JP6536362B2 - OUTPUT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND OUTPUT MANAGEMENT DEVICE - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an output management system and an output management device.

  In recent years, there is a tendency to promote the computerization of information, and image processing apparatuses such as printers and facsimiles used for outputting computerized information and scanners used for computerizing documents have become indispensable devices. Such an image processing apparatus may be configured as an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral: MFP) that can be used as a printer, a facsimile, a scanner, and a copier by including an imaging function, an image forming function, and a communication function. There are many.

  Then, an information processing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer) and a plurality of image processing apparatuses are connected to a server or the like via a network, and each of the image processing apparatuses receives and outputs a print output command Hereinafter, a technology for managing “print job” has been proposed conventionally.

  As one of the conventional techniques of this type, the completion of print output of the print target file is the most based on the print information acquired from each of the plurality of image processing apparatuses and the print condition and the print target file acquired from the information processing apparatus. There is known a technology of a configuration in which priority is given to a plurality of image processing apparatuses in order from an image processing apparatus in order of speed, and information indicating the plurality of image processing apparatuses prioritized is displayed on the information processing apparatus. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, although the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 can increase the certainty of selection of the optimum image processing apparatus, the user can print out information from information indicating the plurality of image processing apparatuses prioritized as described above. Even if the image processing apparatus to be executed is selected, the possibility that a failure occurs in the selected image processing apparatus is not taken into consideration. Therefore, the prior art of Patent Document 1 can not sufficiently prevent the print output from being stopped due to the occurrence of a failure in the image processing apparatus, and therefore, there is a problem that the productivity of print output processing is reduced.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and has been made in advance to grasp the occurrence of a failure when the image processing apparatus executes print output, and to improve the productivity of print output processing. With the goal.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention provides a plurality of image processing apparatuses that execute print output according to a print output command received via a network, and the printing that transmits to the plurality of image processing apparatuses An output management system comprising an output management apparatus for managing an output command, which includes operation history information and apparatus information of each image processing apparatus when a failure occurs in each image processing apparatus in execution of the print output Each of the fault information acquiring unit for acquiring fault information, a fault information storage unit for storing the fault information acquired by the fault information acquiring unit, and the fault information based on the fault information stored in the fault information storage unit A failure content analysis unit that analyzes the content of the failure that has occurred in the image processing apparatus; an analysis result storage unit that stores analysis results of the failure content analysis unit; An operation determination unit which determines the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be transmitted among the plurality of image processing apparatuses based on the analysis result of the failure content analysis unit accumulated in the copy unit; When it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is not possible by the operation determination unit, the transmission of the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus is interrupted, and the operation is enabled or not. A command processing unit performing processing for continuing transmission of the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus when it is determined by the determination unit that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is possible; , wherein the instruction processing unit, when the operation of the destination to become the image processing apparatus of the print output command by said operation determination section is determined to be impossible, allows the operation of the image processing apparatus Identify following condition, and notifies the identified relevant condition to the requesting the print output instruction.

  According to the present invention, the occurrence of a failure when the image processing apparatus executes print output can be grasped in advance, and the productivity of print output processing can be improved.

It is a figure which shows the operation | use form of the output management system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows typically the hardware constitutions of the image processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows typically each hardware constitutions of the client apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, and an output management server. It is a block diagram showing functional composition of an image processing device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing functional composition of an output management server concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of management processing of error information received from the image processing apparatus in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the error content table accumulate | stored in information DB which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of print job management processing from the client apparatus requesting print output to the image processing apparatus executing print output in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the alert displayed on a client apparatus in the output management system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an aspect when transmission of a print job to an image processing apparatus is interrupted in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a view showing a state where transmission of a print job to the image processing apparatus is continued in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of a print condition setting screen displayed on the image processing apparatus in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the alert displayed on an image processing apparatus in the output management system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the output management server which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the error content table accumulate | stored in information DB which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the error content table accumulate | stored in information DB which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the alert displayed on a client apparatus in the output management system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a state when an image processing apparatus to which a print job is to be sent is changed in the output management system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the alert displayed on a client apparatus in the output management system which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the alert displayed on a client apparatus in the output management system which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 18 is a view showing a state when print conditions included in a print job are changed in the output management system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the alert displayed on the client apparatus which concerns on 6th Embodiment of this invention.

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

First Embodiment
First, an operation mode of the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an operation mode of an output management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of image processing apparatuses 1-1, 1-2, 1-3,..., 1-n (n is a natural number) , And a plurality of client devices 2-1, 2-2, 2-3,..., 2-m (m: natural number) are connected to the network on the user side, and the cloud system 4 including the output management server 3 A connected network is connected via a public line 5 such as the Internet. The network on the user side is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) installed in an office or a house.

  Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish the image processing devices 1-1, 1-2, 1-3,..., 1-n, they are collectively referred to as the image processing device 1. Also, in the following, when it is not necessary to distinguish the client devices 2-1, 2-2, 2-3,..., 2-m, they are collectively referred to as the client device 2.

  The image processing apparatus 1 is an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) that can be used as a printer, a facsimile, a scanner, and a copying machine by including an imaging function, an image forming function, and a communication function. The image processing apparatus 1 executes print output (image formation) in accordance with a print output command (hereinafter, referred to as “print job”) received from the output management server 3 via a network.

  The client device 2 is an information processing terminal operated by a user, and is realized by an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer). The client device 2 may be realized by a portable information terminal such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a smartphone, or a tablet terminal.

  The output management server 3 communicates with the image processing apparatus 1 and the client apparatus 2 via a network, and functions as an output management apparatus that manages print jobs to be transmitted to the image processing apparatus 1. In addition, the output management server 3 performs processing of storing print conditions and image information included in the print job.

  The cloud system 4 includes an output management server 3 and a system including a storage area accessible through a network, a server for executing an application, and a web server for providing a web site serving as a user interface thereof. It is.

  Next, hardware constituting the image processing apparatus 1 included in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of the image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes the same configuration as a general PC or the like.

  That is, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a central processing unit (CPU) 11, a read only memory (ROM) 12, a random access memory (RAM) 13, a hard disk drive (HDD) 14, and an image. The memory 15, the reading unit 16, the printing unit 17, and the I / F 18 are connected via the bus 21. Further, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 19 and an operation unit 20 are connected to the I / F 18. In addition, the image processing apparatus 1 includes an engine that executes print output.

  The CPU 11 is an arithmetic unit and controls the operation of the entire image processing apparatus 1. The ROM 12 is a read only non-volatile storage medium, and stores programs such as firmware. The RAM 13 is a volatile storage medium capable of high-speed reading and writing of information, and is used as a work area when the CPU 11 processes information.

  The HDD 14 is a non-volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information, and stores an OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, and the like. In addition to the HDD 14, a semiconductor storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) may be used.

  The image memory 15 is a non-volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information, and stores read image information and image information etc. after compression. The reading unit 16 is configured of a scanner or the like that reads a user's original image as image information. The printing unit 17 is configured of a printer or the like that performs print output on a sheet stored in advance.

  The I / F 18 is an interface for the image processing apparatus 1 to communicate with another apparatus, and is Ethernet (registered trademark), USB (Universal Serial Bus), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered) Interfaces such as trademarks, FeliCa (registered trademark), PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standards, etc. are used.

  The LCD 19 is a visual user interface that displays various types of information and allows the user to confirm the state of the image processing apparatus 1. The operation unit 20 is a user interface such as a keyboard, a mouse, various hard buttons, a touch panel, and the like for the user to input information to the image processing apparatus 1.

  In such a hardware configuration, a program stored in a storage medium such as the ROM 12, the HDD 14, or an optical disk (not shown) is read out to the RAM 13, and the CPU 11 performs an operation according to those programs to configure a software control unit. . The combination of the software control unit configured as described above and hardware configures a functional block that implements the function of the image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Next, each hardware of the client device 2 and the output management server 3 included in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of the client device 2 and the output management server 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the client device 2 and the output management server 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention have the same basic configuration as the image processing device 1 described above, but the hardware configuration of the image processing device 1 Among them, the difference is that the reading unit 16 and the printing unit 17 are not included.

  That is, in the client device 2 and the output management server 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the CPU 31, the ROM 32, the RAM 33, the HDD 34, the image memory 35 and the I / F 36 are connected via the bus 39. Further, the LCD 37 and the operation unit 38 are connected to the I / F 36. The components of the client device 2 and the output management server 3 have the same functions as the corresponding components of the image processing apparatus 1 described above, and therefore, the components of the client device 2 and the output management server 3 overlap. The explanation is omitted.

  Next, the functions of the image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a controller 100, an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 110, a scanner unit 120, a paper discharge tray 130, and a display panel 140. , A paper feed table 150, a print engine 160, a paper discharge tray 170, and a network I / F 180.

  The controller 100 also includes a main control unit 101, an engine control unit 102, an input / output control unit 103, an image processing unit 104, and an operation display control unit 105. As shown in FIG. 4, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is configured as a multifunction machine having a scanner unit 120 and a print engine 160. Further, in FIG. 4, the electrical connection is indicated by a solid arrow, and the flow of the sheet or the document bundle is indicated by a broken arrow.

  The display panel 140 is an output interface for visually displaying the state of the image processing apparatus 1, and as a touch panel, the user directly operates the image processing apparatus 1 or inputs information to the image processing apparatus 1. It is also an input interface. That is, the display panel 140 includes a function of displaying an image for receiving an operation by the user. The display panel 140 is realized by the LCD 19 and the operation unit 20 shown in FIG.

  The network I / F 180 is an interface for the image processing apparatus 1 to communicate with an external device such as the client apparatus 2 or the output management server 3 via a network, and is an interface such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or USB standard, for example. Is used. The network I / F 180 can also communicate by the TCP / IP protocol. Furthermore, the network I / F 180 also functions as an interface for executing facsimile transmission when the image processing apparatus 1 functions as a facsimile. Therefore, the network I / F 180 is also connected to the telephone line. The network I / F 180 is realized by the I / F 18 shown in FIG.

  The controller 100 is configured by a combination of software and hardware. Specifically, the controller 100 is configured by a software control unit configured by the CPU 11 performing an operation according to various programs and hardware such as an integrated circuit. A program stored in the ROM 12 or a program loaded to the RAM 13 from a non-volatile storage medium such as the HDD 14 is used as a program for the CPU 11 to perform computations. The controller 100 functions as a control unit that controls the entire image processing apparatus 1.

  The main control unit 101 plays a role of controlling each unit included in the controller 100, and gives an instruction to each unit of the controller 100. The engine control unit 102 plays a role as a driving unit that controls or drives the print engine 160, the scanner unit 120, and the like. The input / output control unit 103 inputs, to the main control unit 101, a signal or an instruction input via the network I / F 180. Further, the main control unit 101 controls the input / output control unit 103, and accesses an external device via the network I / F 180.

  The image processing unit 104 generates drawing information based on the image information to be printed out under the control of the main control unit 101. The drawing information is information for drawing an image to be printed in the print output operation by the print engine 160 which is an image forming unit. The image processing unit 104 also processes imaging data input from the scanner unit 120 to generate image data. The image data is information stored in the storage area of the image processing apparatus 1 as a result of the scanner operation or transmitted to an external device via the network I / F 180. The operation display control unit 105 displays information on the display panel 140 or notifies the main control unit 101 of information input through the display panel 140.

  When the image processing apparatus 1 operates as a printer, first, the input / output control unit 103 receives a print job via the network I / F 180. The input / output control unit 103 transfers the received print job to the main control unit 101. When execution of the received print job is started, the main control unit 101 first controls the image processing unit 104 to generate drawing information based on document information or image information included in the print job.

  When drawing information is generated by the image processing unit 104, the engine control unit 102 controls the print engine 160, and based on the generated drawing information, executes print output on the sheet conveyed from the sheet feeding table 150. Do. As a specific aspect of the print engine 160, it is possible to use an image forming mechanism by an inkjet method, an image forming mechanism by an electrophotographic method, or the like. A document on which an image has been formed by the print engine 160 is discharged to the discharge tray 170.

  When the image processing apparatus 1 operates as a scanner, the operation display control unit according to a user's operation on the display panel 140 or a scan execution instruction input from an external device such as the client device 2 via the network I / F 180. 105 or the input / output control unit 103 transfers a scan execution signal to the main control unit 101. The main control unit 101 controls the engine control unit 102 based on the received scan execution signal. The engine control unit 102 drives the ADF 110 and transports the imaging target document set in the ADF 110 to the scanner unit 120.

  Further, the engine control unit 102 drives the scanner unit 120 to capture an image of a document conveyed from the ADF 110. Further, when a document is not set in the ADF 110 and is directly set in the scanner unit 120, the scanner unit 120 captures an image of the set document according to the control of the engine control unit 102. That is, the scanner unit 120 operates as an imaging unit.

  In an imaging operation, an imaging element such as a CCD included in the scanner unit 120 optically scans an original, and imaging information based on optical information is generated. The engine control unit 102 transfers the imaging information generated by the scanner unit 120 to the image processing unit 104. The image processing unit 104 generates image information based on the imaging information received from the engine control unit 102 under the control of the main control unit 101.

  The main control unit 101 acquires the image information generated by the image processing unit 104, and the main control unit 101 stores the image information in a storage medium mounted on the image processing apparatus 1 such as the HDD 14. The image information generated by the image processing unit 104 is stored as it is in the HDD 14 or the like according to the user's instruction, or the external of the client apparatus 2 and the output management server 3 via the input / output control unit 103 and the network I / F 180. Sent to the device.

  When the image processing apparatus 1 operates as a copying machine, the image processing unit 104 generates drawing information based on the imaging information received from the scanner unit 120 by the engine control unit 102 or the image information generated by the image processing unit 104. Do. The engine control unit 102 drives the print engine 160 based on the drawing information as in the printer operation. In addition, when the information format of drawing information and imaging information is the same, it is also possible to use imaging information as drawing information as it is.

  Next, the functional configuration of the output management server 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the output management server 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the output management server 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a controller 300 and a network I / F 310. The controller 300 also includes an input / output control unit 301, an information database (hereinafter referred to as “information DB”) 302, an error content analysis unit 303, and a job control unit 304.

  The network I / F 310 is an interface for the output management server 3 to communicate with an external device such as the image processing apparatus 1 and the client device 2 via the network, and an interface such as Ethernet (registered trademark) is used. This network I / F 310 is realized by the I / F 36 shown in FIG.

  The controller 300 is configured by a combination of software and hardware. The controller 300 is a control unit that controls the entire output management server 3. The input / output control unit 301 acquires information input via the network I / F 310 and transmits information to an external device via the network I / F 310.

  Specifically, the input / output control unit 301 receives a print job from the client device 2 of the request source via the network I / F 310 under the control of the job control unit 304 and stores it in the information DB 302 or in the information DB 302 Control is performed to transmit the accumulated print job to the destination image processing apparatus 1. Further, when a failure (hereinafter, referred to as an “error”) occurs in the image processing apparatus 1 in the execution of print output, the input / output control unit 301 operates history information of the image processing apparatus 1, for example, an operation log and device information Functions as a fault information acquisition unit that acquires error information (fault information) including

  The information DB 302 stores and accumulates the print job received from the client device 2. In addition, the information DB 302 stores and accumulates error information acquired by the input / output control unit 301, and stores and accumulates an analysis result of the error content analysis unit 303. That is, the information DB 302 functions as a failure information storage unit and an analysis result storage unit.

  The error content analysis unit 303 functions as a failure content analysis unit that analyzes the content of the error generated in the image processing apparatus 1 based on the error information accumulated in the information DB 302. The job control unit 304 stores a print job to be received from the client device 2 and to be transmitted to the image processing apparatus 1 in the information DB 302 and managed.

  The job control unit 304 executes print job processing in accordance with various control programs and application programs stored in advance in the HDD 34 or the like. Furthermore, the job control unit 304 functions as an operation availability determination unit that determines the operation availability of the image processing apparatus 1 as the print job transmission destination based on the analysis result of the error content analysis unit 303 accumulated in the information DB 302. Do.

  In the output management system having such a configuration, whether the print job is to be transmitted to the image processing apparatus 1 according to the determination result of the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 as the transmission destination of the print job by the job control unit 304 It is one of the gist of the present invention to carry out the processing for. As a result, since occurrence of an error when the image processing apparatus 1 executes print output can be grasped in advance, productivity of print output processing can be improved.

  Hereinafter, processing in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of management processing of error information received from the image processing apparatus 1 in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 6, first, when an error such as jam (paper jam) or SC (Service Call) occurs in execution of print output, the image processing apparatus 1 (step (hereinafter referred to as “S”) 601 And the operation log is transmitted to the output management server 3 together with the device information stored in the HDD 14 or the like (S602). The device information of the image processing apparatus 1 includes board information as an identification number for identifying the image processing apparatus 1, a firmware version of the image processing apparatus 1, a copy application version, a scanner application version,. XXX: functions of the image processing apparatus 1 and the like

  Next, when the input / output control unit 301 of the output management server 3 receives the operation log and the device information from the image processing apparatus 1 via the network I / F 310, the input / output control unit 301 transfers the operation log to the information DB 302 and transmits the operation log to the information DB 302. And instructs to store the operation log (S603). Then, the information DB 302 stores and accumulates the received operation log in accordance with an instruction from the input / output control unit 301 (S604).

  Next, the input / output control unit 301 instructs the error content analysis unit 303 to analyze the content of the error generated in the image processing apparatus 1 (S605). The error content analysis unit 303 analyzes the content of the error regarding the image processing apparatus 1 stored in the information DB 302 according to the instruction from the input / output control unit 301 (S606).

  Further, the error content analysis unit 303 inquires the device information of the image processing apparatus 1 to the input / output control unit 301 (S607). When receiving the inquiry about the device information of the image processing apparatus 1 from the error content analysis unit 303, the input / output control unit 301 transfers the device information received from the image processing apparatus 1 in S602 to the error content analysis unit 303 (S608).

  Next, when receiving the device information of the image processing apparatus 1 from the input / output control unit 301, the error content analysis unit 303 creates an error content table in which the content of the error related to the analyzed image processing apparatus 1 is associated with the device information. From the error content table, the number of occurrences of errors of the image processing apparatus 1 is calculated. Then, the error content analysis unit 303 transmits error analysis information including the error content table and the number of occurrences of errors in the image processing apparatus 1 to the information DB 302, and instructs the information DB 302 to store the error analysis information. (S609).

  Then, the information DB 302 stores and accumulates the received error analysis information in accordance with the instruction from the error content analysis unit 303 (S610). The error analysis information is referred to when the job control unit 304 determines whether the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 to which the print job is to be sent can be performed, as described later. By such processing, management processing of error information in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention is completed.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an error content table stored in the information DB 302 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The error content table shown in FIG. 7 includes the printing conditions included in the print job when an error occurs in the image processing apparatus 1, the device information of the image processing apparatus 1, and the content of the error analyzed by the error content analysis unit 303. And are associated.

  That is, the error content table stored in the information DB 302 includes the items of “printing condition” indicating the size of the sheet to be printed, the function of a copy or a scanner, the scale, the setting of color, etc. An item "substrate information" indicating an identification number to be identified, an item "firmware version" indicating a current firmware version of the image processing apparatus 1, and "copy application version indicating a current copy application version of the image processing apparatus 1 And the item “Scanner application version” indicating the current scanner application version of the image processing apparatus 1, and the item “XXX application version” indicating the current XXX application version of the image processing apparatus 1. And an item of “Phenomenon” indicating the contents of an error that has occurred in the image processing apparatus 1.

  FIG. 8 shows a flow of print job management processing from the client apparatus 2 requesting print output to the image processing apparatus 1 executing print output in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, first, the client device 2 receives an input operation from the user and makes a print output request. That is, the client apparatus 2 sends a print job to the output management server 3 (S801). Next, when the input / output control unit 301 of the output management server 3 receives a print job from the client device 2 via the network I / F 310, the input / output control unit 301 inquires of the image processing apparatus 1 as a print job transmission destination (S802). The destination of the print job is, for example, designated in advance by the user under the printing conditions included in the print job.

  Next, upon receiving an inquiry about device information from the input / output control unit 301, the image processing apparatus 1 transmits the device information stored in the HDD 14 or the like (S803). When receiving the device information from the image processing apparatus 1 via the network I / F 310, the input / output control section 301 inquires the job control section 304 about the determination result of the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 as the print job transmission destination. (S804).

  Next, when the job control unit 304 receives from the input / output control unit 301 an inquiry about the determination result as to whether the image processing apparatus 1 can operate or not, the number of occurrences of errors and the like regarding the image processing apparatus 1 as a print job transmission destination The error analysis information to be included is inquired to the information DB 302 (S805). When the information DB 302 receives an inquiry about error analysis information from the job control unit 304, the information DB 302 reads out the error analysis information and transmits it to the job control unit 304 (S806).

  Next, when receiving the error analysis information from the information DB 302, the job control unit 304 refers to this error analysis information to determine whether the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 as a print job transmission destination can be performed (S807). Specifically, the job control unit 304 operates the image processing apparatus 1 when the number of occurrences of errors of the image processing apparatus 1 as a print job transmission destination is equal to or more than a preset threshold value from the error analysis information. Image processing apparatus to which the print job is to be transmitted if it is determined that the image processing apparatus 1 to which the print job is to be transmitted is less than a predetermined threshold based on the error analysis information. It is determined that an operation of 1 is possible.

  When the process of step S807 is performed, the job control unit 304 passes the result of the determination as to the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 to which the print job is to be sent to the input / output control unit 301 (S808). Then, the input / output control unit 301 refers to the determination result of the job control unit 304, and confirms whether the job control unit 304 determines that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 serving as the transmission destination of the print job is possible. (S809).

  At this time, when the input / output control unit 301 confirms that the job control unit 304 determines that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 to which the print job is to be sent is not possible (S809 / NO), the job control unit 304 Interrupt transmission of the print job to the image processing apparatus 1 to which the print job is to be sent, and notify the client apparatus 2 via the network I / F 310 that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 is not possible. (S810).

  Then, the client apparatus 2 displays on the screen of the LCD 37 an alert indicating that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 to which the print job is to be sent is not possible (S811). FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an alert displayed on such a client device 2. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, on the screen of the LCD 37 of the client apparatus 2 in S811, a message for changing the setting of the printing conditions is displayed together with the selection button 37A.

  Therefore, the user touches the selection button 37A on the screen of the LCD 37 of the client device 2 and newly sets the printing conditions using the operation unit 38, whereby the client device 2 generates a print job and the output management server 3 Will be sent again. By such processing, the management processing of the print job in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention is completed.

  On the other hand, when the input / output control unit 301 confirms in S809 that the job control unit 304 determines that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 to which the print job is to be sent is possible (S809 / YES), the job control According to the control of the unit 304, the print job received from the client apparatus 2 in S801 is transferred to the image processing apparatus 1 via the network I / F 310. That is, the input / output control unit 301 functions as an instruction processing unit.

  Then, the image processing apparatus 1 executes print output according to the print job received from the input / output control unit 301 (S812). By such processing, the management processing of the print job in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention is completed.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of the processing of S801 to S811. In the example shown in FIG. 10, first, when the client apparatus 2 transmits a print job including the printing condition (A4 / copy / reduction 32% / monochrome) set by the user to the output management server 3 in the cloud system 4, The output management server 3 receives a print job from the client device 2.

  Next, the controller 300 of the output management server 3 acquires device information from the image processing apparatus 1-1 which is the transmission destination of the print job. Then, the controller 300 executes print output by the image processing apparatus 1-1 by referring to error analysis information including the number of occurrences of errors of each of the image processing apparatuses 1-1 to 1-4 accumulated in the information DB 302. Determine whether to continue processing.

  At this time, when the controller 300 determines that the print processing by the image processing apparatus 1-1 is to be interrupted, the controller 300 does not transmit the print job to the image processing apparatus 1-1, but instead transmits the print job to the image processing apparatus 1-1. The client device 2 is notified that the operation is not possible.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of the processing of S801 to S809 and S812. The figure shows an example in which a user generates a print job using the image processing apparatus 1-1 instead of the client apparatus 2. In the example shown in FIG. 11, first, when the client apparatus 2 transmits a print job including the printing condition (A4 / copy / 35% reduction / color) set by the user to the output management server 3 in the cloud system 4, The output management server 3 receives a print job from the client device 2.

  Next, the controller 300 of the output management server 3 acquires device information from the image processing apparatus 1-1 which is the transmission destination of the print job. Then, the controller 300 executes print output by the image processing apparatus 1-1 by referring to error analysis information including the number of occurrences of errors of each of the image processing apparatuses 1-1 to 1-4 accumulated in the information DB 302. Determine whether to continue processing.

  At this time, when the controller 300 determines that the print processing by the image processing apparatus 1-1 is to be continued, the print job is transmitted to the image processing apparatus 1-1 and the print output is executed to the image processing apparatus 1-1. Let

  As described above, according to the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the output management server 3 refers to the error analysis information stored in the information DB 302 to execute the print job by the job control unit 304. Printing according to the occurrence of an error in the image processing apparatus 1 by performing processing of whether to transmit a print job to the image processing apparatus 1 according to the determination result of the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 as the transmission destination. Stopping of output can be sufficiently avoided. As described above, the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention can improve the productivity of the process of print output because the occurrence of an error when the image processing apparatus 1 executes the print output can be grasped in advance. be able to.

  Further, in the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the job control unit 304 takes into consideration the number of occurrences of errors of the image processing apparatus 1 accumulated in the information DB 302, an image serving as a print job transmission destination. By determining whether or not the processing device 1 operates, it is possible to easily grasp the occurrence of an error when the image processing device 1 executes print output. As a result, the output management server 3 can quickly perform print job management processing.

  In the output management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 10, the case where the client device 2 generates a print job and transmits it to the output management server 3 has been mainly described. The invention is not limited to this case, and as shown in FIG. 11, the image processing apparatus 1 may generate a print job and send it to the output management server 3.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, the user can set the print conditions from the screen of the display panel 140 of the image processing apparatus 1 and transmit the print job from the image processing apparatus 1 to the output management server 3. When the image processing apparatus 1 is notified that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 to which the print job is to be sent is not possible, the image processing apparatus 1 prints the screen of the display panel 140 as shown in FIG. 13, for example. It switches to an alert screen including a message requesting change of setting of conditions and a selection button 140A.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the output management server 3 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of an error content table stored in the information DB 302 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment described above, the output management server 3 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is an image processing apparatus 1 in which the job control unit 304 is a print job transmission destination. It further includes a threshold setting unit 305 that sets a threshold for determining whether to perform an operation according to the type of error.

  In this case, the error content table created by the error content analysis unit 303 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, the printing conditions included in the print job when an error occurs in the image processing apparatus 1 and The device information, the content of the error analyzed by the error content analysis unit 303, and the threshold set by the threshold setting unit 305 are associated with each other.

  That is, the error content table stored in the information DB 302 includes the items of "printing condition", the item of "board information", the item of "firmware version", the item of "copy application version", and the like. In addition to the items of “Scanner application version”,..., “XXX application version”, and “Phenomenon”, an item of “Error threshold” indicating the threshold set by the threshold setting unit 305 is further included. It is done. The error content analysis unit 303 calculates the number of occurrences of each type of error in the image processing apparatus 1 from the error content table and stores the number in the information DB 302.

  The job control unit 304 refers to the number of occurrences of each type of error in the image processing apparatus 1 accumulated in the information DB 302, and the number of occurrences of errors corresponding to the printing conditions included in the print job is set by the threshold setting unit 305. When it is equal to or higher than the threshold, it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 which is the transmission destination of the print job is impossible. On the other hand, when the number of occurrences of errors corresponding to the printing conditions included in the print job is less than the threshold set by the threshold setting unit 305, the job control unit 304 of the image processing apparatus 1 serving as the transmission destination of the print job. Judge that the operation is possible.

  In the example shown in FIG. 15, if the print condition included in the print job is "A4 / scan / 50% enlargement / monochrome", the type of error is "jam 30". In this case, since the threshold is set to “50” by the threshold setting unit 305, “A4 / scan / 50% enlargement / monochrome” when the image processing apparatus 1 serving as a print job transmission destination executes print output. If an error has occurred 50 times or more in the past under the printing condition of “1”, the job control unit 304 determines that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 as the transmission destination of the print job is not possible. The configuration of the other second embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment, and the same or corresponding parts will be denoted by the same reference symbols, without redundant description.

  As described above, according to the output management system of the second embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the same operation and effects as those of the first embodiment described above, the image processing apparatus 1 can be provided according to the type of error. The threshold setting unit 305 freely sets the threshold value to determine whether or not the operation is performed, thereby reducing the number of occurrences of an important error such as prolonging the period when the image processing apparatus 1 can not be used for maintenance or the like. It is possible to make the control unit 304 determine that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 is not possible.

Third Embodiment
FIG. 16 is a view showing an example of an error content table stored in the information DB 302 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  The third embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment described above in that the input / output control unit 301 according to the first embodiment operates the image processing apparatus 1 to which the job control unit 304 sends a print job. In the case where it is determined that the job is not possible, the client device 2 is notified of that fact, whereas the input / output control unit 301 according to the third embodiment becomes the print job transmission destination by the job control unit 304. When it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 is not possible, the transmission destination of the print job is changed to the image processing apparatus 1 in which the number of occurrences of errors is lower than that of the image processing apparatus 1. .

  In this case, the error content table created by the error content analysis unit 303 includes, for example, the printing conditions included in the print job when an error occurs in the image processing apparatus 1 and the The device information, the content of the error analyzed by the error content analysis unit 303, and the device in which the error has occurred are associated.

  That is, the error content table stored in the information DB 302 includes the items of "printing condition", the item of "board information", the item of "firmware version", the item of "copy application version", and the like. In addition to the items of “scanner application version”,..., “XXX application version”, and “phenomenon”, an item of “error generating device” for specifying the image processing apparatus 1 in which an error has occurred is further included. It is configured.

  Further, in the output management server 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, when the input / output control unit 301 changes the transmission destination of the print job under the control of the job control unit 304, a request for the print job is made. It is configured to notify the original. As a result, the client apparatus 2 displays an alert on the screen of the LCD 37 that the transmission destination of the print job has been changed.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of an alert displayed on such a client device 2. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, on the screen of the LCD 37 of the client device 2, a message for changing the output destination is displayed together with the selection buttons 37B and 37C. As a result, the user can select the image processing apparatus 1 that is to execute print output using the selection buttons 37B and 37C, so the convenience of the user can be improved. When the output destination is changed, the user may be inquired as to whether to continue the print output. The configuration of the other third embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment, and the same or corresponding parts will be denoted by the same reference symbols, without redundant description.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a state in which the image processing apparatus 1 which is a transmission destination of a print job is changed in the output management system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the example illustrated in FIG. 18, first, when the client apparatus 2 transmits a print job including the print condition (A4 / copy / reduction 32% / monochrome) set by the user to the output management server 3 in the cloud system 4, The output management server 3 receives a print job from the client device 2.

  Next, although not shown, the controller 300 of the output management server 3 acquires device information from the image processing apparatus 1-1 which is the transmission destination of the print job. Then, the controller 300 executes print output by the image processing apparatus 1-1 by referring to error analysis information including the number of occurrences of errors of each of the image processing apparatuses 1-1 to 1-4 accumulated in the information DB 302. Determine whether to continue processing.

  At this time, when the controller 300 determines that the print processing by the image processing apparatus 1-1 is interrupted, it does not transmit the print job to the image processing apparatus 1-1, but instead transmits the print job. The image processing apparatus 1-2 is changed to an image processing apparatus 1-2 in which the number of occurrences of errors is lower than that of the image processing apparatus 1-1. Then, the controller 300 transmits the print job to the image processing apparatus 1-2 and causes the image processing apparatus 1-2 to execute print output.

  As described above, according to the output management system according to the third embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the same operation and effects as those of the first embodiment described above, the input / output control unit 301 is a job control unit 304. If it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 to which the print job is to be transmitted is not possible, the transmission destination of the print job is changed to the image processing apparatus 1 in which the number of occurrences of errors is lower than that of the image processing apparatus 1 By doing this, the print output by the image processing apparatus 1 can be efficiently executed. This makes it possible to further improve the productivity of the process of print output.

Fourth Embodiment
The fourth embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment described above in that the input / output control unit 301 according to the first embodiment is the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 to which the job control unit 304 sends a print job. When it is determined that the job is not possible, the client device 2 is notified of that fact, whereas the input / output control unit 301 according to the fourth embodiment becomes the print job transmission destination by the job control unit 304. When it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 is not possible, a condition that enables the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 is specified, and the specified condition is notified to the request source of the print job. It is. As a result, the client device 2 displays an alert indicating the conditions for enabling the operation of the image processing device 1 on the screen of the LCD 37.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of an alert displayed on such a client device 2. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, a message for updating the copy application version is displayed together with the selection buttons 37D and 37E on the screen of the LCD 37 in the client device 2 as a condition that enables the image processing apparatus 1 to operate. . The configuration of the other fourth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment, and the same or corresponding parts will be denoted by the same reference symbols, without redundant description.

  As described above, according to the output management system of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. Even if it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 is not possible, the user confirms the screen of the LCD 37 in the client apparatus 2 and takes appropriate action, whereby print output by the image processing apparatus 1 specified by the user is performed. Execution processing can continue.

Fifth Embodiment
The fifth embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment described above in that the input / output control unit 301 according to the first embodiment operates the image processing apparatus 1 to which the job control unit 304 sends a print job. In the case where it is determined that the job is not possible, the fact is notified to the client apparatus 2, but the input / output control unit 301 according to the fifth embodiment becomes the print job transmission destination by the job control unit 304. When it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 is not possible, the closest condition is specified among the printing conditions that enables the operation of the image processing apparatus 1, and the printing conditions included in the print job are specified. It is configured to change to the closest condition and continue sending the print job.

  In the output management server 3 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, when the input / output control unit 301 changes the printing conditions included in the print job according to the control of the job control unit 304, the print job is notified Configured to notify the request source of. Thus, the client device 2 displays an alert that the printing conditions have been changed on the screen of the LCD 37.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of an alert displayed on such a client device 2. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, on the screen of the LCD 37 in the client device 2, a message for changing the printing conditions is displayed together with the selection buttons 37F to 37H. Thereby, since the user can select whether to change the printing conditions using the selection buttons 37F to 37H, the convenience of the user can be enhanced.

  In particular, the user can confirm the changed contents of the printing conditions by touching the selection button 37H to display the print preview on the screen of the LCD 37. If the printing conditions are changed, the user may be inquired as to whether or not to continue printing. The configuration of the other fifth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment, and the same or corresponding parts will be denoted by the same reference symbols, without redundant description.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram showing how the printing conditions included in the print job are changed in the output management system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the example illustrated in FIG. 21, first, when the client apparatus 2 transmits a print job including the print condition (A4 / copy / 35% reduction / color) set by the user to the output management server 3 in the cloud system 4, The output management server 3 receives a print job from the client device 2.

  Next, the controller 300 of the output management server 3 acquires device information from the image processing apparatus 1-1 which is the transmission destination of the print job. Then, the controller 300 executes print output by the image processing apparatus 1-1 by referring to error analysis information including the number of occurrences of errors of each of the image processing apparatuses 1-1 to 1-4 accumulated in the information DB 302. Determine whether to continue processing.

  At this time, when an error (for example, a jam) occurs in the image processing apparatus 1-1 under the original printing condition, the controller 300 determines that the print processing by the image processing apparatus 1-1 is interrupted. A condition closest to the printing conditions (for example, A4 / copy / reduction 32% / color) in which the print job is not transmitted to the image processing apparatus 1-1 and instead the operation of the image processing apparatus 1-1 is possible. ) And change the original printing conditions to the specified printing conditions.

  Then, the controller 300 again refers to the error analysis information including the number of occurrences of the errors of each of the image processing devices 1-1 to 1-4 accumulated in the information DB 302, thereby performing the image processing device under the new printing condition. It is determined whether to continue the print output execution process according to 1-1. At this time, when the controller 300 determines that the print processing by the image processing apparatus 1-1 is to be continued, the controller 300 transmits a print job including new print conditions to the image processing apparatus 1-1. Make -1 execute print output.

  As described above, according to the output management system of the fifth embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the same operation and effects as those of the first embodiment described above, the input / output control unit 301 can Causes the image processing apparatus 1 to smoothly execute the print output by changing the printing conditions included in the print job when it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 to which the print job is to be sent is not possible. be able to. This makes it possible to further improve the productivity of the process of print output.

Sixth Embodiment
FIG. 22 is a view showing an example of an alert displayed on the client device 2 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

  The sixth embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment described above in that the input / output control unit 301 according to the first embodiment operates the image processing apparatus 1 to which the job control unit 304 sends a print job. In the case where it is determined that the job is not possible, the client device 2 is notified of that fact, whereas the input / output control unit 301 according to the sixth embodiment becomes a print job destination by the job control unit 304. When it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 is not possible, for example, as shown in FIG. 22, transmission of the print job to the image processing apparatus 1 is interrupted through the screen of the LCD 37 in the client apparatus 2 or It is configured to select whether to continue sending a print job. That is, the input / output control unit 301 and the LCD 37 of the client device 2 function as a selection unit.

  In the example shown in FIG. 22, on the screen of the LCD 37 in the client apparatus 2, a message confirming the cancellation of the print request is displayed together with the selection buttons 37I and 37J. At this time, when the user touches selection button 37J and makes a selection to continue the print output execution processing, input / output control unit 301 forces the print job to image processing apparatus 1 as the print job transmission destination. To send Thus, the image processing apparatus 1 performs the printing process in accordance with the print job.

  As described above, according to the output management system of the sixth embodiment of the present invention, the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. Even if it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus 1 can not be performed, the user can select through the screen of the LCD 37 in the client apparatus 2 whether to force the image processing apparatus 1 to execute the print output. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be sufficiently enhanced.

In the output management system according to the present embodiment, the image processing apparatus 1, the client apparatus 2 and the output management server 3 are connected via a network, but at least at least the image processing apparatus 1 and the client apparatus 2 One of them may be configured to have the function of the output management server 3. With this configuration, the output management system according to the present embodiment does not require the services of the cloud system 4 including the output management server 3, and therefore, the initial cost and the running cost can be reduced.

1 image processing apparatus 2 client apparatus 3 output management server 4 cloud system 5 public line 11 CPU
12 ROM
13 RAM
14 HDD
15 Image Memory 16 Reading Unit 17 Printing Unit 18 I / F
19 LCD
20 operation unit 21 bus 31 CPU
32 ROM
33 RAM
34 HDD
35 Image memory 36 I / F
37 LCD
37A to 37J Select button 38 Operation unit 39 Bus 100 Controller 101 Main control unit 102 Engine control unit 103 Input / output control unit 104 Image processing unit 105 Operation display control unit 110 ADF
120 scanner unit 130 output tray 140 display panel 140A selection button 150 sheet feed table 160 print engine 170 output tray 180 I / F
300 controller 301 I / O controller 302 information DB
303 Error content analysis unit 304 Job control unit 305 Threshold setting unit 310 Network I / F

JP, 2013-125386, A

Claims (10)

An output management system comprising: a plurality of image processing apparatuses that execute print output according to a print output command received via a network; and an output management apparatus that manages the print output command transmitted to the plurality of image processing apparatuses There,
A fault information acquisition unit that acquires fault information including operation history information and device information of each image processing apparatus when a fault occurs in each image processing apparatus in execution of the print output;
A fault information storage unit that stores the fault information acquired by the fault information acquisition unit;
A failure content analysis unit that analyzes the content of the failure generated in each of the image processing devices based on the failure information stored in the failure information storage unit;
An analysis result storage unit that stores analysis results of the failure content analysis unit;
Based on the analysis result of the fault content analysis unit stored in the analysis result storage unit, it is possible to determine whether the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output command is to be transmitted among the plurality of image processing apparatuses A judgment unit,
When it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is not possible by the operation determination unit, the transmission of the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus is interrupted, and the operation is enabled or not. A command processing unit performing processing for continuing transmission of the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus when it is determined by the determination unit that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is possible; , equipped with a,
The instruction processing unit specifies a condition under which the operation of the image processing apparatus becomes possible when the operation judging unit judges that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is not possible. And notifying the request source of the print output command of the specified condition . An output management system comprising: a plurality of image processing apparatuses that execute print output according to a print output command received via a network; and an output management apparatus that manages the print output command transmitted to the plurality of image processing apparatuses There,
A fault information acquisition unit that acquires fault information including operation history information and device information of each image processing apparatus when a fault occurs in each image processing apparatus in execution of the print output;
A fault information storage unit that stores the fault information acquired by the fault information acquisition unit;
A failure content analysis unit that analyzes the content of the failure generated in each of the image processing devices based on the failure information stored in the failure information storage unit;
An analysis result storage unit that stores analysis results of the failure content analysis unit;
Based on the analysis result of the fault content analysis unit stored in the analysis result storage unit, it is possible to determine whether the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output command is to be transmitted among the plurality of image processing apparatuses A judgment unit,
When it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is not possible by the operation determination unit, the transmission of the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus is interrupted, and the operation is enabled or not. A command processing unit performing processing for continuing transmission of the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus when it is determined by the determination unit that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is possible; ,
When it is determined by the operation possibility determination unit that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is not possible, transmission of the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus is interrupted, or And a selection unit for selecting whether to continue sending a print output command,
The instruction processing unit forces the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be transmitted when it is selected by the selection unit to continue the transmission of the print output instruction. An output management system characterized by transmitting to . The failure content analysis unit calculates the number of occurrences of the failure of each of the image processing devices from the failure information stored in the failure information storage unit,
The analysis result storage unit stores the number of occurrences of the failure of each of the image processing devices calculated by the failure content analysis unit,
The operation possibility determination unit refers to the number of occurrences of the failure of each image processing apparatus stored in the analysis result storage unit, and the number of occurrences of the failure of the image processing apparatus to which the print output command is transmitted is previously obtained. The output management system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the operation of the image processing apparatus is determined to be impossible when the threshold is equal to or higher than a set threshold. A threshold setting unit configured to set a threshold for the operation determination unit to determine the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent according to the type of the failure;
The failure content analysis unit calculates the number of occurrences of each failure in each image processing apparatus from the failure information stored in the failure information storage unit,
The analysis result accumulation unit accumulates the number of occurrences of each type of the fault in each of the image processing devices calculated by the fault content analysis unit;
The operation possibility determination unit refers to the number of occurrences of each type of failure in each image processing apparatus accumulated in the analysis result accumulation unit, and the number of occurrences of failure corresponding to the printing condition included in the print output command. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation of the image processing apparatus as the transmission destination of the print output instruction is determined to be impossible when the value of the image output apparatus is equal to or greater than the threshold set by the threshold setting unit. Output management system. The failure content analysis unit calculates the number of occurrences of the failure of each of the image processing devices from the failure information stored in the failure information storage unit,
The analysis result storage unit stores the number of occurrences of the failure of each of the image processing devices calculated by the failure content analysis unit,
When the operation processing unit determines that the operation of the image processing apparatus which is the transmission destination of the print output instruction is not possible by the operation possibility determination unit, the transmission destination of the print output instruction is from the image processing apparatus. The output management system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the image processing apparatus changes the number of occurrences of the failure to a low value. 6. The output management system according to claim 5 , wherein, when the transmission destination of the print output instruction is changed, the instruction processing unit notifies the request source of the print output instruction to that effect. Said instruction processing unit, when the operation of the destination to become the image processing apparatus of the print output command by said operation determination section is determined to be impossible, can and Do that printing operation of the image processing apparatus identify the closest conditions in the condition, according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the printing condition that is part of the print output command to continue the transmission of the print output command to change to the nearest condition Output management system described in. It said instruction processing unit, when changing the printing condition that is part of the print output instruction, the output management system according to claim 7, characterized in that notifies the request source of the print output instruction. An output management apparatus that is connected to a plurality of image processing apparatuses that execute print output according to a print output command received via a network, and manages the print output command that is transmitted to the plurality of image processing apparatuses.
A fault information acquisition unit that acquires fault information including operation history information and device information of each image processing apparatus when a fault occurs in each image processing apparatus in execution of the print output;
A fault information storage unit that stores the fault information acquired by the fault information acquisition unit;
A failure content analysis unit that analyzes the content of the failure generated in each of the image processing devices based on the failure information stored in the failure information storage unit;
An analysis result storage unit that stores analysis results of the failure content analysis unit;
Based on the analysis result of the fault content analysis unit stored in the analysis result storage unit, it is possible to determine whether the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output command is to be transmitted among the plurality of image processing apparatuses A judgment unit,
When it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is not possible by the operation determination unit, the transmission of the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus is interrupted, and the operation is enabled or not. A command processing unit performing processing for continuing transmission of the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus when it is determined by the determination unit that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is possible; , And
The instruction processing unit specifies a condition under which the operation of the image processing apparatus becomes possible when the operation judging unit judges that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is not possible. And notifying the request source of the print output command of the specified condition . An output management apparatus that is connected to a plurality of image processing apparatuses that execute print output according to a print output command received via a network, and manages the print output command that is transmitted to the plurality of image processing apparatuses.
A fault information acquisition unit that acquires fault information including operation history information and device information of each image processing apparatus when a fault occurs in each image processing apparatus in execution of the print output;
A fault information storage unit that stores the fault information acquired by the fault information acquisition unit;
A failure content analysis unit that analyzes the content of the failure generated in each of the image processing devices based on the failure information stored in the failure information storage unit;
An analysis result storage unit that stores analysis results of the failure content analysis unit;
Based on the analysis result of the fault content analysis unit stored in the analysis result storage unit, it is possible to determine whether the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output command is to be transmitted among the plurality of image processing apparatuses A judgment unit,
When it is determined that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is not possible by the operation determination unit, the transmission of the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus is interrupted, and the operation is enabled or not. A command processing unit performing processing for continuing transmission of the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus when it is determined by the determination unit that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is possible; ,
When it is determined by the operation possibility determination unit that the operation of the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be sent is not possible, transmission of the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus is interrupted, or And a selection unit for selecting whether to continue sending a print output command,
The instruction processing unit forces the print output instruction to the image processing apparatus to which the print output instruction is to be transmitted when it is selected by the selection unit to continue the transmission of the print output instruction. An output management device characterized by transmitting to .