JP2010033497A - Host device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a host device which manages a plurality of electronic devices such as printers connected to a network and which automatically recognizes, especially a device corresponding to a predetermined condition, and a device equipped with consumables with CO<SB>2</SB>emission right and considers the device as management objects, and performs collection and display processing of log information. <P>SOLUTION: The host device is connected to the electronic devices via the network, and includes: a determination means for determining whether or not the electronic devices hold periodic summary logs of their states; a log collection means for, when the electronic devices hold the periodic summary logs from this determination result, determining that the electronic devices are devices for management and collecting information on the periodic summary logs; and a display means for displaying the information on the periodic summary logs. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a host device that manages an electronic device such as a printing apparatus connected to a network.

  Patent Document 1 is an invention for managing network devices with a computer. When a computer manages the status of various components such as routers, hubs, and printers connected to a communication network, the computer manages the devices. Management programs corresponding to various devices will be installed. However, for example, as the number of printer devices connected to the LAN increases, the number of printer management programs installed in the computer also increases, and the capacity of the storage device of the computer is pressed by these management programs. Therefore, in such a case, installing all functions of the management program in the management computer in advance is a wasteful use of the storage device, and requests the management target device to download the corresponding management program as necessary. The management target device is managed using this management program.

On the other hand, today, the preservation of the global environment is screamed globally, and greenhouse gas emission regulations are being realized mainly by the Global Warming Prevention Conference. Under such circumstances, it is advantageous for printing apparatuses such as printer apparatuses to make efforts to cope with the reduction of greenhouse gases such as CO2 and to operate the system with a printing apparatus with a CO2 emission right as a management target. .
JP 2006-294020 A

  However, including the invention described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, whether or not a conventional apparatus has a function of holding a period totalization log of its own usage status is automatically recognized, and an apparatus having the function is a management target. A system has not been proposed, and a system for automatically recognizing and managing a printing apparatus equipped with consumables such as a toner cartridge with a CO2 emission right has not been proposed.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is a printing device with a function for holding a period totalization log of its own usage status, a printing device equipped with a consumable with CO2 emission rights, and a communication network. The present invention provides a host device (computer) to be managed by automatically recognizing the status of various electronic devices such as routers and hubs connected via the network.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the host device connected to the electronic device via the network, a determination unit that determines whether the electronic device is a device that holds a period totaling log of its own status; If the electronic device is a device that holds the period totaling log based on a determination result, the electronic device is determined to be a management target device, and log collection means for collecting information on the period totaling log, and information on the period totaling log This can be achieved by providing a host device having display means for displaying.

Further, according to the second invention, in the host device connected to the printing apparatus via the network, the judging means for judging whether the printing apparatus is an apparatus that holds a period totaling log of its own printing status, If the printing apparatus is an apparatus that holds a period totaling log based on the determination result, the printing apparatus determines that the printing apparatus is a management target printing apparatus, collects information on the period totaling log, and information on the period totaling log This can be achieved by providing a host device having display means for displaying.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the determination means can be achieved by providing a host device that also determines whether the device is an in-house product.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the determination means can be achieved by providing a host device that also determines whether the destination of the apparatus is its own company.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the host device connected to the electronic device via the network, a determination means for determining whether the electronic device wears a consumable item with a CO2 emission right; If it is determined from the result that the electronic device is to be attached with a consumable item with a CO2 emission right, the electronic device is determined to be a management target device, log collection means for collecting information on the period totaling log, This can be achieved by providing a host device having display means for displaying information.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the host device connected to the printing apparatus via the network, a determination means for determining whether the printing apparatus mounts a consumable item with a CO2 emission right, and the determination If it is determined from the result that the printing device is to be mounted with a consumable item with a CO2 emission right, the printing device is determined to be a management target printing device, and a log collection unit that collects information on the period totaling log; This can be achieved by providing a host device having display means for displaying the information.
Further, according to the sixth invention, the determination means can be achieved by providing a host device that makes a determination based on information detected by a detection means for consumables with a CO2 emission right provided in the apparatus. .

  According to the present invention, search processing of electronic devices such as printer devices connected to a network is performed, and only a device that meets a predetermined condition is determined as a management-target printing device, and a consumable with a CO2 emission right is attached. The device to be managed, collects and displays the log information of the device status, facilitates the printing process compatible with ecology and the realization of network devices, global warming is a global problem It can help to promote countermeasures against problems.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of a printing system for explaining the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In this figure, this system is composed of host devices 1 and 2 such as a personal computer (client PC) and a printer device 3, and the host devices 1 and 2 and the printer device 3 are, for example, a LAN (local area network). ).

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the printer device 3, which includes a CPU 4, a RAM 5, a ROM 6, a nonvolatile memory 7 such as a flash memory, a display panel 8, keys (buttons) 9, a printer engine 10, and a clock (clock) circuit 11. And is connected to the host device 1 (and 2) via the LAN line 12. The CPU 4 performs a printing process according to a program stored in the ROM 6, and the RAM 5 functions as a work area for the CPU 4.

  Log data is stored in the nonvolatile memory 7. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of log data stored in the nonvolatile memory 7. Log data is composed of a header part, an annual total data part, and a monthly total data part.

  In the header part, data on the introduction date and the beginning date are recorded. Here, the introduction date is the start date of the log, and is automatically set by the printing apparatus. The initial date is an item that can be set by the user. For example, the initial date of the accounting period of the company may be set, or the initial date may be set as January 1 and set as one year of the calendar. For example, the first day of the term is April 1, and the fiscal year is from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.

  Data for each year is stored in the annual total data section, and data for the year, the number of printed pages, and the current total number of printed pages are recorded in the annual data for each year as shown in FIG. Monthly data for each fiscal year is recorded in the monthly total data section. As shown in Fig. B, the monthly data for each month includes the year, year (calendar year), monthly degree, number of printed pages, Data of the total number of printed sheets is recorded.

  The above-mentioned annual total data and monthly total data are created based on the data of the number of printed sheets added each time the printer device 3 performs the printing process. For example, the monthly total data is generated by the printer device 3 every month. This is data obtained by counting the number of printed pages when the apparatus is turned on at the beginning of the next month. Also, the annual total data is data obtained by counting the number of prints printed in each year by the printer apparatus 3 when the apparatus is turned on at the beginning of the next year.

Next, the processing operation of this example for the printing apparatus having the above configuration will be described. First, the operation of collecting and displaying log information from the managed printer apparatus will be described after a managed printer apparatus to be described later is determined.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the above process, and explains the collection and display process of the log information recorded in the non-volatile memory 7. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a log collection / display system schematically showing the above processing. In addition to the printer device 3, a plurality of electronic devices such as a printer device and a hub are connected to the network (LAN). In addition, the host device 1 includes a log collection unit 1b that collects the log information, a display unit 1c, and a determination unit 1a that determines whether the printer device 3 is a device that holds a period totaling log of its own situation, which will be described later. Prepare.
In the description of this example, it is assumed that the host device 1 performs log information collection and display processing of the printer device 3 and the like. As shown in the figure, the printer device 3 stores print data created from the host devices 1 and 2 based on the application program together with various ecology mode commands such as duplex printing, multi-page printing, and toner save. Then, the printer device 3 performs print output in which a so-called eco level is printed.

  First, when the host device 1 is activated, log information is collected from the target printer device 3 (step (hereinafter referred to as S) 1). The log information is collected by using, for example, FTP (file transfer protocol) and receiving a log information file transfer from the printer device 3 based on a log information collection instruction from the host device 1. The log information of the printer device 3 is recorded in the flash memory 7 described above, and the log information is read from the flash memory 7 and transferred to the host device 1.

  The host device 1 extracts information on the first day of the term included in the acquired log information and obtains the first month (S2). As described above, the first day of the term corresponds to the company's fiscal year and calendar, and the first day of the term is the first day of the company's fiscal year or the first day of the calendar. For example, when the first day of the term is April 1 and the fiscal year is one year from April 1 to March 31 of the following year, the first month is April.

  Next, the month for one year from the first month is displayed in the horizontal direction as a title. FIG. 6 is a display example of log information when the first day of the term is April 1 and the first month is April, for example. In this case, April, May,..., March are displayed in the horizontal direction as titles for the month of one year.

  Next, the printer device name (for example, N3600.12...) Is displayed at the beginning of the line below the title (S4). In addition, the number of prints is displayed as an eco item on the right side of the printer device name.

  Next, the number of monthly prints for one year from the first month in the acquired log information is displayed in a horizontal row below the corresponding month display (S5). For example, in the example shown in the figure, 118 (sheets) below the April display, 147 (sheets) below the May display, 165 (sheets) below the June display, and so on. Done.

  Further, the yearly total of the number of printed sheets and the monthly average are displayed based on the log information (S6). In the example of the figure, the calculation results of 605 (sheets) as the total for the year and 151 (sheets) as the monthly average are displayed.

  The above processing is repeated for the printer device to be managed (S7). In addition, after the log information collection and display processing is completed as described above, an event is waited for and a mouse operation or key operation is performed (S8). In the log information display example shown in FIG. 7, the first day of the term is set to January 1, and the monthly log information from January to December is displayed according to the calendar.

  Next, a process for selecting a management target printer apparatus that is a target of collection and display processing of the log information will be described. In this example, as described above, in the printer apparatus, the printer apparatus to be managed is set on the assumption that CO2 reduction is tackled.

  First, FIG. 8 shows a display screen of a printer selection dialog on the host device 1. The display screen shown in the figure is displayed by designating, for example, “file” → “select printer” from the “menu screen”. In the printer selection dialog, a list of printer apparatuses that are already set as management targets is displayed, and information on the printer apparatus name, host address, and machine name is displayed.

  Here, when the “Add” button displayed on the printer selection dialog screen in the figure is selected, a printer addition dialog is displayed. FIG. 9 shows a display example of the printer addition dialog. If a “delete” button displayed on the screen of the printer selection dialog is selected, a delete message (not shown) is displayed so that the printer can be deleted from the list of desired printer devices. Further, when the “change name” button is selected, the name of the desired printer can be changed.

  Next, using the printer addition dialog shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to add the management target printer device to the printer list. For example, when the printer device to be added is directly designated by the host device name or IP address, it is added by inputting the host device name or IP address in the host name column shown in FIG. be able to.

  On the other hand, if the printer devices are in the same network segment, the printer device in the designated IP address can be displayed and selected by specifying the IP address range. In this case, by inputting the start and end IP addresses in the start address field and end address field of the printer addition dialog shown in FIG. 9, and selecting the “Search” button, the printer devices within the range are extracted, and the printer Show in list.

At this time, a determination process is automatically performed as to whether the printer device to be managed corresponds to a predetermined condition.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating this determination process. First, the MAC address (Media Access Control address) of the printer device in the same segment as the host device 1 is acquired by the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) protocol (step (hereinafter referred to as ST) 1). MAC address is
1217470072894_0
Network equipment on
1217470072894_1
It is a unique physical address, and by analyzing this MAC address, it is checked whether it is an in-house product (ST2).

  Here, if it is not an in-house product (ST3 is NO), it is excluded from the printer device to be managed. Therefore, in this case, it is not displayed in the printer list of the printer addition dialog shown in FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined that the product is an in-house product (YES in ST3), then information on the printer device is acquired by LPQ (Line Printer Queue) (ST4). If the LPQ cannot be acquired, an LPQ error occurs, and the printer is determined to be an old model that does not support the period totaling log (YES in ST5). Also in this case, it is excluded from the management target printer and excluded from the list display of the printer addition dialog.

  Next, when the above process (ST5) is NO and the LPQ can be acquired, it is checked whether the destination in the printer information acquired by the LPQ is its own company (ST6). Here, if the destination is not the company (NO in ST7), it is excluded from the list display of the printer addition dialog. On the other hand, when the destination is the company (YES in ST7), the printer device is added to the printer list of the printer addition dialog (ST8).

  Thereafter, search processing for other printer devices connected to the network is executed, and search processing for all printer devices is performed (ST9). Therefore, only the printers that match the above conditions are displayed in the printer list of the printer addition dialog by the above processing, only the devices that are suitable as management target printer devices are displayed, and the subsequent selection processing becomes easy. .

That is, when a printer device to be managed is added from the printer list in the printer addition dialog next time, the printer device to be managed is added simply by specifying the desired printer device and selecting the “Add” button. It can be carried out.
Further, based on the above settings, for example, the host device 1 collects and displays the log information described above for the printer device displayed in the printer list of FIG.

As described above, according to this example, search processing for printer devices connected to the network is performed, and only the printer devices that meet the above-described conditions are managed for the above-described collection and display processing of log information. Since the collection and display processing of the log information related to the target printer device is performed, for example, an ecological measure for collecting and displaying the log information for the printer device with the CO2 emission right can be easily performed.
In the above description of the embodiment, the printer device has been described as the management target device of the host device. However, the determination is not limited to the printer device but also the network device to which the host device is connected, for example, an electronic device such as a hub or a modem. It can be set as the management object apparatus which processes.
(Embodiment 2)

Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the printer device 13 used in this embodiment. Like the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the CPU 4, the RAM 5, the ROM 6, the nonvolatile memory 7 such as the flash memory, the display panel 8, and the key. (Button) 9, printer engine 10, and clock (clock) circuit 11, and further includes a toner set RFID reading circuit 15. Further, it is connected to the host device 1 (and 2) via the LAN line 12.

  Here, the RFID reading circuit 15 of the toner set is a signal reading circuit from RFID (radio frequency identification) provided in the toner set, and the RFID chip is provided on, for example, a side surface of the toner set.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the printer device 13, which includes an image forming unit 16, an intermediate transfer belt unit 17, and a paper feeding unit 18. The image forming unit 16 includes four image forming units 16M, 16C, 16Y, and 16K from right to left in the figure, and three images on the upstream side (right side in the figure) of the four image forming units. The forming units 16M, 16C, and 16Y form color images of magenta (M), cyan (C), and yellow (Y) color toners, which are subtractive three primary colors, respectively. The image forming unit 16K mainly uses characters and images. A monochrome image is formed with black (K) toner used for dark portions of the image.

  The intermediate transfer belt unit 17 has an endless transfer belt 19 extending in a flat loop shape from substantially the left and right sides of the drawing at the center of the main body, and the transfer belt 19 is stretched over the transfer belt 19. A driving roller 20 and a driven roller 21 are provided to circulate 19 in the counterclockwise direction of the figure.

  The paper supply unit 18 includes five recording medium storage units 18a to 18e on the top and bottom, and the recording medium storage units 18a to 18e store, for example, sheets of different sizes.

  Here, the image forming units 16M, 16C, 16Y and 16K all have the same configuration except for the color of the toner stored in the toner container, and the photosensitive drum 22 and the charging roller disposed in the vicinity of the peripheral surface thereof. 23, a print head 24, and a developing roller 25. Here, the developing roller 25 is disposed in a toner set 26 including a toner container, and is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body. For example, in FIG. 12, each color toner set 26M, 26C, 26Y, 26K is configured to be detachable in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. In addition, RAID chips are attached to the side surfaces of the toner sets 26M, 26C, 26Y, and 26K for each color, and information indicating that each is a product with a unique number and a CO2 emission right.

In the above configuration, the processing operation of this example will be described below. Note that the processing operation of this example is also determination processing performed when the host device 1 selects the management target printer device.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation of this example. First, as described above, the MAC address of the printer device in the same segment as the host device 1 is acquired by the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) protocol (step (hereinafter referred to as STP) 1), and this MAC address is analyzed. Then, it is checked whether it is an in-house product (STP2). If the product is not its own product (STP3 is NO), the process proceeds to a search for another printer device. If the product is its own product (STP3 is YES), the printer device information is acquired by LPQ (STP4). . If the LPQ cannot be acquired, an LPQ error occurs as described above, and the printer apparatus is determined to be an old model that does not support the period totaling log (YES in STP5), and is excluded from the management target printer.

  Next, when the above process (STP5) is NO and the LPQ can be acquired, it is checked whether the destination in the printer information acquired by the LPQ is its own company (STP6). If the destination is not its own company (STP7) Is excluded from the management target printer. On the other hand, when the destination is in-house (STP7 is YES), it is determined whether the above-described toner set with CO2 emission right is installed in the printer information acquired by LPQ (STP8).

  When the above-described toner set is attached to the printer device 3, the RFID reading circuit 15 detects information from the RFID provided in the toner set, and includes information on whether or not a CO2 emission right is included in the LPQ information. Yes. Therefore, by analyzing the LPQ information, it is possible to determine whether or not the attached toner set has a CO2 emission right.

  Here, if a toner set with a CO2 emission right is attached (YES in STP9), the printer apparatus to which the toner set is attached is added to the printer list of the above-described printer addition dialog (STP10).

  After that, search processing for other printer devices connected to the network is executed, and search processing for all printer devices is performed (STP11).

  As described above, in this example as well, the printer device connected to the network is searched, and the printer device that matches the above condition and the printer device in which the toner set with the CO2 emission right is set are displayed in the printer addition dialog. It can be added to the printer list and set as a management target printer device.

In the above description, it is determined whether or not the respective toner sets 26M, 26C, 26Y, and 26K have the CO2 emission right. However, other consumables such as the drum set including the photosensitive drum 22 have the CO2 emission right. The printer device to be managed may be selected by determining the presence or absence.
In the above description, CO2 (carbon dioxide) has been described as an example of the greenhouse gas, but the same method can be applied to other greenhouse gases such as chlorofluorocarbon.
In the description of the above embodiment, the printer device has been described as the management target device of the host device. However, the determination is not limited to the printer device, but also the network device to which the host device is connected, for example, an electronic device such as a hub or a modem. It can be set as the management object apparatus which processes. In this case, if the unit, cartridge, or the like mounted on the electronic device is a CO2 emission right target, similarly, the electronic device on which the target is set can be set as a management target device according to this example.

2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer device. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a printing system for explaining Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the log data memorize | stored in a non-volatile memory. 3 is a flowchart for explaining processing of the first embodiment. 1 is a system diagram of a log collection and display system showing an overview of processing of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of log information when a period first day is set to April 1. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of log information when a period first day is set to January 1. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printer selection dialog. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printer addition dialog. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining search processing for a management target printer. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a schematic cross section of a printer device according to a second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart for explaining search processing for a management target printer.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2, .. Host device 3 ... Printer device 4 ... CPU
5 ... RAM
6 ... ROM
7 ... Non-volatile memory 8 ... Display panel 9 ... Key (button)
10..Printer engine 11..Clock (clock) circuit 12..LAN line 13..Printer device 15..RFID reading circuit 16, 16M, 16C, 16Y, 16K..Image forming unit 17..Intermediate transfer belt unit 18.. Paper feeding sections 18 a to 18 e... Recording medium storage means 19.. Transfer belt 20... Driving roller 21.. Driven roller 22. Rollers 26, 26M, 26C, 26Y, 26K ... Toner set

Claims (7)

In a host device connected to an electronic device via a network,
Judgment means for judging whether the electronic device is a device that holds a period summary log of its own situation;
If the electronic device is a device that holds the period totaling log from the determination result, the electronic device is determined to be a management target device, and log collection means for collecting information on the period totaling log;
Display means for displaying the information of the period totaling log;
A host device characterized by comprising: In the host device connected to the printing device via the network,
A determination means for determining whether the printing apparatus is an apparatus that holds a period summary log of its own printing status;
If the printing apparatus is an apparatus that holds a period totaling log from the determination result, the printing apparatus determines that the printing apparatus is a management target printing apparatus, and collects information on the period totaling log;
Display means for displaying information of the period totaling log;
A host device characterized by comprising:   The host device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit also determines whether the device is an in-house product.   The host device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit also determines whether the destination of the apparatus is its own company. In a host device connected to an electronic device via a network,
Judgment means for judging whether or not the electronic device wears a consumable item with a greenhouse gas emission right,
If it is determined from the determination result that the electronic device is equipped with consumables with greenhouse gas emission rights, the electronic device is determined as a management target device, and log collection means for collecting information on the period totaling log;
Display means for displaying information of the period totaling log;
A host device characterized by comprising: In the host device connected to the printing device via the network,
Judgment means for judging whether the printing apparatus wears consumables with greenhouse gas emission rights;
If it is determined from the determination result that the printing device is mounted with a consumable item with a greenhouse gas emission right, it is determined that the printing device is a management target printing device, and log collection means for collecting information on the period totaling log;
Display means for displaying information of the period totaling log;
A host device characterized by comprising:   7. The host device according to claim 5, wherein the determination unit performs the determination based on information detected by a detection unit for consumables with a greenhouse gas emission right provided in the apparatus. .