JP2014075622A - Image forming apparatus, information processing terminal device, system, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily solve failure occurring due to a setting value in an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus including a radio communication unit has: management means for managing, as recording information, change history information when a setting value of the image forming apparatus is changed, and information on a communication history with a server device communicable through a network; specification means for specifying, when detecting a communication error with the server device, the change history information searched from the recording information managed by the managing means, measures to the communication error on the basis of the communication history information, and a person to execute the measures; and writing means for writing, in the radio communication unit, addressing information including the measures specified by the specification means and information on the person to execute the measures.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an information processing terminal device, a system, an information processing method, and a program.

The operation of the image forming apparatus has become complicated as the number of functions increases. Along with this, there are a wide variety of errors that occur due to user operations and setting errors in the image forming apparatus.
Thus, as a known technique, there is a technique in which the image forming apparatus displays an error on its own screen when an error occurs to indicate to the user the error content and the avoidance method. However, in this known technique, the person in charge of the error may differ depending on the type of error. Therefore, each person in charge handles the error only by displaying the error on the own screen of the image forming apparatus. It is necessary to check and usability is not good.
In Patent Document 1, as a technique for solving the above-described problem, a means for displaying an error occurrence part on an error display, and an IC tag having static information (for example, a person in charge and contact information) at each error occurrence part The technology it comprises is disclosed. The person in charge reads the information from the IC tag at the location where the error is displayed, and realizes a form in which mail or a manual is guided to reduce the corresponding processing.

JP 2009-184225 A

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, although a manual of the part can be confirmed at the time of a hardware failure, an error not accompanied by hardware abnormality caused by a setting value setting error or the like is not assumed. Moreover, the technique of patent document 1 only displays an optimal manual or transmits an e-mail to a support center, and there is a problem that it has not been realized until a problem is actually solved.

  An image forming apparatus including a wireless communication unit, which manages, as record information, change history information when a setting value of the image forming apparatus is changed and communication history information with a server device capable of communicating via a network When the communication error between the management unit and the server device is detected, the communication error countermeasure is based on the change history information retrieved from the record information managed by the management unit and the communication history information. And a specifying means for specifying an implementer of the countermeasure, and a writing means for writing correspondence information including the countermeasure specified by the identifying means and the information of the performer in the wireless communication unit, Have.

  According to the present invention, when a failure due to a set value occurs in the image forming apparatus, the failure can be easily solved.

It is a figure which shows an example of a system configuration. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a log | history information table. It is a figure which shows an example of a software structure of an image forming apparatus, a server apparatus, and an information terminal with an IC reader. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on a display at the time of a communication error. It is a figure which shows an example of the holding | maintenance format of a setting value management form. It is a figure which shows an example of the data format written in an IC tag. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of an information terminal with an IC reader. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the image forming apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a process of an information terminal with an IC reader. It is a figure which shows an example of the information written in an IC tag.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Definition of terms>
First, definitions of main important terms used in the present embodiment will be described.
“NFC” is an abbreviation for NearFieldCommunication, which is an international standard for wireless communication.
The “user” is a customer who uses the image forming apparatus. Note that the user is a user who is assumed not to have specialized knowledge regarding the image forming apparatus.
The “user administrator” is a person in charge of managing the image forming apparatus at the user destination. The user administrator is in charge of maintenance of the user's network environment.
A “service person” is a person who performs maintenance of the image forming apparatus. Note that the service person is an operator who is assumed to have specialized knowledge about the image forming apparatus in charge, and performs trouble solution when a trouble occurs.

The “set value” is a parameter on software for switching the operation of the image forming apparatus.
“Import” means that the operator acquires a setting value from the outside and updates the setting value held by the image forming apparatus.
The “individual identification number” is a number that can uniquely identify the image processing apparatus, and is an example of identification information.
The “import data” is data including one or more setting values of the image forming apparatus. The operator uses the import data for the purpose of collectively setting the setting values of the image forming apparatus.

The “setting value management service” is a service in which an operator manages setting values of an image forming apparatus on a server device on a network. The operator manages the individual identification number of the image forming apparatus and the set value in association with each other using the set value management service.
The “independent type” is a mode in which the user himself / herself manages the setting value among the management modes in the setting value management service.
The “consignment type” is a mode in which a service person manages setting values among the management modes in the setting value management service.
An “IC tag” is a small electronic device that exchanges data by NFC communication or the like. For example, data in an IC tag can be read by writing data in advance on an IC tag included in the image forming apparatus and holding the terminal or the like having an IC reader function over the IC tag. The IC tag is an example of a wireless communication unit. In this embodiment, the IC tag is used for description, but near field communication such as infrared rays or an NFC chip may be used.

The “operation” is a countermeasure when a communication error occurs in the image forming apparatus. In the present embodiment, three operations of “re-settings of network settings”, “notification to service personnel (report)”, and “notification to user administrator (report-user)” are assumed. Yes. Of course, there may be operations other than those described above, and each name may be an arbitrary name.
“Resetting network settings” means that if a communication error occurs because an incorrect setting has been applied to the image forming device, it is possible to recover from the error by applying the correct setting. The countermeasure is to reconfigure the network settings.
“Notification to service person” is a countermeasure for notifying the service person because the user cannot deal with an abnormality in the image forming apparatus or the server device.
“Notification to user administrator” is a countermeasure to notify the user administrator in order to request the user administrator when the cause of the error is the user environment.
Terms other than those described here will be appropriately described in this embodiment if necessary.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of the present embodiment.
The Internet 100 may be realized by a network such as a single Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), and an ad hoc network. Further, the Internet 100 may be composed of a combination of a plurality of WANs, LANs, and ad hoc networks as required. The Internet 100 may be another communication network or a complex network.
The image forming apparatuses 101 and 102 are image forming apparatuses such as a digital composite image forming apparatus, a printer, a scanner, or a facsimile that integrate a print function, a copy function, a facsimile function, and a transmission function (e-mail, FTP, etc.).

The LAN 103 is a user's local network. The image forming apparatuses 101 and 102 are connected to each other via a LAN 103.
The server device 104 manages setting value information, address book, and the like regarding the image forming apparatuses 101 and 102 for each image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatuses 101 and 102 synchronize data such as setting value information and an address book with the server device 104 via the Internet 100. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration in which two image forming apparatuses 101 and 102 are connected, the number is not limited.
The information terminal with IC reader 105 having an IC reader function exchanges data with the image forming apparatuses 101 and 102 by NFC. The IC reader-equipped information terminal 105 having an IC reader function is an example of an information processing terminal device.
The wireless network 106 may be a Wi-Fi, 3G line or the like as a communication means, but is not limited thereto. Further, the information terminal with IC reader 105 is connected to the Internet 100 via the wireless network 106.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 101. Note that the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 102 is the same as that of the image forming apparatus 101, and thus the description thereof is omitted. In the following description, the description of the image forming apparatus 102 is omitted without notice, but naturally, the same functions and effects as those of the image forming apparatus 101 are provided.
Each component of the hardware of the image forming apparatus is connected to the internal bus 209.
The CPU 201 executes processing based on a program stored in the ROM 203 or the like, thereby realizing a function (software function) of the image forming apparatus 101 (to be described later) and a process related to a flowchart related to the image forming apparatus 101.
The HDD 202 is a nonvolatile storage area, and holds failure information such as setting values, operation logs, service errors / jams / alarms, a history information table 701 shown in FIG. 3 which is a feature of this embodiment, and the like. Details of the history information table 701 will be described later.
The ROM 203 holds a control program for the image forming apparatus 101.
The RAM 204 is a work memory area for executing a program, and is used as a temporary storage area.
The display 205 displays error information and the like according to the user operation and the state of the image forming apparatus.

The operation unit 206 includes key input means and is controlled by the CPU 201. The operator gives instructions regarding scanner reading, various settings related to print output, operation / stop, and the like via key input.
A network I / F 207 is an interface unit for connecting to the LAN 103, and communicates with the image forming apparatus 102 and the Internet 100 via the LAN 103.
The IC tag 208 is an interface that communicates with the information terminal 105 with an IC reader. The image forming apparatus 101 can wirelessly communicate with the information terminal 105 with an IC reader via an IC tag. When the IC tag 208 receives import data or the like from the IC tag read / write unit 316 of the information terminal with IC reader 105 shown in FIG. 4 described later, the IC tag 208 passes the received import data to the setting value import unit 301. The IC tag 208 holds information related to the operation written by the IC tag read / write unit 307. The IC tag 208 can be read by a dedicated reader even when the image forming apparatus 101 is not activated. In the present embodiment, the IC tag 208 has been described as an example of the wireless communication unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, other wireless communication means such as infrared rays or an NFC chip may be used.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration of the image forming apparatuses 101 and 102, the server device 104, and the information terminal with IC reader 105 illustrated in FIG.
First, the software configuration of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described. Note that the software configuration of the image forming apparatus 102 is the same as that of the image forming apparatus 101, and thus the description thereof is omitted.
Each software program of the image forming apparatus 101 is stored in the ROM 203 and executed by the CPU 201. Various information used when the CPU 201 executes the program is held in the RAM 204 or the HDD 202, and is exchanged between the software functions. Further, the CPU 201 communicates with an external device via the network I / F 207. The functions of each software will be described below.
The setting value import unit 301 imports the setting values of the image forming apparatus 101 through various routes included in the image forming apparatus 101. The import route by the setting value import unit 301 includes a route input from the operation unit 206 by the operator, a route input via the IC tag 208, and the like. In addition, the operator may perform an input operation via the LAN 103 using a web browser of a personal computer (not shown). The setting value import unit 301 performs import using these multiple routes. The setting value import unit 301 stores the setting value received from each route in the setting value holding unit 308. Further, the setting value import unit 301 notifies the setting value change history management unit 304 of the import route. The import data is generated by the server device 104 or the like.

The communication unit 302 communicates with the communication unit 310 of the server device 104 via the Internet 100. The communication unit 302 periodically communicates with the communication unit 310. The communication unit 302 communicates with the communication unit 310 when the setting of the image forming apparatus 101 is changed according to an instruction from the setting value change history management unit 304. In addition, the communication unit 302 may communicate with the communication unit 310 at a timing such as when the image forming apparatus 101 is activated, and is not particularly limited. In addition, the communication unit 302 passes the import data received from the communication unit 310 or the like to the setting value import unit 301. Further, when a communication error occurs in communication with the communication unit 310, the communication unit 302 detects it and notifies the communication history management unit 303. Further, the communication unit 302 detects whether communication with the image forming apparatus 102 is possible via the LAN 103, and notifies the communication history management unit 303. When the communication unit 302 detects a communication error, the communication unit 302 displays the fact on the display 205.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the display 205 when a communication error occurs between the communication unit 310 and the communication unit 302.
The CPU 201 displays a message that the communication with the communication unit 310 has failed and an instruction to read the IC tag on the message display unit 401.
The communication history management unit 303 stores the communication history of the communication unit 302 in the history information holding unit 309. Here, the communication history is information such as date, whether communication with the LAN 103 is possible, whether communication with the communication unit 310 of the server device 104 is possible. These pieces of information are held in the history information holding unit 309 in a format as shown in the history information table 701 in FIG.

When the setting value change history management unit 304 receives a notification of setting value change from the setting value import unit 301, the setting value change history management unit 304 creates a setting change history in the history information holding unit 309. The setting change history is information such as a date when a setting value is changed and a changer. These pieces of information are held in the history information holding unit 309 in a format as shown in the history information table 701. The setting value change history management unit 304 requests the communication unit 302 to communicate with the communication unit 310 of the server device 104 when the setting value setting is changed.
The operation determination unit 305 accesses the history information holding unit 309 and searches the history information table 701. The operation determination unit 305 identifies the cause of the communication error from the history information table 701 and requests the setting value management form determination unit 306 to determine the setting value management form. The operation determination unit 305 notifies the IC tag read / write unit 307 of the determined operation. Details of the set value management mode will be described later with reference to FIG.
A setting value management form determination unit 306 determines a setting value management form of the image forming apparatus 101. The setting value management form determination unit 306 determines the setting value management form with reference to the setting value management form setting 601 shown in FIG. 6 held in the setting value holding unit 308. The set value management form setting 601 includes information on managers who can execute operations. More specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 6, since “independent type” is ON and “consignment type” is OFF, the setting value management form determination unit 306 determines that the operation executor is a user. To do.

The IC tag read / write unit 307 writes the contents of the operation received from the operation determination unit 305 and the information on the person executing the operation into the IC tag in a format as shown in FIG.
“Application package name” in FIG. 7 is an example of application designation information for designating an application (not shown) to be processed on the information terminal 105 with IC reader. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a different application is held for each person who executes the operation. An application corresponding to each executor is designated by the “application package name” written to the IC tag by the IC tag read / write unit 307.
“Operation” is information indicating the operation determined by the operation determination unit 305. In the present embodiment, as an example, since the operation is reset as the network setting, the operation is “re-settings”. As a matter of course, the operation name is not limited to this and is arbitrary.
“URL of setting value management service” is a URL for specifying a service (not shown) that manages setting values of the image forming apparatus 101 on the server device 104.
The “individual identification number” is a number that uniquely identifies the image forming apparatus 101.

A setting value holding unit 308 holds setting values of the image forming apparatus 101. The setting value holding unit 308 holds information regarding the setting value management form of the image forming apparatus 101.
As described above, FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a retention format of the setting value management form.
As the setting value management form of the image forming apparatus 101, a self-contained type and a consignment type are conceivable. In the former, the person in charge of setting value management is the user himself, and the service person cannot access the setting value. In the latter case, the person in charge of setting values is a service person, and the user cannot access the setting values. The independent type and the consignment type are in an exclusive relationship. In addition to this, the setting value management form setting 601 includes a URL for designating a setting value management service (not shown) corresponding to each form.
The history information holding unit 309 holds a communication history of the communication unit 302 and a setting change history by the setting value import unit 301.
As described above, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a history information holding format.
The history information table 701 records information such as date, setting value change path, setting value changer, communication availability with the communication unit 310, communication availability with the LAN 103, and the like. Of course, other information may be recorded. Note that the information recorded in the history information table 701 is an example of recorded information. For example, it can be seen from 702 shown in FIG. 3 that the setting value was changed by an operation from the operation unit 206 by the operator at 13:15:55 on May 18, 2012. Furthermore, after the setting value is changed, the communication unit 302 knows that communication with the communication unit 310 has failed. The date information is an example of date information. The history information of the set value change path and the set value changer is an example of the change history information. The history information indicating whether communication with the communication unit 310 is possible is an example of communication history information. The history information such as whether communication with the LAN 103 is possible is an example of connection history information, and is information included in the communication history information.

Next, the software configuration of the server device 104 will be described. The hardware configuration of the server device 104 is the same as the configuration in which the IC tag 208 is removed from the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 101 shown in FIG. More specifically, the server device 104 includes a CPU 201, an HDD 202, a ROM 203, a RAM 204, a display 205, an operation unit 206, and a network I / F 207 shown in FIG.
The CPU 201 executes processing based on a program stored in the ROM 203 or the like, thereby realizing a function (software function) of the server device 104 described later.
The display 205 displays information regarding the server device 104.
The operation unit 206 includes key input means and is controlled by the CPU 201. The operator manages the server device 104 through key input.
Each software program of the server device 104 shown in FIG. 4 is stored in the ROM 203 and executed by the CPU 201. Various information used when the CPU 201 executes the program is held in the RAM 204 or the HDD 202, and is exchanged between the software functions. Further, the CPU 201 communicates with an external device via the network I / F 207.

The communication unit 310 communicates with the communication unit 302 of the image forming apparatus 101 and the communication unit 314 of the information terminal 105 with IC reader.
The authentication unit 311 authenticates communication with the communication unit 302 of the image forming apparatus 101 that has attempted to connect to the communication unit 310, the communication unit 314 of the information terminal with IC reader 105, and the like.
A setting value management unit 312 manages setting values related to the image forming apparatus 101. In addition, the setting value management unit 312 registers and acquires setting values in the setting value holding unit 313.
A setting value holding unit 313 holds a setting value of the image forming apparatus 101. All set values are associated with individual identification numbers that uniquely identify each image forming apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the information terminal 105 with an IC reader.
Each component of the hardware is connected to the internal bus 1109.
The CPU 1101 executes a control program stored in the ROM 1103.
The CPU 1101 executes processing based on a program stored in the ROM 1103 or the like, thereby realizing processing related to a function (software function) of the information terminal with IC reader 105 (software function) and a flowchart related to the information terminal with IC reader 105 described later. .
The HDD 1102 is a non-volatile storage area, and holds setting values acquired from the server device 104, operation information acquired from the IC tag 208, and the like.
The ROM 1103 holds a control program for the information terminal 105 with IC reader.
A RAM 1104 is a work memory area for executing a program, and is used as a temporary storage area.
A display 1105 displays a message included in the information acquired from the IC tag 208.
The operation unit 1106 includes key input means and is controlled by the CPU 1101. The operator instructs information transmission to the IC tag 208 via key input.
A network I / F 1107 is an interface unit for connecting to the wireless network 106 and communicates with the Internet 100 via the wireless network 106.
The IC reader 1108 reads the IC tag 208 of the image forming apparatus 101 and acquires information in the IC tag 208.

Next, the software configuration of the information terminal with IC reader 105 will be described.
Each software program of the information terminal 105 with IC reader is stored in the ROM 1103 and executed by the CPU 1101. Various information used when the CPU 1101 executes the program is held in the RAM 1104 or the HDD 1102 and exchanged between the software functions. Further, the CPU 1101 communicates with an external device via the network I / F 1107.
The communication unit 314 communicates with the communication unit 310 on the server device 104 to acquire import data.
The operation extraction unit 315 analyzes information acquired from the IC tag 208 by the IC tag read / write unit 316 and extracts an operation. The operation in this embodiment is broadly divided into resetting of network settings, notification to service personnel, and notification to user managers. However, the operation is not limited to these.
The IC tag read / write unit 316 reads / writes information from / to the IC tag 208 of the image forming apparatus 101.
The mail transmission unit 317 transmits a mail to a predetermined mail address included in the information read by the IC tag read / write unit 316.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by each software of the image forming apparatus 101.
The flowchart of FIG. 9 starts from a step in which the communication unit 302 detects a communication error with the server device 104, and ends in a step in which the IC tag read / write unit 307 writes an operation for error recovery in the IC tag 208.
In the present embodiment, the processing flow changes for each cause of the communication error. Therefore, each cause will be described with reference to a flowchart.
Processing when the cause of the error is a set value of the image forming apparatus 101 is shown in <Case caused by set value of image forming apparatus 101>.
Processing when the cause of the error is a setting value on the server device 104 is shown in <Case caused by setting value on server device 104>.
Processing when the error is caused by an abnormality in the image forming apparatus 101 or the user environment is shown in <Case where the image forming apparatus 101 is abnormal or caused by the user environment>.
Processing when the cause of the error is an abnormality of the server device 104 or the user environment is shown in <Case of the abnormality of the server device 104 or the user environment>.

<Case caused by setting value of image forming apparatus 101>
In step S801, when the communication unit 302 detects a communication error with the communication unit 310 of the server device 104, the processing proceeds to step S802.
In step S802, the operation determination unit 305 searches the history information table 701 illustrated in FIG. 3 to determine whether the communication unit 302 has successfully communicated with the communication unit 310 immediately after the last change of the setting value. If it is determined that the process has succeeded, the process advances to step S806. On the other hand, if the operation determination unit 305 determines in step S802 that the communication unit 302 has failed to communicate with the communication unit 310, the operation determination unit 305 advances the process to step S803. For example, first, the operation determination unit 305 searches for the latest date and time information in the history information table 701. The operation determination unit 305 changes the setting value from 702 indicating when the setting value is last changed to 13:15:55 on May 18, 2012 by an operation from the operation unit 206 by the operator. I can confirm that. Then, after the setting value is changed, the operation determination unit 305 can confirm that the communication unit 302 and the communication unit 310 have failed in communication. That is, in this case, the operation determination unit 305 determines that the communication unit 302 has failed to communicate with the communication unit 310 after the final change of the setting value, and advances the processing to S803.
In step S <b> 803, the operation determination unit 305 searches the history information table 701, determines whether the route of the last change of the setting value is the server device 104. Proceed to On the other hand, if the operation determination unit 305 determines that the server device 104 is not used, the process advances to step S804. For example, the operation determination unit 305 indicates that the path of the final change of the setting value is not the server device 104 but the operation unit 206 of the image forming apparatus 101 based on 702 indicating when the setting value is last changed in the history information table 701. I can confirm. That is, in this case, the operation determination unit 305 determines that the route of the final change of the setting value is not the server device 104, and advances the process to S804.

Hereinafter, in the present exemplary embodiment, a case in which the setting value of the image forming apparatus 101 is a cause is assumed, and thus, description will be made assuming that the process proceeds to S804 through S802 and S803.
In step S804, the operation determination unit 305 determines to execute network setting resetting, and the process proceeds to step S809.
In step S809, the setting value management form determination unit 306 determines whether the serviceman should execute the operation determined in step S804. If the serviceman determines that the operation should be performed, the process proceeds to step S810. On the other hand, if the setting value management form determination unit 306 determines in step S809 that the serviceman should not execute, the process advances to step S811. The determination method of the set value management form determination unit 306 in S809 will be described more specifically. In the present embodiment, in S804, the operation determination unit 305 determines the operation to be “resetting network settings”. In this case, the set value management form determination unit 306 refers to the set value management form setting 601 shown in FIG. 6 and identifies the corresponding set value management form. In the example shown in FIG. 6, since “self type” is ON and “consignment type” is OFF, the setting value management form determination unit 306 determines the user who performs the operation as a user. In other words, in this case, the setting value management form determination unit 306 determines that the operation should not be performed by the service person, and advances the process to S811.
If the operation executor is a serviceman, in S810, the IC tag read / write unit 307 writes the operation executor and the content of the operation in the IC tag 208, and the process proceeds to S811. The information including the operation executor and the operation content is an example of correspondence information. The same shall apply hereinafter.

In step S811, the setting value management form determination unit 306 determines whether the user should execute the operation determined in step S804. If the user determines that the operation should be executed, the process advances to step S812. On the other hand, when the setting value management form determination unit 306 determines in step S811 that the user should not execute, the process ends. The determination method of the set value management form determination unit 306 in S811 is the same as that in S809. In the example shown in FIG. 6, since the “self-contained type” is ON and the “consignment type” is OFF, the performer of the operation is a user. That is, in this case, the set value management form determination unit 306 determines that the user should execute the operation, and advances the process to S812.
In S812, when the operation executor is a user, the IC tag read / write unit 307 writes the operation executor and the content of the operation in the IC tag 208, and ends the process.

FIG. 10 shows an example of processing executed by each software of the information terminal with IC reader 105 when the IC tag read / write unit 316 of the information terminal with IC reader 105 reads the information written in the IC tag 208 in S812. It is a flowchart to show. In this embodiment, as an example, the IC tag read / write unit 316 reads the information written in the IC tag 208 in S812, but the same processing is performed when the information written in the IC tag 208 is read in S810. It becomes processing of.
The flowchart in FIG. 10 starts from a step in which the IC tag read / write unit 316 reads the IC tag 208 of the image forming apparatus 101. Then, the flowchart of FIG. 10 ends when the IC tag reading / writing unit 316 imports the setting value to the image forming apparatus 101 or the mail transmission unit 317 transmits the mail to a predetermined destination.
In step S <b> 901, the IC tag read / write unit 316 reads the IC tag 208 of the image forming apparatus 101 and receives information in the IC tag 208, and advances the process to step S <b> 902.

In step S902, the operation extraction unit 315 determines whether or not the operation is included in the information read in step S901. If it is determined that the operation is included, the process proceeds to step S903. On the other hand, if the operation extraction unit 315 determines in step S902 that the operation is not included, the process ends. Note that, as described above, the operations in the present embodiment are assumed to be three operations: reconfiguration of network settings, notification to a service person, and notification to a user administrator. In other words, in this embodiment, in S902, the operation extraction unit 315 determines whether any of the above three operations is included in the information read in S901. In the present embodiment, the above three operations are used for explanation, but the present invention is not limited to this. Actually, there may be operations other than those described above, and each name may be an arbitrary name.
In S903, the operation extraction unit 315 determines whether or not the content of the operation included in the information read in S901 is “reset network setting”, and determines that it is “reset network setting”. , The process proceeds to S904. On the other hand, if the operation extraction unit 315 determines in step S903 that it is not “resetting of network settings”, the process proceeds to step S906. Here, since it is assumed that the operation is “resetting of network settings”, the operation extraction unit 315 advances the process to S904. Details of the process when the operation extraction unit 315 advances the process to S906 and later will be described later.

In step S904, the communication unit 314 acquires a setting value corresponding to the image forming apparatus 101 from the server device 104, and advances the processing to step S905. More specifically, the communication unit 314 extracts the individual identification number of the image forming apparatus from the information read from the IC tag 208 in S901, and sends it to the set value management unit 312 via the communication unit 310 of the server device 104. A setting value acquisition request corresponding to the individual identification number is transmitted. The individual identification number used for specifying the image forming apparatus 101 is an example, and other parameters that can uniquely specify the image forming apparatus 101 may be used.
In step S <b> 905, the IC tag read / write unit 316 transmits the setting value acquired in step S <b> 904 to the IC tag 208 of the image forming apparatus 101. The operator can transmit the setting value acquired in S904 to the image forming apparatus 101 by wireless communication by bringing the information terminal 105 with IC reader closer to the IC tag 208 of the image forming apparatus 101. The IC tag 208 of the image forming apparatus 101 receives the setting value from the information terminal with IC reader 105 and then sends the received setting value to the setting value import unit 301. Then, the setting value import unit 301 imports the received setting value into the setting value holding unit 308 and reflects the correct setting value. If the communication error between the image forming apparatus 101 and the server device 104 is resolved by this processing, the processing flow of the information terminal with IC reader 105 shown in FIG. 10 ends. On the other hand, if the communication error between the image forming apparatus 101 and the server device 104 is not eliminated, the information terminal with IC reader 105 performs the same processing again from S901.

As described above, when a communication error occurs with the server device 104 due to the setting value of the image forming apparatus 101, the operator can recover from the communication error without requiring any complicated operation. More specifically, the operator can complete the update of the setting value only by holding the IC reader-equipped information terminal 105 over the IC tag 208 of the image forming apparatus 101, and can solve the communication error of the image forming apparatus 101. .
For example, when a specialized administrator is not prepared in a small office or the like, the user may directly change the setting of the image forming apparatus 101. At this time, if the user mistakenly changes the IP address or the like of the image forming apparatus 101, the image forming apparatus 101 cannot communicate with the server device 104. In this case, it is determined that communication with the server device 104 cannot be performed because the user has changed the setting of the image forming apparatus 101 to an incorrect setting inside the image forming apparatus 101, and the network setting is reset in the IC tag 208. The operation to be performed is written. Therefore, when the user brings the information terminal with IC reader 105 close to the IC tag 208 of the image forming apparatus 101, the information terminal with IC reader 105 reads information such as operation from the IC tag 208 and automatically corrects the information from the server device 104. Get the setting value. Thereafter, when the user again brings the IC reader-equipped information terminal 105 closer to the IC tag 208, the acquired setting value is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 101, and the correct value is reflected in the IP address. As a result, the image forming apparatus 101 can communicate with the server device 104 and can recover from a communication error.

<Case caused by setting value on server device 104>
This case is an embodiment when the setting value held in the setting value holding unit 313 of the server device 104 is incorrect.
Note that the processing from S801 to S802 in the flowchart of FIG. 9 is the same as the processing in <the case caused by the setting value of the image forming apparatus 101>, and thus description thereof is omitted.
If the operation determination unit 305 determines in step S803 that the final change path of the setting value is the server device 104, the operation determination unit 305 advances the process to step S805. Since the processing in S803 has been described above, detailed description thereof will be omitted.
In step S <b> 805, the operation determination unit 305 determines an operation for performing notification to the service person and a notification indicating that the setting value stored in the setting value holding unit 313 of the server device 104 is not appropriate. The process proceeds to S809.
FIG. 11 shows an example of information written in the IC tag 208 by the IC tag read / write unit 307 after S809. In step S809, it is assumed that the setting value management form determination unit 306 determines that the operation is to be executed by the service person based on the operation content determined in step S805, and advances the processing to step S810.

Hereinafter, description of user data shown in FIG. 11 will be described.
“Application package name” is information for specifying the package name of the user application.
“Operation” is a notification to the service person, and more specifically, “report”.
“Mail address” is the mail address of the support center or the like to which the service person belongs.
The “message” is a message that informs that the cause of the communication error is the set value of the set value holding unit 313.
“Log” is information about an error.
Hereinafter, description of the serviceman data shown in FIG. 11 will be described.
The “application package name” is information for specifying the package name of the serviceman application.
“Operation”, “message”, and “log” are the same as the user data.
Note that there is no data because the e-mail address is unnecessary.

In this embodiment, as described above, it is assumed that each person who executes the operation holds different applications. Therefore, in S810, the IC tag read / write unit 307 writes two types of data for the user and for the service person in the IC tag 208, and advances the processing to S811. Here, since it is assumed that the operation is “notification to service person”, in step S811, the setting value management form determination unit 306 determines that the user should not execute, and ends the process.
As described above, when the IC reader-equipped information terminal 105 is a serviceman application, the error log (error content) is displayed on the screen. On the other hand, when the information terminal 105 with IC reader is a user application, it transmits a mail for notifying the serviceman.

In FIG. 10, when the operation is “notification to serviceman”, in S903, the operation extraction unit 315 determines that the operation is not “network reset”, and advances the process to S906. Note that the processing from S901 to S902 is the same as the processing of <the case caused by the setting value of the image forming apparatus 101>, and thus the description thereof is omitted.
In S906, the operation extraction unit 315 determines whether or not the operation included in the information read from the IC tag 208 in S901 is “notification to serviceman”, and determines that it is “notification to serviceman”. If so, the process advances to S907. On the other hand, if the operation extraction unit 315 determines in step S906 that the notification is not “notification to serviceman”, the process proceeds to step S908. Here, since it is assumed that the operation is “notification to service person”, the operation extraction unit 315 advances the process to S907.
If the application of the information terminal with IC reader 105 is a user application in S907, the mail transmission unit 317 transmits a message and a log to the mail address in the information received from the IC tag 208, and the process proceeds to S908. Proceed.
If the application of the information terminal 105 with IC reader is a serviceman application in S907, the operation extraction unit 315 displays the contents of the message and log in the information received from the IC tag 208 on the screen, and performs processing. The process proceeds to S908.

In step S908, the operation extraction unit 315 determines whether the operation included in the information read from the IC tag 208 in step S901 is “notification to user administrator”, and is “notification to user administrator”. If it is determined, the process proceeds to S909. On the other hand, if the operation extraction unit 315 determines in step S908 that the notification is not “notification to user administrator”, the process ends. As described above, since it is assumed here that the operation is “notification to serviceman”, in step S908, the operation extraction unit 315 determines that it is not “notification to user administrator” and performs processing. finish.
As described above, when the cause of the communication error between the image forming apparatus 101 and the server device 104 is the setting value held in the setting value holding unit 313 of the server device 104, an email to that effect is automatically sent to the service person. The error can be resolved early by sending and notifying.

<Case caused by abnormality of image forming apparatus 101 or user environment>
This case is an embodiment in the case where some abnormality has occurred in the image forming apparatus 101 or there is a problem in the user environment.
The processing in step S801 in the flowchart of FIG. 9 is the same as the processing in <the case caused by the setting value of the image forming apparatus 101>, and thus description thereof is omitted.
Hereinafter, in S802, the operation determination unit 305 determines that the communication unit 302 has succeeded in communication with the communication unit 310 immediately after the final change of the set value, and proceeds with the process to S806. Since the process of S802 has been described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
In step S806, the operation determination unit 305 determines whether or not the communication unit 302 can be connected to the LAN 103. If it is determined that connection is possible, the operation determination unit 305 advances the process to step S808. On the other hand, if the operation determination unit 305 determines in S806 that connection is not possible, the operation proceeds to S807. For example, the operation determination unit 305 sets the set value by an operation from the operation unit 206 by the operator from 702 indicating the last change of the set value in the history information table 701 to 13:15:55 on May 18, 2012. Can be confirmed. Then, after the setting value is changed, the operation determination unit 305 can confirm that the communication unit 302 and the communication unit 310 have failed in communication. Furthermore, the operation determination unit 305 can confirm that the communication unit 302 has failed to connect to the LAN at that time. That is, in this case, the operation determination unit 305 determines that the communication unit 302 has failed to connect to the LAN 103, and advances the process to S807. Here, the operation determination unit 305 will be described below assuming that the process has proceeded to S807.
In step S <b> 807, the operation determination unit 305 determines the operation as notification to the service person and notification to the user administrator based on the determinations in steps S <b> 802 and S <b> 806. In step S <b> 807, the operation determination unit 305 determines to notify that the image forming apparatus 101 has an abnormality and needs to be improved as notification content to the service person, and advances the process to step S <b> 809.

Regarding the processing after S809, only the differences between <the case caused by the setting value of the image forming apparatus 101> and <the case caused by the setting value on the server device 104> will be described.
The information written to the IC tag 208 by the IC tag read / write unit 307 in S810 and S812 is of two types: an operation for executing a notification to a serviceman and an operation for executing a notification to a user administrator. The data format related to the operation for notifying the serviceman is the same as in the case of <case caused by setting value on server device 104> described above. However, the IC tag read / write unit 307 writes, as a message, content that indicates that the image forming apparatus 101 has an abnormality. Further, the IC tag read / write unit 307 writes both the user application and the service application as the application package name for the notification to the user administrator. Further, the IC tag read / write unit 307 writes a message for notifying that there is a problem in the user environment as a message. Note that the IC tag read / write unit 307 does not write log information.

Since the processing from S901 to S907 in the flowchart of FIG. 10 is the same as the processing of <the case caused by the setting value on the server device 104>, the description thereof is omitted.
In S908, the operation extraction unit 315 determines whether or not the operation is “notification to user administrator”. If it is determined that the operation is “notification to user administrator”, the process proceeds to S909. On the other hand, if the operation extraction unit 315 determines in step S908 that the notification is not “notification to user administrator”, the process ends.
In step S909, the mail transmission unit 317 transmits a message to the mail address in the information received from the IC tag 208 in step S901, and ends the process.
As described above, when a communication error due to an abnormality in the image forming apparatus 101 or a user environment occurs, appropriate information can be notified by email from the information terminal with IC reader 105 to the service person and the user administrator. It can be solved.

<Case caused by server device 104 or user environment>
This case is an embodiment in the case where some abnormality has occurred in the server device 104 or there is a problem in the user environment.
Steps S801 to S806 in the flowchart of FIG. 9 are the same as the processing of <the case caused by the setting value on the server device 104>, and thus description thereof is omitted.
In the following description, it is assumed that the communication unit 302 determines in S806 that the connection to the LAN 103 is possible and advances the process to S808. In addition, since the process of the communication part 302 in S806 was mentioned above, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.
In step S <b> 808, the operation determination unit 305 determines the operation to be a notification to the serviceman and a notification to the user administrator based on the determinations in steps S <b> 802 and S <b> 806. Further, the operation determination unit 305 determines to notify that the server device 104 has an abnormality and needs to be improved as the content of notification to the service person, and advances the process to step S809.
The information written in the IC tag 208 by the IC tag read / write unit 307 in S810 and S812 is a message indicating that there is a problem in the server device 104 regarding the notification to the service person. The other contents are the same as in <the case where the image forming apparatus 101 is abnormal or caused by the user environment>, and thus the description thereof is omitted.
As described above, when a communication error due to an abnormality in the server device 104 or a user environment occurs, the service terminal and the user administrator can be notified of appropriate information by e-mail from the information terminal with IC reader 105, and the error can be resolved quickly. Can do.

<Other embodiments>
Moreover, this embodiment is implement | achieved also by performing the following processes. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

  As described above, according to the processing of the embodiment described above, in the image forming apparatus that can be connected to the server device (cloud), it is possible to determine a failure caused by the set value other than a hardware failure. In addition, for a failure caused by a setting value, by writing an operation corresponding to the IC tag, the user acquires operation information from the IC tag of the image forming apparatus using the portable terminal, and imports the setting value. It becomes possible to do. As described above, when a failure caused by the set value occurs in the image forming apparatus, it can be easily solved.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, but the present embodiment is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.・ Change is possible.

Claims (18)

An image forming apparatus including a wireless communication unit,
Management means for managing, as recorded information, change history information when the setting value of the image forming apparatus is changed and communication history information with a server device capable of communicating via a network;
When a communication error with the server device is detected, a countermeasure for the communication error based on the change history information retrieved from the recorded information managed by the management unit and the communication history information, and the countermeasure Identifying means for identifying the performer of
Writing means for writing correspondence information including the countermeasure specified by the identification means and information of the executor to the wireless communication unit;
An image forming apparatus. The recorded information further includes date and time information,
The specifying means is a countermeasure for the communication error based on the change history information corresponding to the latest date and time information retrieved from the recorded information managed by the management means, and the communication history information, and the correspondence The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus identifies a person who executes the measure. Wireless communication with the information processing terminal device is possible via the wireless communication unit,
The correspondence information written by the writing means further includes application designation information for designating the application of the information processing terminal device for each of the performers,
Designation that designates the information on the countermeasure to be transmitted to the information processing terminal device used by the executor and the application designation information based on the correspondence information written by the writer according to the executor The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means.   When it is specified that the setting value of the image forming apparatus needs to be reset as a countermeasure for the communication error by the specifying unit, the correspondence information written in the wireless communication unit by the writing unit is read. Reflecting means for receiving setting value information based on the correspondence information from an information processing terminal device capable of wireless communication via a wireless communication unit and reflecting the setting value corresponding to the received setting value information on the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: It further has holding means for holding management person information specified in advance by either a user or a service person as a person in charge of the setting value,
When the specifying unit specifies that the setting value of the image forming apparatus needs to be reset as a countermeasure for the communication error, the specifying unit stores the management staff information held by the holding unit. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the management person in charge is specified as an executor of the countermeasure by referring to the image forming apparatus.   The specifying unit determines that communication with the server device has failed after the setting value has been changed based on the communication history information and the change history information, and the setting value has been changed by the server device. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the setting value of the image forming apparatus needs to be reset as the countermeasure, the image forming apparatus specifies that the setting value of the image forming apparatus needs to be reset.   The specifying unit determines that communication with the server device has failed after the change of the setting value based on the communication history information and the change history information, and the setting value has been changed by the server device 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the determination is made, the setting value of the server apparatus needs to be reset by a service person as the countermeasure. 5. The communication history information includes connection history information with the network,
When the determination unit determines that communication with the server device has been made after the setting value has been changed based on the communication history information, and determines that the connection to the network has been established, the server by a serviceman as the countermeasure The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein it is specified that improvement of an abnormality of the apparatus or improvement of a user environment by an administrator is necessary. The communication history information includes connection history information with the network,
If the determination unit determines that communication with the server device has been made after the setting value has been changed based on the communication history information and determines that the server device cannot be connected to the network, the serviceman may use the countermeasure as the countermeasure. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is specified to improve an abnormality of the image forming apparatus or to improve a user environment by an administrator. From the wireless communication unit of the image forming apparatus including a wireless communication unit capable of wireless communication, a countermeasure regarding a communication error between the image forming apparatus written in the wireless communication unit and a server device capable of communicating via a network, Receiving means for receiving correspondence information including information on a person executing the countermeasure, via wireless communication;
A determination unit that determines whether the countermeasure for the communication error is a reset of a setting value of the image forming apparatus based on the correspondence information received by the reception unit;
When the determination unit determines that the countermeasure is resetting of the setting value of the image forming apparatus, the setting value acquired from a server apparatus that can communicate via a network is transmitted via wireless communication to the image forming apparatus. Transmitting means for transmitting to the wireless communication unit of the apparatus;
A notification means for notifying the executor of the information on the countermeasure when the determination means determines that the countermeasure is not a resetting of the setting value of the image forming apparatus;
An information processing terminal device.   The transmission unit includes an image forming apparatus included in the correspondence information received by the receiving unit from data in which identification information for identifying the image forming apparatus managed by the server apparatus is associated with a set value. The information processing terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the setting value searched based on the identification information is transmitted to the wireless communication unit of the image forming apparatus via wireless communication.   The notifying means notifies the information of the countermeasure by sending it to the executor by mail based on the correspondence information received by the receiving means, or the information of the countermeasure is the information processing terminal. The information processing terminal device according to claim 10 or 11, which is notified by displaying on a screen of the device. A system including an image forming apparatus including a wireless communication unit and an information processing terminal device,
The image forming apparatus includes:
Management means for managing, as recorded information, change history information when the setting value of the image forming apparatus is changed and communication history information with a server device capable of communicating via a network;
When a communication error with the server device is detected, a countermeasure for the communication error based on the change history information retrieved from the recorded information managed by the management unit and the communication history information, and the countermeasure Identifying means for identifying the performer of
Writing means for writing correspondence information including the countermeasure specified by the identification means and information of the executor to the wireless communication unit;
Have
The information processing terminal device
Receiving means for receiving the correspondence information written in the wireless communication unit from the wireless communication unit of the image forming apparatus via wireless communication;
A determination unit that determines whether the countermeasure for the communication error is a reset of a setting value of the image forming apparatus based on the correspondence information received by the reception unit;
When the determination unit determines that the countermeasure is resetting of the setting value of the image forming apparatus, the setting value acquired from a server apparatus that can communicate via a network is transmitted via wireless communication to the image forming apparatus. Transmitting means for transmitting to the wireless communication unit of the apparatus;
A notification means for notifying the executor of the information on the countermeasure when the determination means determines that the countermeasure is not a resetting of the setting value of the image forming apparatus;
Having a system. An information processing method executed by an image forming apparatus including a wireless communication unit,
A management step for managing, as recorded information, change history information when the setting value of the image forming apparatus is changed and communication history information with a server device capable of communicating via a network;
Upon detecting a communication error with the server device, a countermeasure for the communication error based on the change history information retrieved from the recorded information managed by the management step and the communication history information, and the countermeasure Specific steps to identify the performer of
A writing step of writing correspondence information including the countermeasure specified in the identification step and information of the executor to the wireless communication unit;
An information processing method including: An information processing method executed by an information processing terminal device,
From the wireless communication unit of the image forming apparatus including a wireless communication unit capable of wireless communication, a countermeasure regarding a communication error between the image forming apparatus written in the wireless communication unit and a server device capable of communicating via a network, A reception step of receiving correspondence information including information on a person executing the countermeasures via wireless communication;
A determination step of determining whether the countermeasure for the communication error is a resetting of a setting value of the image forming apparatus based on the correspondence information received by the reception step;
If it is determined in the determination step that the countermeasure is resetting of the setting value of the image forming apparatus, the setting value acquired from a server apparatus that can communicate via a network is transmitted via the wireless communication. A transmission step of transmitting to the wireless communication unit of the device;
A notification step of notifying the executor of the information of the countermeasure when it is determined by the determination step that the countermeasure is not resetting the setting value of the image forming apparatus;
An information processing method including: An information processing method in a system including an image forming apparatus including a wireless communication unit and an information processing terminal device,
A management step in which the image forming apparatus manages, as recorded information, change history information when a setting value of the image forming apparatus is changed, and communication history information with a server apparatus capable of communicating via a network;
When the image forming apparatus detects a communication error with the server apparatus, the communication error is dealt with based on the change history information retrieved from the record information managed by the management step and the communication history information. And a specific step of identifying the implementer of the countermeasure,
The image forming apparatus writes the correspondence information including the countermeasures identified in the identification step and the information of the executor to the wireless communication unit;
A receiving step in which the information processing terminal device receives the correspondence information written in the wireless communication unit from the wireless communication unit of the image forming apparatus via wireless communication;
A determination step of determining whether or not the countermeasure for the communication error is a resetting of a setting value of the image forming apparatus based on the correspondence information received by the reception step;
When the information processing terminal apparatus determines that the countermeasure is resetting the setting value of the image forming apparatus in the determination step, the setting value acquired from the server apparatus that can communicate via the network is wirelessly A transmission step of transmitting to the wireless communication unit of the image forming apparatus via communication;
A notification step of notifying the executor of the information of the countermeasure when the information processing terminal apparatus determines that the countermeasure is not a resetting of the setting value of the image forming apparatus by the determination step;
An information processing method including: In the computer of the image forming apparatus provided with the wireless communication unit,
A management step for managing, as recorded information, change history information when the setting value of the image forming apparatus is changed and communication history information with a server device capable of communicating via a network;
Upon detecting a communication error with the server device, a countermeasure for the communication error based on the change history information retrieved from the recorded information managed by the management step and the communication history information, and the countermeasure Specific steps to identify the performer of
A writing step of writing correspondence information including the countermeasure specified in the identification step and information of the executor to the wireless communication unit;
A program that executes On the computer,
From the wireless communication unit of the image forming apparatus including a wireless communication unit capable of wireless communication, a countermeasure regarding a communication error between the image forming apparatus written in the wireless communication unit and a server device capable of communicating via a network, and A reception step of receiving correspondence information including information of a person executing the countermeasure via wireless communication;
A determination step of determining whether the countermeasure for the communication error is a resetting of a setting value of the image forming apparatus based on the correspondence information received by the reception step;
If it is determined in the determination step that the countermeasure is resetting of the setting value of the image forming apparatus, the setting value acquired from a server apparatus that can communicate via a network is transmitted via the wireless communication. A transmission step of transmitting to the wireless communication unit of the device;
A notification step of notifying the executor of the information of the countermeasure when it is determined by the determination step that the countermeasure is not resetting the setting value of the image forming apparatus;
A program that executes

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