JP2012053167A - Image forming apparatus and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To preliminarily and accurately respond to an event such as failure occurring on an operation in an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: When acquiring event occurrence arrival time information from other multifunctional machines 32 and 33 by an event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021, an adaptive information extraction unit 108 extracts event occurrence arrival time information in which performance information contained in the acquired event occurrence arrival time information and performance information stored in a performance information storage unit 1701 are matched with each other. A calculation unit 105 of a multifunctional machine 31 calculates a difference between time-course information, or a lapse time when the own multifunctional machine 31 performs a prescribed operation, calculated by a time-course information calculation unit 101, and the event occurrence arrival time information extracted by the adaptive information extraction unit 108 (S13). When a determination unit 106 determines that the difference reaches a predetermined limit value or less (YES in S14), a control unit 103 allows a display unit 150 to display a warning (S15).

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming system, and more particularly, to a technique for enabling beforehand correspondence to events that may occur in the future in an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an image forming apparatus that notifies a user when a problem with an operation performed in the image forming apparatus frequently occurs. For example, such an image forming apparatus counts the number of errors such as a jam that has occurred in a pickup roller of a paper feed cassette, and when the number of errors reaches a predetermined number, It has been proposed to determine that the roller needs to be cleaned and to notify a warning message to the user that cleaning should be performed on the display unit (for example, see Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2006-159727 A

  However, in the case of the conventional image forming apparatus, the warning message is notified to the user after an error such as a jam actually occurs in the image forming apparatus. That is, in the case of the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a warning message can be notified only after an error such as a jam occurs on the pickup roller many times. Furthermore, each image forming apparatus on the network may have different performance that can be executed by each other, so that another image forming apparatus obtains information such as the number of errors in the pickup roller from one image forming apparatus. However, in the image forming apparatus that has obtained the information, the information is not always useful, and cannot always accurately correspond to the operations and events that can occur in the own apparatus.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible in advance and accurately to cope with an event such as a failure that occurs in an operation performed in an image forming apparatus.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is an image forming apparatus connected to a network with another image forming apparatus or a server capable of data communication with the other image forming apparatus.
A time-lapse information calculation unit that calculates time-lapse information from the time when the operation was first performed to the execution time when executing a predetermined operation in the image forming apparatus;
Event information indicating an elapsed time from when the predetermined operation is first performed in the other image forming apparatus until a specific event occurs in the operation, and performance indicating the performance of the other image forming apparatus An event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit for acquiring event occurrence arrival time information including information from the other image forming apparatus or the server;
A performance information storage unit that stores one or more pieces of performance information indicating the performance of the image forming apparatus;
When the event occurrence arrival time information is acquired by the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit, the performance information included in the acquired event occurrence arrival time information matches the performance information stored in the performance information storage unit A conformity information extraction unit for extracting event occurrence arrival time information,
A calculation unit that calculates a difference between the time-lapse information calculated by the time-lapse information calculation unit and the event occurrence arrival time information extracted by the matching information extraction unit;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the difference calculated by the calculation unit has reached a predetermined limit value or less;
A control unit that causes a predetermined operation mechanism to perform a predetermined response action as a countermeasure against the specific event when the determination unit determines that the difference has reached the limit value or less; An image forming apparatus provided.

The invention according to claim 8 is an image forming system having a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to each other via a network,
Each of the image forming apparatuses is
A time-lapse information calculation unit that calculates time-lapse information from the time when the operation was first performed to the execution time when executing a predetermined operation in the image forming apparatus;
Event information indicating an elapsed time from when the predetermined operation is first performed in the other image forming apparatus until a specific event occurs in the operation, and performance indicating the performance of the other image forming apparatus An event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit for acquiring event occurrence arrival time information including information from the other image forming apparatus;
A performance information storage unit that stores one or more pieces of performance information indicating the performance of the image forming apparatus;
When the event occurrence arrival time information is acquired by the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit, the performance information included in the acquired event occurrence arrival time information matches the performance information stored in the performance information storage unit A conformity information extraction unit for extracting event occurrence arrival time information,
A calculation unit that calculates a difference between the time-lapse information calculated by the time-lapse information calculation unit and the event occurrence arrival time information extracted by the matching information extraction unit;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the difference calculated by the calculation unit has reached a predetermined limit value or less;
A control unit that causes a predetermined operation mechanism to perform a predetermined response action as a countermeasure against the specific event when the determination unit determines that the difference has reached the limit value or less; An image forming system provided.

The invention according to claim 9 is an image forming system having a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a server connected to the image forming apparatus via a network.
Each of the image forming apparatuses is
A time-lapse information calculation unit that calculates time-lapse information from the time when the operation was first performed to the execution time when executing a predetermined operation in the image forming apparatus;
An information calculation unit that calculates event information indicating an elapsed time from when the predetermined operation is first performed until a specific event that is predetermined in the operation occurs;
A performance information storage unit that stores one or more pieces of performance information indicating the performance of the image forming apparatus;
An event occurrence arrival time information transmission unit for transmitting event occurrence arrival time information including information calculated by the information calculation unit and performance information stored in the performance information storage unit to the server;
Event information indicating an elapsed time from when the predetermined operation is first performed in the other image forming apparatus until a specific event occurs in the operation, and performance indicating the performance of the other image forming apparatus An event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit that acquires event occurrence arrival time information including information from the server;
When the event occurrence arrival time information is acquired by the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit, the performance information included in the acquired event occurrence arrival time information matches the performance information stored in the performance information storage unit A conformity information extraction unit for extracting event occurrence arrival time information,
A calculation unit that calculates a difference between the time-lapse information calculated by the time-lapse information calculation unit and the event occurrence arrival time information extracted by the matching information extraction unit;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the difference calculated by the calculation unit has reached a predetermined limit value or less;
A control unit that causes a predetermined operation mechanism to perform a predetermined response action as a countermeasure against the specific event when the determination unit determines that the difference has reached the limit value or less; Prepared,
The server
An event occurrence arrival time information receiving unit for receiving the event occurrence arrival time information transmitted from the event occurrence arrival time information transmitting unit of the image forming apparatus;
An event occurrence arrival time information storage unit for storing the event occurrence arrival time information received from the image forming apparatus by the event occurrence arrival time information receiving unit;
An event occurrence arrival time information output unit that outputs the event occurrence arrival time information stored in the event occurrence arrival time information storage unit to the image forming apparatus that requests transmission of the event occurrence arrival time information. And an image forming system.

  According to these inventions, the event occurrence arrival time information including information until the specific event occurs in the other image forming apparatus and the performance information regarding the predetermined operation is obtained as the other image forming apparatus or Acquired from the server by the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit, and conforms to the performance information stored in the performance information storage unit from the event occurrence arrival time information acquired by the matching information extraction unit or the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit The event generation arrival time information is extracted, and the calculation unit calculates the time information that is the elapsed time when the predetermined operation is performed in the image forming apparatus itself calculated by the time information calculation unit. When the difference from the event occurrence arrival time information extracted by the extraction unit is calculated, and the determination unit determines that the difference has reached a predetermined limit value or less, Of the corresponding operation is predetermined as a countermeasure against the event, the control unit is to perform a predetermined operation mechanism.

  Thus, in the image forming apparatus according to each of the inventions described above, the operation of the image forming apparatus of its own is performed based on the occurrence timing of the specific event in the predetermined operation of the other image forming apparatus different from the above. It is possible to calculate that the occurrence timing of the event is approaching, and it is possible to take action corresponding to the event in its own image forming apparatus before the event actually occurs for the operation.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus according to each of the inventions, the matching information extraction unit extracts only the event occurrence arrival time information that matches the performance of the image forming apparatus itself, and therefore the specific event for the predetermined operation. Only the information that is truly useful for calculating the approach timing of the occurrence of an error can be used to accurately respond to the actions and events that can occur in its own device.

The invention according to claim 2 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation mechanism is a notification unit that notifies a warning to a user,
The control unit causes the notification unit to issue a warning as the predetermined corresponding action when the determination unit determines that the difference has reached the limit value or less.

  According to the present invention, based on the occurrence timing of the specific event for the predetermined operation in the other image forming apparatus, the occurrence timing of the event for the operation in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. Before the event actually occurs for the operation, the control unit causes the notification unit to warn the user of the event. It is possible to recognize that the generation timing is near.

  Further, the invention according to claim 3 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit receives the predetermined time each time, The event occurrence arrival time information is acquired.

  According to this invention, since the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit acquires time-lapse information from another image forming apparatus or server for each predetermined period, in the own image forming apparatus according to the present invention, It is possible to calculate that the occurrence timing of the event for the operation is approaching at any time for each predetermined period.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, an event occurrence detection unit for detecting that a specific event has occurred in the predetermined operation in the image forming apparatus. Further comprising
The event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit uses the time when the occurrence of a specific event is detected in the predetermined operation by the event occurrence detection unit as the arrival time of the predetermined time. This is to obtain information on the time of occurrence.

  According to this invention, when the occurrence of a specific event is detected in the predetermined operation in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention by the event occurrence detection unit, the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit Since the occurrence arrival time information is acquired from another image forming apparatus or server, when it is necessary to calculate that the occurrence timing of the event for the operation is approaching in the own image forming apparatus, the other image The event occurrence arrival time information in the forming apparatus can be obtained.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a designation receiving unit that receives an instruction for designating the content of the predetermined operation and the specific event from the user. In addition,
The event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit is configured to detect the event when the predetermined operation indicated by the instruction received by the designation receiving unit and the specific event are detected by the event occurrence detection unit. This is to obtain information on the time of occurrence.

  According to this invention, when the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit generates an event designated by the user for the operation designated by the user, the event occurrence arrival time information about the operation and the event is displayed as another image. Since it is acquired from the forming apparatus or the server, it is possible to calculate that the occurrence timing of the event is approaching for the user's desired operation and event timing.

The invention according to claim 6 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a timing designation receiving unit that receives an instruction for designating the predetermined timing from a user.
The event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit acquires the event occurrence arrival time information every time the time indicated by the instruction received by the designation reception unit arrives.

  According to the present invention, the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit acquires time-lapse information from another image forming apparatus or server at a time designated by the user. Therefore, in the user's own image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the user It is possible to calculate that the occurrence timing of the event for the operation is approaching at a desired time.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein an event specific to the operation is performed from the time when the predetermined operation is first performed. An information calculation unit that calculates event information indicating an elapsed time until the occurrence of
Event occurrence arrival which transmits event occurrence arrival time information including information calculated by the information calculation unit and performance information stored in the performance information storage unit to the other image forming apparatus or the server And a time information transmission unit.

  According to the present invention, the event occurrence arrival time information transmitting unit transmits the event occurrence arrival time information calculated by the information calculating unit to the other image forming apparatus or server, so that the image forming apparatus itself according to the present invention itself In addition, the above-described event occurrence arrival time information of a specific event that has occurred with respect to a predetermined operation in the image forming apparatus is provided to the other image forming apparatus, and the other image forming apparatus in the other image forming apparatus It is possible to calculate the occurrence timing of the event of the image forming apparatus itself.

  According to the present invention, only information that is truly useful in the image forming apparatus is used in order to make it possible to cope with an event such as a malfunction before an event such as a malfunction occurs in an operation performed in the image forming apparatus. Thus, it is possible to respond in advance and accurately to actions and events that may occur in the device itself.

1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration of an image forming apparatus and a server that form an image forming system according to the present invention. 2 is a front sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an internal structure of the image forming apparatus. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of an internal configuration of a multifunction machine. (A) (b) is a figure which shows the detection signal output from a paper jam detection sensor. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the internal structure of a server. It is a flowchart which shows the transmission / reception process of the event generation arrival time information by an image forming system. 6 is a flowchart illustrating warning processing in a multifunction machine. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a first embodiment of a storage process of event occurrence arrival time information in a multifunction peripheral. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of a storage process of event occurrence arrival time information in a multifunction peripheral.

  Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus and an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a network configuration of an image forming apparatus and a server constituting an image forming system according to the present invention.

  The image forming system 10 includes a server and a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to each other via a network such as a local area network (LAN). In the present embodiment, the image forming system 10 includes one server and three multifunction peripherals. However, the number of servers and image forming apparatuses provided in the image forming system according to the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in each embodiment to be described later, the image forming system 10 may take a form including only a plurality of multifunction peripherals.

  The multifunction peripherals 31, 32, and 33 according to an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention have functions such as a copy function, a facsimile function, a printer function, and a scanner function. Since the functions and configurations of the multi-function machines 31, 32, and 33 are the same, the multi-function machine 31 will be described below. The multi-function device 31 stores document data read by an image reading unit such as a scanner in an internal storage device of the multi-function device 31 or a storage unit in the server SV2 connected to the multi-function device 31 by an intranet or the like. The multi-function device 31 prints out data stored in the internal storage device of the multi-function device 31. Each multifunction device 31 and server SV2 are capable of data communication with each other.

  Next, the configuration of the multifunction machine 31 will be described. FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the MFP according to the embodiment of the present invention. The multifunction machine 1 includes a main body 200, a paper post-processing section 300 disposed on the paper carry-out side, for example, the left side of the main body 200, an operation section 400 for a user to input various operation commands and the like, The image reading unit 500 is disposed at the top of the unit 200, and the document feeding unit 600 is disposed at the top of the image reading unit 500.

  The operation unit 400 includes a display unit (display unit) 410 including an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and the like, and an operation key unit 430 to which an operation instruction is input from an operator. The display unit 410 includes a touch panel unit that combines a touch panel and an LCD. The display unit 410 displays various operation screens and various instructions such as instructions for switching the operation to be displayed on the display unit 410 to another operation when the operator touches the display surface (displayed operation keys). It is possible to input an execution command for these functions. The operation key unit 430 includes a start key, a numeric keypad, and the like.

  The document feeding unit 60 includes a document placement unit 601, a paper feed roller 602, a document transport unit 603, and a document discharge unit 604, and the image reading unit 500 includes a scanner 501. The paper feed roller 602 feeds the required number of documents set on the document placement unit 601 one by one, and the document transport unit 603 sequentially transports the fed document to the reading position of the scanner 501. The scanner 501 sequentially reads images of the conveyed document, and the read document is discharged to the document discharge unit 604.

  The main body 200 includes a plurality of paper feed cassettes 201, a plurality of paper feed rollers 202, a transfer roller 203, a photosensitive drum 204, an exposure device 206, a developing device 207, a fixing roller 208, a discharge port 209, a discharge tray 210, and the like. Prepare. The transfer roller 203, the photosensitive drum 204, the exposure device 206, the developing device 207, and the fixing roller 208 constitute an image forming unit 130 described later.

  The photosensitive drum 204 is uniformly charged by a charging device (not shown) while rotating in the direction of the arrow. The exposure device 206 scans the photosensitive drum 204 with laser light modulated according to the image data of the original read by the image reading unit 500, and forms an electrostatic latent image for each color on the drum surface. The developing device 207 supplies a black developer to the photosensitive drum 204 to form a toner image.

  On the other hand, the pickup roller is provided in each of the paper feeding cassettes 2011 to 2014, and the recording paper P is fed out one by one by driving the pickup rollers 2021 to 2024 from the recording paper bundle accommodated in the paper feeding cassettes 2011 to 2014. The fed recording paper is fed to the transfer roller 203. The transfer roller 203 transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 204 to the conveyed printing paper, and the fixing roller 208 heats and fixes the transferred toner image on the printing paper. Thereafter, the printing paper is carried into the paper post-processing unit 300 from the discharge port 209 of the main body unit 200. The printing paper is also discharged to the discharge tray 210 as necessary. Hereinafter, the paper feed cassette 2011 and the pickup roller 2021 will be described as an example.

  Further, for example, on the downstream side in the paper transport direction with respect to the pickup roller 2021 of the paper feed cassette 2011, whether or not the recording paper P has passed through the pickup roller 2021 of the paper feed cassette and the paper at the location where the pickup roller 2021 is disposed. A paper detection sensor 19 is provided for detecting whether or not a jam has occurred. The sheet detection sensor 19 includes an optical sensor including, for example, a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The light emitting unit of the paper detection sensor 19 is disposed on a side wall forming a part of the paper transport path 151, and the light receiving unit is a side wall part of the paper transport path 151 facing the light emitting unit, and emits light from the light emitting unit. It is provided at a position where light can be received. The sheet detection sensor 19 may be installed at a plurality of positions in the sheet conveyance path 151 or the sheet feeding cassette. The light emitting unit of the paper detection sensor 19 is configured by, for example, a light emitting diode, and the light receiving unit is configured by, for example, a phototransistor.

  The paper post-processing unit 300 includes a carry-in port 301, a print paper carrying unit 302, a carry-out port 303, a stack tray 304, and the like. The printing paper conveyance unit 302 sequentially conveys the printing paper carried into the carry-in port 301 from the discharge port 209 and finally discharges the printing paper from the carry-out port 303 to the stack tray 304. The stack tray 304 is configured to be movable up and down in the direction of the arrow in accordance with the number of print sheets stacked from the carry-out port 303.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of the internal configuration of the multifunction machine 31. The configuration of the multi-function device 31 (32, 33) described below is not necessarily an indispensable component for the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and may include a configuration necessary for executing processing in each embodiment described later. Thus, an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can be obtained.

  The multi-function device 31 temporarily stores a control unit 100 that controls the operation of each unit of the apparatus, an image reading unit 500 having a scanner or the like that reads a document image, and document data or the like read by the image reading unit 500. The image memory 120, which is an area for temporarily storing data to be printed by the image forming unit 130, the data of the original read by the image reading unit 500, the data transmitted from the server SV2, and the like. And an image forming unit 130.

  Further, the multi-function device 31 executes various functions necessary for facsimile communication, and receives a facsimile communication unit 140 that receives image data from an external facsimile apparatus through a public line, a print or transmission start key, a numeric keypad, and a shortened number key. An operation unit (designation reception unit) 20 that receives input of various operation instructions (input of print settings, print instruction of print setting paper, etc.) from the operator, and an LCD (Liquid) that displays operation guidance to the operator, etc. A display unit (an example of a notification unit) 150 including a crystal display). The display unit 150 may be provided with a touch panel function to accept various operation instructions from the operator.

  Further, the multi-function device 31 has a storage unit composed of an HDD (hard disk) or a memory that stores document image data read by the image reading unit 500. The storage unit 170 stores document image data read by the image reading unit 500, event occurrence arrival time information received from the other MFPs 32 and 33 or the server SV2 by the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021, and the like. To do.

  In addition, a partial area of the storage unit 170 functions as a performance information storage unit 1701 that stores one or more pieces of performance information indicating the performance of the multifunction machine 31. The performance information is model information indicating the type of the multifunction device 31, function information indicating the function of the multifunction device 31, narrowly defined performance information indicating each detailed performance of the multifunction device 31, or the like. .

  As an example of the function information, there is color / monochrome information indicating whether or not the multifunction device 31 can form a color image (whether only monochrome image formation is possible). Examples of the narrowly-defined performance information include image formation speed information indicating an image formation speed (the number of image formations per minute, etc.). Note that, in the multifunction peripherals 31 to 33 constituting the image forming system 10, the predetermined information among the model information, function information, or narrowly defined performance information is commonly used as performance information. It is stored in the information storage unit 1701.

  The performance information is not limited to the above-described model information, function information, and narrowly-defined performance information, and other information indicating the performance and characteristics of the multifunction peripheral can be used.

  The control unit 100 is composed of a CPU and the like, and governs the overall operation of the multifunction machine 31. The control unit 100 includes a temporal information calculation unit 101, a communication unit 102, a control unit 103, an information calculation unit 104, a calculation unit 105, a matching information extraction unit 108, a determination unit 106, and an event occurrence detection unit 107. Is provided.

  When the multifunction device 31 executes a predetermined operation (for example, a paper feeding operation by the pickup roller 2021 that picks up paper one by one from the paper feeding cassette 2011) in the multifunction device 31, the time information calculation unit 101 first performs the operation. Time-lapse information from the time of execution to the time of execution (for example, the number of times the paper is fed by the paper feeding operation by the pickup roller 2021 (the number of paper fed)) is calculated. The time information calculation unit 101 stores the calculated time information in the built-in memory or the storage unit 170.

  When the light from the light emitting unit is received by the light receiving unit, the paper detection sensor 19 outputs an H (high) signal from the light receiving unit, and when the light from the light emitting unit cannot be received by the light receiving unit (is blocked). ), An L (low) signal is output from the light receiving section. The output destinations of these signals are the time information calculation unit 101, the information calculation unit 104, and the event occurrence detection unit 107.

  When the jam does not occur, the recording paper P is intermittently conveyed from the paper feed cassette 142, so that the recording paper P passes between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion as shown in FIG. L (low) period T1 (time t1) and H until the recording paper P passes between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion and the next recording paper is conveyed between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion. (High) period T2 (time t2) occurs periodically. The time t1 is a value determined according to the length of the paper P in the transport direction and the transport speed of the paper P. The time information calculation unit 101 counts the number of paper feeds (number of papers fed) by the pickup roller 2021 by counting the number of periods T1 indicated by the signal sent from the paper detection sensor 19.

  The communication unit 102 performs processing necessary for data transmission / reception between the server SV2 and the other multifunction devices 32 and 33. The communication unit 102 includes an event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021 and an event occurrence arrival time information transmission unit 1022.

  The event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021 first performs the predetermined operation (for example, paper feeding operation by the pickup roller 2021) in the other multifunction devices 32 and 33 connected to the multifunction device 31 via the network. Event information (e.g., the number of paper feeds from the beginning of use of the pickup roller 2021 to the time of occurrence of a paper jam) (e.g., the time when a paper jam occurs in the pickup roller 2021) Event occurrence arrival time information including the number of sheets fed) and the like and performance information indicating the performance of the other multifunction devices 32 and 33 is acquired from the other multifunction devices 32 and 33 or the server SV2.

  The event occurrence arrival time information transmission unit 1022 sends event occurrence arrival time information including the above information calculated by the information calculation unit 104 and the performance information stored in the performance information storage unit 1701 to other multifunction devices 32, 33 or the server SV2.

  The information calculation unit 104 calculates information from the start of the operation until a specific event occurs in a predetermined operation. For example, in the same manner as the time-dependent information calculation unit 101, the information calculation unit 104 generates a paper jam at the pickup roller 2021 in a paper feeding operation by the pickup roller 2021, for example, based on a signal output from the paper detection sensor 19. The number of times of paper feeding (number of papers to be fed) from the start of the paper feeding operation until this time is calculated as the time-dependent information, and further, a signal indicating the occurrence of a jam (L (low ), The time-lapse information at this time is calculated as the information. The information calculation unit 104 stores the calculated event occurrence arrival time information in the built-in memory or the storage unit 170.

  The event occurrence detection unit 107 detects that a specific event has occurred in a predetermined operation in the multifunction machine 31. In the paper detection sensor 19, when a jam occurs, the recording paper P stays between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the paper detection sensor 19 for the time t1 or more, so the period L of the period exceeding the time t1 from the light receiving element. The (low) signal is output to the event occurrence detection unit 107. For example, when the event occurrence detection unit 107 receives a signal (FIG. 4A) that rises from L to H after time t1 from the fall timing from H to L based on the signal output from the paper detection sensor 19. When it is determined that a jam has not occurred and the signal shown in FIG. 4B is received when the signal shown in FIG. 4B does not rise from L to H even when time t1 elapses from the fall timing from H to L, the jam occurs. Judge that it occurred.

  When the event occurrence arrival time information is acquired by the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021, the matching information extraction unit 108 stores the performance information included in the acquired event occurrence arrival time information and the performance information storage unit 1701. The event occurrence arrival time information that matches the existing performance information is extracted.

  The calculation unit 105 calculates the difference between the temporal information calculated by the temporal information calculation unit 101 and the event occurrence arrival time information from the other multifunction devices 32 and 33 or the server SV2 acquired by the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021. Is calculated.

  The determination unit 106 determines that the difference calculated by the information calculation unit 104 is a predetermined limit value L (for example, the number of paper feeds from the start of the paper feed operation until a paper jam occurs on the pickup roller 2021. In the case of 10% of the number of times of paper feeding at the time of occurrence of paper jam indicated by the event occurrence arrival time information).

  The control unit 103 controls operation of the entire multifunction machine 31. For example, the control unit 103 causes each operation mechanism of the multifunction device 31 to perform a print operation, a copy operation, or the like.

  Further, the multi-function device 31 includes an image processing unit 190 that performs image image data editing / processing (code / decoding processing, enlargement / reduction processing, compression / decompression processing) processing read by the image reading unit 500, a server SV2, and a PC 31. To a network I / F 160 used for exchanging various types of data.

  The paper feeding operation by the pickup roller 2021 as the predetermined operation described above and the paper jam at the pickup roller 2021 as the specific event are merely examples of the predetermined operation and the specific event, and are predetermined. It is not intended to limit the specific operations and specific events. A combination of the following predetermined operation-specific event-time information-event occurrence arrival time information may be used. For example, (a) paper feeding operation by the paper feeding roller 602 of the original feeding unit 60-original image reading failure in the image reading unit 500 (determined by a known original image reading failure determination)-paper feeding by the paper feeding roller 602 Number of paper feeds from the initial start of operation (the number of paper feeds is counted by the paper detection sensor as in the case of the pick-up roller 2021)-Number of paper feeds when document image reading failure occurs, (b) Image by image forming unit 130 Forming operation-Detection of remaining amount of toner in developing device 207 (detected by a known detection method using a toner remaining amount detection sensor)-Number of times of image formation by image forming unit 130 (for example, paper as in the case of pickup roller 2021) The number of times of paper feeding from the paper feeding cassette 2011 counted by the detection sensor 19 is used). For example, the number of image formations in the image forming unit 130.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an outline of the internal configuration of the server SV2. The server SV2 includes a control unit 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 233, a storage unit 24, a display 25, a communication I / F 26, and an input unit 27. These units can transmit / receive data or signals to / from each other via a CPU bus.

  The control unit 21 is composed of a CPU and the like, and controls operation of the entire PC 31. The ROM 222 stores an operation program for each operation of the PC 31. The RAM 23 is used as an operation area for the control unit 211.

  The storage unit 24 includes an HDD or the like, and a part of the storage area stores event occurrence arrival time information that stores event occurrence arrival time information received from the multifunction peripherals 31 to 33 by the event occurrence arrival time information reception unit 212. The unit 241 functions.

  The display 25 is composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and displays various data contents, operation guidance for a user who operates the PC 31, and the like. The communication I / F 26 functions as an interface for performing data communication with the multifunction machines 31 to 33 and the server SV2. The input unit 27 includes a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and a job for the multifunction device 31 is input from the user.

  The control unit 21 includes a CPU and the like, and includes a control unit 211, an event occurrence arrival time information reception unit 212, and an event occurrence arrival time information output unit 213.

  The control unit 211 controls operation of the entire PC 31.

  The event occurrence arrival time information receiving unit 212 receives the event occurrence arrival time information transmitted from the event occurrence arrival time information transmitting unit 1022 of the multifunction peripherals 31 to 33.

  The event occurrence arrival time information output unit 213 outputs the event occurrence arrival time information stored in the event occurrence arrival time information storage unit 241 to the MFP 31 that requests transmission of the event occurrence arrival time information.

  Next, transmission / reception processing of event occurrence arrival time information by the image forming system 10 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a transmission / reception process of event occurrence arrival time information by the image forming system 10.

  In the multifunction device 31, the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021 determines whether or not a predetermined time has arrived as a time for acquiring event occurrence arrival time information (S1). The determination of the arrival of the predetermined time is, for example, (1) The predetermined time is stored in the built-in memory of the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021, and the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021 The above determination is made based on whether or not the arrival of the time is measured by the built-in timer. (2) The operation unit 20 is operated by the user from the user to the predetermined time (for example, every 20 minutes, the multifunction device The event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021 makes the above determination based on whether or not the arrival of the time designated by the user has been measured by the built-in timer. (3) The event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021 performs the event occurrence detection unit 107 when the event occurrence detection unit 107 detects the occurrence of a specific event in the predetermined operation. Receiving a detection signal indicating the occurrence, and determining that a predetermined time has arrived when the detection signal is received. (4) The operation unit 20 is operated by the user from the user to perform the predetermined operation. And designation of a specific event that can occur with this operation (for example, the predetermined operation is a paper feeding operation by the pickup roller 2021, and the specific event is a paper jam at the pickup roller 2021). The event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021 receives a detection signal indicating the occurrence from the event occurrence detection unit 107 when the event occurrence detection unit 107 detects the specified operation and the occurrence of a specific event. For example, it is determined that a predetermined time has arrived when the detection signal is received.

  When the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021 detects that the acquisition time has arrived (YES in S1), the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021 constitutes the image forming system 10 and is connected to the network. A transmission request signal for requesting transmission of event occurrence arrival time information accumulated in the multi-function devices 32 and 33 is transmitted to all the multi-function devices 32 and 33 (S2).

  When all the other multifunction devices 32 and 33 in the image forming system 10 receive the request instruction signal from the multifunction device 31 (SS1), the event occurrence arrival time information transmission unit 1022 receives the event occurrence arrival time information storage unit. The event occurrence arrival time information stored in 241 is read (SS2), and the read event occurrence arrival time information is transmitted to the multi-function device 31 that has sent the transmission request signal (SS3).

  In the present embodiment, the multi-function device 31 that sends a transmission request signal does not specify the type information of the event occurrence arrival time information that is the target of the transmission request, and transmits the transmission request to all the multi-function devices 32 and 33. . Upon receiving the transmission request, all the multifunction devices 32 and 33 that have received the transmission request read out all the event occurrence arrival time information stored in the event occurrence arrival time information storage unit 241 and receive the transmission request. The signal is transmitted to the multifunction machine 31 that has sent the signal. However, the transmission form of the event occurrence arrival time information by all the MFPs 32 and 33 that have received the transmission request is not intended to limit the transmission form.

  The event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021 of the multi-function peripheral 31 that has sent the transmission request signal receives the event occurrence arrival time information sent from the other multi-function peripherals 32 and 33 (S3).

  When the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit 1021 receives the event occurrence arrival time information, the matching information extraction unit 108 includes the performance information of the other MFPs 32 and 33 included in the received event occurrence arrival time information. Then, it is determined whether or not the performance information of the MFP 31 stored in the performance information storage unit 1701 is compatible, and the composite information is received from the received event occurrence arrival time information to which the performance information is compatible. Event occurrence arrival time information that matches the performance information of the machine 31 is extracted (S4).

  The other multifunction devices 32 and 33 indicate, as event occurrence arrival time information, the elapsed time from the time when the predetermined operation is first performed in the multifunction device to the occurrence of a specific event in the operation. Event occurrence arrival time information including event information and performance information indicating the performance of the MFP is transmitted to the MFP 31. As this performance information, for example, a case will be described in which model information indicating the model of the MFP is used.

  The adaptation information extraction unit 108 of the multifunction device 31 is stored in the performance information storage unit 1701 and the model information as the performance information of the other multifunction devices 32 and 33 included in the received event occurrence arrival time information. It is determined whether or not the model information as the performance information of the own MFP 31 is compatible. The matching information extraction unit 108 determines whether or not these model information matches, and if the model information matches, the matching information extraction unit 108 includes the matching model number from the received event occurrence arrival time information. Extract event occurrence arrival time information. If the model is the same, each mechanism (for example, each mechanism shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 such as an image forming mechanism, a paper feeding mechanism, and an image reading mechanism) provided in each multi-function peripheral is the same. A predetermined action similarly occurs, and the predetermined event for the predetermined action may similarly occur. For this reason, by analyzing the event occurrence arrival time information sent to the multi-function device 31 from the multi-function devices 32 and 33 of the same model as the multi-function device 31, it can occur in the above-mentioned each mechanism in the multi-function device 31 in the future. It is possible to accurately calculate the occurrence timing of an event.

  When color / monochrome information, which is an example of function information, is used as the performance information, the adaptation information extraction unit 108 of the multifunction device 31 may use another multifunction device included in the received event occurrence arrival time information. It is determined whether the 32/33 color / monochrome information and the color / monochrome information as the performance information of the multifunction peripheral 31 stored in the performance information storage unit 1701 are compatible with each other. If they match, event occurrence arrival time information including the matching color / monochrome information is extracted from the received event occurrence arrival time information. If they have the same function that can be executed, the predetermined action similarly occurs for the function, and the predetermined event for the predetermined action similarly occurs. To get. However, the function information is not limited to color / monochrome information, and may be information on other functions (for example, whether post-processing such as stapling is possible). Further, the function information used as the performance information may be one or plural.

  When image formation speed information, which is an example of narrowly-defined performance information, is used as the performance information, the matching information extraction unit 108 of the multi-function device 31 may include other information included in the received event occurrence arrival time information. It is determined whether or not the image forming speed information of the multifunction machines 32 and 33 and the image forming speed information as the performance information of the self-function machine 31 stored in the performance information storage unit 1701 are compatible. If the speed information matches, event occurrence arrival time information including the corresponding image formation speed information is extracted from the received event occurrence arrival time information. As long as they have the same performance that can be executed, the above-mentioned predetermined operation similarly occurs with respect to the operation mechanism for executing the performance, and the above-mentioned predetermined operation is determined in advance. This is because the events that have occurred can occur as well. However, the narrowly-defined performance information is not limited to the image forming speed information, but is information on other narrowly-defined performance (for example, the document reading speed (number of sheets read per minute) by the image reading unit 500). It doesn't matter. The narrowly-defined performance information used as the performance information may be one or more.

  The matching information extraction unit 108 stores the extracted event occurrence arrival time information in the storage unit 160 (S5). The event occurrence arrival time information stored in the storage unit 170 in this way is the performance of the multi-function device 31 (for example, the function shown in the description of the function information or the narrow sense shown in the explanation of the narrow performance information). Only the event occurrence arrival time information obtained by the other multifunction devices 32 and 33 having the performance matching the performance etc.). For this reason, in the multi-function device 31, event occurrence arrival time information that is truly useful for calculating a time when a predetermined specific event can occur with respect to a predetermined time is collected in the storage unit 170.

  In this embodiment, after the event occurrence arrival time information is calculated in the multifunction devices 31 to 33, each of the multifunction devices 31 to 33 transmits the event occurrence arrival time information to the other multifunction devices that have transmitted the transmission request. However, the transmission / reception processing of event occurrence arrival time information by the image forming system 10 is not limited to this.

  For example, after the event occurrence arrival time information is calculated in the multifunction devices 31 to 33, each of the multifunction devices 31 to 33 transmits the event occurrence arrival time information to the server SV2, and the server SV2 receives the event occurrence arrival time information. Is received and stored, and in the same way as the processing of SS1 to SS3 shown above, a method of individually transmitting the event occurrence arrival time information to the multi-function peripheral that has transmitted the transmission request is adopted. May be.

  Next, warning processing in the multifunction machine 31 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a warning process in the multifunction machine 31.

  When the event occurrence detection unit 107 detects a specific event in a predetermined operation, for example, a paper jam at the pickup roller 2021 (YES in S11), the time-lapse information calculation unit 101 is built in every detection. By using the counter, the number of occurrences of the event that is the detection target (here, the paper jam for the pickup roller 2021) is counted as time-dependent information (S12).

  The calculation unit 105 calculates the number of occurrences (count value) n of the event as time-lapse information after counting in S12, and event occurrence arrival time information extracted by the matching information extraction unit 108 and stored in the storage unit 160. The occurrence time indicated by the information included in the event occurrence arrival time information indicating the predetermined operation and the specific event similar to the specific event in the predetermined operation in which the occurrence is detected in the above S11 A difference d from the number of times N is calculated (S13).

  The control unit 103 determines whether or not the difference d is equal to or less than the limit value L held in advance (whether or not the limit value L has been reached) (S14). If it is determined that the following has occurred (YES in S14), a predetermined event (in this example, a paper feeding operation by the pickup roller 2021) on the display unit 150 is determined on the display unit 150 (in this example). Then, a warning message indicating that there is a possibility of occurrence of paper jam at the pickup roller 2021 is displayed (S15).

  The operation performed by the control unit 103 when it is determined that the difference d is equal to or less than the limit value L is not limited to the warning display operation by the display unit 150, and may be an operation by another operation mechanism. .

  Next, a first embodiment of storage processing of event occurrence arrival time information in the multi-function device 31 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a first embodiment of the storage processing of event occurrence arrival time information in the multifunction machine 31.

  When the control unit 103 causes the operation mechanism (the pickup roller 2021 in this example) to perform a predetermined operation (in this example, the paper feeding operation by the pickup roller 2021) (YES in S21), the time-lapse information calculation unit 101 and Each time the information calculation unit 104 counts up the number of executions of the predetermined operation by a built-in counter (S22). For example, as described above, the time information calculation unit 101 and the information calculation unit 104 count the number of times of paper feeding (feeding) by the pickup roller 2021 by counting the number of periods T1 indicated by the signal transmitted from the paper detection sensor 19. Count the number of sheets). The time information calculation unit 101 stores, for example, the number of paper feeds of the pickup roller 2021 as the calculated time information in the built-in memory or the storage unit 170 (S23).

  Note that the performance information storage unit 1701 of the storage unit 170 stores the performance information of the multi-function device 31 in addition to the time-lapse information. The performance information is synonymous with the performance information described above.

  When the event occurrence detection unit 107 detects that a specific event (in this example, a paper jam in the pickup roller 2021) has occurred (YES in S24), the information calculation unit 104 detects The count value of the counter is stored in the built-in memory or storage unit 160 as event information (S25). Thereafter, the processing illustrated in FIG. 6 is performed between the multifunction devices 31 to 33. If occurrence of a specific event is not detected by the event occurrence detection unit 107 (NO in S24), the process of S25 is not performed.

  Next, a second embodiment of the storage process of event occurrence arrival time information in the multifunction machine 31 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of the storage processing of event occurrence arrival time information in the multi-function device 31. In the second embodiment, after the event occurrence arrival time information is calculated in the multifunction devices 31 to 33, each of the multifunction devices 31 to 33 transmits the event occurrence arrival time information to the server SV2, and the server SV2 This is an embodiment in the case of adopting a method of individually transmitting the event occurrence arrival time information to the multifunction peripherals 31 to 32 that have received and stored the occurrence arrival time information and transmitted a transmission request. Note that description of the same processing as in the first embodiment is omitted.

  After the information calculation unit 104 stores the count value of the counter at the time of detection in the built-in memory or the storage unit 170 as event information (S35), the event occurrence arrival time information transmission unit 1022 transmits to the server SV2 The event information and the performance information stored in the storage unit 170 performance information storage unit 1701 are transmitted as event occurrence arrival time information (S36).

  The server SV2 that has received the event occurrence arrival time information stores the received event occurrence arrival time information in the event occurrence arrival time information storage unit 241 in the same manner as the processing of SS1 to SS3 illustrated in FIG. . When the server SV2 receives a transmission request for event occurrence arrival time information from any of the multifunction devices 31 to 33, the server SV2 sends the event occurrence arrival time information to any of the multifunction devices 31 to 33 that have transmitted the transmission request. Send.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, when event determination arrival time information is transmitted / received between the multifunction peripherals 31 to 33 shown in the above-described embodiment and the determination unit 106 performs the above determination, the image forming system 10 according to the present invention includes a plurality of image forming systems 10. The server SV2 is unnecessary because it is composed of a multifunction machine. In the embodiment in which the event occurrence arrival time information transmitted from the multifunction peripherals 31 to 33 shown in the above embodiment is stored in the server SV2, the server SV2 has a configuration necessary for the image forming system 10. .

  Further, it is assumed that the image forming system 10 does not include the server SV2 and is configured by the multifunction devices 31 to 33, and any one of the multifunction devices 31 to 33 performs the processing of S1 to S3 illustrated in FIG. And processing similar to that performed by the server SV2 in the case of the image forming system 10 including the server SV2 may be performed. In this case, when acquiring the event occurrence arrival time information, each multifunction device transmits a transmission request for event occurrence arrival time information to the multifunction device in charge of processing similar to that of the server SV2.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming system 31, 32, 33 Multifunction machine 100 Control unit 101 Time-lapse information calculation part 102 Communication part 1021 Event generation arrival time information acquisition part 1022 Event generation arrival time information transmission part 103 Control part 104 Information calculation part 105 Calculation part 106 Determination Unit 107 event occurrence detection unit 108 conformity information extraction unit 170 storage unit 1701 performance information storage unit 2011 to 2014 paper feed cassettes 2021 to 2024 pickup roller 150 display unit SV2 server 20 operation unit 21 control unit 211 control unit 212 event occurrence arrival time information Reception unit 213 Event occurrence arrival time information output unit 24 Storage unit 241 Event occurrence arrival time information storage unit

Claims (9)

An image forming apparatus connected to a network with another image forming apparatus or a server capable of data communication with the other image forming apparatus,
A time-lapse information calculation unit that calculates time-lapse information from the time when the operation was first performed to the execution time when executing a predetermined operation in the image forming apparatus;
Event information indicating an elapsed time from when the predetermined operation is first performed in the other image forming apparatus until a specific event occurs in the operation, and performance indicating the performance of the other image forming apparatus An event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit for acquiring event occurrence arrival time information including information from the other image forming apparatus or the server;
A performance information storage unit that stores one or more pieces of performance information indicating the performance of the image forming apparatus;
When the event occurrence arrival time information is acquired by the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit, the performance information included in the acquired event occurrence arrival time information matches the performance information stored in the performance information storage unit A conformity information extraction unit for extracting event occurrence arrival time information,
A calculation unit that calculates a difference between the time-lapse information calculated by the time-lapse information calculation unit and the event occurrence arrival time information extracted by the matching information extraction unit;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the difference calculated by the calculation unit has reached a predetermined limit value or less;
A control unit that causes a predetermined operation mechanism to perform a predetermined response action as a countermeasure against the specific event when the determination unit determines that the difference has reached the limit value or less; An image forming apparatus provided. The operation mechanism is a notification unit that notifies a warning to a user,
2. The image formation according to claim 1, wherein when the determination unit determines that the difference has reached the limit value or less, the control unit causes the notification unit to issue a warning as the predetermined corresponding action. apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit acquires the event occurrence arrival time information every time a predetermined time arrives. The image forming apparatus further includes an event occurrence detection unit that detects that a specific event has occurred in the predetermined operation,
The event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit uses the time when the occurrence of a specific event is detected in the predetermined operation by the event occurrence detection unit as the arrival time of the predetermined time. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the generation arrival time information is acquired. A designation accepting unit that accepts an instruction for designating the content of the predetermined action and the specific event from a user;
The event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit is configured to detect the event when the predetermined operation indicated by the instruction received by the designation receiving unit and the specific event are detected by the event occurrence detection unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the generation arrival time information is acquired. A timing designation receiving unit for receiving an instruction for designating the predetermined time from a user;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit acquires the event occurrence arrival time information every time the time indicated by the instruction received by the designation reception unit arrives. An information calculation unit that calculates event information indicating an elapsed time from when the predetermined operation is first performed until a specific event occurs in the operation;
Event occurrence arrival which transmits event occurrence arrival time information including information calculated by the information calculation unit and performance information stored in the performance information storage unit to the other image forming apparatus or the server The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a timing information transmission unit. An image forming system having a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to each other via a network,
Each of the image forming apparatuses is
A time-lapse information calculation unit that calculates time-lapse information from the time when the operation was first performed to the execution time when executing a predetermined operation in the image forming apparatus;
Event information indicating an elapsed time from when the predetermined operation is first performed in the other image forming apparatus until a specific event occurs in the operation, and performance indicating the performance of the other image forming apparatus An event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit for acquiring event occurrence arrival time information including information from the other image forming apparatus;
A performance information storage unit that stores one or more pieces of performance information indicating the performance of the image forming apparatus;
When the event occurrence arrival time information is acquired by the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit, the performance information included in the acquired event occurrence arrival time information matches the performance information stored in the performance information storage unit A conformity information extraction unit for extracting event occurrence arrival time information,
A calculation unit that calculates a difference between the time-lapse information calculated by the time-lapse information calculation unit and the event occurrence arrival time information extracted by the matching information extraction unit;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the difference calculated by the calculation unit has reached a predetermined limit value or less;
A control unit that causes a predetermined operation mechanism to perform a predetermined response action as a countermeasure against the specific event when the determination unit determines that the difference has reached the limit value or less; An image forming system provided. An image forming system having a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a server connected to the image forming apparatus via a network,
Each of the image forming apparatuses is
A time-lapse information calculation unit that calculates time-lapse information from the time when the operation was first performed to the execution time when executing a predetermined operation in the image forming apparatus;
An information calculation unit that calculates event information indicating an elapsed time from when the predetermined operation is first performed until a specific event that is predetermined in the operation occurs;
A performance information storage unit that stores one or more pieces of performance information indicating the performance of the image forming apparatus;
An event occurrence arrival time information transmission unit for transmitting event occurrence arrival time information including information calculated by the information calculation unit and performance information stored in the performance information storage unit to the server;
Event information indicating an elapsed time from when the predetermined operation is first performed in the other image forming apparatus until a specific event occurs in the operation, and performance indicating the performance of the other image forming apparatus An event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit that acquires event occurrence arrival time information including information from the server;
When the event occurrence arrival time information is acquired by the event occurrence arrival time information acquisition unit, the performance information included in the acquired event occurrence arrival time information matches the performance information stored in the performance information storage unit A conformity information extraction unit for extracting event occurrence arrival time information,
A calculation unit that calculates a difference between the time-lapse information calculated by the time-lapse information calculation unit and the event occurrence arrival time information extracted by the matching information extraction unit;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the difference calculated by the calculation unit has reached a predetermined limit value or less;
A control unit that causes a predetermined operation mechanism to perform a predetermined response action as a countermeasure against the specific event when the determination unit determines that the difference has reached the limit value or less; Prepared,
The server
An event occurrence arrival time information receiving unit for receiving the event occurrence arrival time information transmitted from the event occurrence arrival time information transmitting unit of the image forming apparatus;
An event occurrence arrival time information storage unit for storing the event occurrence arrival time information received from the image forming apparatus by the event occurrence arrival time information receiving unit;
An event occurrence arrival time information output unit that outputs the event occurrence arrival time information stored in the event occurrence arrival time information storage unit to the image forming apparatus that requests transmission of the event occurrence arrival time information. And an image forming system.

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