JP6579999B2 - Maintenance system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a maintenance system, and is suitably applied to a maintenance system that maintains an image forming apparatus (so-called printer), for example.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus, in addition to an image forming unit that forms (i.e., prints) an image on a medium such as paper, it includes a touch panel, operation buttons, and the like for displaying various information and receiving operation instructions from a user Those having a display unit and an operation unit are widely used.

  In this image forming apparatus, when a consumable item such as toner or a photosensitive drum is consumed or when a paper jam (so-called paper jam) occurs, an image cannot be formed. In such a state, if the user cannot solve the problem himself / herself, he / she can contact the maintenance center in charge of the maintenance service of the image forming apparatus, for example, by telephone or other means and consult the operator of the maintenance center. is there.

  In particular, when a user has a maintenance contract with the maintenance center, the maintenance center often includes the model of the image forming apparatus used by the user, the telephone number of the user, and the user and the image formation thereof. Information about the device is managed by registering it in a database in advance. Some maintenance centers have a remote maintenance server connected to the image forming apparatus via a network. The remote maintenance server can grasp the state of each image forming apparatus by collecting information from each image forming apparatus via a network.

  On the other hand, the maintenance center has maintenance contracts with many users, and one user may have a plurality of image forming apparatuses such as companies. Therefore, in the maintenance center, when a user contacts by telephone or the like, the user and the image forming apparatus are specified, and the model of the image forming apparatus held by the user based on information registered in the database in advance Depending on the situation, it is necessary to perform an appropriate maintenance process.

  Therefore, as a maintenance system, for example, a telephone number and an IP address of the image forming apparatus are registered in advance in the database of the maintenance center, and the telephone caller ID and the IP address of the image forming apparatus for which information is collected by the remote maintenance server are used. On the basis of this, a device for specifying a user or an image forming apparatus has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-122658 (FIG. 1 etc.)

  However, in such a maintenance system, the user may not be identified from the caller number, for example, when the user's telephone number is changed due to relocation, or when the telephone number of the other telephone number is temporarily contacted. is there. Further, the IP address of the image forming apparatus may be changed depending on the convenience of a device that manages the network.

  In such a case, in this maintenance system, since the user cannot be specified only by information registered in advance, for example, the contract number preset for the user, the manufacturing number of the image forming apparatus, etc. There has been a problem of complicating cumbersome work such as verbally transmitting information related to specific.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to propose a maintenance system that can easily specify a maintenance target when contacted by a user.

In order to solve this problem, the maintenance system of the present invention is a maintenance system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to a maintenance apparatus via a network, and the image forming apparatus forms an image on a medium. 1st communication which communicates between a maintenance part and a 1st operation part which receives a user's operation instruction, and a maintenance device via a network, and transmits operation information showing that the 1st operation part was operated by a user A maintenance unit that communicates with a plurality of image forming apparatuses via a network and a second operation unit that receives an operation instruction from an operator who communicates with the user via a predetermined contact unit. And a device specifying process for specifying the image forming device based on the second communication unit that receives operation information from the image forming device and the operation information received by the second communication unit within a predetermined target period. A maintenance control unit for providing, maintenance control unit is a plurality of image forming apparatus when receiving the operation information from a plurality of image forming apparatus in period, that has received the operation information to the target period in the device specifying process 1 A secondary device specifying process for specifying the image forming apparatus is further performed from the secondary specifying device .
The maintenance system of the present invention is a maintenance system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to a maintenance apparatus via a network. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium, a user's Communication is performed between the first operation unit that receives the operation instruction and the maintenance device via the network, and the first operation unit is operated by the user together with the unique image forming device identification information set in each image forming device. A first communication unit that transmits operation information indicating that the operation has been performed, and the maintenance device includes a second operation unit that receives an operation instruction from an operator who communicates with the user via a predetermined communication unit, and a network. A second communication unit that communicates with a plurality of image forming apparatuses via the communication terminal and receives operation information from the image forming apparatus, and the second communication unit receives the operation information within a predetermined target period. A maintenance storage that stores, in association with each other, a maintenance control unit that performs an apparatus specifying process for specifying an image forming apparatus based on operation information, image forming apparatus identification information, and contact identification information for identifying a user in a contact unit And a contact identification information acquisition unit that acquires contact identification information of a user who is in contact with the operator via the contact means, and the image forming apparatus has a display instruction transmitted from the maintenance control unit via the network An image forming display unit for displaying the display content based on the operation information, and the maintenance control unit is configured to maintain the image forming apparatus identification information received together with the operation information and the user contact identification information acquired by the contact identification information acquisition unit. If it is not stored in association with the storage unit, the contact identification information is stored in association with the image forming apparatus identification information, and a predetermined confirmation message is stored in the image formation display unit. When the user confirms whether or not to register the contact identification information in the maintenance device and receives an instruction to register the contact identification information via the first operation unit, the contact identification is displayed. The information is stored in association with the image forming apparatus identification information.

According to the present invention, in a configuration in which a large number of image forming apparatuses are connected to a maintenance apparatus via a network, the user and the operator can make a first operation in response to a request from the operator in a state in which the user and the operator can contact with each other. The operation information is transmitted by operating the unit. In the present invention, when operation information is received from a plurality of image forming apparatuses, a secondary apparatus specifying process for further specifying the image forming apparatus is performed. Accordingly, in the present invention , the user's image forming apparatus can be accurately identified from the plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to the network .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a maintenance system that can easily specify a maintenance target when a user receives a notification.

It is a basic diagram which shows the whole structure of a maintenance system. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. It is a basic block diagram which shows the structure of a remote maintenance server. It is a basic diagram which shows the structure of a customer information database. It is a sequence chart which shows an apparatus specific sequence. It is a basic diagram which shows the structure of a display screen. It is a sequence chart which shows the secondary apparatus specific sequence by 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence chart which shows a customer information update sequence. It is a sequence chart which shows the secondary apparatus specific sequence by 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[1. First Embodiment]
[1-1. Maintenance system configuration]
As shown in FIG. 1, a maintenance system 1 according to the present embodiment provides a maintenance service for an image forming apparatus 2 with a configuration in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses 2 and a remote maintenance server 3 are connected to each other via the Internet 4. To do.

  The image forming apparatus 2 is installed at an installation location L1 such as a user U's workplace or home. A plurality of (for example, two) image forming apparatuses 2 are installed at the installation location L1. The remote maintenance server 3 is provided in the maintenance center S1 remote from the installation location L1. An operator R who has sufficient knowledge about the configuration and maintenance of the image forming apparatus and can operate the remote maintenance server 3 stands by at the maintenance center S1.

  In addition, telephones 6 and 7 are installed at the installation location L1 and the maintenance center S1, respectively. The telephone 6 is connected to the telephone line network 8 at the installation location L1. Further, the user U has a portable telephone 9. The telephone 9 is connected to the telephone line network 8 by radio. Note that the telephone 6 and the telephone 9 are assigned different telephone numbers (hereinafter also referred to as contact identification information).

  On the other hand, in the maintenance center S 1, the telephone 7 is connected to the telephone line network 8 via the remote maintenance server 3. For this reason, in the maintenance system 1, for example, the user U at the installation location L1 makes a call to the telephone 7 via the telephone line network 8 by the telephone 6 or 9 (that is, makes a telephone call), thereby having a conversation with the operator R of the maintenance center S1 Can be contacted. The telephone line network 8 has a function of notifying a telephone number of a caller as information using a telephone line, that is, a so-called caller number notification function.

  The image forming apparatus 2 is a so-called MFP (Multi Function Peripheral), and has a printer function for forming (that is, printing) an image on paper as a medium, a function as an image scanner for reading an image, and a communication function. These combinations can operate as a printer, a copier (copy machine), a facsimile machine, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 2 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, an image forming unit 14, a display unit 15, and an operation unit 16 connected to each other via a bus 10. Has been. Of these, the control unit 11 is mainly configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), and reads and executes various programs such as a failure handling program from a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a flash memory (not shown). Thus, various processes such as a printing process are performed.

  The storage unit 12 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, and the like, and stores various information such as various setting values necessary for various processes such as a printing process. The storage unit 12 stores various information relating to the image forming apparatus 2 (hereinafter referred to as apparatus information) such as a serial number uniquely set for the image forming apparatus 2, a cumulative number of printed sheets, or a paper size set by the user. Device information storage area 12A for storing information) and a log storage area 12B for storing logs relating to operations and failures.

  The communication unit 13 as the first communication unit is, for example, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) compliant with a standard such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.3u / ab or IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / It is connected to the Internet 4 by a wireless LAN compliant with a standard such as ac. The communication unit 13 transmits or receives various information and data supplied from the control unit 11 to the Internet 4 while performing predetermined modulation processing and demodulation processing. The communication unit 13 is also connected to a computer device (not shown), and receives image data and a print instruction for the image data and supplies the image data to the control unit 11.

  The image forming unit 14 includes an exposure device and a fixing device (not shown), a paper transport mechanism, and the like. The image forming unit 14 conveys the paper, forms an image with toner based on the image data supplied from the control unit 11, and forms the image by transferring the toner image onto the paper and fixing it (that is, Print). In addition, the image forming unit 14 has a plurality of sensors arranged on the sheet conveyance path and the like, and notifies the control unit 11 of information obtained from each sensor. In response to this, the control unit 11 can recognize the presence / absence of a failure such as a paper jam or the occurrence location thereof.

  The display unit 15 as an image forming display unit is, for example, a liquid crystal panel, and displays various display screens including characters, images, and the like based on the control of the control unit 11. The operation unit 16 as the first operation unit includes a plurality of buttons. For example, a help button 16H is provided in addition to a mode switching button and a numeric button for switching the operation mode (copy, facsimile, printer, etc.) of the image forming apparatus 2. It has been. The help button 16 </ b> H is labeled “when troubled” in the vicinity thereof, and is assumed to be pressed by the user U when the user U is troubled with operation or countermeasures.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the remote maintenance server 3 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, a display unit 25, and an operation unit 26 connected to each other via a bus 20. The control unit 21 as a maintenance control unit controls the entire remote maintenance server 3 in an integrated manner. Like the control unit 11, the control unit 21 is mainly configured by a CPU (not shown), and reads out and executes various programs such as a device specification program from a ROM, a flash memory, etc. (not shown) to execute device specification processing. And various processing such as communication processing.

  Similar to the storage unit 12, the storage unit 22 as a maintenance storage unit is composed of a RAM, a hard disk drive, and the like, and stores various information as well as a customer information database 22A. As shown in FIG. 4, the customer information database 22A is a relational database in which a plurality of tables are appropriately associated.

  Specifically, the customer information database 22A is configured around one customer name table T1. The customer name table T1 stores customer names representing the names of customers who have concluded maintenance contracts with the maintenance center S1 (FIG. 1). Each customer name is associated with a telephone number table T2. One or more telephone numbers of each customer are stored in the telephone number table T2.

  Each customer name is associated with one or more device information tables T3. Each device information table T3 stores various information related to one image forming device 2 (FIG. 1). That is, in the apparatus information table T3, for example, a management number uniquely assigned to the image forming apparatus 2 (hereinafter also referred to as image forming apparatus identification information), the model name of the image forming apparatus 2, and the toner of each color The remaining amount is stored. Incidentally, when one customer has concluded maintenance contracts for a plurality of image forming apparatuses 2, the customer information database 22 </ b> A contains information on the image forming apparatuses 2 that have concluded maintenance contracts for the customer names of the customers. The same number of device information tables T3 are provided, and necessary information is stored in each.

  As with the communication unit 13, the communication unit 23 (FIG. 3) as the second communication unit conforms to a standard such as a wired LAN or IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / ac conforming to a standard such as IEEE802.3u / ab. It is connected to the Internet 4 by a compliant wireless LAN. The communication unit 23 supplies various information and data received via the Internet 4 to the control unit 21 while performing predetermined modulation processing and demodulation processing, and various information supplied from the control unit 21. And send data to the Internet 4. The communication unit 23 as a contact identification information acquisition unit is also connected to the telephone line network 8, acquires a telephone number (that is, a caller number) notified from the telephone line network 8, and supplies it to the control unit 21. be able to.

  The display unit 25 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, displays various display screens based on the control of the control unit 21, and causes the operator R to visually recognize the contents. The operation unit 26 as the second operation unit is composed of, for example, a keyboard and a mouse, receives an operation input from the operator R, and supplies the contents to the control unit 21.

[1-2. Device specific sequence]
By the way, in the maintenance system 1 (FIG. 1), when a failure such as a paper jam occurs in the image forming apparatus 2 installed at the installation location L1, and it is determined that the user U cannot solve this, the maintenance center 1 issues a maintenance center to the user U. S1 is contacted by telephone and the operator R responds.

  At this time, the maintenance system 1 specifies the image forming apparatus 2 (hereinafter referred to as a target apparatus) that the user U desires to eliminate the trouble among the many image forming apparatuses 2 connected via the Internet 4. Then, the device specifying sequence shown in FIG. 5 is executed.

  That is, the control unit 21 (FIG. 3) of the remote maintenance server 3 reads out and executes the device specifying program from the storage unit 22 or the like, thereby starting the device specifying process procedure RT1, and makes a telephone call from the user U in step SP1. It is in a waiting state.

  On the other hand, the target image forming apparatus 2 is in a state where a failure such as a paper jam has occurred. The image forming apparatus 2 is turned on, and the control unit 11 (FIG. 2) reads out and executes the failure handling program from the storage unit 12, thereby starting the failure handling processing procedure RT2 (FIG. 5). Yes.

  In this maintenance sequence, the user U first calls the maintenance center S1 via the telephone 6 (FIG. 1) and communicates with the operator R via the telephone 7, so that a failure occurs in the image forming apparatus 2. Tell what you did.

  At this time, in step SP1, the control unit 21 of the remote maintenance server 3 acquires the telephone number of the user U, that is, the telephone number of the telephone 6 (hereinafter referred to as an acquired telephone number) from the telephone network 8 (FIG. 1). Then, the process proceeds to the next step SP2. In step SP2, the control unit 21 searches each telephone number table T2 in the customer information database 22A (FIG. 4) using the acquired telephone number as a search key, and proceeds to the next step SP3.

  In step SP3, the control unit 21 determines whether the user U or the company to which the user U belongs is registered as a customer in the customer information database 22A based on whether or not the acquired telephone number is registered in the telephone number table T2. Determine whether or not. If an affirmative result is obtained here, the control unit 21 reads the customer U's customer information from the customer information database 22A, and displays a display screen D1 representing the contents on the display unit 25 (FIG. 3) as shown in FIG. Then, the process proceeds to the next step SP6. In this display screen D1, in addition to the name and address of the user U, the name of the person in charge, etc., there is a device information display column E1 for displaying the contents of device information (details will be described later) received from the image forming device 2. Is displayed.

  Incidentally, in the maintenance system 1, for example, the user U registered as a customer in the customer information database 22A may contact from the telephone 9 having a telephone number different from the registered telephone number (telephone 6). In such a case, the operator R reads out the registered customer name from the user U and performs a predetermined search process using the remote maintenance server 3 to read out the customer information of the user U and display the display screen D1. Is displayed on the display unit 25.

  On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP3, the control unit 21 moves to the next step SP4, and the operator R listens to and inputs various information from the user U via the telephone, whereby the user U is input to the customer information database 22A. And move to the next step SP6.

  Here, the operator R requests the user U to press the help button 16H (FIG. 2) of the operation unit 16 via the telephone. The user U presses the help button 16H of the operation unit 16 in accordance with this request.

  In response to this, the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 2 proceeds to step SP21, and when detecting that the help button 16H of the operation unit 16 is pressed, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step SP22 and is performed by the communication unit 13 (FIG. 2). After transmitting the device information to the remote maintenance server 3, the process proceeds to the next step SP23, and the failure handling procedure RT2 is terminated.

  In addition to information indicating that the help button 16H of the operation unit 16 has been pressed, the apparatus information includes information indicating a management number for specifying the image forming apparatus 2 and the toner in the image forming apparatus 2. A plurality of pieces of information representing various states such as the remaining amount are included. Hereinafter, this device information is also referred to as operation information indicating that the help button 16H has been pressed.

  In response to this, the control unit 21 of the remote maintenance server 3 receives the apparatus information from the image forming apparatus 2 through the communication unit 23 (FIG. 3) in step SP6, and proceeds to the next step SP7. In step SP7, the control unit 21 sets a target period (for example, the past one minute from this time point), and proceeds to the next step SP8.

  Here, the target period is set to narrow down the apparatus information received from the image forming apparatus 2 operated by the user U among the plurality of apparatus information received from the image forming apparatuses 2 by the communication unit 23 so far. This is a condition. For this reason, the target period is set to a period that includes at least the timing at which the user U is estimated to have performed a pressing operation on the target apparatus and that can eliminate the reception of apparatus information from other image forming apparatuses 2 as much as possible. Yes.

  In step SP8, the control unit 21 displays the device information received by the communication unit 23 during the target period in the device information display field E1 of the display screen D1 (FIG. 6), and proceeds to the next step SP9. In step SP9, the control unit 21 determines whether two or more pieces of device information are received by the communication unit 23 during the target period.

  If an affirmative result is obtained here, this indicates that the target device has not been specified, and further processing for specifying the target device is necessary. At this time, the control unit 21 moves to the next step SP10, specifies a target device by executing a secondary device specifying process described later, and moves to the next step SP11.

  On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP9, this indicates that the target device can be specified because there is only one device information received during the target period. At this time, the control unit 21 proceeds to the next step SP11.

  In step SP11, the control unit 21 ends the device identification processing procedure RT1. Incidentally, the control unit 21 thereafter acquires further necessary information from the specified image forming apparatus 2 according to the operation instruction of the operator R, and presents it to the operator R. In response to this, the operator R grasps the state of the image forming apparatus 2 based on the obtained information and explains the procedure for solving the trouble to the user U. Eliminate.

[1-3. Secondary Device Specific Sequence]
Next, the secondary device specifying process performed in step SP10 of the device specifying process procedure RT1 (FIG. 5) will be described. In the maintenance system 1, by executing the secondary device specifying sequence shown in FIG. 7, from among the two or more image forming apparatuses 2 (hereinafter referred to as primary specifying devices) that have received the device information during the target period. The target device is specified.

  Specifically, the control unit 21 of the remote maintenance server 3 reads the secondary device specifying program from the storage unit 22 or the like and executes it in step SP10 of the device specifying processing procedure RT1 (FIG. 5), thereby executing the secondary device specifying process. Procedure RT3 is started, and the process proceeds to step SP31.

  Incidentally, the operator R displays a specific message, for example, a character string “ABCDE” on the display unit 15 (FIG. 2) of the image forming apparatus 2 in advance by telephone before the execution of the secondary device specifying sequence. Then, it is requested to press the help button 16H of the operation unit 16. For this character string “ABCDE”, a character string that is not very relevant to the help button 16H is selected so as not to recall the pressing of the help button 16H. Hereinafter, this specific message is also called a designated message.

  In step SP31, the control unit 21 selects one device as the device of interest from the primary identification devices received by the communication unit 23 during the target period, and proceeds to the next step SP32. In step SP32, the control unit 21 transmits a message including the character string “ABCDE” and its display instruction to the device of interest through the communication unit 23 (FIG. 3), and proceeds to the next step SP33. In step SP33, the control unit 21 measures the time elapsed since the message was transmitted, and proceeds to the next step SP34.

  On the other hand, the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 2 has started the failure handling processing procedure RT4. Upon receiving a designation message and its display instruction from the remote maintenance server 3 in step SP41, this message, that is, the character string “ABCDE”. "Is displayed, and the process proceeds to the next step SP42.

  Here, when the apparatus of interest is another image forming apparatus 2 (that is, not the target apparatus), other users operating this image forming apparatus 2 can view the character string “ABCDE”. There is sex. However, since the user has not received any explanation from the operator R, the possibility of pressing the help button 16H in response to the display of the character string “ABCDE” is extremely low.

  On the other hand, when the target device is the device of interest, the user U presses the help button 16H of the operation unit 16 when confirming that the character string “ABCDE” designated by the operator R is displayed on the display unit 15. In response to this, the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 2 moves to step SP42, and when detecting that the help button 16H of the operation unit 16 is pressed, moves to the next step SP43, and in the case of step SP22 (FIG. 5). Similarly, the communication unit 13 (FIG. 2) transmits the device information to the remote maintenance server 3. Subsequently, the control unit 11 proceeds to step SP44 and ends the failure handling process procedure RT4.

  In response to this, the control unit 21 of the remote maintenance server 3 receives the apparatus information from the image forming apparatus 2 through the communication unit 23 (FIG. 3) in step SP34, and proceeds to the next step SP35. In step SP35, the control unit 21 determines whether device information has been received from the device of interest.

  If a negative result is obtained here, the control unit 21 proceeds to the next step SP36, and determines whether or not a predetermined standby time has elapsed since the message was transmitted. If a negative result is obtained here, the control unit 21 waits for reception of device information until the standby time has elapsed by returning to step SP33 again.

  On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP36, this indicates that device information has not been received from the device of interest within the standby time, that is, the device of interest is not the target device. At this time, the control unit 21 proceeds to the next step SP37, selects the next target device from the primary identification devices, returns to step SP32 again, and repeats a series of processes.

  On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP35, this means that device information has been received from the device of interest, that is, the user U confirms the display of the message “ABCDE” and presses the help button 16H (FIG. 3). This indicates that the device of interest is the target device. At this time, the control unit 21 considers that the target device has been identified, moves to the next step SP38, and ends the secondary device identification processing procedure RT3.

[1-4. Customer information update sequence]
By the way, in the maintenance system 1, when the device identification sequence (FIG. 5) is completed, the customer information update sequence shown in FIG. 8 is started. In this customer information update sequence, for example, when the user U contacts the maintenance center S1 from the telephone 9 having a telephone number different from the telephone number (telephone 6) registered in the customer information database 22A (FIG. 4), the user U An update process such as adding this telephone number is performed according to the intention of the user.

  Specifically, the control unit 21 of the remote maintenance server 3 starts the customer information update processing procedure RT5 by reading out and executing the customer information update program from the storage unit 22 and the like after completing the device identification processing procedure RT1. Move to SP51. In step SP51, the control unit 21 is a customer whose user U is registered in the customer information database 22A, and the telephone number of the telephone (for example, telephone 9) with which the user U contacts the maintenance center S1 is not registered. It is determined whether or not.

  If an affirmative result is obtained here, the control unit 21 proceeds to the next step SP52 at this time, transmits a predetermined registration confirmation message and its display instruction to the image forming apparatus 2 specified as the target apparatus, and the next step Move on to SP53. Here, the registration confirmation message indicates that the telephone number of the telephone used by the user U for contact has not been registered in the customer information database 22A. Then, for this registration confirmation message, select one of three options: (1) Add to existing phone number, (2) Change from existing phone number, (3) Do not change anything Shown to be.

  On the other hand, the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 2 has started the customer information update request processing procedure RT6. When receiving the registration confirmation message and its display instruction from the remote maintenance server 3 in step SP61, the control part 11 displays the registration confirmation message. The information is displayed on the display unit 15 and visually recognized by the user U, and the process proceeds to the next step SP62.

  The user U visually recognizes the registration confirmation message, and appropriately presses a button (for example, a numeric button) on the operation unit 16. In response to this, the control unit 21 detects that the button of the operation unit 16 has been pressed in step SP62, and proceeds to the next step SP63. In step SP63, the control unit 21 generates request information based on the operation content of the user U, transmits the request information to the remote maintenance server 3, moves to next step SP64, and ends the customer information update request processing procedure RT6. .

  In response to this, the control unit 21 of the remote maintenance server 3 receives the request information from the image forming apparatus 2 in step SP53, and proceeds to the next step SP54. In step SP54, the control unit 21 determines whether the request information is an additional request. If a positive result is obtained here, the control unit 21 proceeds to the next step SP55, adds a new telephone number to the telephone number table T2 of the customer information database 22A (FIG. 4), and proceeds to the next step SP58.

  On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP54, the control unit 21 proceeds to the next step SP56 and determines whether or not the request information is a request for change. If a positive result is obtained here, the control unit 21 proceeds to the next step SP57, and deletes the existing telephone number registered in the telephone number table T2 of the customer information database 22A (FIG. 4) and a new telephone number. Is registered, and the process proceeds to the next step SP58.

  On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP56, this indicates that the user U has requested that the registered contents of the telephone number be maintained as they are without being changed. At this time, the control unit 21 proceeds to the next step SP58. Also, if a negative result is obtained in step SP51, that is, if the telephone number has already been registered in the customer information database 22A, the control unit 21 proceeds to the next step SP58. In step SP58, the control unit 21 ends the customer information update processing procedure RT5.

[1-5. Effect]
In the above configuration, in the maintenance system 1 according to the first embodiment, the user U presses the help button 16H of the image forming apparatus 2 in response to a request from the operator R in the apparatus specifying sequence (FIG. 5). The apparatus information of the image forming apparatus 2 is transmitted to the remote maintenance server 3.

  For this reason, in the maintenance system 1, for example, one minute immediately after the operator R requests the user U, by appropriately setting the target period, the apparatus information transmitted from a large number of image forming apparatuses 2 can be used. Therefore, it is possible to easily specify the device information of the target device that is the image forming device 2 that the user U desires to eliminate the failure. As a result, the maintenance system 1 can cause the operator R to grasp the state of the image forming apparatus 2 based on the apparatus information, and can guide the user U about an appropriate method for solving the failure.

  In other words, in the maintenance system 1, when a situation that cannot be solved by the user U occurs in the image forming apparatus 2, the pressing operation of the help button 16H provided to notify the remote maintenance server 3 of this is performed. It is used for specifying the image forming apparatus 2 on the maintenance center S1 side.

  Therefore, in the maintenance system 1, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated button or the like for specifying the target device, and the user U can press the help button 16H and set the target period appropriately without forcing a complicated operation. The target device can be easily identified simply by doing.

  In particular, in the maintenance system 1, the help button 16 </ b> H is pressed by a request from the operator R to the user U while the telephone contact between the operator R and the user U is continued. For this reason, in the maintenance system 1, the time point at which the operator R requests the user U to be pressed may be set as the start time point of the target period, thereby improving the accuracy of specifying the image forming apparatus 2.

  In the maintenance system 1, when two or more pieces of device information are received during the target period, the target device is specified by executing the secondary device specifying sequence (FIG. 7) for the primary specifying device. . At this time, in the maintenance system 1, the contents of the message are transmitted from the operator R to the user U by telephone in advance, and the messages are sequentially displayed on the target device. The help button 16H is pressed to transmit device information.

  Therefore, the maintenance system 1 can easily identify the image forming apparatus 2 that transmitted the apparatus information as the target apparatus. At this time, in the maintenance system 1, the user U only needs to press the help button 16 </ b> H of the image forming apparatus 2 again, so there is no need to provide a dedicated button or the like, and no complicated operation is required. .

  In the maintenance system 1, a message that does not remind the user to press the help button 16H, such as the character string “ABCDE”, is displayed on the display unit 15 (FIG. 2) of the image forming apparatus 2. For this reason, in the maintenance system 1, the possibility that the help button 16H is pressed by another user who has not contacted the operator R is extremely low, and only the user U presses the help button 16H. be able to.

  Further, in the maintenance system 1, since the message is displayed while switching the target device one by one in the secondary device specifying sequence, there is no possibility of receiving device information from the plurality of image forming devices 2, and the target device is reliably specified. be able to.

  In particular, in the maintenance system 1, in step SP35 of the secondary device specifying sequence (FIG. 7), it is determined whether or not only the device information from the target device has been received. Even if the device information is received from the device, the target device can be specified by excluding the device information.

  Further, in the maintenance system 1, a new telephone number is registered in the customer information database 22A in accordance with the intention of the user U by performing a customer information update sequence (FIG. 8) after completion of the device specifying sequence (FIG. 5). can do. Thereby, in the maintenance system 1, when the user U contacts next time, information regarding the user U can be immediately read from the customer information database 22A, and the operator R can be promptly and appropriately dealt with.

  According to the above configuration, the maintenance system 1 according to the first embodiment causes the user U to press the help button 16H of the image forming apparatus 2 in response to a request from the operator R in the apparatus specifying sequence, and remotely transmits the apparatus information. It is transmitted to the maintenance server 3. For this reason, in the maintenance system 1, by setting the target period according to the time point when the operator R requests the user U, the user U is in trouble from the apparatus information transmitted from each of the many image forming apparatuses 2. The apparatus information of the image forming apparatus 2 that is desired to be eliminated can be easily specified. As a result, the maintenance system 1 can cause the operator R to grasp the state of the image forming apparatus 2 based on the apparatus information, and can guide the user U about an appropriate method for solving the failure.

[2. Second Embodiment]
The maintenance system 101 (FIG. 1) according to the second embodiment is different from the maintenance system 1 according to the first embodiment in that it has a remote maintenance server 3 instead of the remote maintenance server 3. This point is similarly configured. The remote maintenance server 103 is different from the remote maintenance server 3 (FIG. 3) according to the first embodiment in that it has a control unit 121 in place of the control unit 21, but the other points are similarly configured. Has been.

  Similar to the control unit 21 according to the first embodiment, the control unit 121 is mainly configured by a CPU (not shown), and reads and executes various programs such as a device specifying program from a ROM or a flash memory (not shown). As a result, various processing such as device identification processing and communication processing is performed.

  In the maintenance system 101, as in the first embodiment, the device specifying process is performed according to the device specifying sequence (FIG. 5). However, in step SP10, unlike the first embodiment, a diagram corresponding to FIG. By executing the secondary device specifying sequence shown in FIG. 9, the secondary specifying process for specifying the target device from the primary specifying devices is performed.

[2-1. Second specific sequence]
Specifically, the control unit 121 of the remote maintenance server 103 reads the secondary device specifying program from the ROM or the like and executes it in step SP10 of the device specifying processing procedure RT1 (FIG. 5), thereby executing the secondary device specifying processing procedure RT7. Start and move to step SP71.

  Incidentally, prior to the execution of the secondary device specifying sequence, the operator R previously informs the user U that the numbers are sequentially displayed on the display unit 15 (FIG. 2) of the image forming apparatus 2 by telephone. Above, a request is made to press the help button 16H of the operation unit 16 at a timing when a specific message (for example, the number “5”) is displayed. Hereinafter, this specific message is also called a designated message.

  In step SP71, the control unit 121 sets a message to be displayed on the display unit 15 of the image forming apparatus 2, and proceeds to the next step SP72. Here, the displayed message is incremented by 1 every 10 seconds from “1” to “9”, that is, a one-digit number that changes over time, and the first message is set to the number “1”. Is done.

  In step SP72, the control unit 121 transmits a message consisting of the number “1” and an instruction to display this message on the display unit 15 to all the primary identification devices, and proceeds to the next step SP73. In step SP73, the control unit 121 measures the time elapsed since the message was transmitted, and proceeds to the next step SP74.

  On the other hand, the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 2 has started the failure handling processing procedure RT4 as in the first embodiment. In step SP41, the message from the remote maintenance server 103 and this message are displayed on the display unit 15. When an instruction to display is received, this message, for example, the numeral “1” is displayed, and the process proceeds to the next step SP42.

  Here, in the image forming apparatus 2 of the target apparatus, the user U sees the displayed one-digit number, but in accordance with a request from the operator R, a number other than the number “5” that is the designated message is displayed. Then, the help button 16H is not pressed, and the help button 16H is pressed by the user U when the designation message is displayed.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus 2 other than the target apparatus, there is a possibility that another user who is operating the image forming apparatus 2 sees a one-digit number displayed. However, since the user has not received any explanation from the operator R, there is a possibility that the help button 16H will be pressed in response to the display of this one-digit number. The possibility of pressing at “5” is extremely low.

  As in the first embodiment, when the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 2 detects that the help button 16H of the operation unit 16 is pressed in step SP42, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step SP43, and the communication unit 13 ( The apparatus information is transmitted to the remote maintenance server 103 by FIG. Subsequently, the control unit 11 proceeds to step SP44 and ends the failure handling process procedure RT4.

  In response to this, the control unit 121 of the remote maintenance server 103 receives the apparatus information from the image forming apparatus 2 through the communication unit 23 (FIG. 3) in step SP74, and proceeds to the next step SP75. In step SP75, the control unit 121 determines whether or not the message being displayed on the display unit 15 of the image forming apparatus 2 is a specified message (number “5”), that is, whether or not the message transmitted immediately before is a specified message. Determine whether.

  If a negative result is obtained here, this means that a message different from the designated message is displayed on the display unit 15 of the image forming apparatus 2, and even if apparatus information is received at this time, it does not lead to the identification of the target apparatus. This means that it is not necessary to receive device information. At this time, the control unit 121 proceeds to the next step SP76.

  In the next step SP76, the control unit 121 determines whether or not a predetermined standby time (for example, 10 seconds) has elapsed since the message was transmitted. If a negative result is obtained here, the control unit 121 waits for reception of device information until the standby time elapses by returning to step SP73 again.

  On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP76, this indicates that the device information has not been received within the standby time. At this time, the control unit 121 proceeds to the next step SP77, updates the number to be displayed as a message and updates it (for example, updates it to the number “2” if it is next to the number “1”), and then performs the step again. Returning to SP72, a series of processing is repeated.

  On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP75, this indicates that a designation message is displayed on the display unit 15 of the image forming apparatus 2, and the image forming apparatus 2 that has received the apparatus information at this stage may be the target apparatus. It shows that the nature is high. At this time, the control unit 121 moves to the next step SP78.

  In step SP78, the control unit 121 determines whether device information has been received. If a negative result is obtained here, the control unit 121 proceeds to step SP76 and waits for reception of device information.

  On the other hand, if an affirmative result is obtained in step SP78, this indicates that the help button 16H has been pressed by the user U in the target device in response to the display of the number “5” as the designation message. . At this time, the control unit 121 considers that the target device has been identified, moves to the next step SP79, and ends the secondary device identification processing procedure RT7.

[2-2. Effect]
In the above configuration, in the maintenance system 101 according to the second embodiment, help is provided at the timing when a designation message (for example, the number “5”) is displayed to the user U from the operator R in advance in the secondary device specifying sequence. A request is made to press the button 16H. In addition, in the maintenance system 101, a message is displayed on the display unit 15 of each primary identification device and updated at regular intervals. When the designation message is displayed, the user U notifies the user of the image forming apparatus 2 (that is, the target device). The help button 16H is pressed to transmit device information.

  Therefore, the maintenance system 101 can easily identify the image forming apparatus 2 that has transmitted the apparatus information at the timing when the designation message is displayed as the target apparatus. At this time, the maintenance system 101 only needs to cause the user U to press the help button 16H of the image forming apparatus 2 again in accordance with the displayed message. There is no forced operation.

  In particular, the maintenance system 101 does not determine whether or not device information has been received when a designation message is not displayed (steps SP75 and SP78). As a result, in the maintenance system 101, even if another user who has not received a request from the operator R presses the help button 16H with his / her own judgment regardless of the displayed number, the number “5” as the designation message is displayed. The possibility of matching with the displayed timing can be greatly reduced.

  That is, in the maintenance system 101, the possibility that the target device can be correctly identified can be greatly increased by updating the message displayed on the image forming apparatus 2 every predetermined time after determining the designation message in advance.

  In other respects, the maintenance system 101 can achieve the same effects as the maintenance system 1 according to the first embodiment.

  According to the above configuration, in the maintenance system 101 according to the second embodiment, the operator R requests the user U to press the help button 16H in advance when the designation message is displayed in the secondary device specifying sequence. In addition, the message is displayed on the display unit 15 of each primary identification device and updated at regular intervals. Thereby, in the maintenance system 101, when the designation message is displayed, the user U can press the help button 16H of the target device to transmit the device information, and the target device can be easily specified. As a result, the maintenance system 101 can cause the operator R to grasp the state of the image forming apparatus 2 based on the apparatus information, and can guide the user U about an appropriate method for solving the failure.

[3. Other Embodiments]
In the first embodiment described above, the apparatus information is transmitted by causing the user U to press the help button 16H of the image forming apparatus 2 based on the request from the operator R in the apparatus specifying sequence (FIG. 5). The case of letting it was described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a device information transmission button for transmitting device information to the operation unit 16 may be provided, and the operator R may request the user U to press the device information transmission button. good. In short, it is only necessary that the device information can be transmitted from the image forming apparatus 2 when the user U presses any button on the operation unit 16. The same applies to the secondary device specifying sequence (FIG. 7) and the second embodiment.

  Further, in the first embodiment described above, the case where the help button 16H is provided as a physical button on the operation unit 16 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the display unit 15 can function as a part of the operation unit 16 as a so-called touch panel, and the help button 16H is displayed on the touch panel to allow the user U to touch it. Anyway. The same applies to the second embodiment.

  Further, in the above-described first embodiment, in the apparatus specifying sequence (FIG. 5), the toner number is changed from the image forming apparatus 2 that is the target apparatus in addition to the management number uniquely set to the image forming apparatus 2. The case where device information including information indicating various states such as the remaining amount is transmitted has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, identification information including only a management number uniquely set in the image forming apparatus 2 may be transmitted without including information indicating various states in the image forming apparatus 2. . In short, it is sufficient that the remote maintenance server 3 includes information that can identify the image forming apparatus 2 on the Internet 4. In this case, information indicating the state of the image forming apparatus may be transmitted separately. The same applies to the secondary device specifying sequence and the second embodiment.

  In the above-described first embodiment, the case has been described in which the device number transmitted from the image forming apparatus 2 includes a management number uniquely assigned to each image forming apparatus 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various information that can uniquely identify each image forming apparatus 2 such as a serial number set at the time of manufacture for each image forming apparatus 2 may be included in the apparatus information. In short, it is only necessary that the remote maintenance server 3 that has received the device information can uniquely identify the transmission source of the device information. The same applies to the second embodiment.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the case where the target period is set after the operator R requests the user U to press the help button 16H in the device specifying sequence (FIG. 5) has been described (step SP7). . However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the user U has verbally explained to the operator R that the help button 16H has already been pressed, the past predetermined time (for example, the past 5 minutes) is set as the target period. Also good. This eliminates the need for the user to perform a useless operation such as pressing the help button 16H again. The same applies to the second embodiment.

  Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the case where the user U uses a telephone as a contact means for contacting the operator R has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various other contact means such as e-mail and chat may be used. In short, it is only necessary that the user U can communicate with the operator R and communicate with each other. The same applies to the second embodiment.

  Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the case where the character string “ABCDE” is displayed on the display unit 15 of the image forming apparatus 2 as a message in the apparatus specifying sequence has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and messages having various contents may be displayed on the display unit 15 of the image forming apparatus 2. In short, when displayed on the display unit 15 of the image forming apparatus 2, it is difficult to press the help button 16 </ b> H when viewed by other users, while the user U requested in advance by the operator R May be a message that triggers pressing of the help button 16H when viewed. The same applies to the second embodiment.

  Further, in the above-described first embodiment, when a message is displayed on the display unit 15 in the secondary device specifying sequence, the user U is caused to press the help button 16H of the image forming apparatus 2 to transmit the device information. The case where the target device is specified by doing this is described (FIG. 7). However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a message is displayed on the display unit 15, the user U may inform the operator R that the message is displayed verbally via a telephone. In this case, the operator R can specify the target device in the remote maintenance server 3 by performing a predetermined input operation via the operation unit 26 (FIG. 3).

  Alternatively, for example, in the secondary device specifying sequence, the remote maintenance server 3 simultaneously transmits and displays different messages to each of the primary specifying devices, and is displayed on the display unit of the image forming apparatus 2 that is the target device. May be read out by the user U. In this case, for example, a list of transmitted messages is displayed as selectable operation buttons on the display screen D1 (FIG. 6), and the message read out by the user U is displayed by the operator R on the operation unit 26 (FIG. 6). By selecting through 3), the remote maintenance server 3 can specify the target device. As this message, it is preferable to use a relatively short and easy-to-understand word such as a number of 3 digits or less, or “Mt. Fuji”, “Cherry Blossom”, “Sea”, etc.

  Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the case has been described in which a single-digit number is changed to increase by one as a message. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, numbers may be changed randomly, or numbers of two or more digits, English letters, etc., and arbitrary words may be displayed while being changed every predetermined time. In this case, it is only necessary to cause the user U to press the help button 16H at a timing when a number, a word, or the like requested in advance by the operator R is displayed.

  Further, in the above-described second embodiment, the case has been described where it is determined whether or not device information has been received only while a designation message is being displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be determined whether or not the device information is received even while the designation message is not displayed. In this case, for example, the image forming apparatus 2 that has received the apparatus information while the designation message is not displayed may be excluded from the target apparatus candidates, thereby increasing the possibility of correctly identifying the target apparatus.

  Further, in the first embodiment described above, the case where the user U of the image forming apparatus 2 that is the target apparatus is pressed only once in the apparatus specifying sequence has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the operator R requests the user U, the help button 16H is pressed repeatedly three times, such as pressing the help button 16H three times or in combination with various pressing patterns. good. Generally, in the image forming apparatus 2, it is assumed that the help button 16H is pressed only once. For this reason, it can be expected that the target device is immediately identified without performing the secondary device identification sequence by depressing with a different depressing pattern.

  Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the case where the user registration process (step SP4) is performed when the telephone number is not registered in the customer information database 22A (FIG. 4) in the device specifying sequence has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the subsequent processing may proceed without performing user registration processing. The same applies to the second embodiment.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, a new telephone number is obtained after confirming the intention of the user U by executing the customer information update sequence (FIG. 8) after the end of the device specifying sequence (FIG. 5). Has been described in the case of registering in the customer information database 22A. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a user U registered as a customer in the customer information database 22A additionally installs a new image forming apparatus 2, the apparatus specifying sequence (FIG. 5) is completed. Information regarding the new image forming apparatus 2 may be additionally registered in the customer information database 22A. The same applies to the second embodiment.

  Further, in the first embodiment described above, the customer information database 22A is stored in the storage unit 22 of the remote maintenance server 3 (FIG. 3), and the screen displayed on the display unit 25 of the remote maintenance server 3 is displayed by the operator R. The case where the operator R is caused to visually recognize the operation unit 26 and the operator R is operated is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, apart from the remote maintenance server 3, a maintenance operation terminal having a display unit and an operation unit is provided in the maintenance center S1 and connected to the Internet 4, and displayed on the display unit of the maintenance operation terminal. Alternatively, the operator R may visually recognize the screen to be displayed, and the operator R may be caused to operate the operation unit. The same applies to the second embodiment.

  Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the case where the image forming apparatus 2 is configured as a so-called MFP that can also operate as a copying machine or a facsimile apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the image forming apparatus 2 may be configured as a printer or a facsimile apparatus having only a printing function. The same applies to the second embodiment.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and other embodiments. That is, the scope of the present invention extends to embodiments in which some or all of the above-described embodiments and other embodiments described above are arbitrarily combined, and embodiments in which some are extracted. It is.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case has been described in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses constitute a maintenance system connected to a maintenance apparatus via a network. Among these, the image forming apparatus 2 as an image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit 14 as an image forming unit, an operation unit 16 as a first operation unit, and a communication unit 13 as a first communication unit. Further, the remote maintenance server 3 as a maintenance device is configured by an operation unit 26 as a second operation unit, a communication unit 23 as a second communication unit, and a control unit 21 as a maintenance control unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit having various other configurations, a first operation unit, and a first communication unit, and the maintenance device includes other various configurations. You may comprise by a 2nd operation part, a 2nd communication part, and a maintenance control part.

  The present invention can also be used in a maintenance system that performs a maintenance service of an image forming apparatus connected to a remote maintenance server via a network, for example.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101 ... Maintenance system, 2 ... Image forming apparatus, 3, 103 ... Remote maintenance server, 4 ... Internet, 6, 7, 9 ... Telephone, 8 ... Telephone line network, 11, 21, 121 ... Control unit, 12, 22 ... Storage unit, 12A ... Device information storage area, 12B ... Log storage area, 13, 23 ... Communication unit, 14 ... Image forming unit, 15, 25 ... Display unit , 16, 26 ... operation unit, 16H ... help button, 22A ... customer information database, R ... operator, U ... user.

Claims (9)

A maintenance system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to a maintenance apparatus via a network,
The image forming apparatus includes:
An image forming unit for forming an image on a medium;
A first operation unit that receives a user operation instruction;
A first communication unit that communicates with the maintenance device via the network and transmits operation information indicating that the user has operated the first operation unit;
With
The maintenance device is
A second operation unit that receives an operation instruction from an operator who is in contact with the user via a predetermined contact unit;
A second communication unit that communicates with the plurality of image forming apparatuses via the network and receives the operation information from the image forming apparatus;
A maintenance control unit that performs an apparatus specifying process for specifying the image forming apparatus based on the operation information received by the second communication unit within a predetermined target period;
With
The maintenance control unit
When the operation information is received from a plurality of the image forming apparatuses during the target period in the apparatus specifying process, the primary specifying apparatus that is the plurality of image forming apparatuses that received the operation information during the target period, A maintenance system for performing secondary device identification processing for identifying an image forming apparatus. The maintenance control unit
Wherein as a secondary device specifying process, the maintenance system according to claim 1, based on the operation information received again from the primary identification device, and identifies the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes:
An image forming display unit for displaying display contents based on a display instruction transmitted from the maintenance control unit via the network;
The maintenance control unit, as the secondary device specifying process, is based on the operation information transmitted by the user operating the first operation unit according to the display content displayed on the image forming display unit. maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein the identifying the image forming apparatus. As the secondary device specifying process, the maintenance control unit changes the display content of the image forming display unit as time elapses, and displays the specified display content specified by the operator via the contact unit. The operation information is transmitted by causing the user to operate the first operation unit at the time of being set, and the period during which the designated display content is displayed on the image forming display unit is set as the target period, The maintenance system according to claim 3 , wherein an image forming apparatus is specified. The maintenance system according to claim 4 , wherein the maintenance control unit excludes the image forming apparatus that has received the operation information outside the target period from the target to be specified. The image forming apparatus includes:
An image forming display unit for displaying display contents based on a display instruction transmitted from the maintenance control unit via the network;
As the secondary device specifying process, the maintenance control unit displays different display contents on the image forming display unit for each of the primary specifying devices, and the display content is displayed by the user via the contact means. contacted to the operator, the maintenance system according to claim 1, based on the operation performed through the second operating unit, and identifies the image forming apparatus by the operator. The maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein the operation information includes information that can identify the image forming apparatus on the network. The first operation unit has a help button operated by the user when the user cannot cope with the state of the image forming apparatus,
The maintenance system according to claim 2, wherein the first communication unit transmits the operation information when the help button is operated. A maintenance system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to a maintenance apparatus via a network,
The image forming apparatus includes:
An image forming unit for forming an image on a medium;
A first operation unit that receives a user operation instruction;
An operation that communicates with the maintenance device via the network and that indicates that the first operation unit has been operated by the user together with unique image forming device identification information set for each image forming device. A first communication unit for transmitting information;
With
The maintenance device is
A second operation unit that receives an operation instruction from an operator who is in contact with the user via a predetermined contact unit;
A second communication unit that communicates with the plurality of image forming apparatuses via the network and receives the operation information from the image forming apparatus;
A maintenance control unit that performs an apparatus specifying process for specifying the image forming apparatus based on the operation information received by the second communication unit within a predetermined target period;
A maintenance storage unit that associates and stores the image forming apparatus identification information and contact identification information for identifying the user in the contact unit;
A contact identification information acquisition unit for acquiring the contact identification information of the user who is in contact with the operator via the contact means;
With
The image forming apparatus includes:
An image forming display unit for displaying display contents based on a display instruction transmitted from the maintenance control unit via the network;
The maintenance control unit
If the image forming apparatus identification information received together with the operation information and the contact identification information of the user acquired by the contact identification information acquisition unit are not stored in association in the maintenance storage unit, the contact identification Information is stored in association with the image forming apparatus identification information, and a predetermined confirmation message is displayed on the image forming display unit to confirm with the user whether or not the contact identification information is registered in the maintenance apparatus. maintenance and, when receiving an instruction to register the contact identification information via the first operating unit by the user, and characterized in that stored in association with the contact identification information to the image forming apparatus identification information system.

Images