content of the abnormal state received from the determination unit 21.

  The time storage unit 14 stores time according to an instruction from the calculation unit 13. The timer 15 measures time.

  Here, the calculation unit 13 and the determination unit 21 will be described in detail.

  The digital multi-functional peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment includes a calculation unit 13 that acquires an elapsed time from a predetermined time point to the first abnormal state, and whether the elapsed time is within a preset set time. The transmission destination terminal 2 to which information is transmitted is determined according to the determination, and a determination unit 21 that transmits the information to the determined transmission destination terminal 2 is provided.

  The calculation unit 13 sets a predetermined time as a measurement start time, and calculates an elapsed time from the measurement start time to a time when the diagnosis unit 11 determines that the image forming unit 10 is in an abnormal state. Then, the calculation unit 13 determines whether or not the elapsed time is longer than a preset time set in advance (whether it is within the elapsed time).

  Examples of the predetermined time include (1) a time when the specific information is input from the transmission destination input unit 33, and (2) a time when the normal state is restored from the previous abnormal state. In the case of (1), when the transmission destination input unit 33 detects the input of the specific information, the transmission destination input unit 33 notifies the calculation unit 13 that the specific information has been input. When the calculation unit 13 receives the notification that the specific information has been input, the calculation unit 13 refers to the timer 15 and stores the time point in the time storage unit 14. That is, in the case of (1) above, the calculation unit 13 sets the predetermined time point using the notification from the transmission destination input unit 33 as a trigger. On the other hand, in the case of (2) above, when the diagnosis unit 11 monitors the state of the image forming unit 10 and detects that the diagnosis unit 11 has returned from the abnormal state to the normal state, the diagnosis unit 11 The calculation unit 13 is notified that the image forming unit 10 has returned to the normal state. When the calculation unit 13 receives a notification that the diagnosis unit 11 has returned to the normal state, the calculation unit 13 refers to the timer 15 and stores the time at this time in the time storage unit 14. That is, in the case of (2) above, the calculation unit 13 sets the predetermined time point using the notification from the diagnosis unit 11 as a trigger.

  When the calculation unit 13 receives the notification that the image forming unit 10 is in an abnormal state from the diagnosis unit 11 after setting the predetermined time point, the calculation unit 13 refers to the timer 15 and stores the time at this time point in time. Store in the unit 14. Next, the calculation unit 13 calculates (acquires) the elapsed time from the predetermined time point to the time point when the abnormal state is reached. Then, the calculation unit 13 compares the calculated elapsed time with a set time stored in advance in the time storage unit 14 and determines whether the elapsed time is within the set time. Then, the calculation unit 13 transmits the determination result to the determination unit 21. The set time stored in the time storage unit 14 can be arbitrarily set using the transmission destination input unit 33 or the like, for example.

  The determination unit 21 determines a transmission destination for transmitting information based on the determination result received from the calculation unit 13. Specifically, for example, when the determination result received from the calculation unit 13 is a determination result within the set time, the determination unit 21 sets the information transmission destination as a serviceman who performs maintenance of the digital multifunction device 1. Set to. Alternatively, when the setting of the predetermined time point is (1), that is, when the predetermined time point is set as the time point when the specific information is input via the transmission destination input unit 33, the determination unit 21 calculates the calculation unit. When the information indicating that it is within the set time is received from 13, the information transmission destination is set in the transmission destination terminal 2 based on the specific information.

  On the other hand, if the determination result received from the calculation unit 13 is a determination result that the set time has been exceeded, the determination unit 21 determines the information transmission destination, for example, the management server that manages the digital multi-function peripheral 1. Set to.

  Then, the determination unit 21 transmits the set information transmission destination to the e-mail communication unit 22, and the e-mail communication unit 22 transmits the e-mail to the received transmission destination.

  Here, a method in which the determination unit 21 determines a transmission destination will be described. The determination unit 21 determines a transmission destination based on information stored in the information storage unit 25. Specifically, for example, when the address of the transmission destination terminal 2 is input to the transmission destination storage unit 26 by the transmission destination input unit 33 and the elapsed time is within the set time, the determination unit 21 sets the input address as the transmission destination. In the above description, it is set that the address input to the transmission destination input unit 33 is detected and information is transmitted to the input address. Are not limited to the above addresses.

  When the predetermined time point is set as the time point when the abnormal state returns to the normal state, the determination unit 21 is set to be different from each other depending on whether or not the elapsed time is within the set time. Set the destination to send information to the destination.

  Moreover, when the elapsed time is within the set time, it is more preferable that the determination unit 21 determines the destination terminal 2 that transmits information according to the content of the abnormal state. The importance storage unit 28 stores the correspondence between the contents of the abnormal state and the optimum destination terminal 2 for eliminating the abnormal state. Then, the determination unit 21 operates the search unit 16 to extract the optimum destination terminal 2 from the correspondence stored in the importance storage unit 28 based on the contents of the abnormal state received from the diagnosis unit 11. To do. And the determination part 21 should just set the said transmission destination terminal 2 as a transmission destination.

  In addition, for example, when the elapsed time is within the set time and the information is set to be transmitted to the plurality of destination terminals 2, the determination unit 21 determines the determined destination terminal It is more preferable to determine the optimum transmission destination terminal 2 and set it as the information transmission destination in order to eliminate the abnormal state. The method for determining the optimum destination terminal 2 is the same as described above.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a table stored in the importance storage unit 28. As shown in FIG. 2, based on the contents of the abnormal state, (I) an abnormal state that can be resolved by the operator of the digital multifunction device 1, (II) an abnormal state that can be handled by a service person, and (III) a notification to the management center In the case where there are three abnormal states that need to be determined, the determination unit 21 operates the search unit 16 to which of the above categories the content of the abnormal state received from the diagnosis unit 11 applies. Judge whether or not. Then, when the elapsed time is the set time and the content of the abnormal state received from the diagnosis unit 11 is the content corresponding to the abnormal state that can be handled by (II) serviceman in the above classification, the determination The unit 21 is preferably configured to transmit information to a terminal owned by a service person. In the example of FIG. 2 described above, the classification is made into three. However, the importance classification method is not limited to the above. For example, an abnormal state that can be dealt with by a service person, and a management server May be classified into two types, that is, an abnormal state that needs to be notified, or may be classified into the above three or more.

  Further, as another method of determining the destination terminal 2, for example, when the elapsed time is within a set time, the past history (the contents of the abnormal state and the destination terminal 2 that transmitted the information in that case) There is a method of determining the destination terminal 2 based on a history showing correspondence). This will be described.

  The history storage unit 27 stores a correspondence relationship between an abnormal state that has occurred in the past and the transmission destination terminal 2 that has transmitted information regarding the abnormal state. When the elapsed time is within the set time, the determination unit 21 refers to the history storage unit 27 to determine the optimum destination terminal 2 for eliminating the abnormal state received from the diagnosis unit 11. May be. Specifically, the determination unit 21 operates the search unit 16 and searches the history information stored in the history storage unit 27 for whether there is an abnormal state content received from the diagnosis unit 11. If the contents of the abnormal state are present in the history storage unit 27, the transmission destination terminal 2 that has transmitted information in the past to the abnormal state is extracted, and information is transmitted to the extracted transmission destination terminal 2. The transmission destination may be set to transmit.

  Here, a management method of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when the diagnostic unit 11 detects that the image forming unit 10 is in an abnormal state (S10), the diagnostic unit 11 transmits the content of the abnormal state to the determination unit 21. Then, the determination unit 21 operates the electronic mail communication unit 22 to transmit information to the management server (S11). At this time, the diagnosis unit 11 causes the history storage unit 27 to store the correspondence between the content of the abnormal state and the destination terminal 2 that has transmitted information for the abnormal state.

  When the administrator who manages the management server receives the information from the digital multi-function peripheral 1, it dispatches a service person to perform maintenance of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 based on the received information. Then, maintenance of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is performed by a service person (S12).

  When maintenance is performed by the service person, the diagnosis unit 11 determines whether or not the abnormal state of the image forming unit 10 has been resolved, that is, whether or not the abnormal state has returned to the normal state (S13).

  If the diagnosis unit 11 determines that the state has returned to the normal state in step S13, the diagnosis unit 11 operates the display unit 32 to display a setting screen for setting the information transmission destination (S14). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a screen for inputting at least the set time and the address of the destination terminal 2 that transmits information is displayed as the setting screen. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, (A) whether information is transmitted to the address only in the case of highly important content in an abnormal state, or (B) when the same content as the previous time is detected by the diagnosis unit 11 Only when the information is transmitted to the address, and (C) when returning to the normal state, a setting screen is displayed so that selection of whether or not to clear the settings such as the setting time and the address is displayed. Then, the service person uses the transmission destination input unit 33 to input the setting information including (A) to (C).

  When the transmission destination input unit 33 detects that the setting information has been input by the service person (S15), the transmission destination input unit 33 transmits the setting information to the calculation unit 13. When the calculation unit 13 receives the setting information, the calculation unit 13 stores the time at the time point input to the time storage unit 14 as a predetermined time point and stores the set time in the time storage unit 14 (S16). Further, when the transmission destination input unit 33 detects that the setting information has been input, for example, the transmission unit input unit 33 displays a setting completion screen as shown in FIG. 5 on the display unit 32 (S17). The setting completion screen in FIG. 5 displays the address of the transmission destination terminal 2 that is the transmission destination of information when the set time and the elapsed time are within the set time.

  Thereafter, the digital multifunction device 1 that has returned to the normal state is subjected to a predetermined operation by the operator. Then, the diagnosis unit 11 determines whether or not the image forming unit 10 is in an abnormal state again (S18).

  If it is determined in step S18 that the image forming unit 10 has entered an abnormal state again, the diagnosis unit 11 transmits a notification to the calculation unit 13 that the image forming unit 10 has entered an abnormal state. At this time, the diagnosis unit 11 transmits the content of the abnormal state to the determination unit 21 and causes the history storage unit 27 to store the content of the abnormal state.

  When the calculation unit 13 receives the notification of the abnormal state from the diagnosis unit 11, the calculation unit 13 stores the time when the notification is received in the time storage unit 14. Then, the calculation unit 13 calculates (acquires) an elapsed time from the predetermined time point based on the already stored time at the predetermined time point (time when the address is input) and the time at which the notification is received. (S19). Then, the determination unit 21 determines the transmission destination terminal 2 of the information transmission destination according to the calculated elapsed time (S20: transmission destination setting process). This transmission destination setting process will be described later.

  Then, the electronic mail communication unit 22 transmits information to the transmission destination terminal 2 that is the transmission destination of the information determined by the determination unit 21 in step S20 (S21).

  Thereafter, the e-mail communication unit 22 determines whether or not the information has been transmitted (S22), and ends the process when the information transmission is completed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S22 that the transmission of information has not been completed, that is, the transmission of information has not been completed, the determination unit 21 operates the image forming unit 10 via the diagnosis unit 11 to detect an abnormality. The contents of the state are output and the contents of the abnormal state are displayed on the display unit 32 (S23).

  Next, the transmission destination setting process will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the calculation unit 13 compares the elapsed time calculated in step S19 with the set time stored in the time storage unit 14, determines whether the elapsed time is within the set time, The determination result is notified to the determination unit 21 (S30).

  Next, in step S30, when the calculation unit 13 notifies that the elapsed time is within the set time, the determination unit 21 operates the search unit 16 to detect the abnormal state received from the diagnosis unit 11. Whether or not the content is stored in the importance storage unit 28 of the information storage unit 25 is searched. The importance degree storage unit 28 stores the correspondence between the contents of the abnormal state and the transmission destination terminal 2 that has a high possibility of eliminating the abnormal state. And the determination part 21 judges whether the importance of the abnormal condition received from the diagnostic part 11 is high with reference to the search result (S31). Here, the degree of importance is (A) according to the contents of the abnormal state, for example, an abnormal state can be resolved by an operator operating the digital multifunction peripheral 1, and (B) it is necessary to contact a service person or a management server The destination of information is determined according to the contents of an abnormal state. If the importance level is high, the operator cannot deal with it, so it is necessary to contact the management server or service person. If the importance level is low, the operator can deal with it. Indicates that there is no need to contact. That is, in step S31, the transmission destination of the information is determined based on the information stored in the importance storage unit 28.

  If it is determined in step S31 that the importance level is high, the determination unit 21 refers to the search result and sets the transmission destination terminal 2 associated with the abnormal state as a transmission destination of information. (S34).

  Thereafter, the determination unit 21 determines whether or not there is another transmission destination (S33), and if there is, further sets another transmission destination terminal 2 as the information transmission destination (S34). Finishes the transmission destination setting process.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S31 that the degree of importance is low or cannot be determined, the determination unit 21 diagnoses from the abnormal state that has occurred in the past stored in the history storage unit 27 in the search unit 16. Whether or not there is the same content as the abnormal state received from the unit 11 is searched to determine whether or not the same abnormal state has occurred in the past (S33).

  If it is determined in step S33 that there is the same abnormal state in the past, the determination unit 21 refers to the search result of the search unit 16 and transmits the information to the abnormal state that has occurred in the past. The terminal 2 is set as the information transmission destination terminal 2 (S36). Then, the process proceeds to step S33.

  In step S30, the diagnosis unit 11 that has received the notification that the elapsed time is not within the set time, that is, the elapsed time exceeds the set time, in the calculation unit, sets the information transmission destination to the management server (S37), and the destination setting process is terminated. If it is determined in step S33 that the determination unit 21 has not had the same state in the past, the process proceeds to step S37.

  In the above example, based on the importance level, it is determined to transmit information to either the management server or the transmission destination terminal 2 of the service person. For example, the importance level is further subdivided. If the abnormal state is such that the operator of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can solve the problem, the information transmission destination may be set on the display unit 32 of the digital multi-function peripheral 1.

  Here, another example of the transmission destination setting process will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the same process as the above, the same process number is attached | subjected and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. In the following description, a point in time when specific information (for example, an address) for specifying a transmission destination terminal 2 that transmits information is input using the transmission destination input unit 33 as the predetermined time. This is an explanation when the elapsed time is calculated as the elapsed time from the point of time until the point of time when the first abnormal state occurs.

  If it is determined in step S30 that the elapsed time is within the set time, the determination unit 21 refers to the transmission destination storage unit 26 and based on the specific information input from the transmission destination input unit 33. Then, the destination terminal 2 as the information destination is set (S39). Then, the process proceeds to step S33.

  As described above, the management method of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a predetermined point such as when specific information is input from the transmission destination input unit 33 or when the abnormal state returns to the normal state. In this method, the elapsed time from the time is calculated, and the transmission destination terminal 2 that transmits information is set according to the calculated elapsed time. More specifically, the management method of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment includes a detection step of detecting whether the state of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 is an abnormal state or a normal state, and a predetermined time point. The acquisition step of acquiring the elapsed time until the first abnormal state, and determining the destination terminal 2 for transmitting information according to whether the elapsed time is within a preset set time, A transmission step of transmitting the information to the determined transmission destination terminal 2.

  The management method of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment transmits the information again if the abnormal state is not resolved even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the information is once transmitted to the transmission destination terminal 2. It is more preferable. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the steps S10 to S21 are completed and it is detected in step S22 that the transmission of information to the transmission destination terminal 2 is completed, the calculation unit 13 uses the timer 15 to complete the transmission of the information. The time (hereinafter referred to as “measurement time”) from the point of time is measured (S40). Then, the calculation unit 13 compares the measurement time with a standby time (which may be the same as or different from the set time) stored in advance in the time storage unit 14, and the measurement time exceeds the standby time. It is determined whether or not (S41). If the measurement time is determined to have exceeded the standby time in step S41, the calculation unit 13 notifies the determination unit 21 that the measurement time has been exceeded. And the determination part 21 which received the said notification operates the said electronic mail communication part 22, and transmits information again with respect to the transmission destination terminal 2 which transmitted information previously (S42).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S41 that the measurement time does not exceed the standby time, the calculation unit 13 determines whether or not a notification that the abnormal state has been resolved is received from the diagnosis unit 11. (S42) If it is received, the time measurement is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S42 that a notification indicating that the abnormal state has been resolved has not been received from the diagnosis unit 11, the process returns to step S41.

  In the above description, an example is described in which information is transmitted again to a transmission destination that has previously transmitted information when the measurement time exceeds the standby time. However, the present invention is not limited to the above. For example, when the measurement time exceeds the standby time, the information may be transmitted to the transmission destination terminal 2 that is different from the transmission destination terminal 2 that has transmitted the information before.

  By the way, when the specific information is input using the transmission destination input unit 33, the specific information is stored in the information storage unit 25. In this case, for example, even when the maintenance is finished and the abnormal state of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is resolved, the specific information is stored. Therefore, in order to eliminate such a state, it is more preferable that the specific information is erased when the abnormal state generated after the specific information is input is resolved. Hereinafter, the automatic deletion process of the specific information will be described with reference to FIG.

  After the above steps S10 to S23 are completed, for example, when the maintenance is performed again on the digital multifunction peripheral 1 (image forming unit 10) by a service person (S50), and the abnormal state is resolved, the determination unit 21 receives information If the item set in step S14 stored in the storage unit 25 returns to the normal state (C), it is determined whether or not the setting for clearing the settings such as the set time and address has been selected. Judgment is made (S51).

  If it is determined in step S51 that the setting is not valid, the determination unit 21 determines whether a notification indicating that a predetermined standby time has elapsed after completion of re-maintenance is received from the calculation unit 13 (S52). ). If it is determined that the notification has not been received, the process returns to S18.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S51 that the setting is valid, or if it is determined that the notification is received in step S52, the determination unit 21 deletes (clears) the specific information stored in the information storage unit 25. (S53).

  In this way, by automatically deleting the specific information, it is possible to prevent the information from being transmitted to the serviceman indefinitely by inputting the specific information once.

  In addition, according to said description, although the service person demonstrated the example which inputs an address using the transmission destination input part 33 in said step S14, the transmission destination of the information storage part 25 is displayed on the display part 32, for example. An address stored in the storage unit 26 may be displayed, and a screen display may be performed so that the serviceman can select the displayed address. That is, the transmission destination input unit 33 may detect only specific information for specifying the transmission destination terminal 2 that transmits information, instead of detecting only the address at which information is transmitted.

  In addition, according to the above description, when calculating the elapsed time in step S19, the calculation unit 13 describes an example in which the elapsed time from the time when the address is input to the transmission destination input unit 33 is calculated. However, the time point when the elapsed time is calculated may be the time point (predetermined time point) when the image forming unit 10 returns from the abnormal state to the normal state.

  Note that the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is provided with various means and members for functioning as an image forming apparatus including the image forming unit 10. In FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, only the image forming unit 10, the audio output unit 31 as the operation input unit 30, and the display unit 32 are shown. Of course, the configuration of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 is limited to this. However, various means and members provided in a known image forming apparatus can be included.

  In particular, the display unit 32 can display information related to transmission / reception of electronic mail transmitted / received by the electronic mail communication unit 22, image forming conditions in the image forming unit 10, and the like. The display on the display unit 32 will be described later.

  As described above, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment is a digital multi-function peripheral 1 capable of transmitting information to a plurality of transmission destination terminals 2, and its own device is in an abnormal state. A diagnosis unit 11 that detects whether the current state is normal or not, a calculation unit 13 that acquires an elapsed time from a predetermined time point to the first abnormal state, and the elapsed time is within a preset set time In addition to determining the transmission destination terminal 2 that transmits information according to whether or not the transmission destination terminal 2 is determined, the transmission unit 20 transmits abnormal information related to the abnormal state to the determined transmission destination terminal 2. Examples of the plurality of destination terminals 2 include a service center that always manages the digital multi-function peripheral 1 and a terminal owned by a service person who performs maintenance of the digital multi-function peripheral 1. According to the above configuration, the transmission destination (transmission destination terminal 2) that transmits information according to whether or not the elapsed time from the predetermined time point to the first abnormal state is within a preset set time. Is determined.

  Thus, for example, when the elapsed time is within a preset time, information is transmitted to a terminal owned by a serviceman who performed maintenance of the digital multifunction peripheral 1, while the elapsed time When the preset time exceeds a preset time, information can be transmitted to the service center. Accordingly, with the above configuration, information can be transmitted to the optimum destination according to the elapsed time from the predetermined time point until the first abnormal state, so that the digital multifunction device 1 can be managed efficiently. Can do.

  In addition, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment includes a transmission destination input unit 33 that detects that specific information for specifying the transmission destination terminal 2 that transmits abnormality information is input. Is the time when the specific information is input, and when the transmitting unit 20 determines that the elapsed time is within the set time, the transmitting unit 20 sends the information to the destination terminal 2 corresponding to the input specific information. A configuration that transmits data is more preferable. According to said structure, when the elapsed time from the time the specific information for specifying the transmission destination terminal 2 which transmits information is input is acquired, and this elapsed time is within the preset set time, Sets the information transmission destination to the transmission destination terminal 2 corresponding to the specific information.

  Thereby, for example, after a serviceman who performs maintenance of the digital multifunction device 1 performs maintenance of the digital multifunction device 1, the specific information of the terminal owned by the serviceman is input to the digital multifunction device 1. Thus, when the digital multi-function peripheral 1 detects an abnormal state within a preset time after inputting the specific information, the information is transmitted to the serviceman's terminal. Further, there is a high possibility that the service person is still in the vicinity of the digital multifunction device 1 within the preset set time. Accordingly, when the digital multifunction device 1 detects an abnormal state within a predetermined elapsed time, the service man can be immediately sent for re-maintenance of the digital multifunction device 1 by transmitting information to the service man.

  In the digital multi-functional peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment, after the transmitting unit 20 transmits information to the transmission destination terminal 2 corresponding to the specific information, the diagnosis unit 11 returns from the abnormal state to the normal state. It is more preferable to delete the input specific information when detected. According to the above configuration, after the abnormal state is resolved, the address of the destination terminal 2 input to transmit information related to the abnormal state is deleted. As a result, the address is automatically erased, so that it is not necessary to erase the address.

  The digital multi-functional peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment includes a display unit 32 that displays a transmission setting screen for inputting at least the specific information when the diagnosis unit 11 detects that the diagnosis unit 11 has returned from an abnormal state to a normal state. A configuration is more preferable. According to said structure, a transmission setting (input of the address of the transmission destination terminal 2) can be performed reliably by displaying a transmission setting screen when an abnormal state is eliminated.

  The digital multi-functional peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment preferably has a configuration in which the predetermined time point is a time point when the abnormal state returns to a normal state before the time point when the first abnormal state occurs.

  According to the above configuration, by determining the transmission destination of information according to the determination whether or not the elapsed time from the return from the previous abnormal state to the abnormal state again is within the set time, It is possible to select an appropriate information transmission destination. Moreover, by setting it as said structure, the elapsed time until it will be in an abnormal condition first after becoming an abnormal condition last time will be acquired. And the transmission destination of information is determined according to this elapsed time. Therefore, for example, when the elapsed time is short, information is transmitted to a service person, while when the elapsed time is long, the information transmission destination is switched such that information is transmitted to the management center. Can do.

  The digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment includes an information storage unit 25 that stores the correspondence between the contents of abnormal states that have occurred in the past and the destination terminal 2 that has transmitted information related to the abnormal state, and the diagnosis unit 11. And a search unit 16 for searching for the content of the abnormal state detected in the information storage unit 25 that matches the content of the abnormal state that occurred in the past, and the elapsed time is within the set time. If there is a case where the content of the past abnormal state that is matched is further searched by the search unit 16, the transmission unit 20 sends the information to the destination terminal 2 associated with the content of the matched past abnormal state. A configuration for transmitting information is more preferable. According to the above configuration, when the elapsed time is within the set time and the abnormal state detected by the diagnosis unit 11 matches the content of the abnormal state that occurred in the past, Information is transmitted to a transmission destination that has transmitted information on abnormal states that have occurred in the past. Thereby, information can be transmitted to the same destination terminal 2 for an abnormal state having the same content, and therefore information can be transmitted to the destination terminal 2 that is highly likely to cope with the abnormal state.

  Note that, for example, when the abnormal state occurs for a plurality of reasons, the search unit 16 is a case where only a part of the content of the abnormal state stored in the information storage unit 25 matches. Alternatively, it may be determined that they match. That is, the determination criterion for determining whether or not the search unit 16 matches does not indicate only complete matching but includes partial matching (for example, forward matching, backward matching, etc.).

  The digital multi-functional peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which the transmission unit 20 determines the transmission destination terminal 2 that transmits information according to the content of the abnormal state when the elapsed time is within the set time. preferable. Further, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which the transmission unit 20 further determines the destination terminal 2 that transmits information according to the content of the abnormal state among the determined destination terminals 2. More preferred. For example, it is preferable to transmit the information to a transmission destination capable of dealing with this abnormal state when determining the transmission destination terminal 2 that transmits the information according to whether or not the time is within the set time. Specifically, among the transmission destination terminals 2 determined according to whether or not it is within the set time, the transmission destination terminal 2 is determined according to the content of the abnormal state. According to said structure, since the transmission destination which transmits information according to the content of the abnormal condition is determined, information can be transmitted to the transmission destination which can deal with an abnormal condition reliably.

  In addition, as a method of determining the transmission destination terminal 2 that transmits information according to the content of the abnormal state, for example, the content of the abnormal state stored in advance and the transmission destination terminal that transmits information with respect to the abnormal state 2 is a method of determining the destination terminal 2 to which information is transmitted with reference to the correspondence relationship with the information.

  The digital multi-functional peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment determines that the abnormal state has not been resolved when the transmitting unit 20 has transmitted a predetermined waiting time after transmitting information to the destination terminal 2. Then, the structure which transmits information again with respect to the transmission destination terminal 2 which transmitted information is more preferable. According to the above configuration, after transmitting information to the transmission destination terminal 2, if the abnormal state has not been resolved, the same information is transmitted to the same transmission destination terminal 2 again. be able to.

  The digital multi-functional peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment determines that the abnormal state has not been resolved when the transmitting unit 20 has transmitted a predetermined waiting time after transmitting information to the destination terminal 2. Then, the structure which transmits information with respect to the transmission destination terminal 2 different from the transmission destination terminal 2 which transmitted information is more preferable. According to the above configuration, after transmitting information to the destination terminal 2, if the abnormal state has not been resolved, the transmission destination that has transmitted the information determines that the abnormal state cannot be resolved, and transmits different information. Information is transmitted to the destination terminal 2. Thereby, information can be transmitted to the destination terminal 2 which may be able to eliminate the abnormal state.

  The digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment is more preferably configured to include a time storage unit 14 that stores the set time. According to said structure, since it has the time memory | storage part 14 which memorize | stores the said setting time, predetermined | prescribed elapsed time can be set arbitrarily.

  The digital multi-functional peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment is more preferably configured to include a transmission destination input unit 33 that protects the input address with a password. According to the above configuration, since the input address is protected by the password, it is possible to prevent a third party from changing the information transmission destination.

  The digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment preferably has a configuration in which the transmission unit 20 determines a plurality of transmission destination terminals 2 when determining the transmission destination terminal 2 that transmits information. According to said structure, since information can be transmitted to the several destination terminal 2, information can be transmitted with respect to several service person, for example.

  The digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment includes a display unit 32 and an audio output unit 31 that notify that the transmission unit 20 is in an abnormal state when the transmission unit 20 cannot transmit information. Is more preferable. According to said structure, when the transmission part 20 cannot transmit information, since it can alert | report that it is an abnormal condition with respect to the exterior other than the transmission destination terminal 2 which transmits information, The operator of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can know that it is in an abnormal state and can know that the transmission unit 20 cannot transmit information. In addition, as the display part 32 and the audio | voice output part 31 which alert | reports the content of the said abnormal state, for example, the display parts 32, such as a display panel alert | reported by a display, the audio | voice output parts 31, such as a speaker alert | reported by an audio | voice, a sheet | seat etc. And an output unit for outputting and notifying information.

  The digital multi-functional peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment preferably has a configuration in which the information storage unit 25 stores specific information. According to the above configuration, the input specific information can be stored. For example, even when the power of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is turned off, the setting in which the information transmission destination is the input specific information is saved. It becomes possible to do.

  In addition, the management method of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment has a specific function, and further to the first transmission destination terminal 2 and the second transmission destination terminal 2 via the network 3. In the management method of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 which is connected and can transmit information to the first destination terminal 2 and the second destination terminal 2 by electronic mail, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 is abnormal. From the time when the detection process for detecting whether the state is normal or normal, and the setting of transmission of information to the second destination terminal 2 is performed for the digital multi-function peripheral 1, an abnormal state is first entered. More preferable is a configuration including an acquisition step of acquiring an elapsed time until becoming and a transmission step of transmitting information to the second destination terminal 2 when the elapsed time is within a preset set time. .

  Examples of the first transmission destination terminal 2 include a service center that always manages the digital multi-function peripheral 1. Examples of the second transmission destination terminal 2 include a terminal owned by a service person who performs maintenance of the digital multi-function peripheral 1. According to the above configuration, when the digital MFP 1 detects an abnormal state within a preset time after the information transmission destination is set in the second transmission destination terminal 2, the second transmission destination terminal Information is transmitted to 2. Thus, for example, a serviceman who performs maintenance of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 performs the maintenance by performing the maintenance of the digital multifunction peripheral 1, and then sets the information transmission destination (second transmission destination terminal 2), thereby setting the above setting. If the digital multi-function peripheral 1 detects an abnormal state within a preset time after the execution, information can be transmitted to the service person. In other words, when the digital multifunction peripheral 1 detects an abnormal state within the set time after the service person performs maintenance on the digital multifunction peripheral 1, information can be transmitted to the service person. Then, within a predetermined time after the service person sets the transmission destination for the service person, there is a high possibility that the service person is still in the vicinity of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 that has performed maintenance. Accordingly, when the digital multi-function peripheral 1 detects an abnormal state within the set time, information can be transmitted to a nearby service person by transmitting information to the second destination terminal 2. As a result, the service person can be immediately sent for re-maintenance of the digital multi-function peripheral 1, thereby improving convenience.

  The management method of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment has a specific function, and is further connected to the first transmission destination terminal 2 (service center) via the network 3 to the transmission destination. In the management method of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 (MFP) capable of transmitting information by e-mail, the second destination terminal 2 is connected to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 (after maintenance support is implemented). If the digital multi-function peripheral 1 detects its own malfunction within a predetermined time after setting to directly transmit information, the malfunction detected by the second destination terminal 2 (serviceman's mobile terminal) The structure which transmits the information regarding may be sufficient. Usually, an e-mail notifying a failure or the like from the digital multifunction device 1 is transmitted to a service center (management center), and an appropriate service person is selected in the service center based on the content of the failure. Dispatched to the former. (The service center manages service personnel.) However, if the maintenance work of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is finished and a problem occurs immediately after the service personnel leave, it is highly likely that the service personnel are still nearby. With this configuration, it is possible to directly send an e-mail to the mobile phone of the service person to request repair.

  The management method of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment further records the failure history, and after setting the direct transmission (after maintenance support is implemented), the same failure occurs as the previous time. In this case, the information may be transmitted to the second transmission terminal. Thereby, when it is detected that the repair by the service person is not successful and the failure continues, the service person can be notified of the information directly. Also, if another failure has occurred, the service center may not be able to solve it, so the service center is notified.

  The management method of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment may be configured to determine the importance level of the defect and transmit information to the second transmission terminal based on the determination result. As a result, only important troubles can be selected and notified to the service person.

  The management method of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment detects that maintenance is not performed within a predetermined elapsed time after transmitting information related to the detected failure to the second transmission destination terminal 2. In this case, it may be configured to retransmit to the second transmission destination terminal 2. Thereby, if the service man does not arrive, the service man can be urged.

  The management method of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment is that after the error has occurred in the digital multi-function peripheral 1 (after entering an abnormal state), the error has been resolved and returned to a normal state (ready state). Is confirmed, the transmission setting to the second transmission destination terminal 2 is deleted. It may be a configuration. This eliminates the need for the service person to clear the transmission setting, improving workability.

  In the management method of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 does not detect its own malfunction within a predetermined time after the maintenance support for the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is performed. The second transmission destination terminal 2 may be configured to transmit information indicating that there is no problem. Thereby, the service person can confirm that the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is normal.

  The management method of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment may be configured to have a function of automatically displaying a transmission setting screen when returning from an error state by the work of a service person. Thereby, the setting operation can be simplified. Also, forgetting to set can be prevented.

  Note that each unit and each processing step of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the above-described embodiment is performed by a calculation unit such as a CPU executing a program stored in an information storage unit 25 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM. This can be realized by controlling communication means such as a circuit. Therefore, various functions and various processes of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present embodiment can be realized simply by a computer having these means reading the recording medium storing the program and executing the program. In addition, by recording the program on a removable recording medium, the various functions and various processes described above can be realized on an arbitrary computer.

  As the recording medium, a memory (not shown) such as a ROM may be used as a program medium for processing by the microcomputer, and a program reader is provided as an external storage device (not shown). It may be a program medium that can be read by inserting a recording medium therein.

  In any case, the stored program is preferably configured to be accessed and executed by the microprocessor. Furthermore, it is preferable that the program is read out, and the read program is downloaded to the program storage area of the microcomputer and the program is executed. It is assumed that the download program is stored in the main device in advance.

  The program medium is a recording medium configured to be separable from the main body, such as a tape system such as a magnetic tape or a cassette tape, a magnetic disk such as a flexible disk or a hard disk, or a disk such as a CD / MO / MD / DVD. Fixed disk system, card system such as IC card (including memory card), or semiconductor memory such as mask ROM, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), flash ROM, etc. In particular, there are recording media that carry programs.

  In addition, if the system configuration is capable of connecting to the network 3 including the Internet, the recording medium is preferably a recording medium that fluidly carries the program so as to download the program from the network 3.

  Furthermore, when downloading a program from the network 3 in this way, it is preferable that the download program is stored in the main device in advance or installed from another recording medium.

  The electronic device of the present invention is suitable for electronic devices such as copiers, fax machines, and digital multi-function peripherals capable of transmitting information via a network. More specifically, the information transmission destination is set as required. It is suitable for an electronic device that can be changed.

It is a functional block diagram which shows schematic structure of the electronic device concerning this invention. It is drawing explaining the example of the table memorize | stored in the importance memory | storage part. It is a flowchart explaining the management method of the electronic device concerning this Embodiment. It is drawing which shows the setting screen which sets a transmission destination and setting time. It is drawing which shows a setting completion screen. It is a flowchart explaining a transmission destination setting process. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of a transmission destination setting process. It is a flowchart which shows the retransmission process of information. It is a flowchart which shows the automatic deletion process of specific information. It is drawing explaining the example of the table memorize | stored in the log | history memory | storage part.

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital multifunction device (electronic equipment)
2 Destination terminal 3 Network 10 Image forming unit 11 Diagnosis unit (detection means)
13 Calculation unit (acquisition means)
14 Time storage unit 15 Timer 16 Search unit (search means)
20 Transmitter (Transmission means)
21 determination unit 22 e-mail communication unit 25 information storage unit (storage means)
26 Transmission destination storage unit 27 History storage unit 28 Importance level storage unit 30 Operation input unit (monitoring means)
31 Audio output unit (notification means)
32 Display section (notification means)
33 Destination input part

Claims (11)

An electronic device capable of transmitting information to a plurality of destination terminals,
Detection means for detecting whether the state of the own device is an abnormal state or a normal state;
An acquisition means for acquiring an elapsed time from the predetermined time point to the first abnormal state;
According to whether or not the elapsed time is within a preset set time, at least one is selected from the plurality of destination terminals, and abnormal information regarding the abnormal state is transmitted to the determined destination terminal An electronic apparatus comprising a transmitting means for performing Comprising monitoring means for monitoring that specific information for specifying a destination terminal for transmitting the abnormality information is input;
The predetermined time is a time when the monitoring means detects the input of the specific information,
2. The transmission unit according to claim 1, wherein when the elapsed time is determined to be within the set time, the transmission unit transmits the abnormality information to a transmission destination terminal corresponding to the input specific information. Electronic equipment.   2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time is a time when the abnormal state returns to a normal state before the first time when the abnormal state is reached. Storage means for storing the contents of abnormal states that occurred in the past and the destination terminal that has transmitted information on the abnormal state in association with each other;
Searching means for searching for the content of the abnormal state detected by the detecting means matches the content of the abnormal state that occurred in the past stored in the storage means,
When the elapsed time is within the set time and the content of the past abnormal state matched by the search unit is retrieved, the transmission unit transmits the transmission associated with the content of the matched past abnormal state The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality information is transmitted to a destination terminal.   2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the elapsed time is within the set time, the transmission unit determines a transmission destination terminal that transmits the abnormality information according to the content of the abnormal state. .   When the transmission means determines that the abnormal state has not been resolved after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed since the transmission of the abnormal information to the transmission destination terminal, the transmission means again transmits to the transmission destination terminal that transmitted the abnormal information. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality information is transmitted.   When the transmission means determines that the abnormal state has not been resolved after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed since the transmission of the abnormal information to the transmission destination terminal, a transmission destination different from the transmission destination terminal that transmitted the abnormal information The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality information is transmitted to a terminal.   2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies that the transmission unit is in an abnormal state when the transmission unit cannot transmit the abnormality information. In an electronic device management method capable of transmitting information to a plurality of destination terminals,
A detection step of detecting whether the electronic device is in an abnormal state or a normal state;
An acquisition step of acquiring an elapsed time from the predetermined time to the first abnormal state;
A transmission step of determining a transmission destination terminal that transmits information according to whether or not the elapsed time is within a preset set time and transmitting abnormal information related to an abnormal state to the determined transmission destination terminal And a method for managing an electronic device.   A control program for a computer that controls an electronic device, the control program causing the computer to function as each unit included in the electronic device according to claim 1.   The computer-readable recording medium which recorded the control program of Claim 10.

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