JP2014021868A - Management device, management method, and management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manage state information and position information of information processing devices in association.SOLUTION: A management device which manages state information of one or more information processing devices acquired via a network, comprises: position information acquisition means which acquires pieces of position information of the information processing devices; determination means which determines whether the respective information processing devices are moved by using the acquired pieces of position information; and report output means which outputs a management report including the pieces of position information of the information processing devices and the determination results.

Description

  The present invention relates to a management device, a management method, and a management system.

  A device management service is provided for managing information processing apparatuses such as printers and copiers installed in a user environment via a network such as the Internet. In the device management service, device information and error information (hereinafter referred to as “status information”) of the information processing device are sent to the status information management server via a device such as an intermediary device described in Patent Document 1, for example. Are summarized. An administrator (including a user, an administrator, and an administrator of a company acting on behalf of management) can output information on the information processing apparatus collected by the state information management server as a management report. The output includes print output on a recording medium such as paper, display output on a personal computer or a display panel, and the like. The management report describes a list of managed information processing devices, and details of device information and error information are described for each information processing device. The administrator can easily grasp the state of the information processing apparatus under management by checking the management report.

  In addition, the physical installation position of an information processing apparatus that is a management target in a user environment is often managed by other databases that manage sales management information and customer information. The administrator grasps device information and installation position information of the printer to be repaired based on the result of the management report, and performs repair work, maintenance work, and the like.

  As described above, in the currently provided device management service, the physical installation position of the information processing apparatus to be managed cannot be managed. Therefore, when an administrator wants to perform some physical treatment on a specific information processing apparatus, it is necessary to check the installation position with reference to a separately managed database. This is a laborious operation for the administrator.

  Further, the database for managing the installation position of the information processing apparatus as described above is often maintained and managed by manual input by an administrator. Therefore, the manager must update the database every time the installation position of the information processing apparatus changes. This update work may be a work that requires a great deal of effort as the types and number of information processing apparatuses increase, for example.

  Furthermore, when the information processing apparatus is moved unintentionally, the information described in the database is incorrect information. In such a situation, if a repair request is made to the maintenance management service provider as described above, the maintenance management service provider cannot specify the correct installation position of the information processing apparatus to be repaired. As a result, useless work and time are spent before the repair work begins.

  Patent Documents 2 and 3 and Non-Patent Document 1 disclose techniques for acquiring position information of an indoor information processing device. However, these documents describe device information and error information of the device that acquired the position information. It does not disclose how to manage.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to manage state information and position information of an information processing apparatus in association with each other.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a management device according to an embodiment of the present invention is:
A management device that manages status information of one or more information processing devices acquired via a network,
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the information processing apparatus;
Determination means for determining whether or not each of the information processing devices has been moved using the acquired position information;
A report output means for outputting a management report including the position information of the information processing apparatus and the result of the determination;
Have

In addition, the management method in one embodiment of the present invention is:
A method executed by a management device that manages status information of one or more information processing devices acquired via a network,
A position information acquisition step of acquiring position information of the information processing apparatus;
A determination step of determining whether or not each of the information processing devices has been moved using the acquired position information;
A report output stage for outputting a management report including the position information of the information processing apparatus and the determination result;
Have

Moreover, the management system in one embodiment of the present invention is:
A management system having a wireless device attached to each of one or more information processing devices and a management device that manages status information of the information processing devices acquired via a network,
The wireless device includes:
Transmission means for transmitting the position information of the information processing apparatus,
The management device
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the information processing apparatus transmitted by the wireless device;
Determination means for determining whether or not each of the information processing devices has been moved using the acquired position information;
A report output means for outputting a management report including the position information of the information processing apparatus and the result of the determination;
Have

  According to the present invention, it is possible to manage state information and position information of an information processing apparatus in association with each other.

The figure showing the outline | summary of the management system in one Embodiment of this invention. The figure for demonstrating the structure of the network used in one Embodiment of this invention. The hardware block diagram of the management apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. The hardware block diagram of the radio | wireless terminal in one Embodiment of this invention. The hardware block diagram of the communication apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. The hardware block diagram of the gateway in one Embodiment of this invention. The functional block diagram of the apparatus which comprises the management system in one Embodiment of this invention. The figure showing the example of the position information management table which stores the position information of the radio | wireless terminal in one Embodiment of this invention. The figure showing the example of the asset information management table which stores the information on the asset with which the radio | wireless terminal in one Embodiment of this invention is attached. The figure showing the example of the status information management table which stores the status information of the information processor in one embodiment of the present invention. The figure showing the example of the apparatus information management table which links | relates and stores the positional information and state information of information processing apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. The figure showing the example of the area information table which links | relates the positional information and area information in one Embodiment of this invention. The sequence diagram showing the example of the process which acquires the positional infomation on the radio | wireless terminal in one Embodiment of this invention. The sequence diagram showing the example of the process which acquires the status information of the information processing apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart showing the flow of a process of the management apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. The figure showing the example of the information contained in the report which the management apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention outputs.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1. 1. System overview Hardware configuration 2.1 Management device 2.2 Wireless terminal 2.3 Communication device 2.4 Gateway 3. Function 3.1 Location information management function 3.2 Status information management function 3.3 Report output function Operation example 4.1 Location information acquisition process 4.2 Status information acquisition process 4.3 Report output process

(1. System overview)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a floor 10 on which information processing devices 110, 112, 114, and 116, communication devices 140, 142, 144, and 146, and a gateway 160 are installed. There may be a plurality of floors 10 to be managed. Wireless terminals 120, 122, 124, and 126 are attached to the information processing apparatuses 110 to 116, respectively. The information processing apparatuses 110 to 116 are connected to the LAN 182 via a wired LAN or wireless LAN hub, router, or access point (not shown). On the other hand, the wireless terminals 120-126 constitute a short-range wireless communication network 180 such as ZigBee (registered trademark) with the communication devices 140-146 and the gateway 160 (FIG. 2). The wireless terminals 120-126 are connected to the LAN 182 through the gateway 160. The LAN 182 is connected to an external network 184 such as the Internet via a firewall 164. The firewall 164 is software (or hardware including the software) provided to control the flow of information between the two computer networks, and has a function of allowing only communication according to a predetermined rule to pass. Here, for example, it is used to prevent unnecessary communication from flowing out from an internal network 182 such as an in-house LAN to an external network 184 such as the Internet.

  The information processing apparatuses 110 to 116 are assets (herein referred to as assets) that are targets for managing position information and state information. The information processing apparatuses 110 to 116 are, for example, MFPs (Multifunction Peripherals), printers, desktop PCs, notebook PCs, projectors, smart devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs. FIG. 1 illustrates an MFP, a laser printer, a tablet PC, and a notebook PC as examples of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 116. The information processing apparatuses 110 to 116 can communicate with the mediation apparatus 162 connected to the LAN 182.

  The mediation device 162 acquires and holds the status information of the information processing devices 110-116 and the location information of the wireless terminals 120-126 attached to the information processing devices 110-116, respectively. The status information is device information and error information of the MFP 110 and other devices 112-116. The position information is information indicating the location of the wireless terminals 120-126, and is represented by latitude, longitude, floor information, and the like. In response to a request from the location information management server 102 or the status information management server 104 connected to the external network 184, the intermediary device 162 transmits location information or status information to each server. For this purpose, the intermediary device 162 periodically inquires each server (polling) to check whether there is a request from each server. And when there exists a request | requirement from each server, a positional information or status information is transmitted to each server. That is, the firewall 164 is configured such that the mediation device 162 can transmit to the location information management server 102 and the status information management server 104.

  The status information management server 104 stores the status information of the information processing devices 110 to 116 acquired from the mediation device 162 and provides the status information to the management device 100 described later. For example, the status information of the MFP 110 includes device information such as the total number of printed sheets and the total number of error occurrences, and error information currently occurring in the MFP.

  On the other hand, the wireless terminals 120-126 are terminals attached to assets to be managed. Each of the wireless terminals 120 to 126 can receive the positioning signal transmitted from the communication devices 140 to 146 and obtain its own position information. The positioning signal can be configured in accordance with, for example, the IMES (Indoor Messaging System) standard. The positioning signal is transmitted downward (for example, in the floor direction) from the communication device 140-146 attached to the upper part (for example, the ceiling) of the floor. In FIG. 1, the example of the reach | attainment range of the positioning signal which the communication apparatuses 140-146 transmit is shown with a broken line. As shown in FIG. 1, the positioning signal transmitted from the communication device 140 is received by the wireless terminal 120 attached to the MFP 110, and the positioning signal transmitted from the communication device 142 is transmitted wirelessly to the laser printer 112. Received by terminal 122. Similarly, the positioning signal from the communication device 144 is received by the wireless terminal 124, and the positioning signal from the communication device 146 is received by the wireless terminal 126. The wireless terminals 120-126 that have received the position information from the communication devices 140-146 respectively transmit their identification information and the received position information to the communication devices 140-146 through wireless communication using, for example, ZigBee (registered trademark). . As described above, the communication devices 140 to 146 constituting the short-range wireless network 180 relay the information transmitted from the wireless terminals 120 to 126 to the gateway 160. Then, the information is stored in the mediation device 162 connected to the LAN 182, and then transmitted to the location information management server 102 connected to the external network 184 by the mediation device 162.

  As described above, the communication devices 140-146 continue to transmit a positioning signal including position information indicating the position where the communication device 140-146 is installed to a certain transmission range. The position information includes, for example, information indicating latitude, longitude, and floor. The positioning signal may be configured according to the IMES standard, for example. In addition, the communication devices 140 to 146 provide a relay function (routing function) for configuring the network 180. For example, when ZigBee (registered trademark) is used as the short-range wireless communication method, each communication device 140-146 functions as a ZigBee router.

  The gateway 160 connects the network 180 and the network 182 to each other, and relays data transmitted from the network 180 side to the network 182. For example, when the network 180 is a short-range wireless communication network based on ZigBee (registered trademark) and the network 182 is a LAN based on the IEEE 802.3 standard, the communication method is converted between them. The gateway 160 can manage the configuration of the network 180.

  FIG. 2 shows the components extracted in order to explain the configuration of the network 180. As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless terminals 120-126 are connected to the end of the network 180, and function as a ZigBee end device when ZigBee (registered trademark) is used for short-range wireless communication. On the other hand, the ZigBee coordinator function necessary for forming and managing the network 180 is provided by the gateway 160.

  The location information management server 102 requests the location information and identification information of the wireless terminals 120-126 from the intermediary device 162, and receives and stores these pieces of information. The request for the mediation device 162 is transmitted as a response to polling performed from the mediation device 162 to the location information management server 102.

  The management apparatus 100 stores apparatus information in which position information and state information of assets (information processing apparatuses 110 to 116) that are management targets are associated, and outputs a management report. First, the position information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 116 is acquired from the position information management server 102 as the position information of the wireless terminals 120 to 126, respectively. For this reason, the information processing apparatuses 110 to 116 and the wireless terminals 120 to 126 are associated in advance. The position information is output after being converted into area information such as “A4-S side” so that the administrator can easily understand intuitively. Further, the state information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 116 is acquired from the state information management server 104. In this way, a report describing the area information to which each information processing apparatus belongs and the status information is generated. An example of the generated report is shown in FIG. Among these, in FIG. 16A, in addition to the area to which the asset belongs, the asset name, the total number of printed sheets, and the number of errors, information indicating whether the asset has moved is output. By checking the management report including such information, the administrator can not only check the status information of the asset at a glance, but also grasp the exact location.

  Note that, as described above, in the present embodiment, description will be made assuming that the position information management server 102 and the state information management server 104 are configured as separate servers. However, some or all of the functions of the location information management server 102 and the state information management server 104 may be provided by one server. Further, for example, some or all of these functions may be provided by the management apparatus 100.

(2. Hardware configuration)
Next, the hardware configuration of the management apparatus 100, the wireless terminal 120, the communication apparatus 140, and the gateway 160 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG.

(2.1 Management device 100)
FIG. 3 shows a hardware configuration of the management apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The management apparatus 100 includes a CPU 300, a RAM 302, a ROM 304, an HDD 306, a communication unit 308, a display unit 310, an input unit 312, and a bus 314.

  The CPU 300 executes a program that controls the operation of the management apparatus 100. The RAM 302 constitutes a work area of the CPU 300 and the like. The ROM 304 stores a system program of the management apparatus 100 and the like. The HDD 306 stores the OS, application programs, data, and the like. The HDD 306 may be an arbitrary storage device such as a magnetic disk device or an optical disk device. The communication unit 308 is a device for communicating with an external device, for example, a device including an interface for connecting to a LAN based on the IEEE 802.3 standard. The display unit 310 is a device that displays the operation screen and processing results of the management device 100 to the user, such as a liquid crystal display. The input unit 312 is a device that receives input from the user, such as a keyboard or a mouse. A bus 314 electrically connects the above devices.

  With the above-described configuration, the management apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can generate a management report for an information processing apparatus to be managed using information acquired from the location information management server 102 and the state information management server 104. it can.

  The display unit 310 and the input unit 312 are optional components. For example, when the management device 100 receives an instruction from an external device or automatically generates a management report according to a predetermined condition, the display unit 310 and the input unit 312 are not necessary.

(2.2 Wireless terminal)
FIG. 4 illustrates a hardware configuration of the wireless terminals 120 to 126 (hereinafter, the wireless terminal 120 will be representatively described) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wireless terminal 120 includes a CPU 400, a RAM 402, a ROM 404, a communication unit 406, a positioning signal receiving unit 408, and a bus 410.

  The CPU 400 executes a program that controls the operation of the wireless terminal 120. The RAM 402 constitutes a work area of the CPU 400 and the like. The ROM 404 stores a program executed by the CPU 400 and data necessary for executing the program. The communication unit 406 is a device for communicating with an external device. For example, the communication unit 406 is a device that performs communication according to a short-range wireless communication method such as ZigBee (registered trademark). The positioning signal receiving unit 408 is a device for receiving a positioning signal transmitted by the communication device 140, and for example, receives a positioning signal in a frame format defined by the IMES standard. A bus 410 electrically connects the above devices.

  With the above configuration, the wireless terminal 120 according to the embodiment of the present invention can acquire the current position using the positioning signal transmitted from the communication device 140. Also, the wireless terminal 120 can transmit the acquired position information to the mediation device 162 through the short-range wireless communication network.

  Note that the wireless terminal 120 may be built in the information processing apparatus. When the wireless terminal 120 is built in the information processing apparatus, the CPU 400, the RAM 402, the ROM 404, and the communication unit 406 of the wireless terminal 120 can be integrated with the CPU, RAM, ROM, and communication unit included in the information processing apparatus.

(2.3 Communication device)
FIG. 5 illustrates a hardware configuration example of the communication devices 140 to 146 (hereinafter, the communication device 140 will be described as a representative) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication device 140 includes a CPU 500, a RAM 502, a ROM 504, a communication unit 506, a positioning signal transmission unit 508, and a bus 510.

  The CPU 500 executes a program that controls the operation of the communication device 140. The RAM 502 constitutes a work area of the CPU 500 and the like. The ROM 504 stores a program executed by the CPU 500 and data necessary for executing the program. The communication unit 506 is a device for communicating with an external device. For example, the communication unit 506 is a device capable of wireless communication according to a short-range wireless communication method such as ZigBee (registered trademark). The positioning signal transmission unit 508 is a device that transmits a positioning signal used by the wireless terminal 120 to acquire the current position. For example, the positioning signal transmission unit 508 transmits a positioning signal in a frame format defined by the IMES standard. More specifically, the positioning signal transmission unit 508 generates a signal by modulating a 1.5 GHz carrier wave using data having a frame structure defined by the IMES standard, and transmits the signal from the antenna. A bus 510 electrically connects the above devices.

  With the above configuration, the communication device 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention can transmit a positioning signal necessary for the wireless terminal 120 to perform positioning. In addition, communication between the wireless terminal 120 and the mediation device 162 can be relayed.

(2.4 Gateway)
FIG. 6 shows a hardware configuration of the gateway 160 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The gateway 160 includes a CPU 600, a RAM 602, a ROM 604, a first communication unit 606, a second communication unit 608, and a bus 610.

  CPU 600 executes a program for controlling the operation of gateway 160. The RAM 602 constitutes a work area of the CPU 600 and the like. The ROM 604 stores a program executed by the CPU 600 and data necessary for executing the program. The first communication unit 606 is a device for communicating with an external device. For example, the first communication unit 606 is a device capable of wireless communication according to a short-range wireless communication method such as ZigBee (registered trademark). The second communication unit 608 is a device for communicating with an external device, for example, a device including an interface for connecting to a LAN based on the IEEE 802.3 standard. A bus 610 electrically connects the above devices.

  With the above configuration, the gateway 160 according to an embodiment of the present invention can manage the network 180 by the communication device 140 and the wireless terminal 120, and can connect the network 180 and the LAN 182 to each other.

(3. Function)
Next, the configuration of functional blocks of the apparatus that can be included in the management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows elements that are particularly relevant to the description of the present embodiment among various elements included in these apparatuses. In FIG. 7, the arrows connecting the means of each device represent the flow of information between the means. In particular, dashed arrows represent the flow of information between different devices. In the following, the functions provided by the management system 1 will be described by classifying them into “location information management function”, “state information management function”, and “report output function”. In the following description, it is assumed that the assets to be managed are the information processing apparatuses 110, 112, and 114, and the wireless terminals 120, 122, and 124 are attached thereto, respectively. Here, the wireless terminals 120-124 and the information processing apparatuses 110-114 are associated in advance by the asset information management table shown in FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 are uniquely specified by asset identification information, and the wireless terminals 120 to 124 are uniquely specified by wireless terminal identification information. Each information processing apparatus is assigned an asset name so that an administrator can easily grasp the type of asset.

(3.1 Location information management function)
First, a function of managing position information acquired by the wireless terminal 120 with the position information management server 102 will be described.

  The communication apparatus 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a position information storage unit 700 and a positioning signal transmission unit 702 (the relay unit 712 will be described later).

The position information storage unit 700 stores position information indicating the position where the communication device 140 is installed. The position information can include, for example, information indicating latitude, longitude, and floor. The position information is set in advance by the administrator or the like for each communication device. The position information set in the communication devices 140 to 144 used for the description below is as follows.
-Communication device 140: latitude “35.66635”, longitude “139.76555”, floor “4”
-Communication device 142: latitude "35.66675", longitude "139.76560", floor "4"
-Communication device 144: latitude “35.66635”, longitude “139.76555”, floor “5”
The positioning signal transmission unit 702 generates a positioning signal including the position information stored in the position information storage unit 700 and transmits it to the wireless terminal 120. The positioning signal may be constituted by a frame structure defined by the IMES standard, for example.

  The wireless terminal 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a positioning signal receiving unit 704, a position information acquiring unit 706, an identification information storing unit 708, and a position information transmitting unit 710.

  The positioning signal receiving unit 704 receives the positioning signal transmitted from the communication device 140. In the present embodiment, first, description will be made assuming that the wireless terminal 120 receives a positioning signal from the communication device 140, the wireless terminal 122 from the communication device 142, and the wireless terminal 124 from the communication device 144, respectively. The received positioning signal is passed to the position information acquisition unit 706.

The position information acquisition means 706 acquires position information from the positioning signal received by the positioning signal reception means 704, for example, according to the IMES standard. The position information can include, for example, information indicating latitude, longitude, and floor. In the present embodiment, the position information received by each wireless terminal is as follows.
-Wireless terminal 120: latitude "35.66635", longitude "139.76555", floor "4"
-Wireless terminal 122: latitude "35.66675", longitude "139.76560", floor "4"
-Wireless terminal 124: latitude "35.66635", longitude "139.76555", floor "5"
The acquired position information is transferred to the position information transmission means 710.

The identification information storage unit 708 stores identification information of the wireless terminal 120. For example, the MAC address of the communication unit 406 of the wireless terminal 120 can be used as the identification information. In the present embodiment, the identification information (MAC address of the communication unit 406) of each wireless terminal 120-124 is as follows.
-Wireless terminal 120: “002673abcdef01”
-Wireless terminal 122: “002673abcdef02”
-Wireless terminal 124: “005001abcdef03”
The position information transmission unit 710 transmits the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 706 and the identification information stored in the identification information storage unit 708 to the mediating apparatus 162. Here, these pieces of information can be relayed by the communication device 140 and the gateway 160 (via the network 180) and transmitted to the mediation device 162. In this embodiment, information transmitted from the wireless terminal 120 is relayed by the communication device 140, information transmitted from the wireless terminal 122 is relayed by the communication device 142, and information transmitted from the wireless terminal 124 is transmitted by the communication device 144. It is relayed by. Thus, the wireless terminal transmits the position information and the identification information to the communication device that is the transmission source of the positioning signal. Details of the relay processing in the communication device 140 and the gateway 160 will be described later. The position information and the identification information can be transmitted at an arbitrary timing. For example, the position information and the identification information are transmitted in response to detection of a change in acceleration by a predetermined time, a constant interval, or an acceleration sensor (not shown) provided in the wireless terminal 120. May be.

  The communication device 140 according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a relay unit 712.

  The relay unit 712 relays information addressed to the mediation device 162 transmitted from the wireless terminal 120. In the present embodiment, as described above, information transmitted from the wireless terminal 122 is relayed by the communication device 142, and information transmitted from the wireless terminal 124 is relayed by the communication device 144. The relayed information is transmitted to the intermediary device 162 via the gateway 160. The relay unit 712 can provide a function of a ZigBee router when the network 180 is configured by ZigBee (registered trademark).

  The gateway 160 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication conversion unit 714 and manages the configuration of the network 180. The gateway 160 can provide a function as a ZigBee coordinator when the network 180 is configured by ZigBee (registered trademark).

  The communication conversion unit 714 converts the data received from the communication devices 140-144 belonging to the PAN 180 into a format compatible with the other network 182, and transmits the data to the mediation device 162.

  The intermediary device 162 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes position information receiving means 716, position information holding means 718, and inquiry means 720 (other means will be described later).

  The position information receiving unit 716 receives the identification information and the position information transmitted from the wireless terminals 120-124. The received identification information and position information are stored in the position information holding means 718.

  The position information holding means 718 stores the identification information and position information received from the wireless terminals 120-124.

  The inquiry unit 720 inquires of the location information management server 102 connected to the external network 184 whether there is a location information transmission request. Then, when a response indicating that there is a request is received from the position information management server 102, the position information held in the position information holding unit 718 is transmitted to the position information management server 102.

  The location information management server 102 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a location information request unit 722 and a location information storage unit 724.

  The location information request unit 722 requests the mediation device 162 to transmit the identification information and location information of the wireless terminals 120-124. The request is transmitted to the mediation device 162 as a response to the inquiry received from the mediation device 162. The request can be generated according to a configuration predetermined by the location information management server 102. For example, a request may be generated at regular intervals, or a request may be generated at a predetermined time. Alternatively, it may be configured such that a request is generated at a timing when location information is referred to from an external device such as the management device 100 described later. In response to the request, the identification information and the position information received from the intermediary device 162 are stored in the position information storage unit 724.

  The location information storage means 724 can store the received identification information and location information separately for each information terminal. FIG. 8 shows an example of a table for storing identification information and position information (hereinafter referred to as “position information management table”). In the above-described example, the position information transmitted from the wireless terminals 120 to 124 is the highest-order item (“2012/6/11 00:00:00 among the items shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C). )). FIG. 8 also stores position information transmitted from the wireless terminals 120 to 124 thereafter. As described above, the position information of the wireless terminals 120 to 124 can be acquired at any timing, but here, the information is acquired every 24 hours from the point of “2012/6/11 00:00:00”. Represents an example. As shown in FIG. 8A, the wireless terminal 120 having the identification information “002673abcdef01” is moved from the fourth floor to the fifth floor at the time of “2012/6/13 00:00:00”, It can be seen from the positioning signal transmitted from the device 144 that the position information has been acquired. Further, as shown in FIG. 8C, the wireless terminal 124 having the identification information “005001abcdef03” has been moved twice until the time “2012/6/13 00:00:00”. It can be seen that the position information has been acquired through the communication device.

  With the above function, the location information management server 102 according to an embodiment of the present invention can acquire the location information of the wireless terminal 120 by acquiring the location information of the wireless terminal 120. Further, the location information management server 102 can acquire and manage location information of the wireless terminals 120-126 inside the firewall 164 by transmitting a request to the mediation device 162.

(3.2 Status information management function)
Next, a function for managing state information of the information processing apparatus 110 by the state information management server 104 will be described. In the following example, similarly to the above example, description will be made using the example of the information processing apparatus 110-114 shown in FIG.

  The information processing apparatus 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a state information storage unit 730 and provides a function included in the information processing apparatus 110.

The status information storage unit 730 stores status information of the information processing apparatus 110. For example, when the information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus such as an MFP or a laser printer, the status information includes device information such as “total number of printed sheets” and “total number of error occurrences” in the information processing apparatus. , Error information currently occurring (eg, “out of paper”, “out of toner”, “paper jam”, etc.).
Further, for example, when the information processing apparatus 110 is an image projection apparatus such as a projector, device information such as “total use time”, “lamp use time”, “continuous projection time after startup”, and the like Error information such as “lamp out” and “non-supported output format”.
For example, when the information processing apparatus 110 is a smart device such as a smartphone or a tablet PC, “total use time”, “free (or used) memory capacity”, “remaining battery capacity”, “installation” Device information such as “number of completed applications”, “total data traffic”, “number of restarts”, and error status information such as “login failure”, “memory shortage”, and “security risk detection”. In this embodiment, each status information storage unit 730 of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 includes device information of “total number of printed sheets” and “total number of error occurrences”, “out of paper”, “out of toner”, Error information indicating an error state of “paper jam” is stored. In addition, the information initially stored in the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 is as follows.
Information processing apparatus 110: Cumulative number of printed sheets “1521” Cumulative error occurrence number “5” Error state “-(no error)”
Information processing device 112: Cumulative number of printed sheets “135” Cumulative error occurrence number “1” Error “Paper jam”
-Information processing device 114: Cumulative number of printed sheets “150” Cumulative error occurrence number “2” Error “Out of toner”
The intermediary device 162 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a state information collecting unit 732 and a state information holding unit 734.

  The state information collection unit 732 monitors the state information stored in each state information storage unit 730 of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 connected to the network 182 and collects the information at an arbitrary timing. The collected state information is distinguished using the identification information of each information processing device 110-114 and is held in the state information holding unit 734.

  The state information holding unit 734 holds the state information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 collected by the state information collecting unit 732.

  Here, the inquiry unit 720 inquires of the state information management server 104 connected to the external network 184 whether there is a state information transmission request. Then, when a response indicating that there is a request is received from the state information management server 104, the state information held in the state information holding unit 734 is transmitted to the state information management server 104.

  The state information management server 104 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a state information request unit 736 and a state information storage unit 738.

  The status information requesting unit 736 transmits the status information to the mediation device of the network to which the information processing device belongs in order to acquire the status information of the information processing device to be managed by the status management server 104. Request. The request is transmitted to the mediation device 162 as a response to the inquiry received from the mediation device 162. The request can be generated according to a configuration predetermined in the state information management server 104. For example, a request may be generated at regular intervals, or a request may be generated at a predetermined time. Alternatively, it may be configured such that a request is generated at a timing when status information is referred to from an external device such as the management device 100 described later. In response to the request, the status information received from the mediation device 162 is stored in the status information storage means 738.

  The status information storage unit 738 stores the status information of the information processing apparatus to be managed received from the mediation apparatus. In the present embodiment, the status information of the information processing devices 110 to 114 acquired from the mediation device 162 can be stored in, for example, the status information management table shown in FIG. In the example described above, the state information acquired from the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 is stored in the state information management table shown in FIG. Further, the state information management table in FIG. 10B represents an example in which the state information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 acquired thereafter is stored. As described above, the state information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 is repeatedly acquired at regular intervals, and the latest state information is stored in the state information management table.

  With the above function, the state information management server 104 according to the embodiment of the present invention can store the latest state information of the information processing apparatus 110.

(3.3 Report output function)
Next, a function for creating a management report of the information processing apparatus using the position information and state information of the information processing apparatus acquired by the above-described function will be described. As described above, the position information management server 102 stores the position information of the wireless terminals 120 to 124 attached to the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 that are assets to be managed. An example of a table storing position information is shown in FIG. In addition, state information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 is stored in the state information management server 104. An example of a table storing status information is shown in FIG.

  The report output apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a position information acquisition unit 750, a state information acquisition unit 752, an apparatus information storage unit 754, a determination unit 756, an area information storage unit 758, and a report output unit 760.

  The position information acquisition unit 750 acquires the position information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 that are assets to be managed from the position information storage unit 718 of the position information management server 102. Here, the position information stored in the position information storage unit 718 is the position information of the wireless terminals 120-124. Therefore, the position information acquisition unit 750 refers to a predefined asset information management table illustrated in FIG. Then, by identifying the identification information of the wireless terminal corresponding to the information processing apparatus from which position information is to be acquired and acquiring the position information, the position information of the desired information processing apparatus can be acquired. The acquired position information is stored in the device information storage unit 754. FIG. 11 illustrates information stored in the device information storage unit 754 in a table format (hereinafter referred to as “device information management table”). Among these, FIG. 11A is an example of a device information management table that stores the position information of the wireless terminals 120 to 124 in the above-described example, which has been described using the position information management table shown in FIG. On the other hand, FIG. 11B is an example of a device information management table for storing the acquired location information of the wireless terminals 120-124 after that. As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the apparatus information management table stores asset identification information and asset names of information processing apparatuses in addition to the acquired position information (latitude, longitude, floor). The Also, the position information acquisition unit 750 passes the acquired position information to the determination unit 756.

  The status information acquisition unit 752 acquires status information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 that are assets to be managed from the status information storage unit 738 of the status information management server 104. The acquired state information is stored in the device information storage unit 754 together with the position information. FIG. 11 shows an apparatus information management table in which state information is stored together with previously acquired position information. FIG. 11A is an example of a device information management table that stores the state information of the information processing devices 110 to 114 in the above-described example, which has been described using the state information management table shown in FIG. 10A. On the other hand, FIG. 11B is an example of a device information management table that stores the acquired state information (FIG. 10B) of the information processing devices 110-114. In the present embodiment, state information of “number of printed sheets”, “number of errors”, and “error state” of each information processing apparatus 110-114 is stored.

  As described above, the device information storage unit 754 uses the device information management table as illustrated in FIG. 11 to use the device information management table as location information and status information (hereinafter referred to as “device information”). ”). Here, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the device information storage unit 754 can hold a history of device information. How much history information is stored can be arbitrarily set.

When the determination unit 756 receives the position information of the information processing device 110-114 from the position information acquisition unit 750, the determination unit 756 stores the past information processing device 110-114 included in the device information history stored in the device information storage unit 754. Refer to the location information. Then, the determination unit 756 determines that the information processing apparatus having a difference between the current position information and the past position information has been moved. This determination can be made for all information processing apparatuses. To explain using a specific example, it is assumed that the position information acquisition unit 750 has acquired the position information stored in FIG. The apparatus information storage unit 754 performs the following determination when the position information shown in FIG. 11A is stored as the latest history of the apparatus information.
-Information processing apparatus 110: Determined to have been moved (floor “4” → “5”)
-Information processing device 112: Determined as not moved-Information processing device 114: Determined as moved (latitude "35.66635"->"35.66645")
Note that the presence / absence of movement may not necessarily be determined based on the latest data. For example, an information processing apparatus whose position information has been changed even once within an arbitrary period designated by an administrator may be configured to be determined to have been moved. Further, even if the position information is changed, it may be configured not to determine that the position information has been moved as long as the position information changes within an area, which will be described later. The result of the determination is passed to the report output means 760 together with past position information used for the determination.

  The area information storage unit 758 stores an area information table that associates position information represented by latitude, longitude, and floor with an area name representing a certain area in the office. FIG. 12 shows an example of the area information table. The area information table includes an area name and latitude, longitude, and floor items that define the area of the area. According to FIG. 12, for example, the “A4-S side” area is an area of “4th floor” extending from north latitude “35.66630” to north latitude “35.66660” and east longitude “139.76520” to east longitude “139.76570”. I understand. The area name can be used together with the position information or instead of the position information when outputting the report.

  The report output means 760 displays information on the management target when an instruction from the administrator is given, when a certain period of time has elapsed, or when the determination means 756 determines that one or more information processing devices have been moved. A management report including device information of the processing device can be output. The device information is acquired from the device information storage unit 754. The output report may be output in any known format such as HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), PDF (registered trademark), Excel (registered trademark), or CSV (Comma Separated Values).

  FIGS. 16A to 16C exemplarily show a report format output in one embodiment of the present invention in a tabular format.

  The report output means 760 outputs the area to which the information processing apparatus belongs, the asset name, the number of printed sheets, the number of errors, and the presence / absence of movement using the format shown in FIG. The information stored in FIG. 16A corresponds to the information stored in the device information management table shown in FIG. For example, the asset name of the information processing apparatus 110 is “color MFP 01”, and has position information of latitude “35.66635”, longitude “139.76555”, and floor “5”. The report output means 760 refers to the area information table shown in FIG. 12 and outputs “area” item information on the assumption that “color multifunction peripheral 01” belongs to the “A5-S side” area. Further, the report output means 760 outputs the item “presence / absence of movement” as “present” for the information processing apparatus 110 determined to have been moved by the determination means 756. Further, the report output means 760 converts the past position information passed from the determination means 756 into an area name, and in the item “Movement presence / absence”, “Move from (previously assigned area name)”. Information is added as follows. The above output process is performed for all the information processing apparatuses to be managed. The information processing device 114 is determined to have been moved by the determining unit 756, but according to the area information table of FIG. 12, the movement is performed within the same area “A5-S side”. I know that there is. In this case, the report output means 760 adds information such as “move within the same area” to the item “presence / absence of movement”. On the other hand, the report output unit 760 adds information such as “None” to the “Movement presence / absence” item for an asset whose movement has not been detected, such as the information processing apparatus 112. By outputting the report in such an output format, the administrator can check the status information of the asset by paying attention to the area to which the moved asset belongs.

  Further, the report output means 760 uses the format shown in FIG. 16B to determine the area to which the information processing apparatus belongs, the asset name, the latitude, the longitude, the floor, the number of prints, and the number of errors. Output. Each information to be output is acquired by the same method as described above. With this output format, the administrator can acquire a management report including detailed information in which position information and state information are associated.

  Further, the report output means 760 outputs the error status, area, asset name, number of printed sheets, and number of errors generated in the information processing apparatus using the format shown in FIG. . Here, this management report is output for assets that are currently in an error state. For the asset that has been moved, information indicating that the asset has been moved is output in the item “area”. With this output format, the administrator can quickly identify assets that are in an error state, and can confirm the moved assets at a glance.

  The management report output by the report output unit 760 is output in the above-described arbitrary format, stored in the storage unit of the management apparatus 100, and displayed or transferred at any time according to a request from the administrator client PC. Can be configured. Alternatively, the management report may be sent by e-mail to a PC or the like of a manager designated in advance. The storage form and the provision form of the output management report can be made by an arbitrary method using an existing technique.

  With the above function, the management apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can output a management report in which position information and state information of an information processing apparatus are associated. In particular, the management apparatus 100 can output a management report including information indicating whether or not the information processing apparatus has moved between areas.

(4. Example of operation)
Next, an operation example of the management system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Hereinafter, the operation of the management system 1 will be described by classifying it into “location information management processing”, “status information management processing”, and “report output processing”. In the following, description will be made using examples of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 and the wireless terminals 120 to 124 as in the above-described example.

(4.1 Location information acquisition process)
First, a process in which the location information management server 102 acquires the location information of the wireless terminals 120 to 124 via the network 180 will be described with reference to FIG. In the description here, it is assumed that the wireless terminals 120-124 initially receive positioning signals from the communication devices 140-144 and acquire position information. The position information included in the positioning signal transmitted by the communication devices 140-144 is as follows.
-Communication device 140: latitude “35.66635”, longitude “139.76555”, floor “4”
-Communication device 142: latitude "35.66675", longitude "139.76560", floor "4"
-Communication device 144: latitude “35.66635”, longitude “139.76555”, floor “5”
First, in step S1300, the inquiry unit 720 of the intermediary device 162 inquires of the position information management server 102 whether there is a position information transmission request.

  In step S <b> 1302, the location information request unit 722 of the location information management server 102 transmits a response indicating that there is no request to the mediation device 162. Accordingly, here, the location information of the wireless terminal is not transmitted to the location information management server 102. Thereafter, the intermediary device 162 may inquire about the presence / absence of a request to the location information management server 102 periodically.

  On the other hand, in step S1310, the positioning signal transmission unit 702 of each communication device 140-144 continues to transmit a positioning signal including the position information to a certain area.

  In step S1320, the positioning signal receiving unit 704 of each wireless terminal 120-124 receives the positioning signal respectively transmitted from the positioning signal transmitting unit 702 of the communication device 140-144.

In step S1322, the position information acquisition unit 706 of each wireless terminal 120-124 acquires position information from the received positioning signal. The position information is included in a predetermined position in a frame constituting the positioning signal, which is defined according to the IMES standard, for example. In the present embodiment, the position information received first by each wireless terminal is as follows.
-Wireless terminal 120: latitude "35.66635", longitude "139.76555", floor "4"
-Wireless terminal 122: latitude "35.66675", longitude "139.76560", floor "4"
-Wireless terminal 124: latitude "35.66635", longitude "139.76555", floor "5"
In step S1324, the position information transmission unit 710 of each wireless terminal 120-124 transmits the position information together with the identification information stored in the identification information storage unit 708 to the communication devices 140-144, respectively. Here, the identification information (MAC address of the communication unit 406) of each wireless terminal 120-124 is as follows.
-Wireless terminal 120: “002673abcdef01”
-Wireless terminal 122: “002673abcdef02”
-Wireless terminal 124: “005001abcdef03”
In step S1326, the relay unit 712 of each communication device 140-144 relays the position information and the identification information received from the wireless terminals 120-124 to the gateway 160, respectively.

  In step S1328, the communication conversion means 714 of the gateway 160 converts the communication data transmitted from the network 180 to which the communication devices 140-144 belong to a format compatible with the network 182 such as an in-house LAN.

  In step S <b> 1330, the location information receiving unit 716 of the mediation device 162 receives the location information and identification information of the wireless terminals 120-124 via the communication devices 140-144 and the gateway 160.

  In step S1332, the location information holding unit 718 of the mediation device 162 stores the received location information and identification information of each wireless terminal 120-124. The position information holding unit 718 can store identification information and position information for each wireless terminal. FIG. 8 shows an example of a position information management table that stores identification information and position information. In the above-described embodiment, the position information transmitted from the wireless terminals 120 to 124 is the highest item (“2012/6/11 00:00 among the items shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C). : 00 "). Further, the position information management table shown in FIG. 8 also stores position information transmitted from each wireless terminal 120-124 thereafter.

  In step S1340, the inquiry unit 720 of the mediation device 162 further inquires of the position information management server 102 about the presence / absence of a position information transmission request.

  In step S <b> 1342, the location information request unit 722 of the location information management server 102 transmits a response indicating that there is a request to the mediation device 162.

  In step S 1344, the inquiry unit 720 of the intermediary device 162 transmits the position information and identification information of the wireless terminals 120-124 held in the position information holding unit 718 to the position information management server 102.

  Through the above processing, the location information management server 102 according to the embodiment of the present invention can manage the location information of the asset through the location information of the wireless terminal 120 attached to the asset to be managed.

(4.2 Status information acquisition process)
Next, a process in which the state information management server 104 acquires the state information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 that are assets to be managed through the mediation apparatus 162 will be described with reference to FIG. In the following, in accordance with the asset information management table shown in FIG. 9, the information processing apparatus 110 is a color multifunction peripheral (MFP), the information processing apparatus 112 is a monochrome multifunction peripheral (MFP), and the information processing apparatus 114 is The description will be made assuming that the printer is a color (laser) printer.

  First, in step S1400, the inquiry unit 720 of the mediation device 162 inquires of the state information management server 104 about the presence / absence of a state information transmission request.

  In step S <b> 1402, the state information request unit 736 of the state information management server 104 transmits a response indicating that there is no request to the mediation device 162. Therefore, here, the state information of the information processing apparatus is not transmitted to the state information management server 104. Thereafter, the intermediary device 162 may inquire periodically about whether there is a request to the state information management server 104.

  On the other hand, in step S <b> 1410, each information processing apparatus 110-114 performs information processing for realizing the functions provided therein.

  In step S1412, each information processing apparatus 110-114 stores (updates) its state information in response to the information processing result. For example, the information processing apparatus 110 that is a color multifunction peripheral may add information on the total number of printed sheets each time printing processing is performed. The information processing apparatus 110 may add information on the total number of error occurrences every time an error occurs due to the printing process. Further, error information indicating that an error has occurred may be stored. What state information is stored may vary depending on the type of information processing apparatus. In this embodiment, for the sake of explanation, description will be made using the above-described state information. However, the present invention is not limited to such state information, and any state information can be used.

  In step S 1420, the inquiry unit 720 of the mediation device 162 further inquires of the state information management server 104 about the presence / absence of a state information transmission request.

  In step S <b> 1422, the state information request unit 736 of the state information management server 104 transmits a response indicating that there is a request to the mediation device 162.

In step S1424, the state information collection unit 732 of the mediation device 162 collects the state information stored in the state information storage unit 730 of each information processing device from each information processing device 110-114. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the state information of each information processing apparatus at this point is as follows.
Information processing apparatus 110: Cumulative number of printed sheets “1972” Cumulative error occurrence number “6” Error state “Paper jam”
-Information processing device 112: Cumulative number of printed sheets "150" Cumulative error occurrence count "1" Error "-(no error)"
-Information processing device 114: Cumulative number of printed sheets "215" Cumulative error occurrence number "2" Error "-(no error)"
In step S 1426, the collected state information of each information processing apparatus is held in the state information holding unit 734.

  In step S <b> 1428, the inquiry unit 720 of the intermediary device 162 transmits the state information of each information processing device held in the state information holding unit 734 to the state information management server 104.

  In step S 1430, the received state information of each information processing apparatus is stored in the state information storage unit 738 of the state information management server 104. An example of a status information management table that stores these status information is shown in FIG.

  With the above function, the state information management server 104 according to the embodiment of the present invention can store the latest state information of the information processing apparatus 110.

(4.3 Report output processing)
Next, a process in which the management apparatus 100 outputs a management report using the position information and state information of the information processing apparatus to be managed will be described with reference to FIG. In this description, the position information of the information processing apparatuses 110-114 acquired at two different times t0 (2012/6/11 00:00:00) and t1 (2012/6/13 00:00:00). It explains using state information. The location information of the wireless terminals 120-124 acquired at time t0 is the location information stored at the top of the location information management table shown in FIGS. Further, the state information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 acquired at time t0 is state information stored in the state information management table shown in FIG. On the other hand, the position information of the wireless terminals 120-124 acquired at time t1 is stored in the third position from the top of the position information management table shown in FIGS. Further, the state information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 acquired at time t1 is stored in the state information management table shown in FIG.

  First, it is assumed that the current time is after time t0 and before t1, and the position information management table stored in the position information management server 102 and the state information management table stored in the state information management server 104 are: Each of them is assumed to be at time t0.

  In step S1500, processing is started.

In step S <b> 1502, the position information acquisition unit 750 acquires the position information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 that are assets to be managed from the position information storage unit 718 of the position information management server 102. Here, the location information acquisition unit 750 refers to the asset information management table illustrated in FIG. 9 and acquires the location information of the corresponding wireless terminal 110-114 in order to acquire the location information of the information processing device 110-114. get. That is, the position information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 acquired here is as follows.
-Information processing apparatus 110: latitude “35.66635”, longitude “139.76555”, floor “4”
-Information processing device 112: latitude “35.66675”, longitude “139.76560”, floor “4”
-Information processing device 114: latitude "35.66635", longitude "139.76555", floor "5"
In step S <b> 1504, the state information acquisition unit 752 acquires the state information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 that are assets to be managed from the state information storage unit 738 of the state information management server 104. The state information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 acquired here is as shown in FIG.

  In step S1506, the position information acquired in step S1502 and the status information acquired in step S1504 are stored as device information in the device information management table (FIG. 11A).

  In step S <b> 1508, the determination unit 756 refers to past position information of the information processing devices 110 to 114 included in the device information history stored in the device information storage unit 754. Then, the past position information is compared with the position information acquired in step S1502. Here, description will be made assuming that the position information before time t0 is the same as that at time t0. That is, it is assumed that the position information acquired in step S1502 of the information processing apparatus 110-114 matches the comparison result of the past position information.

  In step S1510, as described above, since the position information acquired in step S1502 of the information processing apparatus 110-114 matches the past position information, it is assumed that no movement has been performed, and the process proceeds to step S1512.

  If the report output condition is satisfied in step S1512, the process advances to step S1514. The report output condition is, for example, when a report output instruction is given from the administrator, when a certain period of time has elapsed, or when the determination unit 756 determines that any information processing apparatus has been moved. Can be satisfied. Here, assuming that the report output condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S1516, and the process ends.

  Next, it is assumed that a certain time has elapsed and the processing in the management apparatus 100 is started again. Here, it is assumed that the current time is after the time t1, and a position information management table (FIG. 8) stored in the position information management server 102 and a state information management table (FIG. 8) stored in the state information management server 104. 10) are assumed to be those at time t1. Note that “′” is appended to the number of the step executed below to distinguish it from the step executed above.

In step S1502 ′, the position information acquisition unit 750 acquires the position information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 from the position information storage unit 718 of the position information management server 102. The position information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 acquired here is as follows.
-Information processing device 110: latitude “35.66635”, longitude “139.76555”, floor “5”
-Information processing device 112: latitude “35.66675”, longitude “139.76560”, floor “4”
-Information processing device 114: latitude "35.66645", longitude "139.76555", floor "5"
It can be seen that the position information of the information processing apparatuses 110 and 114 has changed.

  In step S1504 ′, the state information acquisition unit 752 acquires the state information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 from the state information storage unit 738 of the state information management server 104. The state information of the information processing apparatuses 110 to 114 acquired here is as shown in FIG.

  In step S1506 ′, the position information acquired in step S1502 ′ and the state information acquired in step S1504 ′ are stored as device information in the device information management table (FIG. 11B).

  In step S1508 ′, the determination unit 756 uses the position information (position information at t0) of each information processing apparatus 110-114 acquired at step S1502 and the position information (position information at t1) acquired at step S1502 ′. Compare each.

In step S1510 ′, the determination unit 756 determines that the following information processing apparatus whose position information does not match as a result of the comparison has been moved.
-Information processing device 110 (floor “4” → floor “5”)
-Information processing device 114 (latitude "35.66635" → latitude "35.66645")
In step S1512 ′, the determination by the determination unit 756 has been made. Therefore, it is assumed that the report output condition is satisfied, and the process proceeds to step S1514 ′.

  In step S1514 ′, the report output unit 760 outputs a report including the device information of each information processing device 110-114 stored in the device information storage unit 754. The report output format is as shown in FIGS. 16 (A)-(C). Here, an example of outputting a report in accordance with the format shown in FIG. In this format, the device information of the information processing device is classified and output for each area. Here, the area is a name that is defined by an area information table stored in the area information storage means 758 and that represents, for example, a certain area in a building. The report output means 760 can express position information represented by latitude, longitude, and floor by area name in order to help the administrator understand intuitively. In the output format, the presence or absence of movement can be displayed so that the information processing apparatus that has moved can be easily seen. For this purpose, the determination result in step S1510 ′ is used. Further, in step S1510 ′, information on the area that belonged to the information processing apparatuses 110 and 114 determined to have moved (ie, the area corresponding to the position information at t0) can be displayed. In addition to this, the output format can output information such as the asset name, the number of printed sheets, and the number of errors. When the report output is completed, the process proceeds to step S1516 ′, and the process ends.

  Through the above processing, the management apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can create a report in which state information and position information of assets to be managed are associated. Then, through the report, it is possible to accurately grasp the position information of the asset whose physical position has been changed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Management system 100 Management apparatus 102 Location information management server 104 State information management server 110,112,114,116 Information processing apparatus 120,122,124,126 Wireless terminal 140,142,144,146 Communication apparatus 160 Gateway 162 Mediation apparatus 700 Position information storage means 702 Positioning signal transmission means 704 Positioning signal reception means 706 Position information acquisition means 708 Identification information storage means 710 Position information transmission means 712 Relay means 714 Communication conversion means 716 Position information reception means 718 Position information holding means 720 Inquiry means 722 Position information requesting means 724 Position information storage means 730 Status information storage means 732 Status information collection means 734 Status information holding means 736 Status information request means 738 Status information storage means 750 Position information acquisition means 752 Status information acquisition means 754 device information storage unit 756 determination unit 758 area information storing means 760 report output means

JP 2009-32277 A International Publication No. 2005/086375 Japanese Patent No. 4296302

"Quasi-Zenith Satellite System User Interface Specification", IS-QZSS 1.4, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Claims (15)

A management device that manages status information of one or more information processing devices acquired via a network,
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the information processing apparatus;
Determination means for determining whether or not each of the information processing devices has been moved using the acquired position information;
A report output means for outputting a management report including the position information of the information processing apparatus and the result of the determination;
A management device. The report output means outputs the management report so as to include information indicating a movement source and a movement destination of the information processing apparatus determined to have been moved;
The management apparatus according to claim 1. The information indicating the movement source and the movement destination is represented by an area name.
The management device according to claim 2. The report output means outputs the management report of the information processing apparatus determined to have been moved;
The management apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3. When the determination unit determines that the information processing apparatus has been moved, the report output unit outputs the management report;
The management apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4. The report output means outputs the management report of the information processing apparatus in which the state information indicates an error state.
The management apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5. The position information of the information processing device is acquired through a wireless device attached to each of the information processing devices.
The management apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6. The wireless device acquires position information by receiving a positioning signal transmitted from a communication device installed indoors;
The management device according to claim 7. The positioning signal is a ground complementary signal (IMES).
The management device according to claim 8. The communication device relays communication between an intermediary device that holds position information of the information processing device and the wireless device,
The wireless device transmits the acquired position information together with its own identification information to the mediation device via the communication device,
The location information acquisition means acquires location information of the information processing device through the mediation device.
The management apparatus according to claim 8 or 9. The status information of the information processing device is transmitted to the status information management device that manages the status information by the mediation device capable of communicating with the information processing device,
The status information of the information processing device is acquired through the status information management device.
The management apparatus according to claim 10. The intermediary device is connected to a local area network to which the information processing device belongs, different from the network to which the management device belongs,
A firewall is provided between the network to which the management device belongs and the local area network to which the information processing device belongs.
The management apparatus according to claim 11. The information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus,
The status information includes device information and error information of the image forming apparatus.
The management apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 12. A method executed by a management device that manages status information of one or more information processing devices acquired via a network,
A position information acquisition step of acquiring position information of the information processing apparatus;
A determination step of determining whether or not each of the information processing devices has been moved using the acquired position information;
A report output stage for outputting a management report including the position information of the information processing apparatus and the determination result;
A management method. A management system having a wireless device attached to each of one or more information processing devices and a management device that manages status information of the information processing devices acquired via a network,
The wireless device includes:
Transmission means for transmitting the position information of the information processing apparatus,
The management device
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the information processing apparatus transmitted by the wireless device;
Determination means for determining whether or not each of the information processing devices has been moved using the acquired position information;
A report output means for outputting a management report including the position information of the information processing apparatus and the result of the determination;
Having
Management system.

Images