JP2019209684A - Image forming apparatus, image forming system, and communication processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus implemented with a guidance mode.SOLUTION: A connecting part 100 connects with a terminal for remote maintenance in a session of a specific protocol. An operation information acquiring part 110 acquires operational information corresponding to operation of the terminal connected by the connecting part. A mode changing part 140 changes an operation mode into a normal control mode and a guidance mode by the operational information acquired by the operation information acquiring part. The normal control mode is a mode that actually-controls each part. Also, the guidance mode is a mode that controls each part for guidance. An operation control part 150 controls each part by the operational information corresponding to the mode changed by the mode changing part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a communication processing method, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a communication processing method capable of remote maintenance.

  Conventionally, there are image forming apparatuses such as multifunction peripherals (MFPs) capable of printing documents and images.

  Here, as a typical technique, there is an apparatus management system including an electronic apparatus and a remote maintenance server. The electronic device displays an operation screen for the user. The remote maintenance server draws a guide image on the transparent panel based on the operation of the service staff on the service terminal device operated by the service staff. In addition, the remote maintenance server causes the electronic device to display a transparent panel superimposed on the operation screen. Thereby, in the device management system, it is possible to display a remote operation instruction on the image forming apparatus at a relatively low cost.

JP 2015-22492 A

On the other hand, a system configuration in which each part of the image forming apparatus is controlled according to instructions from support personnel during remote maintenance is also conceivable.
However, the technique of Patent Document 1 only displays an operation. For this reason, the image forming apparatus cannot be actually controlled by the instruction of the support personnel.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus that solves the above-described problems.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a connection unit connected to a remote maintenance terminal in a session of a specific protocol, an operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal connected by the connection unit, The mode change unit that changes the state of the own device to a normal control mode that actually controls each unit and a guidance mode that controls each unit for guidance based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit, In correspondence with the mode changed by the mode change unit, an operation control unit that controls each unit according to the operation information is provided.
In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, in the guidance mode, the operation control unit changes the display of the operation panel unit for operating the own device and / or the status change of the own device. It is characterized by performing guidance display that is not performed.
In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the specific protocol is a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol, and the operation information is displayed on an emulated image emulating the operation panel unit of the own apparatus displayed on the terminal. Pointer data relating to movement and pressing of the pointer is included.
In the image forming apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the emulation image includes an image of a mode change button for changing the mode in an area other than an area where display is performed on the operation panel unit of the own apparatus. In the operation information, the mode is changed when a portion of the image of the mode change button is pressed with the pointer.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a connection unit connected to a remote maintenance terminal in a session of a specific protocol, an operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal connected by the connection unit, When the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit is switched to a drawing mode switching unit that switches to a drawing mode for drawing on the display of the operation panel unit, and when the drawing mode switching unit switches to the drawing mode, And a drawing unit that draws on the operation panel unit in response to a drawing instruction included in the operation information and reflects a drawing result on the terminal.
In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the drawing unit performs character input, annotation drawing, or highlight drawing in the drawing mode.
In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the specific protocol is a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol, and the operation information is displayed on an emulated image emulating the operation panel unit of the own apparatus displayed on the terminal. It includes pointer data related to movement and pressing of a pointer and / or key data related to key pressing of the terminal, and the drawing instruction corresponds to the pointer data and / or the key data.
In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the emulated image includes an image of a mode change button for changing the mode in an area other than an area where display is performed on the operation panel unit of the own apparatus, and the drawing mode switching unit In the operation information, the mode is changed when a portion of the image of the mode change button is pressed with the pointer, or when a specific key of the terminal is pressed.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a connection unit connected to a remote maintenance terminal in a session of a specific protocol, an operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal connected by the connection unit, When the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit is switched to a drawing mode switching unit that switches to a drawing mode for drawing on the display of the operation panel unit, and when the drawing mode switching unit switches to the drawing mode, A drawing unit that obtains drawing data drawn on the terminal and draws the drawing data on the operation panel unit.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the drawing data includes input characters, drawn annotation pictures, and / or drawn highlights.
In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the operation information includes pointer data relating to movement and pressing of a pointer on an emulated image emulating the operation panel unit of the own apparatus displayed on the terminal, and / or the terminal. The emulated image includes an image of a mode change button for changing the mode in an area other than the area displayed on the operation panel unit of the own device, and the drawing mode In the operation information, the switching unit changes the mode when an image of the mode change button is pressed with the pointer, or when a specific key of the terminal is pressed.
In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the specific protocol is a protocol obtained by extending an RFB protocol, and the drawing data is a part or the whole of the emulated image corresponding to drawing.
In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the connection unit executes a server in the RFB protocol, the terminal executes a client in the RFB protocol, and the drawing mode switching unit changes the mode. The server and the client are switched.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention corresponds to the operation of a support terminal for remote maintenance, a connection unit connected in a session of a specific protocol, the support terminal connected by the connection unit, or a confirmation terminal for image confirmation An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information, a drawing mode switching unit that switches to a drawing mode in which drawing is performed in the support terminal or the confirmation terminal based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit, and the drawing mode switching unit And an image transmission unit that acquires drawing data drawn in the support terminal and transmits the drawing data to the confirmation terminal.
The image forming system of the present invention is an image forming system including an image forming apparatus and a terminal for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus is connected to the terminal through a session of a specific protocol. A normal control mode that actually controls each unit by the operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal connected by the connection unit, and the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit Corresponding to the mode changed by the mode changing unit, and controlling each unit according to the operation information in response to the mode changed by the mode changing unit. A display unit that displays an emulated image that emulates the operation panel unit of the image forming apparatus. Characterized by comprising an operation transmitting unit that transmits the operation information including the move pointer data about the pressing of the pointer on the emulated image to the image forming apparatus in the session.
The image forming system of the present invention is an image forming system including an image forming apparatus and a terminal for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus is connected to the terminal through a session of a specific protocol. An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal connected by the connection unit, and drawing on the display of the operation panel unit by the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit When the drawing mode switching unit switches to the drawing mode for performing the drawing, and when the drawing mode switching unit switches to the drawing mode, the drawing is performed on the operation panel unit in response to the drawing instruction included in the operation information, and the drawing result is displayed. A rendering unit that is reflected on the terminal, and the terminal emulates the operation panel unit of the image forming apparatus. The operation information including a display unit for displaying the pointer, pointer data regarding movement and pressing of the pointer on the emulated image, and / or key data regarding key pressing of the terminal is transmitted to the image forming apparatus in the session. And an operation transmitting unit for transmitting.
The image forming system of the present invention is an image forming system including an image forming apparatus and a terminal for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus is connected to the terminal through a session of a specific protocol. An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal connected by the connection unit, and drawing on the display of the operation panel unit by the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit A drawing mode switching unit for switching to a drawing mode for performing, and a drawing unit for acquiring drawing data drawn in the terminal and drawing on the operation panel unit when the drawing mode switching unit switches to the drawing mode. The terminal includes: a display unit that displays an emulated image that emulates an operation panel unit of the image forming apparatus; An operation transmitting unit for transmitting the operation information including pointer data relating to movement and pressing of a pointer on the current image and / or key data relating to key pressing of the terminal to the image forming apparatus in the session; and In addition to the operation information transmitted by the transmission unit, the image processing apparatus includes a drawing transmission unit that transmits the drawing data drawn on the emulated image to the image forming apparatus.
The image forming system of the present invention is an image forming system including an image forming apparatus, a support terminal for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus, and a confirmation terminal for image confirmation. The image forming apparatus includes the support A connection unit connected in a session of a specific protocol, an operation information acquisition unit for acquiring operation information corresponding to an operation of the support terminal or the confirmation terminal connected by the connection unit, and the operation information acquisition unit When the drawing mode switching unit switches to the drawing mode for drawing on the support terminal or the confirmation terminal and the drawing mode switching unit switches to the drawing mode, the drawing is performed on the support terminal. An image transmission unit that acquires the drawn data and transmits the drawing data to the confirmation terminal. And the confirmation terminal include an emulated image emulating the operation panel unit of the image forming apparatus, a display unit for displaying the drawing data, and pointer data regarding movement and pressing of the pointer on the emulated image. And / or an operation transmission unit that transmits the operation information including key data relating to key depression of the support terminal or the confirmation terminal to the image forming apparatus in the session.
The communication processing method of the present invention is a communication processing method executed by an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal, acquires operation information corresponding to an operation of the connected terminal, and uses the acquired operation information, The state of the own apparatus is changed to a normal control mode that actually controls each part and a guidance mode that controls each part for guidance, and each part is controlled by the operation information in accordance with the changed mode. It is characterized by that.
The communication processing method of the present invention is a communication processing method executed by an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal for remote maintenance, and is connected to the terminal through a session of a specific protocol to operate the connected terminal. Corresponding operation information is acquired, and when the acquired operation information is switched to a drawing mode for drawing on the display of the operation panel unit, and the drawing mode is switched, the drawing instruction included in the operation information is supported. Then, the drawing is performed on the operation panel unit, and the drawing result is reflected on the terminal.
The communication processing method of the present invention is a communication processing method executed by an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal for remote maintenance, and is connected to the terminal through a session of a specific protocol to operate the connected terminal. Acquire corresponding operation information, and switch to the drawing mode for drawing on the display of the operation panel unit according to the acquired operation information. When the drawing mode is switched, the drawing data drawn in the terminal is acquired. And drawing on the operation panel unit.
The communication processing method of the present invention is a communication processing method executed by an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a support terminal for remote maintenance, wherein the support is connected to the support terminal through a session of a specific protocol. Operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal or the confirmation terminal for image confirmation is acquired, and the acquired operation information is switched to a drawing mode for drawing in the support terminal or the confirmation terminal, and the drawing mode is switched. In this case, drawing data drawn in the support terminal is acquired and transmitted to the confirmation terminal.

  According to the present invention, the operation information acquired from the terminal is changed to the normal control mode for actually controlling each part and the guidance mode for controlling each part for guidance, and the operation information corresponding to the changed mode is used. By controlling each part, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of controlling the image forming apparatus itself as well as allowing the support personnel to browse the operation.

1 is a system configuration diagram of an image forming system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of the support terminal shown in FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an image forming system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a screen example of the emulated image shown in FIG. 4. It is a flowchart of the guidance mode switching process which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the image forming system which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the drawing support process which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the emulated image drawn by the drawing support process shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the image forming system which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the drawing support process which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is a system configuration | structure figure of the image forming system which concerns on 4th embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of the confirmation terminal shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the image forming system which concerns on 4th embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the drawing support process which concerns on 4th embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the emulated image drawn by the drawing support process shown in FIG.

<First embodiment>
[System configuration of image forming system X]
First, the system configuration of the image forming system X according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

According to FIG. 1, the image forming system X according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an image forming apparatus 1 and a support terminal 2 for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus 1.
Each device is connected by a network 5.

The image forming apparatus 1 is an information processing apparatus such as an MFP, a network scanner, a document scanner, a network FAX, or a printer.
The image forming apparatus 1 can also copy (copy), print, scan, and fax a document.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, remote maintenance can be performed via a network 5 with a remote place.
In this remote maintenance service, a customer IT administrator or the like is on the image forming apparatus 1 side and receives instructions from support personnel to perform maintenance.

The support terminal 2 is a PC, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA (Personal Data Assistant), a business support terminal, a dedicated terminal, or the like.
The support terminal 2 operates various general-purpose OS (Operating System) and the like.
Further, the support terminal 2 can install various application software (Application Software, application, hereinafter simply referred to as “application”).

The support terminal 2 is a remote maintenance terminal.
The support staff of the above-described remote maintenance service uses the support terminal 2 to give an instruction to the IT manager of the image forming apparatus 1.
At this time, the support terminal 2 displays a screen emulating the operation panel unit 16 (FIG. 2) of the image forming apparatus 1 and performs various instructions on the screen.
Further, the content of the instruction from the support personnel via this screen is reflected on the display unit 47 and the like by the image forming apparatus 1. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is controlled corresponding to the buttons on the screen.

That is, in the present embodiment, support may be performed by one-to-one communication by a function such as a remote desktop function installed in a general PC OS.
For this reason, for example, an RFB server or the like is executed in the image forming apparatus 1, and an RFB client or the like is executed in the support terminal 2.
In addition, the support terminal 2 may execute an RFB client such as Java Script (registered trademark).
At this time, an image imitating the operation panel unit 16 can be displayed on the support terminal 2, and the image forming apparatus 1 can be controlled based on the displayed image.
That is, the support terminal 2 may display the emulated screen as a “remote panel” with a web browser so that the image forming apparatus 1 can be controlled.
Specifically, it is possible to use functions such as printing, scanning, FAX transmission / reception, and network FAX of the image forming apparatus 1 from the support terminal 2 according to instructions from the support personnel.
With these functions, it is possible to check and solve the problem status of the customer's image forming apparatus 1 from a remote environment.

In the present embodiment, the network 5 is a LAN (Local Area Network) such as an intranet, or a WAN (Wide Area Network) such as the Internet or a mobile phone network.
When the network 5 is a WAN, it may be connectable to another server via a router, a gateway, or the like.
Further, the network 5 may constitute a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

  In the image forming system X, the image forming apparatus 1 and the support terminal 2 may each include a plurality.

(Configuration of image forming apparatus 1)
Next, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes an image processing unit 11, a document reading unit 12, a document feeding unit 13, a sheet feeding unit 14, a network transmitting / receiving unit 15, an operation panel unit 16, an image forming unit 17 (image forming unit), and a FAX transmitting / receiving unit. 18 and the storage unit 19 may be included.
Each unit is connected to the control unit 10 and controlled in operation by the control unit 10.

The control unit 10 includes a general purpose processing unit (GPP), a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a digital signal processing IC (GPU) and a graphics processing IC (GPU). An information processing unit such as a processor for use).
The control unit 10 reads out a control program stored in the ROM or HDD of the storage unit 19, develops the control program in the RAM, and executes it to operate as each unit of a functional block described later.
Further, the control unit 10 controls the entire apparatus according to predetermined instruction information input from the support terminal 2 or the operation panel unit 16.

The image processing unit 11 is a control calculation unit such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).
The image processing unit 11 performs predetermined image processing on the image data.
This predetermined image processing may be processing such as enlargement / reduction, density adjustment, gradation adjustment, image improvement, and the like.
Further, the image processing unit 11 stores the image read by the document reading unit 12 in the storage unit 19 as print data.
At this time, the image processing unit 11 can also convert the print data into an electronic document such as PDF or a file of image data such as TIFF.
Further, the image processing unit 11 may be capable of executing at least a part of OCR (Optical Character Recognition) processing.

The document reading unit 12 reads a set document.
The document reading unit 12 is disposed on the upper part of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1.
The document reading unit 12 includes a scanner, a platen glass, and a document reading slit.
When reading a document placed on the platen glass, the document reading unit 12 moves the scanner to a position facing the platen glass.
The document reading unit 12 scans a document placed on the platen glass while scanning and acquires image data.
The document reading unit 12 outputs the acquired image data to the control unit 10.

Further, when reading the document fed from the document feeding unit 13, the document reading unit 12 moves the scanner to a position facing the document reading slit.
Then, the document reading unit 12 reads the document in synchronization with the document transport operation by the document feeding unit 13 through the document reading slit, and acquires image data.
The document reading unit 12 outputs the acquired image data to the control unit 10.

The document feeding unit 13 conveys a document read by the document reading unit 12.
The document feeding unit 13 is disposed on the document reading unit 12.
The document feeding unit 13 includes a document placing unit and a document transport mechanism.
The document feeding unit 13 feeds the documents placed on the document placing unit one by one by the document conveying mechanism in order, and feeds them to the document reading unit 12.

The paper feed unit 14 feeds the recording sheets one by one toward the image forming unit 17.
The paper supply unit 14 is provided in the main body unit.

The network transmission / reception unit 15 is a network connection unit including a LAN board, a wireless transmission / reception device, and the like for connecting to an external network such as a LAN, a wireless LAN, a WAN, and a mobile phone network.
The network transmission / reception unit 15 transmits / receives data on a data communication line and transmits / receives voice signals on a voice telephone line.

The operation panel unit 16 is disposed on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1.
In addition, the operation panel unit 16 includes an input unit 46 and a display unit 47.

The input unit 46 is an input unit such as a touch panel or a physical button for acquiring an instruction to the image forming apparatus 1 by an IT administrator or the like.
The input unit 46 may include buttons such as a start button, a stop button, a reset button, a copy button, a send button, and a fax button that give instructions for calling various functions.
The input unit 46 may include a physical numeric keypad, a “#Keys” button for displaying the numeric keypad on the display unit 47, a “home” button for returning to the “home” screen as the first screen, and the like.
The input unit 46 may include various buttons such as job interruption (Interrupt), authentication / logout, and power saving.
In addition, the input unit 46 may include buttons such as an accessibility display, status / job cancel, system menu / counter, and the like for changing various statuses for instructing jobs.
Further, the job to be instructed may be of a type such as printing, transmission, storage, and recording of the selected document.

In addition, it is possible to input and change information of each user according to user instructions acquired from the input unit 46.
The input unit 46 can be connected to a magnetic card or IC card reader, a biometric authentication device, or the like.

The display unit 47 includes a display panel such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display, and a display such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode).
The display panel of the display unit 47 can display various operation screens of GUI (Graphical User Interface).
In the present embodiment, the input unit 46 and the display unit 47 may be configured integrally such as a display with a touch panel.
For this reason, it is also possible to give an instruction via the input unit 46 by arranging buttons for various operations on the display unit 47 and pressing the buttons.
Further, as described above, a numeric keypad can be displayed on the display unit 47.
In addition, the LED and the like of the display unit 47 can display various states.
Further, the LED or the like can display various states of the device itself.
Some of the LEDs of the display unit 47 may be built in the button.
Thereby, it becomes possible to view the state of pressing the button.

  The operation panel unit 16 may include a connection unit for connecting an external recording medium such as a flash memory card or a USB storage device.

The image forming unit 17 performs image formation on recording paper from data stored in the storage unit 19 and read by the document reading unit 12 or acquired from an external support terminal according to a user output instruction.
The image forming unit 17 includes a photosensitive drum, an exposure unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, and a fixing unit.
The image forming unit 17 records a toner image on a recording sheet by executing an image forming process including charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing.

The FAX transmission / reception unit 18 performs facsimile transmission / reception.
The FAX transmission / reception unit 18 can receive a facsimile from another FAX apparatus via a voice line, save it in the storage unit 19, and cause the image forming unit 17 to form an image.
Further, the FAX transmission / reception unit 18 converts the document read by the document reading unit 12 or the data of the network FAX transmitted from the external support terminal into image data.
The FAX transmission / reception unit 18 can facsimile-transmit this image data to another FAX apparatus via a voice line.

The storage unit 19 is a storage unit using a non-temporary recording medium.
The storage unit 19 may include, for example, a semiconductor memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and the like.
Even if the RAM of the storage unit 19 is in the power saving state, the stored content may be held by a function such as self-refresh.
A control program for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 is stored in the ROM and HDD of the storage unit 19.
This control program may be an OS or various applications.
In addition to this, the storage unit 19 may also store user account settings.
The storage unit 19 may include a storage folder (document box) area for each user.

In the image forming apparatus 1, the control unit 10 and the image processing unit 11 may be integrally formed, such as a CPU with a built-in GPU, a chip-on-module package, or an SOC (System On Chip). .
The control unit 10 and the image processing unit 11 may include a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, and the like.

(Configuration of support terminal 2)
Further, according to FIG. 3, the support terminal 2 includes a control unit 20, a network transmission / reception unit 25, an input unit 26, a display unit 27, a storage unit 29, and the like.

  The control unit 20 includes a general purpose processing unit (GPP), a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a digital signal processing IC (GPU), and a graphics processing IC (GPU). An information processing unit such as a processor for use).

The input unit 26 is a keyboard, various sensors, a pointing device, and the like for acquiring various instructions from the user.
The pointing device includes a touch panel, a digitizer, a touch pad, and the like.
The input unit 26 can input various instructions by a user such as support personnel through a GUI (Graphical User Interface) on the OS, and can acquire them.
Information on the movement of the pointer at the input unit 26 and the pressing of a key (physical key) on the keyboard is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1.
That is, the display on the display unit 27 described below is updated based on this information.

The display unit 27 includes an LCD, an organic EL display, an FED (Field Emission Display), a flat display panel such as a fluorescent display tube, a projector, an LED for status display, and the like.
The display unit 27 can display various operation screens related to the GUI.
The input unit 26 and the display unit 27 may be integrally formed as a display with a touch panel, a digitizer, or the like.

  The network transmission / reception unit 25 is a network connection unit including a LAN board for connecting to the network 5 and a wireless transmission / reception unit.

The storage unit 29 is a storage unit using a non-temporary recording medium.
The storage unit 29 may include various RAMs as a main storage unit, for example.
The storage unit 29 may include, for example, a ROM, an eMMC (embedded Multi Media Card), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an HDD, or the like as an auxiliary storage unit.
The storage unit 29 stores a control program for the own device.
The control program may be a web browser capable of browsing the web such as various OSs and WWW, various applications, and the like.
The storage unit 29 may include external storage media such as various flash memories and optical recording media.

[Functional configuration of image forming system X]
Here, the functional configuration of the image forming system X of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a connection unit 100, an operation information acquisition unit 110, a mode change unit 140, and an operation control unit 150.
The storage unit 19 of the image forming apparatus 1 stores operation information 400 and mode information 440.
The control unit 20 of the support terminal 2 includes a display operation unit 200 and an operation transmission unit 210.
The storage unit 29 of the support terminal 2 stores operation information 400 and an emulated image 410.

The connection unit 100 connects to the support terminal 2 through a specific protocol session.
This specific protocol may be a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol.
At this time, the connection unit 100 may execute a program corresponding to the RFB server.
The connection unit 100 can also transmit the emulated image 410 to the support terminal 2 in accordance with an instruction from the operation information acquisition unit 110.
This transmission may be performed corresponding to the RFB protocol.

The operation information acquisition unit 110 acquires operation information 400 corresponding to the operation of the support terminal 2 connected by the connection unit 100.
In addition, the operation information acquisition unit 110 interprets the operation information 400, updates the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16, and creates and updates an emulation image 410 corresponding thereto.
At this time, the operation information acquisition unit 110 may create and update the emulation image 410 based on the state of the display panel and LEDs of the display unit 47.

The mode change unit 140 changes the state of the image forming apparatus 1 between the normal control mode and the guidance mode based on the operation information 400 acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 110.
The normal control mode is a mode for actually controlling each part.
The guidance mode is a mode for controlling each unit for guidance.
The mode changing unit 140 sets this mode change in the mode information 440.
Specifically, the mode change unit 140 analyzes the operation information 400, and changes the mode when the portion of the image of the mode change button is pressed with a pointer.
The mode change unit 140 may determine the location of the mode change button image based on the coordinates of the pointer.
That is, the guidance mode and the normal control mode can be changed by an instruction from a support person.

The operation control unit 150 refers to the mode information 440 changed and set by the mode change unit 140, and controls each unit using the operation information 400.
Specifically, the operation control unit 150 performs guidance display in the guidance mode.
In this guidance mode, the operation control unit 150 changes the state change display of the operation panel unit 16 and / or the image forming apparatus 1.
That is, the operation control unit 150 controls the display of the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16 and the display of the LEDs and the like in the same manner as the remote panel of the support terminal 2.
This is the same as in the normal control mode.
However, in the guidance mode, the operation control unit 150 does not control other units.
That is, in this embodiment, the operation control unit 150 does not operate, for example, the image processing unit 11, the document reading unit 12, the document feeding unit 13, the paper feeding unit 14, the image forming unit 17, the FAX transmitting / receiving unit 18, and the like.
In this case, the operation control unit 150 may not change settings stored in the storage unit 19 and various files.
That is, in the guidance mode, even if a support person gives an instruction by pressing a button for controlling a function on the remote panel executed on the support terminal 2, those instructions are not executed on the image forming apparatus 1.
On the other hand, in the normal control mode, the operation control unit 150 performs normal control in response to an instruction such as pressing a button.
That is, the operation control unit 150 performs display on the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16 in the same manner as in the guidance mode.
In addition, the operation control unit 150 also controls other units.

The display operation unit 200 is connected to the connection unit 100 of the image forming apparatus 1.
In the present embodiment, the display operation unit 200 may be connected to the connection unit 100 using a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol.
At this time, the display operation unit 200 may execute a “remote panel” which is a program corresponding to the RFB client for the image forming apparatus 1.
Further, the display operation unit 200 acquires the emulated image 410 from the connection unit 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 described above and displays it on the display unit 27.
Further, the display operation unit 200 may execute this remote panel on the web browser of the support terminal 2 by using JavaScript (registered trademark) or the like.
The program corresponding to the RFB client may be obtained by connecting to the web server of the image forming apparatus 1 or may be obtained by separately browsing the website of the support server.
This makes it possible to realize a remote panel without requiring prior installation of a dedicated application.

In the present embodiment, the display operation unit 200 may allow the pointer to be moved in all areas in the emulated image 410 displayed on the web browser of the support terminal 2. This includes portions other than the image on the display panel that is actually drawn on the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1.
In the present embodiment, the image of the mode change button is included in a portion other than the display panel, as will be described later.

The operation transmission unit 210 acquires various instructions of support personnel on the remote panel and transmits them to the image forming apparatus 1.
Specifically, in the present embodiment, the operation transmission unit 210 acquires pointer data relating to the movement and pressing of the pointer in the emulated image 410 drawn on the display unit 27.
Then, the operation transmission unit 210 transmits the pointer data as operation information 400 to the image forming apparatus 1 in a session.
Further, the operation transmission unit 210 can also acquire pointer data for the location of the physical button on the operation panel unit 16 of the emulated image 410.

  In addition, the operation transmission unit 210 can also acquire pointer data of the location of the mode change button image of the emulated image 410 as the operation information 400.

  In the present embodiment, the display unit 27 displays the emulated image 410.

The operation information 400 is information indicating the operation of support personnel on the remote panel.
Specifically, the operation information 400 may include pointer data and the like regarding the movement and pressing of the pointer on the emulated image 410.
Further, the operation information 400 may include button press information as the pointer data.
The button pressing information may include physical key pressing information of the input unit 26.
This physical key press information may be acquired in the same manner as the button press information drawn in the emulated image 410 corresponding to the shortcut key or the like.

  Further, as described above, the operation information 400 may include pointer data of a location such as an image of a mode change button for changing the mode.

The emulated image 410 is image data that is displayed on a web browser and emulates the operation panel unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1.
The emulated image 410 may include an image imitating the input unit 46 and the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16 in appearance.
The emulated image 410 is a dot matrix format image corresponding to the RFB protocol, and may be partially or entirely updatable on the image forming apparatus 1 and the support terminal 2.
A detailed example of the emulated image 410 will be described later.

The mode information 440 is information such as a flag indicating the current mode state.
That is, for example, the mode information 440 may be set to a value such as “1” in the guidance mode and “0” in the normal control mode.

(Screen example of emulated image 410)
Here, a screen example of the emulated image 410 will be described with reference to FIG.
The emulated image 410 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a panel D that is an image of a place imitating the display panel of the display unit 47.
The emulated image 410 includes a button group B indicating various buttons corresponding to the input unit 46 of the image forming apparatus 1.
That is, the button group B is an image of a location imitating a physical button at a location other than the display panel of the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16 in the image forming apparatus 1.
The emulated image 410 also includes an image of the display L that simulates an LED or the like.
Images of these locations can be updated by the operation of support personnel.
The support personnel controls the image forming apparatus 1 by pressing each button of the panel D and the button group B of the emulated image 410.
The control result is reflected on the panel D and the display device L by the emulated image 410 acquired from the image forming apparatus 1.

The emulated image 410 includes an image of the mode change button M for changing the mode in an area other than the display on the operation panel unit 16.
The location of the mode change button M may be different from the location of the panel D, the display L, and the button group B.
Further, the mode change button M is included only in the emulated image 410 and may not be present on the operation panel unit 16 of the actual image forming apparatus 1.

  The mode change button M may be arranged outside the emulated image 410, or may be set by a web browser menu or button. In addition, a configuration in which an instruction similar to the pressing of the mode change button M is included in the operation information 400 by pressing a key or the like of the input unit 26 is also possible.

Here, the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 functions as the connection unit 100, the operation information acquisition unit 110, the mode change unit 140, and the operation control unit 150 by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 19. Be made.
In addition, the control unit 20 of the support terminal 2 is caused to function as the display operation unit 200 and the operation transmission unit 210 by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 29.

Each unit of the image forming apparatus 1 and the support terminal 2 described above is a hardware resource for executing the communication processing method of the present invention.
Note that a part or any combination of the above-described functional configurations may be configured in hardware by an IC, programmable logic, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like.

[Guidance mode switching processing by image forming system X]
Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the guidance mode switching process by the image forming system X according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the guidance mode switching process of the present embodiment, the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 mainly stores the control program stored in the storage unit 19, and the control unit 20 of the support terminal 2 stores the control program stored in the storage unit 29. Execute in cooperation with each part using hardware resources.
The details of the guidance mode switching process will be described step by step with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S111)
First, the connection unit 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 performs a connection process.
An IT administrator or the like uses a remote maintenance service for problem solving or training of the image forming apparatus 1.
At this time, the IT administrator or the like may be able to directly receive and answer voices with the support personnel of the support terminal 2 using a voice line or the like connected to the image forming apparatus 1.
The support staff may notify the user that the remote maintenance is to be started using the remote panel function of the image forming apparatus 1.
Then, the IT administrator or the like gives an instruction to execute the remote panel as remote maintenance from the operation panel unit 16 or the like of the image forming apparatus 1.
Thereby, the connection unit 100 connects to the support terminal 2 through a session of a specific protocol such as a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol.
At this time, the connection unit 100 executes a program corresponding to the RFB server.

  At this time, the display operation unit 200 of the support terminal 2 acquires, for example, a session communication error, the environment information of the support terminal 2, or the environment information of the own device as log information, and temporarily stores it in the storage unit 29. To store.

(Step S211)
Here, the display operation unit 200 of the support terminal 2 performs display operation acquisition processing.
The support personnel of the support terminal 2 starts a web browser and causes a “remote panel” that is a program corresponding to the RFB client to be executed.
As a result, the display operation unit 200 is connected to the connection unit 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 using a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol.
As a result, the emulated image 410 is displayed on the web browser, and the pointer can be moved or pressed by the input unit 26.

(Step S212)
Next, the operation transmission unit 210 performs an operation information transmission process.
The operation transmitting unit 210 acquires the rectangular coordinates of the pointer moved on the emulated image 410 of the web browser as pointer data.
Further, the operation transmission unit 210 also acquires information on pressing of a button or a physical key and adds this to the pointer data.
The operation transmission unit 210 transmits the pointer data as operation information 400 to the image forming apparatus 1.

  Here, the operation transmission unit 210 may also acquire and transmit pointer data of the portion of the image of the mode change button of the emulated image 410 as the operation information 400.

(Step S112)
Next, mode change unit 140 determines whether or not there has been an instruction to change the mode.
The mode change unit 140 determines Yes when the location of the image of the mode change button is pressed with a pointer in the operation information 400.
The mode change unit 140 determines No otherwise.
In the case of Yes, the mode change part 140 advances a process to step S113.
In No, the mode change part 140 advances a process to step S114.

(Step S113)
When there is a mode change instruction, the mode change unit 140 performs a mode change process.
The mode changing unit 140 refers to the mode information 440 and changes the current mode state.
That is, the mode change unit 140 changes to the guidance mode when the current mode is the normal control mode.
In addition, when the current mode is the guidance mode, the mode change unit 140 changes to the normal control mode.
The mode change unit 140 may perform this change by inverting the flag of the mode information 440.
Further, in the example of the emulated image 410 shown in FIG. 5, the mode change unit 140 switches the highlights or cursors of the “normal control mode” and the “guidance mode” for the column in which the mode change button M is arranged. Good.
This may indicate to support personnel that the current mode state has changed.
In this case, the display itself of the button M on the remote panel may be changed to “normal control mode” or “guidance mode”.

(Step S114)
Next, the operation control unit 150 determines whether or not the guidance mode is set.
The operation control unit 150 determines Yes when the mode information 440 is the guidance mode.
The operation control unit 150 determines No when the mode information 440 is the normal control mode.
In the case of Yes, the operation control part 150 advances a process to step S115.
In No, operation control part 150 advances processing to Step S116.

(Step S115)
In the guidance mode, the operation control unit 150 performs guidance control processing.
Here, the operation control unit 150 controls each unit with the operation information 400 corresponding to the guidance mode.
The operation control unit 150 performs guidance display.
That is, the operation control unit 150 changes the display on the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16 but does not control other units.
For example, in the guidance mode, the operation control unit 150 does not operate the image forming unit 17 and the like.
Further, for example, even when an update of setting information, address book information, etc. is instructed, these data in the storage unit 19 are not changed.

(Step S116)
In the normal control mode, the operation control unit 150 performs normal control processing.
Here, the operation control unit 150 performs control corresponding to the normal control mode.
That is, the operation control unit 150 may change the display of the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16 and control other units.
In this case, the operation control unit 150 also operates the image forming unit 17 and the like, for example.
When an operation for updating the setting information, address book information, etc. is instructed, these data in the storage unit 19 are actually changed.
Thus, the guidance mode switching process according to the first embodiment of the present invention is completed.

With the configuration described above, the following effects can be obtained.
In a typical technique, a guide image is simply drawn on a transparent panel superimposed on a display panel of an image forming apparatus.
That is, the image forming apparatus cannot actually be operated.
On the other hand, a remote panel used in remote maintenance is configured so that screen display and control are integrally configured.
For this reason, when a support person operates the panel on the remote panel, each part of the image forming apparatus is actually controlled.
For this reason, even when the support staff educates the IT manager and the like on how to operate the image forming apparatus, each part is unintentionally controlled, which may cause inconveniences.
For example, it is a case of changing the setting information stored in the storage unit, editing the address book, or educating the task of executing a complicated copy.
On the other hand, the image forming system X according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an image forming apparatus 1 and a support terminal 2 for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus 1.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a connection unit 100, an operation information acquisition unit 110, a mode change unit 140, and an operation control unit 150.
The connection unit 100 is connected to the remote maintenance support terminal 2 through a session of a specific protocol.
The operation information acquisition unit 110 acquires operation information 400 corresponding to the operation of the support terminal 2 connected by the connection unit 100.
Based on the operation information 400 acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 110, the mode change unit 140 changes to a normal control mode that actually controls each unit and a guidance mode that controls each unit for guidance.
The operation control unit 150 controls each unit based on the operation information 400 corresponding to the mode changed by the mode changing unit 140.
The support terminal 2 includes a display unit 27 and an operation transmission unit 210.
The display unit 27 displays an emulated image 410 that emulates the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 1.
The operation transmission unit 210 transmits operation information 400 including pointer data regarding the movement and pressing of the pointer on the emulated image 410 to the image forming apparatus 1 in a session.
With this configuration, during the guidance mode, only the display unit 47 is updated when the operation information 400 on the remote panel is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1.
That is, in the guidance mode, the image forming unit 17 of the image forming apparatus 1 is not operated.
As a result, there is no waste of recording paper for complicated copying.
Further, even if the setting information and the address book information are updated, the contents stored in the storage unit 19 are not changed.
Therefore, troubles due to data change do not occur, and work such as restoring the data becomes unnecessary.
Further, when the guidance mode is changed to the normal control mode, the state before the mode is changed to the guidance mode can be restored.
Accordingly, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of controlling the image forming apparatus itself as well as allowing the support staff to browse the operation.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in the guidance mode, the operation control unit 150 displays the operation panel unit 16 for operating the own device and / or the status change display of the own device. change.
Then, the operation control unit 150 performs guidance display without performing control of other units.
With this configuration, even in the guidance mode, the display panel, LEDs, and the like of the display unit 47 of the image forming apparatus 1 can be displayed and lit according to the operation of the support personnel.
Thereby, it is possible to show the operation method in an easy-to-understand manner to the IT manager or the like, and the effect of education or the like can be improved.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the specific protocol is a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol, and the operation information 400 emulates the operation panel unit of the own apparatus displayed on the support terminal 2. Pointer data relating to the movement and pressing of the pointer on the rated emulated image 410 is included.
This configuration is extended while maintaining the RFB protocol specifications.
Thus, an instruction to change the current mode can be given by operating the pointer on the emulated image 410.

Further, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the emulated image 410 is a mode in which the mode is changed to an area other than the image area where the display imitating the operation panel unit 16 of the own apparatus is performed. Contains an image of the change button.
Further, the mode change unit 140 changes the current mode when the position of the mode change button image is pressed with a pointer in the operation information 400.
With this configuration, the current mode can be changed using a mode change button that is displayed only on the support terminal 2 but not on the image forming apparatus 1 itself.
That is, the support personnel can easily change the current mode.
Moreover, since only the support personnel can operate the mode change button, there is no malfunction.
In addition, it is possible to easily show the support staff whether the guidance mode or the normal control mode is set.

In the first embodiment described above, the example in which the remote panel is executed using the RFB protocol has been described. However, remote maintenance as described above may be realized by implementing a remote panel using another unique protocol. In the first embodiment described above, the example in which the remote panel is realized by executing the program corresponding to the RFB client on the web browser of the support terminal 2 has been described. However, the remote terminal may be realized by installing a dedicated application on the support terminal 2.
For example, the emulated image 410 may be created by the image forming apparatus 1 and may be sequentially pushed or streamed to a web server or a dedicated application of the support terminal 2 without using VNC or the like. Conversely, an operation display program that creates the emulated image 410 of the image forming apparatus 1 in response to the operation of the support personnel may be executed on the support terminal 2. In this case, the operation display program may be executed to transmit the operation information 400 and control the image forming apparatus 1 as in the above-described configuration. In this case, the image data itself may not be transmitted from the image forming apparatus 1, but only data necessary for creating the emulated image 410, such as data related to the user's file, may be transmitted. The operation display program may be a “real” emulator that executes the control program stored in the storage unit 19 of the image forming apparatus 1 on the support terminal 2.
With this configuration, a remote panel can be realized even in an environment where the RFB protocol cannot be used, for example, an environment where connection is possible only with an HTTP port or the like. It is also possible to configure so as to compress a data band related to data transmission / reception.

In the first embodiment described above, an example in which the mode change button is arranged in the emulated image 410 is provided.
However, the mode change button may be arranged outside the emulated image 410, or may be set with a menu or button of a web browser.
In addition, a configuration in which an instruction similar to the pressing of the mode change button M is included in the operation information 400 by pressing a key or the like of the input unit 26 is also possible.

In the first embodiment described above, an example in which operations by support personnel are mainly reflected in display and control on the image forming apparatus 1 has been disclosed.
However, the operation of the operation panel unit 16 by the IT administrator or the like of the image forming apparatus 1 may be reflected in the control of the emulated image 410 or the image forming apparatus 1.
It is also possible to configure the reflected result to be transmitted to the support terminal 2.
As a result, it is possible to create the emulated image 410 and control the image forming apparatus 1 in response to the actual operation by the IT manager in addition to the instruction and operation by the support staff.
Therefore, it is possible to help IT managers understand the training.

In the first embodiment described above, an example in which log information is stored as independent data in the image forming apparatus 1 has been mainly described.
However, the image forming apparatus 1 may store log information so that it can be extracted as a part of another history or log of the apparatus itself.
This makes it easier to investigate the problem by comparing with other states of the image forming apparatus.
It is also possible to collect history and logs in a batch using a remote maintenance management server or the like.
This makes it easier for support personnel, service people, remote maintenance service developers, etc. to utilize the log information.

<Second embodiment>
[Functional configuration of image forming system X2]
Here, the functional configuration of the image forming system X2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a connection unit 100, an operation information acquisition unit 110, a drawing mode switching unit 141, and a drawing unit 160.
The storage unit 19 of the image forming apparatus 1 stores operation information 400, an emulated image 410, and mode information 440.
The control unit 20 of the support terminal 2 includes a display operation unit 200 and an operation transmission unit 210.
The storage unit 29 of the support terminal 2 stores operation information 400 and an emulated image 410.
In addition, in FIG. 7 and the following figures, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component similar to the above-mentioned 1st embodiment.

The drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to a drawing mode in which drawing on the display of the operation panel is performed based on the operation information 400 acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 110. The drawing mode switching unit 141 sets this change in the mode information 440. A mode in which a normal remote panel operation other than the drawing mode is performed is hereinafter referred to as a “normal control mode”.
Specifically, the drawing mode switching unit 141 analyzes the operation information 400, and changes the mode when the position of the mode change button image is pressed with a pointer. The drawing mode switching unit 141 may determine the location of the mode change button image based on the coordinates of the pointer. Further, the drawing mode switching unit 141 may change the mode when a specific key of the support terminal 2 is pressed. This “specific key” may be arbitrarily set by the developer of the remote panel, for example, “D”, “P”, “space”, “ESC”, “Scroll Lock” key, or the like. That is, the drawing mode and the normal control mode can be changed by an instruction from a support person.

When the drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to the drawing mode, the drawing unit 160 draws on the operation panel in response to the drawing instruction 540 included in the operation information 400 and reflects the drawing result on the support terminal 2.
Specifically, the drawing unit 160 performs character input, annotation drawing, or highlight drawing in the drawing mode. Among these, the input of characters may be handwritten character recognition, input using a virtual keyboard, or the like. In addition, the annotation picture may be drawn directly on the emulated image 410. That is, you may draw directly by the drawing instruction 540. The highlight may be drawn so that the support staff fills the characters and marks at the location of the drawing instruction 540 in a translucent manner, like a “highlighting pen”.

  In the present embodiment, the operation transmission unit 210 can also transmit key data related to key presses of the support terminal 2 as the operation information 400.

In the present embodiment, the operation information 400 includes pointer data regarding the movement and pressing of the pointer on the emulated image 410. Specifically, the operation information 400 may include pointer data and the like regarding the movement and pressing of the pointer on the emulated image 410. Further, the operation information 400 may include button press information as the pointer data. That is, the operation information 400 may include pointer data of a location such as an image of a mode change button for changing the mode.
In addition, the operation information 400 may include key data regarding key presses of the support terminal 2. That is, the operation information 400 may include information on physical key presses of the input unit 26.

The operation information 400 includes a drawing instruction 540.
The drawing instruction 540 may be an instruction for inputting characters of support personnel, drawing an annotation picture, or drawing a highlight corresponding to the pointer data and / or key data. That is, the drawing instruction 540 may include character string data, annotation picture or highlight coordinate data, and respective commands (instructions).

  The mode information 440 is information such as a flag indicating the current mode state. That is, for example, the mode information 440 may be set to a value such as “1” in the drawing mode and “0” in the normal control mode.

Here, the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 functions as the connection unit 100, the operation information acquisition unit 110, the drawing mode switching unit 141, and the drawing unit 160 by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 19. Be made.
In addition, the control unit 20 of the support terminal 2 is caused to function as the display operation unit 200 and the operation transmission unit 210 by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 29.

[Drawing support processing by the image forming system X2]
Next, a drawing support process by the image forming system X2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the drawing support process of the present embodiment, the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 mainly stores the control program stored in the storage unit 19, and the control unit 20 of the support terminal 2 stores the control program stored in the storage unit 29. Execute with hardware resources in cooperation with each part.
Hereinafter, the details of the drawing support process will be described step by step with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S121)
First, the connection unit 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 performs a connection process.
An IT administrator or the like uses a remote maintenance service for problem solving or training of the image forming apparatus 1. At this time, the IT manager or the like can also directly answer the voice with the support staff of the support terminal 2 using a voice line or the like connected to the image forming apparatus 1. The support staff may notify the user that the remote maintenance is to be started using the remote panel function of the image forming apparatus 1.
Then, the IT administrator or the like gives an instruction to execute the remote panel as remote maintenance from the operation panel unit 16 or the like of the image forming apparatus 1.
Thereby, the connection unit 100 connects to the support terminal 2 through a session of a specific protocol such as a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol. At this time, the connection unit 100 executes a program corresponding to the RFB server.

(Step S221)
Here, the display operation unit 200 of the support terminal 2 performs display operation acquisition processing.
The support personnel of the support terminal 2 starts a web browser and causes a “remote panel” that is a program corresponding to the RFB client to be executed.
As a result, the display operation unit 200 is connected to the connection unit 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 using a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol. As a result, the emulated image 410 is displayed on the web browser, and the pointer can be moved or pressed by the input unit 26.

(Step S222)
Next, the operation transmission unit 210 of the support terminal 2 performs an operation information transmission process.
The operation transmitting unit 210 acquires the rectangular coordinates of the pointer moved on the emulated image 410 of the web browser as pointer data. Further, the operation transmission unit 210 also acquires information on pressing of a button or a physical key and adds this to the pointer data. The operation transmission unit 210 transmits the pointer data as operation information 400 to the image forming apparatus 1.

  Here, the operation transmission unit 210 may also acquire and transmit pointer data of the portion of the image of the mode change button of the emulated image 410 as the operation information 400.

(Step 122)
Next, the drawing mode switching unit 141 determines whether or not there has been a mode change instruction. The drawing mode switching unit 141 determines Yes when the position of the image of the mode change button is pressed with the pointer in the pointer data of the operation information 400. The drawing mode switching unit 141 also determines Yes when a specific key is pressed in the key data of the operation information 400. In other cases, the drawing mode switching unit 141 determines No.
In the case of Yes, the drawing mode switching unit 141 proceeds with the process to step S123.
In No, the drawing mode switching part 141 advances a process to step S124.

(Step S123)
When there is a mode change instruction, the drawing mode switching unit 141 performs a mode switching process.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 refers to the mode information 440 and changes the state of the current mode. That is, the drawing mode switching unit 141 changes to the drawing mode when the current mode is the normal control mode. The drawing mode switching unit 141 changes to the normal control mode when the current mode is the drawing mode. The drawing mode switching unit 141 may perform this change by inverting the flag of the mode information 440 or the like.

  Further, according to FIG. 9, the drawing mode switching unit 141 may indicate to the support personnel that the current mode state has been changed by inverting the display of the mode change button M or the like. The display itself of the button M may be changed to “drawing mode” or “normal control mode”.

(Step S124)
Here, the drawing unit 160 determines whether or not the drawing mode is set. The drawing unit 160 determines Yes when the mode information 440 is the drawing mode. The drawing unit 160 determines No when the mode information 440 is the normal control mode.
In the case of Yes, the drawing unit 160 proceeds with the process to step S125.
In the case of No, the drawing unit 160 ends the drawing support process.

(Step S125)
If the drawing mode is set, the drawing unit 160 performs a drawing mode process.
According to FIG. 9, the drawing unit 160 refers to the drawing instruction 540 of the operation information 400 and draws on the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16 corresponding to the drawing instruction 540. The drawing unit 160 also reflects the drawing result of the display unit 47 on the emulated image 410. In the example of FIG. 9, the support staff shows a “Copy” icon and a physical button. In this example, in the image forming apparatus 1, only the display panel portion of the display unit 47 corresponding to the “panel D” portion of the emulated image 410 is displayed. The emulated image 410 itself is also transmitted to the support terminal 2 by the display operation acquisition process described above.
As a result, the drawing result is reflected on the support terminal 2 by the image data transmitted from the RFB server of the image forming apparatus 1. That is, the image forming apparatus 1 performs drawing using the pointer data and key data included in the operation information 400. The drawing result is also displayed on the display unit 27 of the support terminal 2.
The drawing support process according to the second embodiment of the present invention is thus completed.

With the configuration described above, the following effects can be obtained.
With typical technology, it was not possible to give instructions based on the content drawn by the support personnel on the support terminal.
On the other hand, the image forming system X2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes an image forming apparatus 1 and a support terminal 2 for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a connection unit 100, an operation information acquisition unit 110, a drawing mode switching unit 141, and a drawing unit 160. The connection unit 100 is connected to the remote maintenance support terminal 2 through a session of a specific protocol. The operation information acquisition unit 110 acquires operation information 400 corresponding to the operation of the support terminal 2 connected by the connection unit 100. The drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to a drawing mode in which drawing on the display of the operation panel is performed based on the operation information 400 acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 110. When the drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to the drawing mode, the drawing unit 160 draws the operation panel unit 16 in response to the drawing instruction 540 included in the operation information 400 and reflects the drawing result on the support terminal 2. The support terminal 2 includes a display unit and an operation transmission unit 210. The display unit displays an emulated image 410 that emulates the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 1. The operation transmitting unit 210 transmits operation information 400 including pointer data related to movement and pressing of the pointer on the emulated image 410 and / or key data related to key pressing of the support terminal 2 to the image forming apparatus 1 in a session. To do.
With this configuration, it becomes possible to give an instruction to the IT administrator or the like based on the content drawn by the support personnel on the remote panel of the support terminal 2. That is, when the support staff educates the IT manager or the like on the operation, it is possible to input characters, draw an annotation picture, or draw a highlight on the remote panel. As a result, it is possible to help the IT manager and the like to understand, and to contribute to support for remote maintenance.

  Further, since the image forming system X of the present embodiment performs drawing by the image forming apparatus 1 based on the operation information 400 from the support terminal 2, it is not necessary to perform transmission of an image by drawing from the support terminal 2. . Thereby, the load etc. of the support terminal 2 can be reduced. Further, the content of the drawing on the emulated image 410 can be made the same between the support terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1, and troubles due to drawing defects or the like can be avoided.

Further, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the drawing unit 160 performs character input, annotation drawing, or highlight drawing in the drawing mode.
With this configuration, in remote maintenance support, character input corresponding to the emulated image 410 of the image forming apparatus 1, drawing of an annotation picture, drawing of highlight, or the like is performed via the image forming apparatus 1. Can be done. That is, it is possible to perform drawing or the like that matches the internal data from the remote panel using the functions in the image forming apparatus 1. As a result, characters and the like can be input with certainty, and the contents of highlights and the like can be surely matched with character locations such as document files and icon positions. Therefore, it is possible to provide support as intended by the support personnel.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the specific protocol is a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol. Further, the operation information 400 includes pointer data related to the movement and pressing of the pointer on the emulated image 410 emulating the operation panel unit of the own device displayed on the support terminal 2. Further, the operation information 400 includes key data related to pressing of the keys of the support terminal 2. The drawing instruction 540 corresponds to pointer data and / or key data.
With this configuration, it is possible to transmit a pointer movement and key press defined by the RFB protocol as operation information 400 from the remote panel, thereby realizing a drawing mode. That is, the image forming apparatus 1 can perform drawing by extension based on the RFB protocol. Thereby, development cost can be reduced. In addition, since the remote panel does not require a plurality of sessions, connection problems due to opening and closing of ports are less likely to occur.

  Moreover, it is not necessary to transmit the actually drawn image from the support terminal 2. Thereby, the load of the support terminal 2 can be reduced.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the emulated image 410 includes an image of a mode change button for changing the mode in an area other than the display on the operation panel unit of the own apparatus. . Also, the drawing mode switching unit 141 changes the mode when the location of the image of the mode change button is pressed with a pointer in the operation information 400 or when a specific key of the support terminal 2 is pressed.
By configuring in this way, it is possible to prevent drawing other than support personnel. Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation by the IT administrator or the like of the image forming apparatus 1 and improve the efficiency of remote maintenance.

In the second embodiment described above, an example in which the mode change button is arranged at a position displayed only on the display unit 27 of the support terminal 2 has been described.
However, the drawing mode button may be arranged on the input unit 46 of the operation panel unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1. The drawing mode button may be drawn on the display panel or may be arranged as a physical key.
With this configuration, the content drawn by the IT administrator or the like on the operation panel unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1 can be reflected on the support terminal 2. It is also possible to control the image forming apparatus 1 by handwriting input or the like.
Note that the mode change button in the image forming apparatus 1 may be arranged separately from the above-described mode change button on the emulated image 410, and the specification may be changed by each button. In other words, when the support staff or the IT manager or the like inputs, the character type, drawing color, highlight content, etc. may be changed. By comprising in this way, it is also possible to heighten the educational effect.

<Third embodiment>
In the present embodiment, in the “drawing mode”, the server is executed by the support terminal 2 and the client is executed by the image forming apparatus 1 using a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol.
At this time, the drawing data (FIG. 10) drawn by the support terminal 2 is also drawn by the image forming apparatus 1.
This facilitates instructions from support personnel to IT managers during remote maintenance.

[Functional configuration of image forming system X3]
Here, the functional configuration of the image forming system X3 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a connection unit 100, an operation information acquisition unit 110, a drawing mode switching unit 141, and a drawing unit 160.
The storage unit 19 of the image forming apparatus 1 stores operation information 400, an emulated image 410, mode information 440, and drawing data 460.
The control unit 20 of the support terminal 2 includes a display operation unit 200, an operation transmission unit 210, and a drawing transmission unit 230.
The storage unit 29 of the support terminal 2 stores operation information 400, an emulated image 410, and drawing data 460.
In addition, about the structure similar to the above-mentioned 1st or 2nd embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected.

The drawing mode switching unit 141 switches between the server and the client when changing the mode.
Specifically, the drawing mode switching unit 141 transmits a switching command to the support terminal 2 in response to the change of the mode information 440.
This switching command may be defined as a command for temporarily switching between a server and a client using a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol.

The drawing unit 160 acquires drawing data 460 drawn on the support terminal 2 when the drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to the drawing mode.
Then, the drawing unit 160 draws the acquired drawing data 460 on the operation panel unit 16 of the own apparatus.
Specifically, when the drawing unit 160 is switched to the drawing mode, the drawing unit 160 transmits and receives data corresponding to the client of the RFB protocol.
Thus, the drawing unit 160 acquires the drawing data 460 transmitted from the support terminal 2 and applies it to the emulated image 410 stored in the storage unit 19.
The drawing unit 160 displays the emulation image 410 to which the drawing data 460 is applied on the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16.

In the drawing mode, the display operation unit 200 writes an image in response to a drawing instruction from a support person of the support terminal 2.
Specifically, the display operation unit 200 uses the input unit 26 to input characters, draw an annotation picture, or draw a highlight on the screen on the web browser displayed on the display unit 27.
Among these, the input of characters may be handwritten character recognition, input using a virtual keyboard, or the like.
In addition, the annotation picture may be drawn directly on the emulated image 410.
In addition, the highlight may be drawn so that the support staff fills the characters and marks semi-transparently like a “fluorescent pen”.
The display operation unit 200 acquires, as the drawing data 460, a portion changed in response to the input of the character, the drawing of the annotation picture, or the drawing of the highlight, and reflects it in the emulation image 410.

The drawing transmission unit 230 transmits the drawing data 460 drawn on the emulated image 410 to the image forming apparatus 1.
At this time, the drawing transmission unit 230 transmits the drawing data 460 separately from the operation information 400 transmitted by the operation transmission unit 210.
For this reason, when the drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to the drawing mode, the drawing transmission unit 230 executes a program corresponding to the server of the RFB protocol.
As a result, the drawing transmission unit 230 transmits the drawing data 460 that is a part or all of the emulated image 410.

The drawing data 460 may be a part or all of the emulated image 410 corresponding to drawing.
Specifically, in the present embodiment, the drawing data 460 is an emulation image 410 transmitted when the server and client of the RFB protocol are changed between the image forming apparatus 1 and the support terminal 2. It may be a part.
Therefore, the drawing data 460 may include character data of input characters, drawn annotation pictures, or highlight data.

Here, the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 functions as the connection unit 100, the operation information acquisition unit 110, the drawing mode switching unit 141, and the drawing unit 160 by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 19. To do.
The control unit 20 of the support terminal 2 functions as the display operation unit 200, the operation transmission unit 210, and the drawing transmission unit 230 by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 29.

[Drawing support processing by the image forming system X3]
Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the drawing support processing by the image forming system X3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the drawing support process of the present embodiment, the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 mainly stores the control program stored in the storage unit 19, and the control unit 20 of the support terminal 2 stores the control program stored in the storage unit 29. Execute with hardware resources in cooperation with each part.
Hereinafter, the details of the drawing support process will be described step by step with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S131)
First, the connection unit 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 performs a connection process.
An IT administrator or the like uses a remote maintenance service for problem solving or training of the image forming apparatus 1.
At this time, the IT administrator or the like may be able to directly receive and answer voices with the support personnel of the support terminal 2 using a voice line or the like connected to the image forming apparatus 1.
The support staff may notify the user that the remote maintenance is to be started using the remote panel function of the image forming apparatus 1.
Then, the IT administrator or the like gives an instruction to execute the remote panel as remote maintenance from the operation panel unit 16 or the like of the image forming apparatus 1.
Thereby, the connection unit 100 connects to the support terminal 2 through a session of a specific protocol such as a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol.
At this time, the connection unit 100 executes a program corresponding to the RFB server.

  At this time, the display operation unit 200 of the support terminal 2 acquires, for example, a session communication error, the environment information of the support terminal 2, or the environment information of the own device as log information, and temporarily stores it in the storage unit 29. To store.

(Step S231)
Here, the display operation unit 200 of the support terminal 2 performs display operation acquisition processing.
The support personnel of the support terminal 2 starts a web browser and causes a “remote panel” that is a program corresponding to the RFB client to be executed.
As a result, the display operation unit 200 is connected to the connection unit 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 using a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol.
As a result, the emulated image 410 is displayed on the web browser, and the pointer can be moved or pressed by the input unit 26.

(Step S232)
Next, the operation transmission unit 210 of the support terminal 2 performs an operation information transmission process.
The operation transmitting unit 210 acquires the rectangular coordinates of the pointer moved on the emulated image 410 of the web browser as pointer data. Further, the operation transmission unit 210 also acquires information on pressing of a button or a physical key and adds this to the pointer data. The operation transmission unit 210 transmits the pointer data as operation information 400 to the image forming apparatus 1.

(Step S132)
Next, the drawing mode switching unit 141 determines whether or not there has been a mode change instruction.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 determines Yes when the position of the image of the mode change button is pressed with the pointer in the pointer data of the operation information 400.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 also determines Yes when a specific key is pressed in the key data of the operation information 400.
In other cases, the drawing mode switching unit 141 determines No.
In the case of Yes, the drawing mode switching unit 141 proceeds with the process to step S133.
In the case of No, the drawing mode switching unit 141 ends the process in the image forming apparatus 1 of the drawing support process.

(Step S133)
When there is a mode change instruction, the drawing mode switching unit 141 performs a mode switching process.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 switches the current mode state with reference to the mode information 440.
That is, the drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to the drawing mode when the current mode is the normal control mode.
In addition, the drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to the normal control mode when the current mode is the drawing mode.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 may perform this switching by inverting the flag of the mode information 440 or the like.

Also, as shown in FIG. 9 described above, the drawing mode switching unit 141 may invert the display of the mode change button M to indicate to the support personnel that the current mode state has been changed. .
The display itself of the button M may be changed to “drawing mode” or “normal control mode”.

  In the present embodiment, the drawing mode switching unit 141 transmits a switching command to the support terminal 2 in response to the change of the mode information 440.

(Step S233)
Here, the display operation unit 200 of the support terminal 2 determines whether or not the drawing mode is set.
The display operation unit 200 determines Yes when the command to switch to the drawing mode has been received.
The display operation unit 200 determines No when it remains in the normal control mode or when a command for switching to the normal control mode is received.
In the case of Yes, the display operation unit 200 advances the process to step S234.
In No, the display operation part 200 complete | finishes the process in the support terminal 2 of a drawing support process.

(Step S234)
In the drawing mode, the display operation unit 200 performs image drawing processing.
The display operation unit 200 performs character input, annotation drawing, or highlight drawing in response to a drawing instruction from a support person.
In addition, the display operation unit 200 acquires the changed portion as drawing data 460 and reflects it in the emulation image 410.
That is, the drawing data 460 and the emulated image 410 are in a state in which characters are input by the user, annotation pictures, and highlights are drawn.
According to FIG. 9, the display operation unit 200 draws a screen corresponding to the operation instruction on the screen of the display unit 27 on the web browser.
In addition, the display operation unit 200 acquires the drawing result of the display unit 27 as the drawing data 460 and reflects the result on the emulation image 410.
In the example of FIG. 9, the support staff indicates the “Copy” icon.
The display operation unit 200 can acquire drawing rectangle data of these places as drawing data 460.

(Step S235)
Next, the drawing transmission unit 230 performs a drawing transmission process.
The drawing transmission unit 230 transmits the drawing data 460 to the image forming apparatus 1 in the currently connected session.
For this transmission, the drawing transmission unit 230 may execute a program corresponding to an RFB protocol server.
Further, the drawing transmission unit 230 may transmit, for example, “FramebufferUpdate” of the RFB protocol to the image forming apparatus 1.
Specifically, the drawing transmitting unit 230 may transmit “FramebufferUpdate” to the image forming apparatus 1 in response to an event of “FramebufferUpdateRequest” for the support terminal 2, for example.
In addition, the drawing transmission unit 230 may transmit the drawing data 460 without the “FramebufferUpdateRequest” from the program corresponding to the client of the image forming apparatus 1.

(Step S134)
Here, the drawing unit 160 of the image forming apparatus 1 performs a drawing process.
In the drawing mode, the drawing unit 160 acquires the drawing data 460 drawn by the support terminal 2 and draws it on the operation panel unit 16 of the own device.
Specifically, the drawing unit 160 may acquire the drawing data 460 from the support terminal 2 by executing a program corresponding to the RFB protocol client when the drawing mode is set.
For example, the drawing unit 160 receives “FramebufferUpdate” and thereby receives the drawing data 460.
In addition, the drawing unit 160 applies the drawing data 460 to the emulated image 410 stored in the storage unit 19 and displays it on the display unit 47.
In the example of FIG. 9, in the image forming apparatus 1, only the display panel portion of the display unit 47 corresponding to the “panel D” portion of the emulated image 410 is displayed.
The drawing support process according to the third embodiment of the present invention is thus completed.

With the configuration described above, the following effects can be obtained.
With typical technology, it was not possible to give instructions based on the content drawn by the support personnel on the support terminal.
On the other hand, the image forming system X3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes the image forming apparatus 1 and a support terminal 2 for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus 1.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a connection unit 100, an operation information acquisition unit 110, a drawing mode switching unit 141, and a drawing unit 160.
The connection unit 100 is connected to the remote maintenance support terminal 2 through a session of a specific protocol.
The operation information acquisition unit 110 acquires operation information 400 corresponding to the operation of the support terminal 2 connected by the connection unit 100.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to a drawing mode in which drawing on the display of the operation panel is performed based on the operation information 400 acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 110.
When the drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to the drawing mode, the drawing unit 160 acquires the drawing data 460 drawn on the support terminal 2 and draws it on the operation panel unit 16.
The support terminal 2 includes a display unit 27, an operation transmission unit 210, and a drawing transmission unit 230.
The display unit 27 displays an emulated image 410 that emulates the operation panel unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1.
The operation transmitting unit 210 transmits operation information 400 including pointer data related to movement and pressing of the pointer on the emulated image 410 and / or key data related to key pressing of the support terminal 2 to the image forming apparatus 1 in a session. To do.
The drawing transmission unit 230 transmits drawing data 460 drawn on the emulated image 410 to the image forming apparatus 1 separately from the operation information 400 transmitted by the operation transmission unit 210.
With this configuration, it becomes possible to give an instruction to the IT administrator or the like based on the content drawn by the support personnel on the remote panel of the support terminal 2. That is, when the support staff educates the IT manager or the like on the operation, it is possible to input characters, draw an annotation picture, or draw a highlight on the remote panel. As a result, it is possible to help the IT manager and the like to understand, and to contribute to support for remote maintenance.

Further, the image forming system X3 of the present embodiment transmits drawing data 460 drawn on the emulated image 410 of the support terminal 2 and draws it by the image forming apparatus 1.
Thereby, the content of drawing can be made the same by the support terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1, and the trouble by the wrinkle of drawing etc. can be avoided.

In the image forming system X3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the drawing data 460 includes input characters, drawn annotation pictures, or highlights.
With this configuration, in remote maintenance support, character input corresponding to the emulated image 410 of the image forming apparatus 1, drawing of an annotation picture, drawing of highlight, or the like is performed via the image forming apparatus 1. Can be done. That is, it is possible to perform drawing or the like that matches the internal data from the remote panel using the functions in the image forming apparatus 1. As a result, characters and the like can be input with certainty, and the contents of highlights and the like can be surely matched with character locations such as document files and icon positions. Therefore, it is possible to provide support as intended by the support personnel.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the operation information 400 is the movement of the pointer on the emulated image 410 emulating the operation panel unit 16 of the own apparatus displayed on the support terminal 2. And / or pointer data relating to pressing and / or key data relating to key pressing of the support terminal 2.
The emulated image 410 includes an image of a mode change button for changing the mode in an area other than the display on the operation panel unit 16 of the own device.
In addition, the drawing mode switching unit 141 changes the mode in the operation information 400 when the image of the mode change button is pressed with a pointer or when a specific key of the support terminal 2 is pressed.
With this configuration, it is possible to transmit a pointer movement and key press defined by the RFB protocol as operation information 400 from the remote panel, thereby realizing a drawing mode. That is, the image forming apparatus 1 can perform drawing by extension based on the RFB protocol. Thereby, development cost can be reduced. In addition, since the remote panel does not require a plurality of sessions, connection problems due to opening and closing of ports are less likely to occur.

Further, in the RFB protocol, transmission of image data from a client of a support terminal to a server has not been defined.
In contrast, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the specific protocol is an extended protocol of the RFB protocol.
The drawing data 460 is a part or the whole of the emulated image 410 corresponding to the drawing.
By configuring in this way, it is possible to prevent drawing other than support personnel. Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation by the IT administrator or the like of the image forming apparatus 1 and improve the efficiency of remote maintenance.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the connection unit 100 executes a server in the RFB protocol.
The support terminal 2 executes a client in the RFB protocol.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 switches between the server and the client when changing the mode.
With this configuration, the drawing mode can be executed simply by switching between the RFB protocol server and client.
Further, the drawing data 460 can be transmitted and received while the same session is connected.
Thus, the possibility of connection troubles can be reduced.

Note that the drawing unit 160 may transmit a message “FramebufferUpdateRequest” to the support terminal 2 at a specific interval as a client during the drawing mode.
Further, even when the server and the client are switched, a program corresponding to the RFB protocol server of the image forming apparatus 1 may be executed.
By configuring in this way, it is possible to execute processing related to pressing of a button on the remote panel by the support personnel of the support terminal 2 in the same manner as the above-described connection processing.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, an image forming system X4 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
According to FIG. 12, an image forming system X4 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention includes an image forming apparatus 1, a support terminal 2 for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus 1, and a confirmation terminal 3 for image confirmation. .

  The confirmation terminal 3 is the same as the support terminal 2, such as a PC, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA (Personal Data Assistant), a business support terminal, a dedicated terminal, and the like.

The confirmation terminal 3 is a terminal used by an IT administrator or the like of the image forming apparatus 1 to confirm an image from a support person in remote maintenance.
For this reason, the confirmation terminal 3 can also display the emulated image 410 (FIG. 14).
In addition, the confirmation terminal 3 displays characters, annotation pictures or drawing of highlights inputted by the support personnel in the support terminal 2 and can be confirmed by the IT administrator or the like.

In this embodiment, as a function such as “remote desktop” installed in a general PC OS, for example, the image forming apparatus 1 executes an RFB server, the support terminal 2 and the confirmation terminal 3 execute an RFB client or the like. The support can be executed by one-to-many communication.
Further, the support terminal 2 and the confirmation terminal 3 may execute an RFB client such as JavaScript (registered trademark) on a web browser.
In addition, this RFB client may be able to display an emulated screen as a “remote panel”.
At this time, an image imitating the operation panel unit 16 is displayed on the support terminal 2 and the confirmation terminal 3, and the image forming apparatus 1 can be controlled by an operation based on the displayed image.
Specifically, the functions of the image forming apparatus 1 such as printing, scanning, FAX transmission / reception, and network FAX can be used according to instructions from the support terminal 2 and the confirmation terminal 3.
With these functions, it is possible to confirm and solve the problem status of the customer's image forming apparatus 1 in a remote environment.

(Configuration of confirmation terminal 3)
Moreover, according to FIG. 13, the confirmation terminal 3 is provided with the control part 30, the network transmission / reception part 35, the input part 36, the display part 37, the memory | storage part 39 grade | etc.,.

  Further, the control unit 30 of the confirmation terminal 3 of the present embodiment is the control unit 20 of the support terminal 2, the network transmission / reception unit 35 is the network transmission / reception unit 25, the input unit 36 is the input unit 26, and the display unit 37 is the display unit. 27 and the storage unit 39 have the same configuration as the storage unit 29, respectively.

[Functional configuration of image forming system X4]
Here, the functional configuration of the image forming system X4 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a connection unit 100, an operation information acquisition unit 110, a drawing mode switching unit 141, and an image transmission unit 170.
The storage unit 19 of the image forming apparatus 1 stores operation information 400, an emulated image 410, mode information 440, and drawing data 460.
The control unit 20 of the support terminal 2 includes a display operation unit 200, an operation transmission unit 210, and a drawing transmission unit 230.
The storage unit 29 of the support terminal 2 stores operation information 400, an emulated image 410, and drawing data 460.
The control unit 30 of the confirmation terminal 3 includes a display operation unit 200, an operation transmission unit 210, and a drawing reception unit 240.
The storage unit 39 of the confirmation terminal 3 stores operation information 400, an emulated image 410, and drawing data 460.
In addition, about the structure similar to the above-mentioned 1st thru | or 3rd embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected.

In the present embodiment, the drawing mode switching unit 141 switches between the server and the client between the support terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1 as described above.
Note that the drawing mode switching unit 141 may function only as a server without switching between the server and the client between the confirmation terminal 3 and the image forming apparatus 1.

When the drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to the drawing mode, the image transmission unit 170 acquires the drawing data 460 drawn by the support terminal 2 and transmits it to the confirmation terminal 3.
Specifically, the image transmission unit 170 transmits and receives data corresponding to an RFB protocol client when the drawing mode is set.
Further, the image transmission unit 170 transmits the drawing data 460 to the confirmation terminal 3 as it is.
The drawing data 460 may be applied to the emulated image 410 and displayed on the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16.

In addition, the image transmission unit 170 may transmit the operation information 400 transmitted from the support terminal 2 to the confirmation terminal 3 as it is in either the drawing mode or the normal control mode.
The image transmission unit 170 may also transmit the operation information 400 transmitted by the operation transmission unit 210 of the confirmation terminal 3 to the support terminal 2 as it is.
That is, the same emulated image 410 may be displayed on the support terminal 2 and the confirmation terminal 3 by the operation of the IT administrator or the like.
Even in this case, the confirmation terminal 3 may not transmit to the support terminal 2 when the mode change button is pressed.

The drawing receiving unit 240 acquires the drawing data 460 transmitted from the image transmitting unit 170 of the image forming apparatus 1 and stores it in the storage unit 39.
In addition, the drawing receiving unit 240 acquires the drawing data 460 transmitted from the support terminal 2 via the image forming apparatus 1 and applies it to the emulated image 410 stored in the storage unit 39.
As a result, the emulated image 410 similar to that of the support terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1 is also displayed on the display unit 37 at the confirmation terminal 3.

Here, the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 executes the control program stored in the storage unit 19, thereby forming the connection unit 100, the operation information acquisition unit 110, the drawing mode switching unit 141, and the image transmission unit 170. Function.
The control unit 20 of the support terminal 2 functions as the display operation unit 200, the operation transmission unit 210, and the drawing transmission unit 230 by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 29.
Further, the control unit 30 of the confirmation terminal 3 functions as the display operation unit 200, the operation transmission unit 210, and the drawing reception unit 240 by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 39.

[Drawing support processing by image forming system X]
Next, a drawing support process by the image forming system X according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the drawing support process of the present embodiment, the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 mainly stores the control program stored in the storage unit 19, and the control unit 20 of the support terminal 2 stores the control program stored in the storage unit 29. Execute with hardware resources in cooperation with each part.
Hereinafter, the details of the drawing support process will be described step by step with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S141)
First, the connection unit 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 performs a connection process.
An IT administrator or the like uses a remote maintenance service for problem solving or training of the image forming apparatus 1.
At this time, the IT administrator or the like may be able to directly receive and answer voices with the support personnel of the support terminal 2 using a voice line or the like connected to the image forming apparatus 1.
The support staff may notify the user that the remote maintenance is to be started using the remote panel function of the image forming apparatus 1.
Then, the IT administrator or the like gives an instruction to execute the remote panel as remote maintenance from the operation panel unit 16 or the like of the image forming apparatus 1.
Thereby, the connection unit 100 connects to the support terminal 2 through a session of a specific protocol such as a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol.
At this time, the connection unit 100 executes a program corresponding to the RFB server.

  At this time, the display operation unit 200 of the support terminal 2 acquires, for example, a session communication error, the environment information of the support terminal 2, or the environment information of the own device as log information, and temporarily stores it in the storage unit 29. To store.

(Step S241)
Here, the display operation unit 200 of the support terminal 2 performs display operation acquisition processing.
The support personnel of the support terminal 2 starts a web browser and causes a “remote panel” that is a program corresponding to the RFB client to be executed.
As a result, the display operation unit 200 is connected to the connection unit 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 using a protocol obtained by extending the RFB protocol.
As a result, the emulated image 410 is displayed on the web browser, and the pointer can be moved or pressed by the input unit 26.

(Step S341)
The display operation unit 200 of the confirmation terminal 3 also performs display operation acquisition processing.
This process is performed in the same manner as step S241 described above.

(Step S242)
Next, the operation transmission unit 210 of the support terminal 2 performs an operation information transmission process.
The operation transmitting unit 210 acquires the rectangular coordinates of the pointer moved on the emulated image 410 of the web browser as pointer data. Further, the operation transmission unit 210 also acquires information on pressing of a button or a physical key and adds this to the pointer data. The operation transmission unit 210 transmits the pointer data as operation information 400 to the image forming apparatus 1.

  Here, the operation transmission unit 210 may also acquire and transmit pointer data of the portion of the image of the mode change button of the emulated image 410 as the operation information 400.

(Step S342)
The operation transmission unit 210 of the confirmation terminal 3 also performs operation information transmission processing.
This process is also performed in the same manner as step S242 described above.

Here, in the present embodiment, the image transmission unit 170 of the image forming apparatus 1 transmits the operation information 400 transmitted by the operation transmission unit 210 of the support terminal 2 to the confirmation terminal 3.
In addition, the image transmission unit 170 transmits the operation information 400 transmitted by the operation transmission unit 210 of the confirmation terminal 3 to the support terminal 2.
Thereby, the operation information 400 is synchronized between the support terminal 2 and the confirmation terminal 3.

(Step S142)
Next, the drawing mode switching unit 141 determines whether or not there has been a mode change instruction.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 determines Yes when the position of the image of the mode change button is pressed with the pointer in the pointer data of the operation information 400.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 also determines Yes when a specific key is pressed in the key data of the operation information 400.
In other cases, the drawing mode switching unit 141 determines No.
In the case of Yes, the drawing mode switching unit 141 proceeds with the process to step S143.
In the case of No, the drawing mode switching unit 141 ends the process in the image forming apparatus 1 of the drawing support process.

(Step S143)
When there is a mode change instruction, the drawing mode switching unit 141 performs a mode switching process.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 switches the current mode state with reference to the mode information 440.
That is, the drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to the drawing mode when the current mode is the normal control mode.
In addition, the drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to the normal control mode when the current mode is the drawing mode.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 may perform this switching by inverting the flag of the mode information 440 or the like.

In addition, according to FIG. 16, the drawing mode switching unit 141 may indicate to the support personnel that the current mode state has been changed by inverting the display of the mode change button M or the like.
The display itself of the button M may be changed to “drawing mode” or “normal control mode”.

  In the present embodiment, the drawing mode switching unit 141 transmits a switching command to the support terminal 2 in response to the change of the mode information 440.

(Step S243)
Here, the display operation unit 200 of the support terminal 2 determines whether or not the drawing mode is set.
The display operation unit 200 determines Yes when the command to switch to the drawing mode has been received.
The display operation unit 200 determines No when it remains in the normal control mode or when a command for switching to the normal control mode is received.
In the case of Yes, the display operation unit 200 advances the process to step S244.
In No, the display operation part 200 complete | finishes the process in the support terminal 2 of a drawing support process.

(Step S244)
In the drawing mode, the display operation unit 200 performs an image writing process. This is image drawing processing for drawing an image.
The display operation unit 200 performs character input, annotation drawing, or highlight drawing in response to a drawing instruction from a support person.
In addition, the display operation unit 200 acquires the changed portion as drawing data 460 and reflects it in the emulation image 410.
That is, the drawing data 460 and the emulated image 410 are in a state in which characters are input by the user, annotation pictures, and highlights are drawn.
According to FIG. 16, the display operation unit 200 draws a screen corresponding to the operation instruction on the screen of the display unit 27 on the web browser.
In addition, the display operation unit 200 acquires the drawing result of the display unit 27 as the drawing data 460 and reflects the result on the emulation image 410.
In the example of FIG. 16, the support staff shows a location imitating a physical copy button.
The display operation unit 200 can acquire drawing rectangle data of these places as drawing data 460.
Note that, in the image forming apparatus 1, the portion imitating the physical button is not displayed on the display panel of the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16.
However, as will be described later, it is displayed on the display unit 37 of the confirmation terminal 3.

(Step S245)
Next, the drawing transmission unit 230 performs a drawing transmission process.
The drawing transmission unit 230 transmits the drawing data 460 to the image forming apparatus 1 in the currently connected session.
For this transmission, the drawing transmission unit 230 may execute a program corresponding to an RFB protocol server.
Further, the drawing transmission unit 230 may transmit, for example, “FramebufferUpdate” of the RFB protocol to the image forming apparatus 1.
Specifically, the drawing transmitting unit 230 may transmit “FramebufferUpdate” to the image forming apparatus 1 in response to an event of “FramebufferUpdateRequest” for the support terminal 2, for example.
In addition, the drawing transmission unit 230 may transmit the drawing data 460 without the “FramebufferUpdateRequest” from the program corresponding to the client of the image forming apparatus 1.

(Step S144)
Here, the image transmission unit 170 of the image forming apparatus 1 performs image transmission processing.
The image transmission unit 170 acquires the drawing data 460 drawn on the support terminal 2 and transmits it to the confirmation terminal 3.
Specifically, the image transmission unit 170 may acquire the drawing data 460 from the support terminal 2 by executing a program corresponding to an RFB protocol client when the drawing mode is set.
For example, the image transmission unit 170 receives “FramebufferUpdate” and thereby receives the drawing data 460.
The image transmission unit 170 transmits the received drawing data 460 to the confirmation terminal 3 as it is.

Further, the image transmission unit 170 may apply the drawing data 460 to the emulated image 410 stored in the storage unit 19 and display it on the display unit 47.
In the example of FIG. 16, in the image forming apparatus 1, only the display panel portion of the display unit 47 corresponding to the “panel D” portion of the emulated image 410 is displayed.
Further, the image transmission unit 170 may transmit a message “FramebufferUpdateRequest” to the support terminal 2 at a specific interval as a client during the drawing mode.
Further, even when the server and the client are switched, a program corresponding to the RFB protocol server of the image forming apparatus 1 may be executed.
In this case, processing related to pressing of the buttons on the remote panel by the support personnel of the support terminal 2 can be executed in the same manner as the connection processing described above.

(Step S343)
Here, the drawing receiving unit 240 of the confirmation terminal 3 performs a drawing reception display process.
The drawing receiving unit 240 acquires the drawing data 460 from the image forming apparatus 1 and stores it in the storage unit 39.
The drawing receiving unit 240 may also execute this acquisition by receiving “FramebufferUpdate”.
In addition, the drawing receiving unit 240 applies the drawing data 460 to the emulated image 410 stored in the storage unit 39 and displays it on the display unit 37.
In the example of FIG. 16, the confirmation terminal 3 also displays a location imitating a physical button other than the location of “panel D” in the emulated image 410.
In other words, the confirmation terminal 3 can perform the same display as the display unit 27 of the support terminal 2.
Thus, the drawing support process according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is completed.

With the configuration described above, the following effects can be obtained.
With typical technology, it was not possible to give instructions based on the content drawn by the support personnel on the support terminal.
In contrast, an image forming system X according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention includes an image forming apparatus 1, a support terminal 2 for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus 1, and a confirmation terminal 3 for image confirmation. .
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a connection unit 100, an operation information acquisition unit 110, a drawing mode switching unit 141, and an image transmission unit 170.
The connection unit 100 is connected to the remote maintenance support terminal 2 through a session of a specific protocol.
The operation information acquisition unit 110 acquires operation information 400 corresponding to the operation of the support terminal 2 or the confirmation terminal 3 connected by the connection unit 100.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to a drawing mode in which drawing is performed in the support terminal 2 or the confirmation terminal 3 based on the operation information 400 acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 110.
When the drawing mode switching unit 141 switches to the drawing mode, the image transmission unit 170 acquires the drawing data 460 drawn by the support terminal 2 and transmits it to the confirmation terminal 3.
The support terminal 2 and the confirmation terminal 3 include the display unit 27 or the display unit 37 and the operation transmission unit 210, respectively.
The display unit 27 and the display unit 37 display an emulated image 410 that emulates the operation panel unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1.
The operation transmission unit 210 transmits, to the image forming apparatus 1, operation information 400 including pointer data regarding movement and pressing of the pointer on the emulated image 410 and / or key data regarding key pressing of the support terminal 2 in a session. Send.
With this configuration, it becomes possible to give an instruction to the IT administrator or the like based on the content drawn by the support personnel on the remote panel of the support terminal 2. That is, when the support staff educates the IT manager or the like on the operation, it is possible to input characters, draw an annotation picture, or draw a highlight on the remote panel. As a result, it is possible to help the IT manager and the like to understand, and to contribute to support for remote maintenance.

In addition, when an image imitating a physical button of the image forming apparatus is displayed on the support terminal on the remote panel, the physical button or the like can be drawn outside the display panel area.
However, in the image forming apparatus, drawing outside the display panel is not reflected.
In contrast, the image forming system X of the present embodiment can display the drawing data 460 on the confirmation terminal 3 and reflect the drawing outside the area of the display panel.
That is, an IT administrator or the like can also browse the remote panel with the confirmation terminal 3.
Thereby, it is possible to increase the intelligibility of remote maintenance without increasing the load on communication and without affecting the performance of operation.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the drawing data 460 includes input of characters, annotation pictures, or highlights.
With this configuration, in remote maintenance support, character input corresponding to the emulated image 410 of the image forming apparatus 1, drawing of an annotation picture, drawing of highlight, or the like is performed via the image forming apparatus 1. Can be done. That is, it is possible to perform drawing or the like that matches the internal data from the remote panel using the functions in the image forming apparatus 1. As a result, characters and the like can be input with certainty, and the contents of highlights and the like can be surely matched with character locations such as document files and icon positions. Therefore, it is possible to provide support as intended by the support personnel.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the emulated image 410 is an image of a mode change button for changing the mode to an area other than the area displayed on the operation panel unit 16 of the own apparatus. including.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 changes the mode in the operation information 400 when the image of the mode change button is pressed with a pointer, or when a key of a specific support terminal 2 or confirmation terminal 3 is pressed.
With this configuration, it is possible to transmit a pointer movement and key press defined by the RFB protocol as operation information 400 from the remote panel, thereby realizing a drawing mode. That is, the image forming apparatus 1 can perform drawing by extension based on the RFB protocol. Thereby, development cost can be reduced. In addition, since the remote panel does not require a plurality of sessions, connection problems due to opening and closing of ports are less likely to occur.

Further, in the RFB protocol, transmission of image data from a client of a support terminal to a server has not been defined.
In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the specific protocol is an extended protocol of the RFB protocol.
The connection unit 100 is also connected to the confirmation terminal 3.
The drawing data 460 is extended data other than pointer data and key data.
By configuring in this way, it is possible to prevent drawing other than support personnel. Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation by the IT administrator or the like of the image forming apparatus 1 and improve the efficiency of remote maintenance.

Further, the support terminal 2 of the present embodiment also displays an image imitating a portion other than the display panel of the display unit 47 of the operation panel unit 16.
As a result, the drawing on the remote panel by the support staff can be performed at a place other than the display panel.
Therefore, it is possible to input characters into the physical button area, draw an annotation picture, or draw a highlight.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the connection unit 100 executes a server in the RFB protocol.
The support terminal 2 and the confirmation terminal 3 execute a client in the RFB protocol.
The drawing mode switching unit 141 switches between the server and the client when changing the mode.
With this configuration, the drawing mode can be executed simply by switching between the RFB protocol server and client.
Further, the drawing data 460 can be transmitted and received while the same session is connected.
Thus, the possibility of connection troubles can be reduced.

In the above-described fourth embodiment, an example in which the drawing data 460 is processed by the confirmation terminal 3 has been described.
However, the image transmission unit 170 of the image forming apparatus 1 may transmit the emulation image 410 to which the drawing data 460 is applied to the confirmation terminal 3.
In this case, the drawing receiving unit 240 of the confirmation terminal 3 may acquire the emulated image 410 itself to which the drawing data 460 is applied, and update the emulated image 410 stored in the storage unit 39.
By comprising in this way, the load of the confirmation terminal 3 can be reduced and the structure of the confirmation terminal 3 can also be simplified.

In the above-described fourth embodiment, an example in which the emulated image 410 in which the drawing data 460 is reflected is also displayed on the display unit 47 of the image forming apparatus 1 has been disclosed.
However, the emulation image 410 in which the drawing data 460 is reflected can be displayed only on the confirmation terminal 3.
With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the communication band and improve the performance.

Further, in the above-described fourth embodiment, an example in which drawing is mainly performed only on the support terminal 2 has been described.
However, the confirmation terminal 3 and the image forming apparatus 1 may be configured to perform drawing in the drawing mode.
In the fourth embodiment described above, the drawing data 460 is transmitted to one confirmation terminal 3.
However, the confirmation terminal 3 may be selectable from a plurality.
In the fourth embodiment described above, an example in which the confirmation terminal 3 is connected to the network 5 has been described.
However, the confirmation terminal 3 may be connected to the image forming apparatus 1 by other than the network 5.
For example, the image forming apparatus 1 and the confirmation terminal 3 may be connected by WiFi Direct, Bluetooth (registered trademark), USB (Universal Serial Bus), or the like.
Further, in the above-described fourth embodiment, an example in which the operation information 400 can be transmitted and received by the confirmation terminal 3 has been described.
However, the confirmation terminal 3 may be configured for “viewing only” on the remote panel.
In this case, the image forming apparatus 1 may be configured such that the drawing data 460 or the emulated image 410 is directly delivered to the confirmation terminal 3 by push or streaming.
In this case, the RFB protocol may not be used.
With this configuration, it is possible to flexibly support support personnel in remote maintenance in accordance with various necessary configurations.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention can also be applied to an information processing apparatus other than the image forming apparatus.
That is, a configuration using a network scanner, a server in which the scanner is separately connected by a USB, or the like may be used.

  The configuration and operation of the first embodiment are examples, and it goes without saying that the configuration and operation can be appropriately changed and executed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Support terminal 3 Confirmation terminal 5 Network 10,20,30 Control part 11 Image processing part 12 Original reading part 13 Original feeding part 14 Paper feeding part 15,25,35 Network transmission / reception part 16 Operation panel part 17 Image Forming unit 18 FAX transmitting / receiving unit 19, 29, 39 Storage unit 26, 36, 46 Input unit 27, 37, 47 Display unit 100 Connection unit 110 Operation information acquisition unit 140 Mode change unit 141 Drawing mode switching unit 150 Operation control unit 160 Drawing Unit 170 image transmission unit 200 display operation unit 210 operation transmission unit 230 drawing transmission unit 240 drawing reception unit 400 operation information 410 emulated image 440 mode information 460 drawing data 540 drawing instruction B button group D panel L display M button X, X2 , X3, X4 Image forming system

Claims (22)

A connection for connecting to a remote maintenance terminal with a session of a specific protocol;
An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal connected by the connection unit;
A mode change unit that changes the state of the own device to a normal control mode that actually controls each unit and a guidance mode that controls each unit for guidance based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an operation control unit that controls each unit according to the operation information in correspondence with the mode changed by the mode change unit. In the guidance mode, the operation control unit changes the display of the operation panel unit for operating the own device and / or the status change of the own device, but performs the guidance display that does not control the other units. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The specific protocol is an extended protocol of the RFB protocol,
3. The image according to claim 2, wherein the operation information includes pointer data relating to movement and pressing of a pointer on an emulated image emulating the operation panel unit of the own device displayed on the terminal. 4. Forming equipment. The emulated image includes an image of a mode change button for changing the mode in an area other than the area where display is performed on the operation panel unit of the device itself,
The mode change unit
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, in the operation information, the mode is changed when an image portion of the mode change button is pressed with the pointer. A connection for connecting to a remote maintenance terminal with a session of a specific protocol;
An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal connected by the connection unit;
A drawing mode switching unit for switching to a drawing mode for performing drawing on the display of the operation panel unit according to the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit;
A drawing unit that, when switched to the drawing mode by the drawing mode switching unit, draws on the operation panel unit in response to a drawing instruction included in the operation information, and reflects a drawing result on the terminal. An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the drawing unit performs character input, annotation drawing, or highlight drawing in the drawing mode. The specific protocol is an extended protocol of the RFB protocol,
The operation information includes pointer data related to movement and pressing of a pointer on an emulated image emulating the operation panel unit of the device itself displayed on the terminal, and / or key data related to key pressing on the terminal. Including
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the drawing instruction corresponds to the pointer data and / or the key data. The emulated image includes an image of a mode change button for changing the mode in an area other than the area where display is performed on the operation panel unit of the device itself,
The drawing mode switching unit
The mode is changed when the position of the image of the mode change button is pressed with the pointer in the operation information, or when a specific key of the terminal is pressed. The image forming apparatus described in 1. A connection for connecting to a remote maintenance terminal with a session of a specific protocol;
An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal connected by the connection unit;
A drawing mode switching unit for switching to a drawing mode for performing drawing on the display of the operation panel unit according to the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a drawing unit that acquires drawing data drawn in the terminal and draws the drawing on the operation panel unit when the drawing mode switching unit switches to the drawing mode. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the drawing data includes input characters, drawn annotation pictures, and / or drawn highlights. The operation information includes pointer data related to movement and pressing of a pointer on an emulated image emulating the operation panel unit of the device itself displayed on the terminal, and / or key data related to key pressing on the terminal. Including
The emulated image includes an image of a mode change button for changing the mode in an area other than the area where display is performed on the operation panel unit of the device itself,
The drawing mode switching unit
The mode is changed when the image of the mode change button is pressed with the pointer in the operation information, or when a specific key of the terminal is pressed. The image forming apparatus described in 1. The specific protocol is an extended protocol of the RFB protocol,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the drawing data is a part or the whole of the emulated image corresponding to drawing. The connection unit executes a server in the RFB protocol;
The terminal executes a client in the RFB protocol;
The drawing mode switching unit
The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when the mode is changed, the server and the client are switched. A support terminal for remote maintenance, a connection part to connect with a session of a specific protocol,
An operation information acquisition unit for acquiring operation information corresponding to the operation of the support terminal connected by the connection unit or the confirmation terminal for image confirmation;
A drawing mode switching unit that switches to a drawing mode for drawing in the support terminal or the confirmation terminal according to the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image transmission unit that acquires drawing data drawn in the support terminal and transmits the drawing data to the confirmation terminal when the drawing mode switching unit switches to the drawing mode. An image forming system including an image forming apparatus and a terminal for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes:
A connection unit for connecting to the terminal in a session of a specific protocol;
An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal connected by the connection unit;
A mode change unit that changes the state of the own device to a normal control mode that actually controls each unit and a guidance mode that controls each unit for guidance based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit,
In correspondence with the mode changed by the mode change unit, an operation control unit that controls each unit according to the operation information,
The terminal
A display unit for displaying an emulated image emulating an operation panel unit of the image forming apparatus;
An image forming system comprising: an operation transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the image forming apparatus, the operation information including pointer data relating to movement and depression of a pointer on the emulated image. An image forming system including an image forming apparatus and a terminal for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes:
A connection unit for connecting to the terminal in a session of a specific protocol;
An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal connected by the connection unit;
A drawing mode switching unit for switching to a drawing mode for performing drawing on the display of the operation panel unit according to the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit;
A drawing unit that, when switched to the drawing mode by the drawing mode switching unit, draws on the operation panel unit in response to a drawing instruction included in the operation information, and reflects a drawing result on the terminal;
The terminal
A display unit for displaying an emulated image emulating the operation panel unit of the image forming apparatus;
An operation transmission unit that transmits the operation information including pointer data regarding movement and pressing of a pointer on the emulated image and / or key data regarding key pressing of the terminal to the image forming apparatus in the session; An image forming system comprising: An image forming system including an image forming apparatus and a terminal for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes:
A connection unit for connecting to the terminal in a session of a specific protocol;
An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to the operation of the terminal connected by the connection unit;
A drawing mode switching unit for switching to a drawing mode for performing drawing on the display of the operation panel unit according to the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit;
A drawing unit that obtains drawing data drawn in the terminal and draws the drawing on the operation panel unit when the drawing mode switching unit switches to the drawing mode;
The terminal
A display unit for displaying an emulated image emulating an operation panel unit of the image forming apparatus;
An operation transmitting unit for transmitting the operation information including pointer data regarding movement and pressing of a pointer on the emulated image and / or key data regarding key pressing of the terminal to the image forming apparatus in the session;
In addition to the operation information transmitted by the operation transmitter, an image forming system comprising: a drawing transmitter that transmits the drawing data drawn on the emulated image to the image forming apparatus. An image forming system including an image forming apparatus, a support terminal for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus, and a confirmation terminal for image confirmation,
The image forming apparatus includes:
A connection unit connected to the support terminal in a session of a specific protocol;
An operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information corresponding to an operation of the support terminal or the confirmation terminal connected by the connection unit;
A drawing mode switching unit that switches to a drawing mode for drawing in the support terminal or the confirmation terminal according to the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit;
When the drawing mode switching unit is switched to the drawing mode, an image transmission unit that acquires drawing data drawn in the support terminal and transmits the drawing data to the confirmation terminal, and
The support terminal and the confirmation terminal are:
An emulated image emulating an operation panel unit of the image forming apparatus, and a display unit for displaying the drawing data;
The operation information including pointer data regarding movement and pressing of a pointer on the emulated image and / or key data regarding key pressing of the support terminal or the confirmation terminal is transmitted to the image forming apparatus in the session. An image forming system comprising: an operation transmitting unit. A communication processing method executed by an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal,
Acquire operation information corresponding to the operation of the connected terminal,
According to the acquired operation information, the state of the own device is changed to a normal control mode for actually controlling each part and a guidance mode for controlling each part for guidance,
Corresponding to the changed mode, the respective units are controlled by the operation information. A communication processing method executed by an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal for remote maintenance,
Connect to the terminal with a specific protocol session,
Acquire operation information corresponding to the operation of the connected terminal,
Based on the acquired operation information, switch to the drawing mode for drawing on the display of the operation panel,
When the drawing mode is switched, drawing is performed on the operation panel unit in response to a drawing instruction included in the operation information, and a drawing result is reflected on the terminal. A communication processing method executed by an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal for remote maintenance,
Connect to the terminal with a specific protocol session,
Acquire operation information corresponding to the operation of the connected terminal,
Based on the acquired operation information, switch to the drawing mode for drawing on the display of the operation panel,
When the drawing mode is switched, the communication processing method is characterized in that drawing data drawn in the terminal is acquired and drawn on the operation panel unit. A communication processing method executed by an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a support terminal for remote maintenance,
Connect to the support terminal with a session of a specific protocol,
Acquire operation information corresponding to the operation of the connected support terminal or the confirmation terminal for image confirmation,
According to the acquired operation information, the drawing mode is switched to the drawing mode in the support terminal or the confirmation terminal,
When the drawing mode is switched, drawing data drawn in the support terminal is acquired and transmitted to the confirmation terminal.

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