KR101550294B1 - Remote management system and method for re-manufactured goods of Multicopier - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a remote management system for a remanufactured multifunctional copier, which connects at least one remanufactured multifunctional copier and a manager terminal which manages the remanufactured multifunctional copier through a network, and a remote management method therefor. The remote management system for a remanufactured multifunctional copier includes: a database unit which stores information of the remanufactured multifunctional copier, manager information of the remanufactured multifunctional copier, use information of the remanufactured multifunctional copier, and management reference information of the remanufactured multifunctional copier; and a server which collects the use information of the remanufactured multifunctional copier to store the use information in the database unit, and notifies a time point of replacing an expendable part to the manager terminal when the expendable part is determined to be replaced based on comparison between the use information and the management reference information of the remanufactured multifunctional copier. According to the present invention, the expendable part can be timely replaced by managing the remanufactured multifunctional copier properly. In addition, the remanufactured multifunctional copier (200) can be periodically managed and remotely operated to prevent a toner of the remanufactured multifunctional copier (200) from being hardened; and also a user can be guided to use the remanufactured multifunctional copier (200) in a proper pattern by diagnosing failure based on a pattern of use.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote management system and a method for remanufactured multi-

The present invention relates to a multifunction peripheral, and more particularly, to a remanufactured product multifunction peripheral remote management system and method.

Recently, devices that incorporate various functions are emerging in pursuit of a more efficient office environment and automation trends. As a representative example, an image forming apparatus having a facsimile function, a copy function, or a print function in combination.

In other words, office equipment such as fax machines and copying machines existed solely according to their respective functions. However, due to the development of various electronic industries and the development of parts therefrom, functions of fax machines and printers, copiers and printers are integrated Has emerged.

Faxes are generally equipped with a copying function at present, and in the case of the above-mentioned three office machines, a common function is printing (forming an image on a print medium).

The facsimile machine includes a scanner unit for receiving the original to be transmitted, an output unit for printing the received original, a facsimile control circuit unit for collectively controlling the overall operation for performing the facsimile transmission function, It has a structure of branches.

The copying machine has a scanner unit for receiving an image to be copied, an output unit for printing a scanned image, and a copy control circuit unit and a power unit for collectively controlling the overall operation for performing the copying function.

The printer includes an output unit for receiving image information signaled from a computer and printing the image information, a print control circuit unit for overall control of the overall operation for performing the print function, and a power unit.

The common feature of these devices is that they have both output and power. Therefore, if the control circuit unit can be implemented by complexing only parts for performing unique functions that are not commonly owned, one multifunctional apparatus that performs all three functions described above can be constructed.

These complex office devices are widely used and widely used for rent.

However, most of these products are expensive, and are widely used as remanufactured products.

However, in the past, such a remanufactured product multifunction device has not been properly managed and replacement of consumables has not been properly performed.

This causes a failure of the remanufactured product multifunction device, and it becomes difficult to use the product in a normal manner due to the lack of the paper, the lack of toner, or the like.

Korean Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1999-0065038 (Published Date: August 05, 1999 Name: Bar code recognition method and apparatus of a complex office equipment)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a remanufactured product multi-function remote management system and method, which enables a remanufactured product multi-function device to be properly managed,

The present invention also provides a remanufactured product multi-function remote management system and method that periodically manages and remotely drives the remanufactured product multi-function device so that the toner is not hardened.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a remanufactured product multi-function remote management system and a method for diagnosing a fault according to a usage pattern to induce the use of a correct pattern.

In order to solve such a problem, a remanufactured product multi-function remote management system according to an aspect of the present invention includes:

A remanufactured product multi-function remote management system connected to an administrator terminal of an administrator managing at least one remanufactured product complex and the remanufactured product complex through a network,

A database unit for storing information of the remanufactured product complex machine, manager information of the remanufactured product complex machine, use information of the remanufactured product complex machine, and management standard information of the remanufactured product complex machine;

The use information of the remanufactured product complex is collected and stored in the database unit and the use information of the remanufactured product complex is compared with the management reference information of the remanufactured product complex, And the like.

The database unit,

A remanufactured product multi-function device DB storing information of the remanufactured product compound device;

An administrator information DB for storing manager information including a telephone number of an administrator who manages the remanufactured product complex;

A usage information DB for storing usage information of the remanufactured product complex;

And a management reference information DB for storing management standard information including a consumable replacement period, a daily use or a monthly normal use pattern of the remanufactured product complex device, and a use period for preventing the toner from being hardened.

The server comprises:

An information receiving unit for collecting usage information of the remanufactured product complex and storing the collected information in the database unit;

An information management unit for comparing the use information of the remanufactured product complex device with the management reference information of the remanufactured product complex device and informing the manager terminal of a consumable item exchange time when the consumable item is to be exchanged;

The normal use pattern is extracted from the use information of the remanufactured product complex, and if the extracted daily or monthly usage pattern is different from the normal use pattern of daily or monthly use of the management reference information by a predetermined value or more, And a warning unit for performing a warning.

The server comprises:

And a remote driving unit for remotely driving the remanufactured product multi-function device when the period during which the remanufactured product compound device is not used does not allow the toner to solidify.

The remanufactured product multi-

An operation unit for selecting functions including copying, faxing, and scanning and operating the functions;

A memory for storing usage information including toner usage, copy paper usage, and jam occurrence count;

A communication unit for externally outputting usage information stored in the memory;

And a control unit for transmitting the usage information to the server via the communication unit and performing warm-up or test printing according to the remote control of the server.

A method for remotely managing a remanufactured product in accordance with the present invention,

And a database unit for storing information of the remanufactured product complex machine, manager information of the remanufactured product complex machine, use information of the remanufactured product complex machine, and management standard information of the remanufactured product complex machine,

And remotely managing the remanufactured product multifunction peripheral remote management system connected to the manager terminal of the administrator managing the remanufactured product integrated device and the remanufactured product integrated device through a network,

Collecting usage information of the remanufactured product multifunction apparatus and storing it in the database unit;

The information management unit of the server compares the use information of the remanufactured product complex and the management reference information of the remanufactured product complex to determine whether or not the time point is a time to replace the consumable item;

If the usage information of the remanufactured product multifunction device is the time of replacement of the consumable item, informing the information management part of the consumable item replacement time to the administrator terminal;

And the warning section of the server extracts the daily use pattern or the monthly normal usage pattern from the usage information of the remanufactured product complex.

The method comprises:

Determining whether the daily usage pattern or the monthly usage pattern extracted by the warning unit differs from the daily usage pattern or the monthly normal usage pattern of the management reference information by a predetermined value or more;

Further comprising the step of causing the warning unit to warn the administrator terminal if the extracted daily or monthly usage pattern is different from the daily or monthly normal usage pattern of the management reference information by at least a predetermined value.

The method comprises:

Determining whether the remote driving unit of the server is a use period during which the toner is not hardened during the period when the remanufactured product complex is not used;

And remotely driving the remanufactured product all-in-one if the period during which the remanufactured product compound device is not used does not allow the toner to solidify.

The method comprises:

And the controller of the remanufactured product complex performs warm-up or test printing according to the remote control of the server.

In the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a remanufactured product multi-function remote management system and method, which enables the remanufactured product multi-function device to be properly managed and to exchange consumables in a timely manner.

In addition, it is possible to provide a remanufactured product multi-function remote management system and method that periodically manages and remotely drives the remanufactured product multi-function device so that the toner is not hardened.

Also, a remanufactured product multi-function remote management system and method can be provided that diagnose a failure according to a usage pattern and induce the use of a correct pattern.

1 is a block diagram of a remanufactured product multi-function remote management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of the remanufactured product multifunction apparatus shown in Fig. 1;
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of remotely managing a remanufactured product in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and similar parts are denoted by like reference characters throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise. Also, the terms " part, "" module," and " module ", etc. in the specification mean a unit for processing at least one function or operation and may be implemented by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software have.

The administrator terminal 100 described below is a digital device such as an Internet enabled PDA, a smart phone, a feature phone, a notebook computer, a TABLET PC, and a personal computer.

Then, the remanufactured product multifunction device exchanges defective parts in the used multifunction device

Means a remanufactured MFD.

1 is a block diagram of a remanufactured product multi-function remote management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a remanufactured product multi-function remote management system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

A remanufactured product multi-function remote management system connected to an administrator terminal of an administrator managing at least one remanufactured product complex and the remanufactured product complex through a network,

A database unit (120) for storing information on the remanufactured product complex unit, manager information of the remanufactured product complex unit, use information of the remanufactured product complex unit, and management standard information of the remanufactured product complex unit;

The use information of the remanufactured product complex is collected and stored in the database unit and the use information of the remanufactured product complex is compared with the management reference information of the remanufactured product complex, And a server 110 for notifying the user of the information.

The database unit 120 includes a remanufactured product complex DB 121, an administrator information DB 122, a use information DB 123 and a management reference information DB 124.

The remanufactured product all-in-one DB 121 stores the information of the remanufactured product compound machine, specifically, the year of manufacture of each component, the number of currently held toners, the number of print paper, and the like. If necessary, the part can be given a grade so that the replacement time can be different. For example, even if the same part is used, it is necessary to store the replacement period shorter than class A and class B, and the remaining service life is saved except for the pre-used period.

The manager information DB 122 stores the personal information of the manager who manages the remanufactured product complex, and stores the manager information including the contact e-mail and the telephone number.

The usage information DB 123 stores usage information of the remanufactured product complex, and stores the usage time, the number of prints, the remaining amount of toner, the number of errors, and the like.

The management reference information DB 124 stores management standard information including a consumable replacement period, a normal use pattern for each day or month, and a usage period for preventing the toner from being hardened.

The server 110 includes an information receiving unit 111, an information managing unit 112, a warning unit 113, and a remote driving unit 114.

The information receiving unit 111 collects usage information of the remanufactured product complex and stores the collected information in the database unit 120.

The information management unit 112 compares the usage information of the remanufactured product complex device with the management reference information of the remanufactured product complex device, and informs the administrator terminal of the consumable product replacement time when the consumable is exchanged.

The warning unit 113 extracts a daily or monthly normal use pattern from the usage information of the remanufactured product complex, and if the extracted daily or monthly usage pattern is different from the daily or monthly normal use pattern of the management reference information by at least a predetermined value A warning is issued to the administrator terminal.

The remote driving unit 114 remotely drives the remanufactured product multi-function device in a case where the period during which the remanufactured product compound device is not used does not allow the toner to solidify.

Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of the remanufactured product multifunction apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

2, the remanufactured product complex machine 200 includes a display unit 210, an operation unit 220, a memory 250, a communication unit 240, and a control unit 230.

The display unit 210 displays operation information.

The operation unit 220 selects functions including copying, faxing, and scanning, and operates the corresponding functions.

The memory 250 stores usage information including a toner usage amount, a copy paper usage amount, and a jam occurrence count.

The communication unit 240 externally outputs usage information stored in the memory 250, receives information received from the outside, and transmits the information to the control unit.

The control unit 230 performs functions including copying, faxing, and scanning in accordance with the operation through the operation unit 220, and stores usage information in the memory 250. [

The control unit 230 transmits the usage information to the server 110 through the communication unit 240.

In addition, the controller 230 performs warm-up or test printing according to the remote control of the server 110.

Here, the portions for performing printing and the configurations relating to various functions are not shown, but are well known in the art, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, the operation of the remanufactured product multi-function remote management system according to the embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration will be described.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of remotely managing a remanufactured product in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the user operates the operation unit 220 to use one of functions including copying, faxing, and scanning (S310).

Then, the control unit 230 performs functions including copying, faxing, and scanning in accordance with the operation through the operation unit 220, and stores the usage information in the memory 250. [ For example, information such as the number of prints, the number of jams, the remaining amount of toner, and the like are stored in a memory, and a check function of the number of prints, the number of jams,

The control unit 230 transmits the usage information to the server 110 through the communication unit 240 (S320).

Next, the information receiving unit of the server 110 collects usage information of the remanufactured product complex and stores it in the usage information DB 123 (S330).

Then, the information management unit 112 of the server 110 compares the usage information of the remanufactured product 200 and the management reference information of the remanufactured product 200 to determine whether it is time to replace the consumable item (S340) . For example, if the number of prints of the remanufactured product multifunction apparatus or the use period of the toner remains to the extent of printing 100 sheets, if the use information is 90 to 100 sheets, it is determined that the replenishment point of the paper or the toner replacement point. At this time, in the case of paper, it is also possible to set as the replacement time a case where 50 sheets are left for replenishment in advance.

If it is determined that the use information of the remanufactured product 200 is the replacement time of the consumable item, the information management unit 112 notifies the administrator terminal 300 of the replacement time of the consumable item at step S350.

The administrator then replenishes the consumables to enable continuous use of the remanufactured product all-in-one.

Then, when the use information of the remanufactured product complex is not the replacement time of the consumable item, the warning unit 113 of the server 110 extracts the normal use pattern for the day or month from the use information of the remanufactured product 200 do.

Then, it is determined whether the daily or monthly usage pattern extracted by the warning unit 113 differs from the normal use pattern of daily or monthly use of the management reference information by a predetermined value or more (S360).

For example, when the excessive use exceeding the average usage amount exceeds a predetermined value is continued for more than three days, the occurrence of the image deterioration, noise generation, error occurrence, jam occurrence, The pattern is judged as a pattern other than a normal pattern.

As a result of the determination, if the extracted daily or monthly usage pattern is different from the daily or monthly normal usage pattern of the management reference information by a predetermined value or more, the warning unit 113 warns the administrator terminal 300 (S370 ).

Then, the administrator knows that overuse or failure is anticipated, and it can check beforehand or prevent overuse.

If the extracted daily or monthly usage pattern does not differ from the daily or monthly normal usage pattern of the management reference information by a predetermined value or more, the remote driving unit of the server determines the period during which the remanufactured product multi- It is determined whether the toner supply cycle is set so that the toner is not hardened (S380).

For example, if a remanufactured copying machine is not used for too long, the toner may become dry and in an unusable state. That is, this state is determined in advance as a state such as when the multifunction apparatus is not used for vacation or other reasons.

As a result of the determination, if the period during which the remanufactured product multifunction device 200 is not used is a period during which the toner is not hardened, the remote driver 114 remotely drives the remanufactured product multi-function device 200 (S390).

Then, the controller 230 of the remanufactured product machine 200 performs warm-up or test printing according to the remote control of the server 110 to keep the toner from being hardened.

In the embodiment of the present invention as described above, the remanufactured product multifunction device is properly managed, so that the consumable product can be replaced in a timely manner.

In addition, it is possible to periodically manage and remotely drive the remanufactured product multi-function device 200 so that the toner is not hardened.

It is also possible to diagnose faults according to usage patterns and to induce the use of correct patterns.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are not only implemented by the apparatus and method but may be implemented through a program for realizing the function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention or a recording medium on which the program is recorded, The embodiments can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art from the description of the embodiments described above.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, It belongs to the scope of right.

110: Server
111: Information receiving section
112; Information management department
113: Warning section
114:
120:
121: Remanufactured product multi-function device DB
122: Manager information DB
123: Usage information DB
124: management reference information DB
200: Remanufactured product all-in-one
300: administrator terminal
400: Network

Claims (9)

A remanufactured product multi-function remote management system connected to an administrator terminal of an administrator managing at least one remanufactured product complex and the remanufactured product complex through a network,
A database unit for storing information of the remanufactured product complex machine, manager information of the remanufactured product complex machine, use information of the remanufactured product complex machine, and management standard information of the remanufactured product complex machine;
The use information of the remanufactured product complex is collected and stored in the database unit and the use information of the remanufactured product complex is compared with the management reference information of the remanufactured product complex, And a server,
The database unit,
A remanufactured product multi-function device DB storing information of the remanufactured product compound device;
An administrator information DB for storing manager information including a telephone number of an administrator who manages the remanufactured product complex;
A usage information DB for storing usage information of the remanufactured product complex;
And a management reference information DB for storing management standard information including a consumable replacement period, a daily use or a monthly normal use pattern of the remanufactured product complex device, and a use period for preventing the toner from being hardened,
The server comprises:
An information receiving unit for collecting usage information of the remanufactured product complex and storing the collected information in the database unit;
An information management unit for comparing the use information of the remanufactured product complex device with the management reference information of the remanufactured product complex device and informing the manager terminal of a consumable item exchange time when the consumable item is to be exchanged;
The normal use pattern is extracted from the use information of the remanufactured product complex, and if the extracted daily or monthly usage pattern is different from the normal use pattern of daily or monthly use of the management reference information by a predetermined value or more, And a warning unit for performing a warning,
The server comprises:
Further comprising a remote driving unit for remotely driving the remanufactured product multi-function device in a case where the period during which the remanufactured product compound device is not used does not allow the toner to solidify. delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The remanufactured product multi-
An operation unit for selecting functions including copying, faxing, and scanning and operating the functions;
A memory for storing usage information including toner usage, copy paper usage, and jam occurrence count;
A communication unit for externally outputting usage information stored in the memory;
And a controller for transmitting the usage information to the server via the communication unit and performing warm-up or test printing according to remote control of the server. delete delete And a database unit for storing information of the remanufactured product complex machine, manager information of the remanufactured product complex machine, use information of the remanufactured product complex machine, and management standard information of the remanufactured product complex machine,
And remotely managing the remanufactured product multifunction peripheral remote management system connected to the manager terminal of the administrator managing the remanufactured product integrated device and the remanufactured product integrated device through a network,
Collecting usage information of the remanufactured product multifunction apparatus and storing it in the database unit;
The information management unit of the server compares the use information of the remanufactured product complex and the management reference information of the remanufactured product complex to determine whether or not the time point is a time to replace the consumable item;
If the usage information of the remanufactured product multifunction device is the time of replacement of the consumable item, informing the information management part of the consumable item replacement time to the administrator terminal;
And the warning section of the server extracts a daily or monthly normal use pattern from the usage information of the remanufactured product complex,
Determining whether the daily usage pattern or the monthly usage pattern extracted by the warning unit differs from the daily usage pattern or the monthly normal usage pattern of the management reference information by a predetermined value or more;
Further comprising the step of causing the warning unit to warn the administrator terminal if the extracted daily or monthly usage pattern is different from the normal use pattern of daily or monthly use of the management reference information by a predetermined value or more,
Determining whether the remote driving unit of the server is a use period during which the toner is not hardened during the period when the remanufactured product complex is not used;
Further comprising the step of remotely driving the remanufactured product multi-function device in the case where the period during which the remanufactured product multi-function device is not used is a usage period during which the toner is not hardened. 9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising the step of performing a warm-up or test printing by the control unit of the remanufactured product complex according to the remote control of the remote driving unit.

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