JPH1139110A - Printer status information notification system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inform an operator, a maintenance person and a user of the status information of a printer fault by utilizing means originally provided in a network communication environment without adding resources to a printer. SOLUTION: Data bases 14 and 312 for storing status information are provided with means for notifying the changes in the status information of the printer 2 through an API, while a status information monitoring means 11 stores the status information in the data bases 14 and 312 for storing the status information by itself or through communication means 15 and 313. Status information output means 12 and 311 set a client for the operator and the client for the maintenance person in the data bases 14 and 312 for storing the status information, thus status information display means 13 and 311 inform the client for the operator, the client for the maintenance person and the client for a printer user of the fault.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print server, and more particularly to a printer status information notification system for notifying a user, but also a client of an operator or a maintenance person, of status information including a printer operation status and a failure status. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional shared printer device connected to a bus, sending printer status information to a user requires additional resources such as a storage device in the printer device itself, and transmits the information to a network. In order to notify the upper-level device, another notification means had to be provided. In addition, if a failure occurred when printing from a remote location to a printer shared via a network communication line, the failure was notified only to the host device that performed the printing. There were times when it was troublesome to cancel.

[0003]

A first problem is that, in the prior art, when a failure occurs during printing on a printer device shared on a remote network, the printer device is used to cancel the failure. This requires time and effort for the user to contact the administrator or the like, which increases the time and cost. The reason is that there is no means for notifying the operator or the maintenance person of the failure of the printer device.

A second problem is that it is difficult to add such means to a printer. The reason for this is that the cost of adding a storage device or the like is required to add it to a printing device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to prevent a failure of a printer shared by a network communication line not only from a user but also from a user.
By notifying the operator or the maintenance person of the printer device, the failure can be quickly and efficiently cleared, thereby contributing to the improvement of the utilization rate.

[0006]

The status information monitoring means 11 for monitoring the printer 2 according to the present invention includes a status information display means 13 and a server communication means via a status information storage database program 14 for storing status information. 15 and client 31
To the client communication means 313 of the client 3n
Information is transmitted via a unified application interface (hereinafter abbreviated as API). A status information output unit 12 is provided in the system, and a client of an operator or a maintainer of the printer 2 is newly added to the status storage database 14 as a destination of the status information. Further, the client names of the operator and the maintenance person of the notification destination added are all the clients 3
Status information storage database 312 for 1 to 3n
3n2 are also set by sending status information. Further, when a failure occurs in the printer 2, the failure is notified to the operator or maintenance client together with the printer user by setting the notification destination operator or maintenance client added to the status information storage database 14. . Status information storage databases 14 and 31
When the storage area of the status information prepared in 2 is changed as needed, the change is notified to the status information display means through the API, and the information is displayed on the window.

[0007] The status information monitoring means 11 of the server 1 of the printer 2 to be shared through the network communication line 4 sets all the status information of the printer 2 in the status information storage database 14 and further communicates with the clients 31 to 3n. The means 313 to 3n3 transfer the information of the status information storage database 14 of the server 1 via the server communication means 15 to the status information storage database 3 of the clients 31 to 3n.
12 and 3 are set respectively. The status information output unit 12 enumerates shared notification destination clients at the time of occurrence of a failure in the printer 2 and sets them in the status information storage database 312. If it exists, the client for the operator is also set. When the server communication unit 15 is connected to the client communication unit 313, the server communication unit 15 sets the user client of the connected printer 2 in the status storage database 14.

If any failure occurs in the printer 2 while the client 31 is using the printer 2 through the network communication line 4, the status information monitoring means 11 of the server 1 obtains status information including the failure,
The status information of the printer 2 is set in the status information storage database 14. The status information storage database 14 sets status information including failure information in the status information storage database 312 of the client 31 via the server communication unit 15 and the client communication unit 313. Status information display means 31
Reference numerals 1 and 13 denote status storage databases 3 respectively.
The status information change of the printer 2 is notified by the APIs 12 and 14 via the API, and the status information is acquired. The information is notified to the operator client who releases the failure and the client that is performing print output. Further, when the notification is sent to the operator client and the failure of the printer is not cleared within a certain period of time, the maintenance client registered as the secondary notification destination is obtained from the status storage database 14, and the maintenance client is acquired. Notify the client of the information.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The status information monitoring means 11 of the server 1 acquires the configuration information and the status information of the printer 2 when the basic program is started, and registers the configuration information and the status information in the status information storage database 14. The status information output unit 12 stores the client names of the operator client and the maintenance client in the status information storage database. Client 31
Is connected to the server communication means 15 of the server 1 by a remote procedure call (hereinafter referred to as RPC: Remote Procedure Call) by the client communication means 313 activated at the time of user login, and acquires necessary status information from the status storage database 15 of the server 1; The information is stored in the status information storage database 312. Print output is started by the application program of the client 31,
When a failure occurs in the printer 2, the status information monitoring means 11 notifies the failure to the status storage database 14, and the status information is stored in each status information storage database 312 via the server communication means 15 and the client communication means 313. Is copied. The status information display unit 311 of the client 31 displays a failure occurrence. When the client 32 is assigned to the operator client, the server 1
2 is also notified of status information. Further, when the failure is not cleared by the operator for a certain period of time, the client 32 displays its own status information display means 3.
21 acquires the client name for the maintenance person from the status information storage database 322 and notifies the client of the status information.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. When the server 1 shown in FIG. 1 is started, the status information output unit 12 registers the primary notification destination operator client name and the secondary notification destination maintenance client name in the status information storage database 14 (step 101). The server 1 enters a standby loop waiting for a connection from the client 31 to the client 3n (No in Steps 102 and 103). When there is a connection from the clients 31 to 3n (Yes in step 103), the connected client 31 is registered in the status information storage database 14 (step 104), and further waits (No in steps 102 and 103). Client 31 using printer 2 connected to server 1
The client communication means 313 of the server 1
The client 31 is registered in the status information storage database 14 through the server communication means 15 (step 104). The client communication unit 313 copies the status information of the printer 2 from the status information storage database 14 to the status information storage database 312 of the client 31 via the server communication unit 15 (steps 202 and 302), and notifies the server 1 of the status information. (No in step 203 and step 204, No in step 303 and step 304). This loop is repeated until the system ends.

Next, if a failure occurs in the printer 2 at the time of print output, the status information monitoring means 11 of the server 1 detects the occurrence of the failure (Yes in step 204),
The failure is set in the status information storage database 14 (step 205). The status information storage database 14 notifies the server communication unit 15 via the API, and the server communication unit 15 communicates with the client communication units 313 to 3n of the other clients 31 to 3n.
Notify to n3 by RPC. Client communication means 31
3 acquires failure information from the status information storage database 14 through the server communication means 15 and sets the failure information in the status information storage database 312. The status information display means 311 of the client 31
Is detected (Yes in step 304), the client 31 checks by itself whether or not printout is being performed, and if the client 31 is printout itself (step 2).
06, Yes in step 305), and notifies the operator client of the failure occurrence (steps 207, 308). Further, the client 31 detects whether or not the failure has been cleared, and if the failure has been cleared (Yes in step 209), the client 31 returns to the standby state (step 203).
And step 303). If the failure is not cleared (No in Step 209), it is checked whether a predetermined time has elapsed, and if the predetermined time has elapsed (Yes in Step 210).
s) The maintenance person client is notified that the failure is not cleared (step 211), and returns to the standby state (step 203). If the fixed time has not passed (Step 2
(No in 10), the process returns to the loop waiting for the failure release detection (step 208). This loop is repeated until the fault is cleared. When the print output from the client 31 is not being performed, the client for the operator is acquired from the status information storage databases 14 and 312, and it is checked whether the client of the primary notification destination is present (step 30).
6). In the case of the client of the primary notification destination (step 30)
6), the failure is notified (step 308).
Furthermore, if the destination is not the primary notification destination (N in step 306)
o), it is checked whether the secondary notification destination is a secondary notification destination for which a failure release request is made. If the secondary notification destination is a client for maintenance personnel (Yes in step 307), the failure is displayed (step 308). If not detected (N in step 307)
o), return to the normal state (step 303). This loop continues until the system ends.

Further, according to this embodiment, a failure of the printer 2 is notified to the operator client regardless of whether printing is being performed, and the failure can be quickly cleared. First, when a failure that occurs during printing, such as the absence of paper immediately after printing, occurs in the printer 2, the status information monitoring unit 11 sets the status information of the failure in the status information storage database 14. Status information display means 311
Detects if it is set on the operator client and if it is set on the operator client,
Obviously, the fault can be displayed in its own window regardless of the printout.

[0013]

The first effect is that a failure of a printer shared by a network communication line can be notified to a printing client or a designated client without changing the printer side. The reason is that the status information storage means, the server communication means, the client communication means and the status information display means use the status information output means by utilizing the function of sending the status information originally provided to the printer and the server to the client. The reason is that the printer can send the status information of the printer from the server to the client of the operator or the maintenance person by adding the.

A second advantage is that the printer does not require any additional resources such as a special external storage. The reason is that the server originally has a mechanism to hold necessary information,
This is because that mechanism can be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of the server of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation in which the client in FIG. 1 receives failure status information during printing and notifies the primary notification destination operator client and the secondary notification destination maintenance staff client of the failure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the client itself is an operator client when the client of FIG. 1 receives failure status information during printing.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 server 2 printer 4 network communication line 11 status information monitoring means 12 status information output means 13 status information display means 14 status information storage database 15 server communication means 31 to 3n client 311 status information display means 312 status information storage database 313 client Communication means

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A system in which a print server and a client are connected to a network communication line, and each of the clients uses the print server remotely. The print server monitors the configuration and operating status of a printer, and Status information monitoring means for obtaining status information indicating the configuration and operating state of the status information storage database storing the status information and the notification destination information of the information, and referring to the status information storage database, A status information output unit that selects a notification destination of the status information and outputs the information; a status information display unit that acquires and displays the status information from the status information storage database; And a server communication means for sending the status information through a network communication line, wherein the client is a client communication means for receiving the status information from the print server via a network communication line, and the client communication means. A status information storage database for storing status information obtained through the printer, and status information display means for acquiring and displaying the status information from the status information storage database. Information notification system. 2. The notification destination information includes: a client that is using the printer; an operator client that is a primary notification destination that releases a failure state based on the status information; and a notification to the primary notification destination. 2. The status information notification according to claim 1, further comprising: registering a client for a maintenance person who is a secondary notification destination for re-notifying the status information when a failure situation for a predetermined time is not solved. system.