JP2011039160A - Information processor, image forming system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To aid a user to perform an operation so as to eliminate a malfunction phenomenon when the malfunction phenomenon that has arisen is removable by the operation performed by the user. <P>SOLUTION: A repair aiding device obtains information on a malfunction phenomenon that has arisen in an image forming apparatus, and the name of the model of the image forming apparatus, and determines whether the malfunction phenomenon of the image forming apparatus is eliminated by an operation performed by a user. If determining that the malfunction phenomenon is eliminated, the repair aiding device obtains from a storage part the obtained information on the malfunction phenomenon and operation advice information 61 stored so as to correspond to the model name. Subsequently, the repair aiding device creates and outputs image data that indicates an advice sheet image 81 in which the obtained operation advice information 61 and a test image 421 are arranged. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for outputting information according to a failure phenomenon.

  There is known a technique for providing advice that is useful to a customer who uses a product or service. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for generating an advice sheet for preventing accident recurrence suitable for a customer based on the customer's accident data. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for printing advice information related to a shooting operation for improving the image quality of a shot image with a printer.

JP 2004-303225 A JP 2004-48699 A

When a failure occurs in an image forming apparatus, a user often requests a company that repairs the image forming apparatus to repair the image forming apparatus. However, the failure phenomenon of the image forming apparatus includes a failure phenomenon that can be solved by the user's work (hereinafter referred to as “light failure phenomenon”) and a failure phenomenon that cannot be solved by the user's work (hereinafter referred to as “serious failure”). In the latter case, it is necessary to request repair as described above, but in the former case, it is solved by the user himself without requesting repair. be able to. However, since the user does not know the procedure of the work to eliminate the failure phenomenon, he has to ask for repair even if it is a minor failure phenomenon.
It is an object of the present invention to support a user so that the user can work by himself / herself when the failure phenomenon that is eliminated by the user's work occurs, and the failure phenomenon can be eliminated.

  The present invention relates to failure phenomenon information indicating a first failure phenomenon, which is a failure phenomenon of an image forming apparatus that is eliminated by a user's work, model information indicating a model of the image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus of the model. Storage means for associating and storing work procedure information indicating a work procedure for eliminating the first failure phenomenon, and the first failure phenomenon that has occurred in the image forming apparatus and is eliminated by the user's work or A first acquisition means for acquiring failure phenomenon information indicating any of the second failure phenomena that cannot be resolved by the user's work, and model information indicating the model of the image forming apparatus; and the first acquisition means. Determining means for determining whether the acquired failure phenomenon information corresponds to failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon stored in the storage means; and the acquired failure by the determining means When it is determined that the image information corresponds to the failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon, the failure information is stored in association with the failure phenomenon information acquired by the first acquisition unit and the model information. A second acquisition unit that acquires work procedure information from the storage unit; a generation unit that generates image data indicating an image on which the work procedure information acquired by the second acquisition unit is arranged; and the generation unit There is provided an information processing apparatus comprising output means for outputting generated image data. Thus, when a failure phenomenon that can be solved by the user's work occurs, it is possible to assist the user in performing the work by himself / herself to solve the failure phenomenon.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, when the second acquisition unit determines that the acquired failure phenomenon information does not correspond to the failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon, by the determination unit. Acquires first related information other than the work procedure information related to the failure phenomenon indicated by the failure phenomenon information, and the generation means is arranged with the first related information acquired by the second acquisition means Image data indicating an image may be generated. Thus, when a failure phenomenon that cannot be resolved by the user's work occurs, information related to the failure phenomenon can be provided to the user.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the first acquisition means includes usage status information indicating a usage status of the image forming apparatus in which the failure phenomenon has occurred, installation environment information indicating an installation environment of the image forming apparatus, or the image. At least one of user information related to a user of the forming apparatus is acquired, and the second acquisition unit converts the acquired failure phenomenon information into failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon by the determination unit. If it is determined that it does not correspond, the first related information according to at least one of the usage status information, the installation environment information, or the user information acquired by the first acquisition unit is acquired. May be. As a result, when a failure phenomenon that cannot be resolved by the user's work occurs, information relating to the failure phenomenon, and information corresponding to the usage status, installation environment, or user of the image forming apparatus is provided to the user. be able to.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the storage unit is failure history information indicating failure histories of a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the failure phenomenon information indicating the failure phenomenon, and the model of the image forming apparatus. In the image forming apparatus of the model indicated by the model information acquired by the first acquisition unit based on the failure history information stored in the storage unit, A specifying unit for specifying a failure phenomenon having a higher occurrence frequency than the failure phenomenon, wherein the second acquisition unit acquires second related information relating to the failure phenomenon specified by the specifying unit, and the generation unit includes: An image showing an image in which either the work procedure information or the first related information acquired by the second acquisition unit and the second related information acquired by the second acquisition unit are arranged It may be generated over data. As a result, when a failure phenomenon occurs in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to provide the user with information regarding the failure phenomenon that occurs more frequently than other failure phenomena in an image forming apparatus of the same model as the image forming apparatus. .

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the generation unit generates image data indicating the image on which a predetermined test image is arranged, and the test image is a model acquired by the first acquisition unit. You may arrange | position to the position defined according to the failure phenomenon which the model which information shows, or the failure phenomenon information acquired by the said 1st acquisition means shows. Accordingly, the image can be evaluated using the test image arranged at a position corresponding to the model or failure phenomenon of the image forming apparatus.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the test image may constitute at least a part of a decoration image that decorates work procedure information or related information acquired by the second acquisition unit. As a result, the test image can be made inconspicuous.

  The present invention also provides failure phenomenon information indicating a first failure phenomenon that is a failure phenomenon of an image forming apparatus that is resolved by a user's work, model information indicating a model of the image forming apparatus, and image formation of the model. Storage means for associating and storing work procedure information indicating a work procedure for eliminating the first failure phenomenon for the apparatus, and the first failure that has occurred in the image forming apparatus and is resolved by the user's work First acquisition means for acquiring failure phenomenon information indicating either a phenomenon or a second failure phenomenon that cannot be resolved by the user's work, and model information indicating a model of the image forming apparatus, and the first acquisition Determining means for determining whether the failure phenomenon information acquired by the means corresponds to the failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon stored in the storage means; When it is determined that the failure phenomenon information corresponds to the failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon, the failure phenomenon information is stored in association with the failure phenomenon information and the model information acquired by the first acquisition unit. Second acquisition means for acquiring the work procedure information from the storage means, generation means for generating image data indicating an image in which the work procedure information acquired by the second acquisition means is arranged, and the generation means An information processing apparatus having an output unit that outputs image data generated by the output unit, and the image forming apparatus that receives the image data output by the output unit and forms an image according to the image data. An image forming system is provided. Thus, when a failure phenomenon that can be solved by the user's work occurs, it is possible to assist the user in performing the work by himself / herself to solve the failure phenomenon.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a failure phenomenon information indicating a first failure phenomenon that is a failure phenomenon of an image forming apparatus that is eliminated by a user's work, model information indicating a model of the image forming apparatus, and the model. Storage means for associating and storing work procedure information indicating a work procedure for solving the first failure phenomenon for the first image forming apparatus, and the first that is eliminated by the user's work occurring in the image forming apparatus. First acquisition means for acquiring failure phenomenon information indicating either one failure phenomenon or a second failure phenomenon that cannot be resolved by a user's work, and model information indicating a model of the image forming apparatus; Determining means for determining whether or not the failure phenomenon information acquired by one acquisition means corresponds to failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon stored in the storage means; and If it is determined that the acquired failure phenomenon information corresponds to failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon, the failure phenomenon information acquired by the first acquisition means and the model information Second acquisition means for acquiring work procedure information stored in association from the storage means, and generation for generating image data indicating an image in which the work procedure information acquired by the second acquisition means is arranged And a program for functioning as output means for outputting the image data generated by the generating means. Thus, when a failure phenomenon that can be solved by the user's work occurs, it is possible to assist the user in performing the work by himself / herself to solve the failure phenomenon.

1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an image forming system. The figure which shows the structure of a repair assistance apparatus. The figure which shows an example of a test image. The figure which shows an example of the format of an advice sheet. The figure which shows an example of a work advice database. The figure which shows an example of work advice information. The figure which shows an example of work advice information. The figure which shows an example of a utilization advice database. The figure which shows an example of utilization advice information. The figure which shows the function structure of a repair assistance apparatus. The figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a terminal device. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation of the image forming system. The figure which shows an example of an advice sheet image. The figure which shows an example of the test image which concerns on a modification.

[Constitution]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment. The image forming system 1 includes a repair support device 10, a terminal device 20, and a plurality of image forming devices 30. The terminal device 20 is connected to the repair support device 10 via the network 2 such as the Internet. The terminal device 20 is connected to one of the image forming apparatuses 30 via the communication cable 3.

(Configuration of repair support device)
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the repair support device 10 (an example of an information processing device). The repair support apparatus 10 has a function of providing various types of information related to repair of the image forming apparatus 30. The repair support apparatus 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a memory 12, a communication unit 13, and a storage unit 14 (an example of a storage unit). The CPU 11 controls each unit of the repair support device 10 by executing a program stored in the memory 12. The memory 12 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores programs executed by the CPU 11 and data. The communication unit 13 performs data communication with the terminal device 20 via the network 2. The storage unit 14 includes, for example, a hard disk, and includes a failure database (failure DB) 41, an image generation database (image generation DB) 42, a work advice database (work advice DB) 43, a use advice database (use advice DB) 44, and the like. Remember. The failure database 41 (an example of failure history information) is a database showing a failure history of the image forming apparatus 30. In the failure database 41, a serial number, a model name (an example of model information) of the failed image forming apparatus 30, a date and time when the failure occurred, a failure classification, a failure content (an example of failure phenomenon information), and the like are associated. The image generation database 42 is a database used when generating an advice sheet. The image generation database 42 includes a test image 421 and format information that defines the format 422 of the advice sheet.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the test image 421. The test image 421 is an image used for image quality evaluation. A test image 421 shown in the drawing is an image for color evaluation called a color bar, and is composed of a plurality of color patches indicating reference colors used in the image forming apparatus 30.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the format 422 of the advice sheet. In the format 422, the layout according to the finish of the advice sheet, for example, the layout of documents and images, the font of characters, and the like are determined. A format 422a in the figure indicates the format of the surface of the advice sheet. In this format 422a, repair report information is arranged in area R1, and usage status information is arranged in area R2. A format 422b in the figure indicates the format of the back side of the advice sheet. In this format 422b, the first advice information is arranged in the region R3, and the second advice information is arranged in the region R4.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the work advice database 43. In the work advice database 43, “model name” (an example of model information) indicating the model of the image forming apparatus 30 and information on “light failure phenomenon” that is a failure phenomenon of the image forming apparatus 30 that is resolved by the user's work. (Example of failure phenomenon information) and work advice information (example of work procedure information) are associated with each other. The “light failure phenomenon” information includes “failure classification” and “failure content”. The work advice information is information indicating a work procedure for eliminating a minor failure phenomenon. The procedure of this operation may vary depending on the model of the image forming apparatus 30. In the work advice database 43 shown in the figure, the model name “E-001”, the failure classification “paper jam”, the failure content “paper jam in the apparatus”, and the work advice information 61 are associated with each other. This indicates that in the image forming apparatus 30 of the model “E-001”, it is appropriate to provide the work advice information 61 when “paper jam in the apparatus” occurs.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the work advice information 61. The work advice information 61 is information indicating a work procedure for clearing a paper jam in the apparatus for the image forming apparatus 30 of the model “E-001”. In the example of the figure, the work advice information 61 shows a procedure for cleaning the paper feed roller as a work procedure for clearing a paper jam in the apparatus. When the user cleans the paper feed roller according to the procedure indicated by the work advice information 61, the paper jam in the image forming apparatus 30 is eliminated.

  Further, in the work advice database 43 illustrated in FIG. 5, the model name “E-001”, the failure classification “image quality failure”, the failure content “color loss, unevenness”, and the work advice information 62 are associated with each other. This indicates that in the image forming apparatus 30 of the model “E-001”, it is appropriate to provide the work advice information 62 when “color loss or unevenness” occurs.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the work advice information 62. This work advice information 62 is information indicating a work procedure for eliminating color loss and unevenness for the image forming apparatus 30 of the model “E-001”. In the example of the figure, the work advice information 62 shows a procedure for cleaning the inside of the image forming apparatus 30 as a procedure for eliminating the color loss and unevenness failure phenomenon. When the user cleans the inside of the image forming phase apparatus 30 according to the procedure indicated by the work advice information 62, the color omission and unevenness in the image forming apparatus 30 are eliminated.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the usage advice database 44. In the usage advice database 44, the “model name” of the image forming apparatus 30, information on “serious failure phenomenon” that is a failure phenomenon that cannot be resolved by the user's work, and usage advice information are associated with each other. The information on “major failure phenomenon” includes “failure classification” and “failure content”. The usage advice information (an example of first related information) is information indicating a usage method for suppressing the recurrence of a serious failure phenomenon. In the usage advice database 44 shown in the figure, the model name “E-001”, the failure classification “does not operate”, the failure content “does not work even when the power is turned on”, and usage advice information 71 are associated with each other. This indicates that in the image forming apparatus 30 of the model “E-001”, it is appropriate to provide the usage advice information 71 when a failure phenomenon “cannot be operated even when the power is turned on” occurs. Yes.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the usage advice information 71. The usage advice information 71 is information indicating a usage method for suppressing the recurrence of a failure phenomenon that the image forming apparatus 30 of the model “E-001” does not move even when the power is turned on. In the example shown in the figure, the usage advice information 62 indicates the content that prompts the user to move the installation location of the image forming apparatus 30 as a usage method for suppressing the recurrence of a failure that does not move even when the power is turned on. When the user moves the installation location of the image forming apparatus 30 according to the contents of the usage advice information 71, the recurrence of a failure phenomenon that the user does not move even when the power is turned on is suppressed.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the repair support device 10. The repair support apparatus 10 includes a first acquisition unit 101, a determination unit 102, a specification unit 103, a second acquisition unit 104, a generation unit 105, and an output unit 106 as functional configurations. Each of these functional configurations is realized by the CPU 11 executing a program. The first acquisition unit 101 includes information on a failure phenomenon that has occurred in the image forming apparatus 30 and indicates a minor failure phenomenon that is resolved by the user's work or a major failure phenomenon that cannot be resolved by the user's work, and the image forming apparatus. It is an example of the 1st acquisition means which acquires the model name which shows 30 models. The determination unit 102 determines whether the failure phenomenon information acquired by the first acquisition unit 101 corresponds to the failure phenomenon information included in the work advice database 43 stored in the storage unit 14. It is an example. Based on the failure database 41 stored in the storage unit 14, the specifying unit 103 is more frequently generated than the other failure phenomena in the image forming apparatus 30 of the model indicated by the model name acquired by the first acquisition unit 101. It is an example of a specifying means for specifying a high failure phenomenon. When the determination unit 102 determines that the failure phenomenon information acquired by the first acquisition unit 101 corresponds to the failure phenomenon information included in the work advice database 43, the second acquisition unit 104 The work advice information stored in association with the failure phenomenon information and the model name acquired by the first acquisition unit 101 is acquired from the work advice database 43 of the storage unit 14 as the first advice information. If it is determined that the failure phenomenon information acquired by the acquisition unit 101 does not correspond to the failure phenomenon information included in the work advice database 43, the failure phenomenon information acquired by the first acquisition unit 101 is It is an example of the 2nd acquisition means which acquires the utilization advice information regarding the failure phenomenon to show, and makes it 1st advice information. Furthermore, the second acquisition unit 104 acquires second advice information related to the failure phenomenon specified by the specification unit 103. The generation unit 105 generates image data indicating an image in which the first advice information and the second advice information acquired by the second acquisition unit 104 and a predetermined test image are arranged. It is an example. The output unit 106 is an example of an output unit that outputs the image data generated by the generation unit 105.

(Configuration of terminal device)
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 is a small computer device, and is carried and used by, for example, a worker who repairs the image forming apparatus 30. The terminal device 20 includes a CPU 21, a memory 22, a wireless communication unit 23, a communication unit 24, a storage unit 25, an operation unit 26, and a display unit 27. The CPU 21 controls each unit of the terminal device 20 by executing a program stored in the memory 22. The memory 22 includes, for example, a ROM and a RAM, and stores programs and data executed by the CPU 21. The wireless communication unit 23 has a wireless antenna and performs data communication with the repair support device 10 via a wireless base station included in the network 2. The communication unit 24 performs data communication with the image forming apparatus 30 connected via the communication cable 3. The storage unit 25 includes, for example, a hard disk and stores various data. The operation unit 26 includes, for example, a keyboard and a mouse, and inputs a signal corresponding to a user operation to the CPU 21. The display unit 27 includes a liquid crystal display, for example, and displays an image according to the control of the CPU 21.

(Configuration of image forming apparatus)
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 30. The image forming apparatus 30 includes a control unit 31, a communication unit 32, a storage unit 33, an operation unit 34, a display unit 35, and an image forming unit 36. The control unit 31 includes, for example, a CPU and a memory, and controls each unit of the image forming apparatus 30 when the CPU executes a program stored in the memory. The communication unit 32 performs data communication with the terminal device 20 connected via the communication cable 3. The storage unit 33 has, for example, a hard disk and stores various data. The operation unit 34 has an operation button, for example, and inputs a signal corresponding to a user operation to the control unit 31. The display unit 35 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays an image according to the control of the control unit 31. The image forming unit 36 forms an image corresponding to the image data supplied from the control unit 31 on a sheet. In the following description, forming an image is referred to as “printing”.

[Operation]
FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the image forming system 1. Here, description will be made assuming that a failure occurs in the image forming apparatus 30 and the user requests repair. An operator who repairs the image forming apparatus 30 takes the terminal device 20 and goes to the installation location of the image forming apparatus 30 requested to be repaired (hereinafter referred to as “target image forming apparatus 30”). Do 30 repairs. Then, when the repair is completed, the operator operates the operation unit 26 of the terminal device 20 to instruct generation of an advice sheet. At this time, the operator operates the operation unit 26 to input condition information such as the model name, usage status, failure phenomenon, and repair report of the target image forming apparatus 30. The usage status of the image forming apparatus 30 includes, for example, the number of monthly prints, the ratio of duplex printing, and the ratio of color to monochrome. The failure phenomenon of the image forming apparatus 30 includes, for example, a failure occurrence date and time, a failure classification, a failure content, and the like. For example, when the model name of the target image forming apparatus 30 is “E-001” and a paper jam occurs in the apparatus, “E-001” is set as the model name of the target image forming apparatus 30. “Paper jam” is input as the failure classification, and “paper jam in the apparatus” is input as the failure content. The CPU 21 transmits the input condition information from the wireless communication unit 23 to the repair support device 10 (step S11).

  The CPU 11 of the repair support device 10 receives the condition information transmitted from the terminal device 20 by the communication unit 13 (step S12), and stores the received condition information in the memory 12. That is, the CPU 11 acquires information indicating a failure phenomenon that has occurred in the image forming apparatus 30 and a model name indicating the model of the image forming apparatus 30. Subsequently, the CPU 11 determines whether the failure phenomenon of the target image forming apparatus 30 is a minor failure phenomenon based on the failure phenomenon information of the condition information stored in the memory 12 (step S13). Note that the minor failure phenomenon is a failure phenomenon that is resolved by the user's work as described above. For example, when the failure phenomenon information stored in the memory 12 is included in the work advice database 43 stored in the storage unit 14, the CPU 11 determines that the failure phenomenon of the image forming apparatus 30 is a minor failure phenomenon. Otherwise, it is determined that the failure phenomenon of the image forming apparatus 30 is not a minor failure phenomenon. That is, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the acquired failure phenomenon information corresponds to the failure phenomenon information in the work advice database 43 stored in the storage unit 14. For example, when the failure classification of the failure phenomenon information stored in the memory 12 is “paper jam” and the failure content is “paper jam in the apparatus”, the failure phenomenon information is shown in FIG. Therefore, the failure phenomenon of the target image forming apparatus 30 is determined to be a minor failure phenomenon.

  If it is determined in step S13 that the phenomenon is a minor failure (step S13: YES), the CPU 11 determines from the work advice database 43 stored in the storage unit 14 the model name and condition information stored in the memory 12 Work advice information associated with failure phenomenon information is extracted. Then, the CPU 11 sets the extracted work advice information as first advice information (step S14). For example, when the model name is “E-001”, the failure classification is “paper jam”, and the failure content is “paper jam in the apparatus”, the model name is stored in the work advice database 43 shown in FIG. Work advice information 61 associated with “E001”, failure classification “paper jam” and failure content “paper jam in the apparatus” is extracted. That is, when it is determined that the acquired failure phenomenon information corresponds to the failure phenomenon information in the work advice database 43, the CPU 11 stores the acquired failure phenomenon information in association with the acquired failure phenomenon information and the model name. Work advice information is acquired from the work database 43 of the storage unit 14.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S <b> 13 that the phenomenon is not a minor failure (step S <b> 13: NO), the CPU 11 uses the model of the condition information stored in the memory 12 from the usage advice database 44 stored in the storage unit 14. Use advice information associated with name and failure phenomenon information is extracted. Then, the CPU 11 sets the extracted usage advice information as first advice information (step S15). For example, when the model name is “E-001”, the failure classification is “does not operate”, and the failure content is “does not work even when the power is turned on”, the usage advice database 44 shown in FIG. Usage advice information 71 associated with the name “E001”, the failure classification “does not work”, and the failure content “does not work even when the power is turned on” is extracted. That is, when it is determined that the acquired failure phenomenon information does not correspond to the failure phenomenon information in the work advice database 43, the CPU 11 has a failure of the target image forming apparatus 30 indicated by the acquired failure phenomenon information. Get usage advice information about the phenomenon. This use advice information is information different from the work advice information described above.

  Subsequently, the CPU 11 identifies a recent failure phenomenon having a high occurrence frequency in the same model as the target image forming apparatus 30 based on the failure database 41 stored in the storage unit 14 (step S16). Specifically, the CPU 11 extracts information associated with the model name of the condition information stored in the memory 12 from the information on the failure phenomenon included in the failure database 41. Subsequently, the CPU 11 identifies the extracted failure phenomenon information that has the highest occurrence frequency in the past one month, for example. In other words, the CPU 11 specifies a failure phenomenon having a higher occurrence frequency than other failure phenomena in the image forming apparatus 30 of the same model as the target image forming apparatus 30 based on the failure database 41 stored in the storage unit 14. .

  Subsequently, the CPU 11 corresponds to the model name of the condition information stored in the memory 12 and the failure phenomenon identified above from the work advice database 43 or the usage advice database 44 stored in the storage unit 14. The attached advice information is extracted. Then, the CPU 11 sets the extracted advice information as second advice information (an example of second related information) (step S17). For example, in the above-described step S16, when a failure phenomenon whose failure classification is “defective image quality” and whose failure content is “color loss / unevenness” is specified, in the work advice database 43 shown in FIG. The work advice information 62 associated with the name “E001”, the failure classification “image quality failure”, and the failure content “color loss, unevenness” is extracted. This work advice information 62 is information relating to a failure phenomenon of “color loss and unevenness”. That is, the CPU 11 acquires advice information related to the specified failure phenomenon.

  Subsequently, the CPU 11 creates image data of the advice sheet image 81 formed on the advice sheet (step S18). Specifically, the CPU 11 reads the usage status information and the repair report information from the condition information stored in the memory 12, and the format 422 indicated by the format information of the image generation database 42 stored in the storage unit 14. Accordingly, the usage status information and the repair report information, and the first advice information and the second advice information extracted as described above are arranged. Further, the CPU 11 determines the model of the target image forming apparatus 30 based on the model name of the condition information stored in the memory 12, and specifies a position where printing is poor in the characteristics of the determined model. Subsequently, the CPU 11 reads the test image 421 from the image generation database 42 stored in the storage unit 14 and arranges the test image 421 at the specified position. Further, the CPU 11 arranges a message indicating that it also serves as a test print on the advice sheet image 81. That is, the CPU 11 has either the work advice information or the usage advice information acquired as the first advice information described above, the second advice information acquired as described above, and the predetermined test image 421. Image data indicating the arranged advice sheet image 81 is generated.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the advice sheet image 81. An advice sheet image 81a in the figure is an advice sheet image formed on the front surface of the advice sheet, and an advice sheet image 81b in the figure is an advice sheet image formed on the back surface of the advice sheet. In the example of the figure, work advice information 61 shown in FIG. 6 is arranged in the area R3 of the advice sheet image 81b, and work advice information 62 shown in FIG. 7 is arranged in the area R4. Further, in the advice sheet image 81b, test images 421 are arranged at the four corners, which are positions where the target image forming apparatus 30 is not good at printing. For example, when the position where printing is not good in the model of the target image forming apparatus 30 is the central portion, the test image 421 is arranged in the central portion of the advice sheet image 81. That is, the test image 422 is arranged at a position determined according to the model of the target image forming apparatus 30. In addition, at the lower end of the advice sheet image 81b, a message “also serves as a test print” is arranged.

  Subsequently, the CPU 11 transmits the generated image data of the advice sheet image 81 from the communication unit 13 to the terminal device 20 (step S19). That is, the CPU 11 outputs the generated image data. When receiving the image data of the advice sheet image 81 by the wireless communication unit 23, the CPU 21 of the terminal device 20 generates a print request including the received image data. Subsequently, the CPU 21 transmits the generated print request from the communication unit 24 to the image forming apparatus 30 (step S20). When receiving a print request by the communication unit 32, the control unit 31 of the image forming apparatus 30 supplies the image data included in the print request to the image forming unit 36 and instructs printing. The image forming unit 36 prints the advice sheet image 81 on a sheet based on the supplied image data (step S21). For example, the image forming unit 36 forms the advice sheet image 81a shown in FIG. 14 on the front surface of the paper, and forms and outputs the advice sheet image 81b shown in FIG. 14 on the back surface of the paper. That is, the image forming apparatus 30 receives the image data output from the repair support apparatus 10 and forms an image corresponding to the image data. The paper output from the image forming apparatus 30 is used as an advice sheet.

  The operator looks at the test image 421 formed on the advice sheet and confirms that there is no problem with the image quality. When it is confirmed that there is no problem with the image quality, the operator hands over the advice sheet to the user of the target image forming apparatus 30. Subsequently, the worker refers to the surface of the advice sheet and gives a repair report and an explanation of the usage status. In addition, the worker refers to the back side of the advice sheet and gives advice regarding the failure phenomenon. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, when the work advice information 61 shown in FIG. 6 is described in the advice sheet, the operator performs a procedure for cleaning the paper feed roller, which is a work for clearing a paper jam in the apparatus. explain. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, when the work advice information 62 shown in FIG. 7 is described in the advice sheet, the worker can use the color omission and unevenness in the image forming apparatus 30 of the same model as the target image forming apparatus 30. Will be introduced recently, and the procedure for cleaning the inside of the device, which is the work to eliminate this failure phenomenon, will be described.

  According to the above-described embodiment, when the failure phenomenon that has occurred in the image forming apparatus 30 is a light failure phenomenon, the work advice information indicating the work procedure for eliminating the light failure phenomenon is printed. As a result, the user can understand the work procedure by looking at the work advice information, so that the next time a similar minor failure occurs, the user can work by himself to eliminate the minor failure. it can.

[Modification]
The above is the description of the embodiment, but the contents of this embodiment can be modified as follows. Further, the following modifications may be combined as appropriate.
(Modification 1)
In the above-described embodiment, the advice information corresponding to the model name and the failure phenomenon information is extracted. However, the information used for extracting the advice information is not limited thereto. For example, information indicating the usage status of the image forming apparatus 30 (an example of usage status information) may be used. In this case, the CPU 11 extracts advice information corresponding to information indicating the usage status of the target image forming apparatus 30 in addition to the model name and failure phenomenon information of the target image forming apparatus 30. As described above, the usage status information includes information such as the number of monthly prints, the ratio of double-sided printing, and the ratio of color to monochrome. In addition, information indicating an installation environment of the target image forming apparatus 30 (an example of installation environment information) and information regarding a user of the target image forming apparatus 30 (an example of user information) may be used. The information on the installation environment includes, for example, information such as the temperature, humidity, and direct sunlight in the place where the image forming apparatus 30 is installed. The user information includes, for example, the contents of a maintenance contract made by the user, the number of image forming apparatuses 30 held by the user, and the like. In this case, when an operator instructs generation of an advice sheet, the operator operates the operation unit 26 of the terminal device 20 to input information on installation environment and user information. In addition to the model name of the target image forming apparatus 30 and information on the failure phenomenon, the CPU 11 of the repair support apparatus 10 extracts advice information according to information on the installation environment of the target image forming apparatus 30 or user information. .
In the above-described embodiment, information on the usage status of the image forming apparatus 30 and information on a failure phenomenon are input by the operator's operation. However, these pieces of information may be acquired from the image forming apparatus 30. In this case, the storage unit 33 of the image forming apparatus 30 stores information indicating the usage status of the own apparatus and information indicating a failure phenomenon.

(Modification 2)
The position where the above-described test image 421 is arranged is not limited to the position corresponding to the characteristics of the model of the target image forming apparatus 30. For example, when the failure phenomenon of the image forming apparatus 30 is “the paper jammed in the central portion of the paper feeding port or the paper discharging port of the device is forcibly pulled out”, the central portion of the image may not be printed well. Therefore, the test image 421 may be arranged in the center portion of the advice sheet image 81. That is, the test image 421 may be determined at a position determined according to a failure phenomenon of the target image forming apparatus 30.

(Modification 3)
The information described in the above advice sheet is not limited to the example shown in FIG. For example, information recommending a maintenance contract may be described, or a maintenance contract may be described. Further, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a page for conducting a questionnaire to the user may be described.

(Modification 4)
The test image 421 formed on the above advice sheet is not limited to an image for color evaluation as shown in FIG. For example, the reproducibility of thin lines may be evaluated, or the reproducibility of characters may be evaluated. Further, the test image 421 may constitute at least a part of a decoration image that decorates the first advice information or the second advice information described above in the advice sheet image 81. Examples of the decorative image include a title bar and a frame.
FIG. 15A is a diagram illustrating an example of a test image 421a constituting the title bar of the first advice information and the second advice information. The test image 421a is a color evaluation image called a color bar, similar to that shown in FIG. In the example of the figure, the characters “cleaning of the paper feed roller” included in the work advice information 61 and the characters “cleaning inside the printer” included in the usage advice information 62 are respectively arranged on the test image 421a. ing. FIG. 15B is a diagram illustrating an example of a test image 421b that forms a frame surrounding the first advice information and an example of a test image 421c that forms a frame surrounding the second advice information. Both the test image 421b and the test image 421c are images for evaluating the reproducibility of thin lines. As shown in the figure, when the test image 421 constitutes a decoration image that decorates the advice information, it is apparent to the user that the test image 421 for evaluating printing is formed on the advice sheet. I do n’t know.

(Modification 5)
In the above-described advice sheet, the first advice information or the second advice information itself is described. For example, instead of this advice information, a bar code indicating a storage location of the advice information may be added. . In this case, the storage unit 14 of the repair support device 10 stores the first advice information or the second advice information. The first advice information or the second advice information may be a moving image, for example. The user of the image forming apparatus 30 reads the barcode attached to the advice sheet using, for example, a mobile phone. The cellular phone acquires and displays the first advice information or the second advice information from the storage location indicated by the read barcode.

(Modification 6)
The operation advice information described on the advice sheet may be changed depending on whether or not the same minor failure phenomenon has occurred in the target image forming apparatus 30 in the past. In this case, in addition to the above-described work advice information, work advice detailed information indicating an operation procedure in more detail than the work advice information is registered in the work advice database 43. The CPU 11 of the repair support apparatus 10 acquires the serial number of the target image forming apparatus 30, and based on the failure database 41 stored in the storage unit 14, the same minor failure phenomenon in the target image forming apparatus 30 in the past. Whether or not has occurred is determined. Then, the CPU 11 extracts detailed work advice information from the work advice database 43 when a similar minor failure has occurred in the past.

(Modification 7)
There are cases where several candidate works can be considered as work to solve the failure phenomenon. In this case, in the work advice database 43, a plurality of pieces of work advice information are associated with one failure content. The CPU 11 of the repair support device 10 creates a selection screen for accepting selection of any of a plurality of work advice information associated with the received failure phenomenon, and displays the selection screen on the display unit 27 of the terminal device 20. At this time, the CPU 11 may acquire the selection history of the work advice information, specify the frequency with which the work advice information is selected, and display the work advice information in descending order of the specified frequency on the selection screen. . When the selection screen is displayed, the operator operates the operation unit 26 to select one of a plurality of pieces of work advice information. When the work advice information is selected on the selection screen, the CPU 11 extracts the selected work advice information from the work advice database 43 stored in the storage unit 14.
Similarly, the usage advice information selected by the operator from the plurality of usage advice information associated with the received failure phenomenon is similarly used for the usage advice information from the usage advice database 44 stored in the storage unit 14. It may be extracted.

(Modification 8)
There are a plurality of advice sheet formats 422 described above, and these may be used by switching. For example, when the target image forming apparatus 30 supports A3 size printing, the format is changed to the format 422 corresponding to A3. For example, when the user is an elderly person, the advice sheet image 81 is switched to the enlarged format 422 for use. In this case, the advice sheet image 81 may be divided and printed on a plurality of sheets, for example.

(Modification 9)
In the embodiment described above, the advice sheet image 81 is printed on the image forming apparatus 30, but the output destination of the advice sheet image 81 is not limited thereto. For example, the advice sheet image 81 may be displayed on the display unit 27 in the terminal device 20. Further, for example, the image data of the advice sheet image 81 may be transmitted to a mobile phone or a personal computer used by a user of the target image forming apparatus 30.

(Modification 10)
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the test image 421 is formed on the advice sheet has been described as an example. However, the test image 421 may not necessarily be formed. For example, when an operator generates an advice sheet in advance based on the failure phenomenon of the target image forming apparatus 30 heard from the user before going to repair the target image forming apparatus 30, the advice sheet is the target image. Printing is performed by an image forming apparatus 30 different from the forming apparatus 30. In this case, since it is not necessary to form the test image 421, the operator operates the operation unit 26 of the terminal device 20 to instruct not to form the test image 421. When instructed not to form the test image 421, the CPU 11 of the repair support apparatus 10 does not place a message indicating that the test image 421 also serves as a test print on the advice sheet image 81.

(Modification 11)
In the embodiment described above, the repair support device 10 and the terminal device 20 are provided separately, but the terminal device 20 may have the function of the repair support device 10, for example. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the repair support device 10.

(Modification 12)
The processing performed by the control unit 31 of the image forming apparatus 30 described above may be performed in cooperation with the CPU and other hardware, or may be performed by one or a plurality of hardware instead of the CPU. . Moreover, the process performed by CPU11 of the repair assistance apparatus 10 and CPU21 of the terminal device 20 may be implement | achieved by the single program, and may be implement | achieved by the some program. Each program executed by the CPU 11 of the repair support device 10 and the CPU 21 of the terminal device 20 is a magnetic recording medium such as a magnetic tape or a magnetic disk, an optical recording medium such as an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. It may be provided in a state stored in a recording medium readable by a computer device. It is also possible to download this program via a communication line such as the Internet.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming system, 10 ... Repair support apparatus, 11 ... CPU, 12 ... Memory, 13 ... Communication part, 14 ... Memory | storage part, 101 ... 1st acquisition part, 102 ... Determination part, 103 ... Identification part, 104 ... Second acquisition unit, 105 ... generating unit, 106 ... output unit, 20 ... terminal device, 21 ... CPU, 22 ... memory, 23 ... wireless communication unit, 24 ... communication unit, 25 ... storage unit, 26 ... operation unit, 27: Display unit, 30: Image forming apparatus, 31: Control unit, 32: Communication unit, 33: Storage unit, 34: Operation unit, 35: Display unit, 36: Image forming unit

Claims (8)

Failure phenomenon information indicating a first failure phenomenon which is a failure phenomenon of the image forming apparatus which is eliminated by the user's work, model information indicating the model of the image forming apparatus, and the first information for the image forming apparatus of the model Storage means for storing work procedure information indicating work procedures for eliminating the failure phenomenon in association with each other;
Failure phenomenon information indicating either the first failure phenomenon that has been eliminated by the user's work or the second failure phenomenon that has not been eliminated by the user's work, and the model of the image forming apparatus First acquisition means for acquiring model information indicating
Determining means for determining whether or not the failure phenomenon information acquired by the first acquisition means corresponds to failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon stored in the storage means;
When the determination means determines that the acquired failure phenomenon information corresponds to failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon, the failure phenomenon information acquired by the first acquisition means and the failure information Second acquisition means for acquiring work procedure information stored in association with model information from the storage means;
Generating means for generating image data indicating an image in which work procedure information acquired by the second acquiring means is arranged;
An information processing apparatus comprising: output means for outputting image data generated by the generating means. When the determination unit determines that the acquired failure phenomenon information does not correspond to the failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon, the second acquisition unit determines the failure indicated by the failure phenomenon information. Obtaining first related information other than the work procedure information relating to the phenomenon;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates image data indicating an image in which the first related information acquired by the second acquisition unit is arranged. The first acquisition means includes usage status information indicating a usage status of the image forming apparatus in which the failure phenomenon has occurred, installation environment information indicating an installation environment of the image forming apparatus, or user information relating to a user of the image forming apparatus. Get at least one of
The second acquisition means, when the determination means determines that the acquired failure phenomenon information does not correspond to the failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon, the first acquisition means The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first related information according to at least one of the acquired usage status information, the installation environment information, and the user information is acquired. The storage means is failure history information indicating failure histories of a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and includes failure history information indicating failure phenomena and model information indicating model of the image forming apparatus. Remember
Based on the failure history information stored in the storage means, a failure phenomenon having a higher occurrence frequency than other failure phenomena is specified in the image forming apparatus of the model indicated by the model information acquired by the first acquisition means. With specific means,
The second acquisition means acquires second related information related to the failure phenomenon identified by the identification means,
The generation unit is an image in which either the work procedure information or the first related information acquired by the second acquisition unit and the second related information acquired by the second acquisition unit are arranged. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein image data indicating the image is generated. The generation means generates image data indicating the image on which a predetermined test image is arranged,
The test image is arranged at a position determined according to the model indicated by the model information acquired by the first acquisition unit or the failure phenomenon indicated by the failure phenomenon information acquired by the first acquisition unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the test image constitutes at least a part of a decoration image that decorates work procedure information or related information acquired by the second acquisition unit. Failure phenomenon information indicating a first failure phenomenon which is a failure phenomenon of the image forming apparatus which is eliminated by the user's work, model information indicating the model of the image forming apparatus, and the first information for the image forming apparatus of the model Storage means for storing work procedure information indicating work procedures for eliminating the failure phenomenon in association with each other;
Failure phenomenon information indicating either the first failure phenomenon that has been eliminated by the user's work or the second failure phenomenon that has not been eliminated by the user's work, and the model of the image forming apparatus First acquisition means for acquiring model information indicating
Determining means for determining whether or not the failure phenomenon information acquired by the first acquisition means corresponds to failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon stored in the storage means;
When the determination means determines that the acquired failure phenomenon information corresponds to failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon, the failure phenomenon information acquired by the first acquisition means and the failure information Second acquisition means for acquiring work procedure information stored in association with model information from the storage means;
Generating means for generating image data indicating an image in which work procedure information acquired by the second acquiring means is arranged;
An information processing apparatus comprising: output means for outputting image data generated by the generating means;
An image forming system comprising: the image forming apparatus that receives the image data output by the output unit and forms an image according to the image data. Computer
Failure phenomenon information indicating a first failure phenomenon which is a failure phenomenon of the image forming apparatus which is eliminated by the user's work, model information indicating the model of the image forming apparatus, and the first information for the image forming apparatus of the model Storage means for storing work procedure information indicating work procedures for eliminating the failure phenomenon in association with each other;
Failure phenomenon information indicating either the first failure phenomenon that has been eliminated by the user's work or the second failure phenomenon that has not been eliminated by the user's work, and the model of the image forming apparatus First acquisition means for acquiring model information indicating
Determining means for determining whether or not the failure phenomenon information acquired by the first acquisition means corresponds to failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon stored in the storage means;
When the determination means determines that the acquired failure phenomenon information corresponds to failure phenomenon information indicating the first failure phenomenon, the failure phenomenon information acquired by the first acquisition means and the failure information Second acquisition means for acquiring work procedure information stored in association with model information from the storage means;
Generating means for generating image data indicating an image in which work procedure information acquired by the second acquiring means is arranged;
A program for functioning as output means for outputting image data generated by the generating means.

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