JPH11338319A - Control system for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce communication expenses by transmitting a report to a centralized control device at the same time when a next periodical report is transmitted in the case of the fault of a copying machine whose degree of urgency is low. SOLUTION: When a (c) code expressing the fault is transmitted from the copying machine 10, the control device 20 prepares a report including the (c) code and makes a storing device 21 store the report. Next, the device 20 discriminates whether or not the degree of the urgency of the fault occurring in the machine 10 is so high that the centralized control device 60 must be immediately informed based on the (c) code. Data expressing whether or not the degree of the urgency of the fault is high are stored in the device 21 of the device 20 as a table for deciding the degree of the urgency by each (c) code. When the fault occurring in the machine 10 is discriminated that the degree of the urgency of the fault occurring in the machine 10 is low based on the table for deciding the degree of the urgency, the device 20 transmits the report at the same time when the next periodical report is transmitted to the device 60.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a management system for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a copier management system, there is a copier management system in which a plurality of terminals each having a copier and a management device are connected to a centralized management device including a host computer via a public telephone line. In such a management system, the management device on the terminal side uses the number of copies used by the copier,
The occurrence of a JAM, the occurrence of a failure, and the like are transmitted to the central control device via a public telephone line.

When a failure occurs in the copying machine, the management device creates an emergency report including C-CODE indicating the type of the failure, and immediately transmits the created emergency report to the central management device. As described above, since an emergency report is transmitted to the centralized management device every time a failure occurs, there is a problem that communication costs increase.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a management system for an image forming apparatus capable of reducing communication costs.

[0005]

A management system for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a terminal including an image forming apparatus and the management apparatus, and a centralized management apparatus for managing the terminal. When a failure occurs in the image forming apparatus, a C code indicating the type of the failure is sent from the image forming apparatus to the management apparatus. Means for generating a report including the C code and storing it in a storage device, means for determining whether a failure occurred in the image forming apparatus is a high or low urgency based on the C code, Means for immediately transmitting the report as an urgent report to the centralized management device when it is determined that the failure occurred in the image forming apparatus is of high urgency; If it is determined that the failure that has occurred in the forming apparatus is of low urgency, the next time a periodic report is sent to the centralized management device or the next time an emergency report is sent to the centralized management device, the above-mentioned report is unregistered. As an urgent report, a means for transmitting to the centralized management device together with a regular report or an urgent report is provided.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a copier management system will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a copier management system.

[0008] A plurality of terminals 30 each having a copier 10 and a management device 20 are connected to a centralized management device 60 composed of a host computer via a public telephone line 40 and a modem 50.

The copying machine 10 includes a CPU (not shown), various sensors 11, a display 12, and the like. The management device 20 includes a storage device 21 and the like in addition to a CPU (not shown).

When a copying operation is performed by the copying machine 10, a copy signal is sent to the management device 20 for each copying operation.
Sent to When receiving the copy signal, the management device 20 updates the number of copies used in the copying machine 10 stored in the storage device 21. The management device 20 is a storage device 2
The number of copies used by the copying machine 10 stored in the storage unit 1 is periodically transmitted to the central management device 60 as a periodic report.

When the occurrence of a trouble such as a jam or a failure in the copying machine 10 is detected by a sensor 11 provided in a paper feeding section, a conveying section, a developing section, etc., the copying machine 10 Is displayed on the display unit 12 and a detection signal indicating the type of trouble is sent to the management device 20.

In this example, it is assumed that the detection signal indicating the type of trouble includes a JAM code indicating a jam and a C code indicating the type of a failure. When a JAM code indicating a jam is sent from the copier 10 to the management device 20, the code is stored in the storage device 21 and the JAM code is stored in the storage device 21.
Start timing of AM duration. And the measured J
When the AM duration reaches a predetermined reference time, a JAM call (JAM notification) including a JAM code is transmitted to the central management device 60 as an emergency report.

FIG. 2 shows a processing procedure of the management apparatus when a C code indicating a failure is sent from the copying machine to the management apparatus 20.

The management device 20 sends a C indicating a failure from the copying machine.
If the code is sent (step 1), the C
A report including a code is created and stored in the storage device 21 (step 2).

Next, based on the above-mentioned C code, the management device 20 determines whether a failure occurred in the copying machine 10
It is determined whether the failure has a high urgency or a low urgency as soon as 0 is notified immediately (step 3). The storage device 21 of the management device 20 stores, for each C code, data indicating whether or not the failure has a high degree of urgency as an urgency determination table. Based on the use table, it is determined whether the failure that has occurred in the copying machine 10 is of high or low urgency.

If it is determined that the failure that has occurred in the copying machine 10 is of high urgency (YE
S), the report stored in step 2 is used as an emergency report, and the central management device 60 is connected via the public telephone line 40.
Immediately (step 4).

If it is determined that the failure occurred in the copying machine 10 is of low urgency (NO in step 3),
The management device 20 then sends the periodic report to the central management device 60.
When the emergency report is transmitted to the central management device 60 or the next time, the report stored in step 2 is transmitted to the central management device 60 as a non-emergency report together with the regular report or the emergency report (step 5). ).

Table 1 shows an example of a failure with high urgency, and Table 2 shows an example of a failure with low urgency.

[0019]

[Table 1]

[0020]

[Table 2]

According to the above-described embodiment, even if a failure occurs in the copying machine, if the failure is a failure of low urgency, the next regular report is transmitted or the next emergency report is transmitted. When it is sent, it is sent to the central management device 60 together with the regular report or the emergency report,
Communication costs can be reduced.

[0022]

According to the present invention, the communication cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a copier management system.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the management apparatus when a C code indicating a failure is transmitted from the copying machine to the management apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Copier 20 Management device 30 Terminal 40 Public telephone line 60 Centralized management device

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A terminal including an image forming apparatus and a management device therefor, and a centralized management device for managing the terminal,
When a failure occurs in the image forming apparatus, a C code indicating the type of the failure is sent from the image forming apparatus to the management apparatus. In the image forming apparatus management system, the management apparatus receives the C code from the image forming apparatus. Means for generating a report including the C code and storing the report in a storage device, and determining, based on the C code, whether a failure that has occurred in the image forming apparatus has a high urgency or a low urgency. Means for immediately transmitting the report as an urgent report to the central control device when it is determined that the failure occurring in the image forming apparatus is of high urgency; If it is determined to be inferior, the next time a periodic report is sent to the centralized management device or the next emergency report is sent to the centralized management device The Rutoki, the management system of the image forming apparatus characterized by with regular reports or emergency report the report, and a means for transmitting to the central control device.