Information providing system and method

Abstract

To improve management of maintenance.SOLUTION: An information providing system has: means that receives a log-in request including user information and performs user authentication; means that, when the user authentication is successful, starts communication with a device corresponding to a designated device ID, and displays a screen for performing a notification to start remote monitoring of the device to communicate with and performing remote operations on the device to communicate with; means that receives the start notification, and displays a user name linked to the user information and estimated operation time linked to a designated error code, on the screen for checking the state of the device to communicate with; means that, when receiving an operation ending operation from a user who has been subjected to the user authentication, performs a notification to end the remote monitoring of the device to communicate with; and means that receives the ending notification, and hides the user name and the estimated operation time on the screen for checking the state of the device to communicate with.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing system and method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a system for remotely managing a digital multifunction printer called an MFP has been constructed. MFP is an abbreviation for Multi Function Peripheral. For example, a remote monitoring system has been constructed that receives and collects MFP device information and status at a remote server, and monitors and manages the occurrence of MFP failures. The occurrence of MFP failures includes information such as when, which MFP, and what error occurred. Conventionally, a remote repair system has been constructed that enables repair operations involving operations such as changing and updating the MFP settings from the remote server by communicating between the MFP and a remote server.

[0003] These systems allow MFP stakeholders to perform remote maintenance of the MFP. Parties to the MFP include, for example, sales companies that manage customers who use the MFP and provide MFP service and maintenance, and customer engineers within the sales companies who are responsible for requested maintenance. Examples of remote MFP maintenance include detecting MFP failures and remotely performing maintenance and repairs. Remote MFP maintenance enables sales companies to repair MFP failures without having to directly dispatch or visit customer engineers to the customer's premises.

[0004] Regarding a remote maintenance system for remotely monitoring and repairing the above-mentioned MFP, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for notifying a user of the status of maintenance execution when remote maintenance is executed from a remote server. This allows the user to grasp the maintenance status of the MFP, and prevents the user from operating the MFP without knowing that remote maintenance is in progress, which would cause the MFP to fail to operate normally. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-259087 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The method disclosed in Patent Document 1 notifies the user of the execution status of MFP maintenance, but does not notify the sales company that manages the MFP users. Therefore, it is difficult for the sales company to know whether the MFP that received the failure notification is under maintenance or not, and there is a possibility that the customer engineer will be requested to perform maintenance twice or may not be requested. For this reason, there has been room for improvement in the management of maintenance in the past.

[0007] The present invention aims to improve the management of maintenance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An information providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention is an information providing system for providing information regarding device maintenance, and includes: a means for performing user authentication upon receiving a login request accompanied by user information; a means for, if the user authentication is successful, starting communication with a device corresponding to a specified device ID, notifying the start of remote monitoring of the communication partner's device, and displaying a screen for performing remote work on the communication partner's device; a means for receiving the start notification and displaying a user name linked to the user information and an estimated work time linked to a specified error code on a screen for confirming the status of the communication partner's device; a means for, if a work end operation is received from a user who has been user authenticated, notifying the end of remote monitoring of the communication partner's device; and a means for receiving the end notification and hiding the user name and the estimated work time on the screen for confirming the status of the communication partner's device. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The present invention allows for improved management of maintenance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a remote maintenance system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2(A) and 2(B) are diagrams showing the hardware configuration of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram showing a software configuration of a remote maintenance system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing a software configuration of a remote maintenance system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 5(A) and 5(B) are diagrams showing screen configurations for remote monitoring of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 6(A) and 6(B) are diagrams showing screen configurations for remote repair in the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 7(A) and 7(B) are diagrams showing screen configurations for remote repair in the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a sequence of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a sequence of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a sequence of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a sequence of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 5 is a flowchart showing a process of the image forming apparatus in the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 5 is a flowchart showing processing of a data management server of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 5 is a flowchart showing processing of a data management server of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 5 is a flowchart showing processing of a remote monitoring server of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] 5 is a flowchart showing processing of a remote monitoring server of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 5 is a flowchart showing the processing of a remote repair server of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] 5 is a flowchart showing the processing of a remote repair server of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] 19(A) and 19(B) are diagrams showing screen configurations for remote monitoring of the remote maintenance system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a screen configuration for remote repair in the remote maintenance system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a sequence of a remote maintenance system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a sequence of a remote maintenance system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of a remote monitoring server of a remote maintenance system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of a remote monitoring server of a remote maintenance system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 25] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of a remote repair server of a remote maintenance system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 26] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of a remote repair server of a remote maintenance system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the following embodiments are necessarily essential to constitute the present invention. Furthermore, the configurations for realizing the present invention are not limited to the configurations described in the embodiments. Part of the configurations described in the embodiments may be omitted or replaced with equivalents within the scope of obtaining similar effects.

[0012] [First embodiment] In the first embodiment, a method for displaying the start time and estimated end time of maintenance work on a remote monitoring screen in response to starting maintenance work on an image forming device from an information processing device in a remote maintenance system will be described.

[0013] <System configuration> 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a remote maintenance system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The remote maintenance system 10 includes an information processing device 101, an image forming device 102, a data management server 103, a remote monitoring server 104, a remote repair server 105, and a network 100. The information processing device 101, the image forming device 102, the data management server 103, the remote monitoring server 104, and the remote repair server 105 are capable of communicating with each other via the network 100. The remote maintenance system 10 is an example of an information providing system.

[0014] The remote maintenance system 10 is constructed by adopting cloud computing technology. The data management server 103, the remote monitoring server 104, and the remote repair server 105 are constructed as cloud servers. The data management server 103, the remote monitoring server 104, and the remote repair server 105 may be realized as a single server, or may be constructed using a server computer instead of cloud computing.

[0015] The network 100 is a so-called communication network realized by, for example, a LAN such as the Internet, a WAN, a telephone line, etc., and may be any network capable of transmitting and receiving data. LAN is an abbreviation for Local Area Network. WAN is an abbreviation for Wide Area Network.

[0016] The information processing device 101 is a PC or the like, in which a predetermined OS and a browser 311 (see FIG. 4) are installed. PC is an abbreviation for Personal Computer. OS is an abbreviation for Operating System.

[0017] The information processing device 101 transmits a device status acquisition request for the image forming device 102 to the remote monitoring server 104. The information processing device 101 receives information corresponding to the transmitted device status acquisition request from the remote monitoring server 104. The information processing device 101 displays the received information in a GUI that can be viewed and operated on the browser 311. GUI is an abbreviation for Graphical User Interface.

[0018] The information processing device 101 transmits a communication request with the image forming device 102 to the remote repair server 105. The information processing device 101 receives information corresponding to the transmitted communication request from the remote repair server 105. The information processing device 101 displays the received information in a GUI that can be viewed and operated on the browser 311.

[0019] The image forming apparatus 102 is a digital multifunction machine called a printer or MFP, and has functions such as printing, faxing, copying, and scanning. When the image forming apparatus 102 detects an error occurring in itself, it transmits error information including device information to the data management server 103. When the image forming apparatus 102 receives a command from the remote repair server 105, it executes the received command. Note that the image forming apparatus 102 may be configured as a plurality of apparatuses.

[0020] The data management server 103 receives device information of the image forming apparatus 102 and information on errors that have occurred in the image forming apparatus 102, and transmits the information to the remote monitoring server 104. The data management server 103 also manages the error information in association with an estimated time required for work to resolve the error (hereinafter referred to as estimated work time), which is predefined for each error. When the data management server 103 receives a request to transmit an estimated work time for specific error information from the remote monitoring server 104 and the remote repair server 105, it transmits the estimated work time to the sender of the request.

[0021] The remote monitoring server 104 receives information about errors that have occurred in the image forming apparatus 102 from the image forming apparatus 102 via the data management server 103, and manages the information as an error history.

[0022] The remote repair server 105 communicates with the image forming device 102 and sends commands to the image forming device 102 that the image forming device 102 can execute.

[0023] <Hardware configuration> To realize the above-described system, each device has the following configuration. The remote maintenance system 10 is provided as a cloud computing service. Examples of cloud computing include serverless computing and virtual machines. In cloud computing, multiple hardware resources such as those in FIG. 2(A) and FIG. 2(A) are used. The remote maintenance system 10 may be realized by a single physical machine or multiple physical machines.

[0024] 2(A) is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of each of the information processing device 101, data management server 103, remote monitoring server 104, and remote repair server 105 in FIG. 1. A CPU 201 directly or indirectly controls each device (ROM 202, RAM 203, etc.) connected via an internal bus 200, and executes a program for realizing the present invention. CPU is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit. ROM is an abbreviation for Read Only Memory. RAM is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory.

[0025] The ROM 202 stores the BIOS, which is an abbreviation for Basic Input Output System. The RAM 203 is a direct storage device that is used as a work area for the CPU 201 and as temporary storage for loading software modules for implementing the present invention.

[0026] The HDD 204 is an indirect storage device that stores the OS, which is basic software, and software modules. HDD is an abbreviation for Hard Disk Drive. The HDD 204 may be an indirect storage device such as an SSD. SSD is an abbreviation for Solid State Drive.

[0027] The input device 205 is a keyboard, a pointing device (not shown), etc. The output device 206 is a display, etc. The I / F 207 is for connecting to the network 100. I / F is an abbreviation for interface.

[0028] After these pieces of hardware start up, the CPU 201 executes the BIOS and loads the OS from the HDD 204 into the RAM 203 in an executable manner. The CPU 201 loads various software modules, described below, from the HDD 204 into the RAM 203 as needed in accordance with the operation of the OS.

[0029] The various software modules cooperate with the above-mentioned devices and are executed and operated by the CPU 201. The I / F 207 is connected to the network 100 and is controlled by the CPU 201 in accordance with the operation of the OS to realize the above-mentioned various communications.

[0030] 2B is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 102. Of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 102, the portion excluding the print engine 238 may be called a controller that manages the control system of the image forming apparatus 102. Each of the hardware components is connected to a system bus 230.

[0031] The CPU 231 controls the entire apparatus and generally controls access to various devices connected to the system bus 230. This control is based on a control program stored in a ROM 232, or a control program and resource data (resource information) stored in an external memory 236 connected via a DKC 235. DKC is an abbreviation for Disk Controller.

[0032] The RAM 233 functions as a main memory, a work area, etc. for the CPU 231, and is configured so that the memory capacity can be expanded by an optional RAM connected to an expansion port (not shown).

[0033] The storage device 240 is an external storage means that functions as a large-capacity memory. The operation panel 239 displays a screen and accepts user operation instructions via the screen. The operation panel 239 is an example of an operation unit. The operation panel 239 also has buttons for performing operations such as setting the operation mode of the printer 103, displaying the operation status of the printer 103, and specifying content data to be printed, as well as a display unit such as a liquid crystal panel.

[0034] The network controller 234 is, for example, a network interface card (NIC). The CPU 231 exchanges data with external devices via the network controller 234. The raster controller 237 is a controller that converts print data described in, for example, a PDL language into image data. PDL is an abbreviation for Page Description Language.

[0035] The print engine 238 uses a known printing technology to form an image on a sheet based on image data input from the raster controller 237. Suitable implementations include, for example, print engines of an electrophotographic type (laser beam type), an inkjet type, or a dye sublimation (thermal transfer) type. The device I / F 241 is a connection I / F with an external device that can be connected via USB or the like. USB is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus.

[0036] <Software configuration> The modular configurations and operations of the image forming device 102, data management server 103, remote monitoring server 104, and remote repair server 105 will be described below with reference to the drawings. These configurations and operations are realized by the CPU executing programs stored in the memory of each device. Note that the table schema and data described below are merely examples, and the table schema and various data formats are not limited to these.

[0037] 3 and 4 are diagrams showing the software configuration of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The circled numbers shown in Fig. 3 are connected to the circled numbers shown in Fig. 4.

[0038] First, a description will be given of the software configuration of the data management server 103 shown in Fig. 3. The data management server 103 has an operation information transmitting / receiving unit 331, a work determination unit 332, an estimated work time management unit 333, a remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334, and a remote repair information management unit 335.

[0039] The operation information transmitting / receiving unit 331 receives operation information such as device information and error information from the image forming apparatus 102. In addition, the operation information transmitting / receiving unit 331 transmits the received operation information to the remote monitoring server 104.

[0040] When the work determination unit 332 receives error information from the operation information transmission / reception unit 331, it determines a candidate work for resolving the error from a predefined list of candidate error resolving work. The list of candidate error resolving work is a list in which the content of the work required to resolving the error and the estimated time required for the work are linked for each error. Table A shown as Table 1 is an example of a portion of the list of candidate error resolving work. The list of candidate error resolving work shown in Table A includes an error code, which is the type of error, the work content of the candidate work for resolving the error, and the estimated time required for the work. [Table 1]

[0041] The estimated work time management unit 333 links and manages the error information received from the operation information transmission / reception unit 331 with the candidate work determined by the work determination unit 332. Table B shown as Table 2 is an example of part of the link between the error information and candidate work managed by the estimated work time management unit 333. Each record of the link shown in Table B includes an error code, which is the type of error that has occurred, the work content of the candidate work to resolve the error that has occurred, and the estimated work time for the work. Table B is an example of the case where errors with error codes E001-0001 and E002-0002 have occurred. [Table 2]

[0042] The remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 receives remote repair information from the remote repair server 105. The remote repair information includes a device ID, error information, and user information.

[0043] The remote repair information management unit 335 stores and manages the remote repair information received by the remote repair information transmission / reception unit 334 and the candidate work linked to the error information included in the remote repair information managed by the estimated work time management unit 333 as a remote repair history. Table C shown as Table 3 is an example of a part of the remote repair history managed by the remote repair information management unit 335. Each record of the remote repair history shown in Table C includes a device ID that uniquely identifies the image forming apparatus 102, and an error code that is the type of error that has occurred in the device ID. Each record of the remote repair history shown in Table C further includes the work content and estimated work time of all candidate work for solving the occurred error, and user information performing communication operation with the image forming apparatus 102 via the remote repair server 105. [Table 3]

[0044] Next, a description will be given of the software configuration of the remote monitoring server 104 shown in Fig. 4. The remote monitoring server 104 includes an operation information receiving unit 341, an error history managing unit 342, a remote repair information receiving unit 343, and a device status display unit 344.

[0045] The operation information receiving unit 341 receives operation information such as device information and error information from the image forming apparatus 102 via the operation information transmitting / receiving unit 331 of the data management server 103 .

[0046] The error history management unit 342 saves and manages the error information received from the image forming apparatus 102 via the operation information receiving unit 341 as an error history. Table D shown as Table 4 is an example of a portion of the error history managed by the error history management unit 342. Each record of the error history shown in Table D includes an error ID that uniquely identifies the error, and a device ID that uniquely identifies the device in which the error occurred. Each record of the error history shown in Table D further includes a model number that indicates the model type, an error code that is the type of the error that occurred, a counter value that is the number of prints when the error occurred, and the date and time of the error occurrence. [Table 4]

[0047] When the remote repair information receiving unit 343 receives a remote repair start notification from the remote repair server 105 described later, it acquires the latest remote repair history linked to the device ID and error code included in the notification from the data management server 103. The remote repair information receiving unit 343 also acquires user information linked to the device ID and candidate work linked to the error code.

[0048] When the remote monitoring server 104 receives a device status acquisition request including a device ID, the device status display unit 344 acquires operation information from the image forming apparatus 102 that matches the device ID received by the operation information receiving unit 341. The device status display unit 344 also acquires all error histories that match the device ID from the error history management unit 342. The device status display unit 344 generates a device status confirmation screen having the operation information and error history acquired as described above. Here, if the remote repair information receiving unit 343 has received a remote repair start notification, the device status display unit 344 generates a work status confirmation screen having the user information acquired by the remote repair information receiving unit 343 and the estimated work time included in the work candidate. The details of the device status confirmation screen and the work status confirmation screen will be described later. The device status confirmation screen and the work status confirmation screen generated by the device status display unit 344 can be accessed from the browser 311 started by the information processing device 101.

[0049] Next, a description will be given of the software configuration of the remote repair server 105 shown in Fig. 4. The remote repair server 105 has a remote repair work display unit 351, a remote repair information transmission / reception unit 352, and a device communication unit 353.

[0050] The remote repair work display unit 351 displays a GUI that can be viewed and operated on the browser 311 to receive various information inputs and maintenance operations from a remote maintenance technician. Examples of the inputs of various information from a remote maintenance technician include inputs of user information, and inputs of device IDs and error codes that are the targets of remote maintenance.

[0051] The remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 352 transmits remote repair information, such as user information, device ID, and error code, input via the remote repair work display unit 351 to the data management server 103. In addition, when the device communication unit 353 starts communication with the image forming apparatus 102 as described below, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 352 transmits the device ID of the image forming apparatus 102, which is the communication partner, and a remote repair start notification to the remote monitoring server 104.

[0052] The device communication unit 353 communicates with the image forming apparatus 102 corresponding to the device ID input via the remote repair work display unit 351. The device communication unit 353 also transmits a command for a maintenance operation input via the remote repair work display unit 351 to the image forming apparatus 102, which is the communication partner. The communication means at this time include MIB exchange via SNMP, and remote login via SSH connection or VPN connection. SNMP is an abbreviation for Simple Network Management Protocol. MIB is an abbreviation for Management Information Base. SSH is an abbreviation for Secure Shell. VPN is an abbreviation for Virtual Private Network. When starting communication with the image forming apparatus 102, the device communication unit 353 receives a task candidate corresponding to an error code from the data management server 103, and transmits an estimated task time included in the task candidate to the image forming apparatus 102, which is the communication partner.

[0053] Next, a description will be given of the software configuration of the image forming apparatus 102 shown in Fig. 3. The image forming apparatus 102 includes an operation information transmitting / receiving unit 321, a job executing unit 322, a control unit 323, and a display unit 324.

[0054] The operation information transmitting / receiving unit 321 transmits to the data management server 103 error information that has occurred in the image forming apparatus 102 and that is collected by a control unit 323 (to be described later).

[0055] The job execution unit 322 executes a job input to the image forming apparatus 102. For example, when a print job is input, the job execution unit 322 executes a print process based on the print job.

[0056] The control unit 323 detects an error that occurs in the image forming apparatus 102, collects error information, and transmits the error information to the data management server 103 via the operation information transmitting / receiving unit 321. The control unit 323 also communicates with the remote repair server 105, and receives and executes commands transmitted from the remote repair server 105.

[0057] The display unit 324 displays a screen indicating that remote maintenance is being performed when the control unit 323 starts communication with the remote repair server 105. The display unit 324 also displays the estimated work time received by the control unit 323 on the screen indicating that remote maintenance is being performed.

[0058] <Screen Configuration> Figures 5(A) and 5(B) are diagrams showing screen configurations for remote monitoring of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figures 5(A) and 5(B) are generated by the device status display unit 344 when the remote monitoring server 104 accepts a request. Figures 5(A) and 5(B) are mainly screen configurations displayed in GUI on the browser 311 started up on the information processing device 101 used by a user in the customer management department of a sales company.

[0059] 5A is an example of a device status check screen 400. The device status check screen 400 is generated uniquely for each device ID included in the device status acquisition request received by the remote monitoring server 104. The device status check screen 400 has operation information from the image forming apparatus 102 that matches the device ID, and error history from the error history management unit 342.

[0060] Here, on the device status check screen 400, the device serial number, device ID, and product name of the operation information are displayed as device information 401. Also, on the device status check screen 400, the error ID, error code, and occurrence date and time of the error history are displayed as an error history list 402. Note that the error history list 402 displayed on the device status check screen 400 displays the latest status in accordance with the contents of the error history management unit 342, which is updated every time the operation information receiving unit 341 receives information.

[0061] 5(B) is an example of a work status confirmation screen 410 generated on the device status confirmation screen 400 when the remote monitoring server 104 has received a remote repair start notification. The work status confirmation screen 410 has user information acquired by the remote monitoring server 104, the time when the remote repair start notification was received, and the time when the notification was received plus the estimated work time. Here, the user information is displayed as the person in charge of the work. Furthermore, the time when the remote repair start notification was received is displayed as the work start time. Furthermore, the time when the notification was received plus the estimated work time is displayed as the estimated work completion time.

[0062] 6(A) and 6(B) are diagrams showing screen configurations for remote repair in the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7(A) and 7(B) are diagrams showing screen configurations for remote repair in the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6(A), FIG. 6(B), FIG. 7(A) and FIG. 7(B) are generated by the remote repair work display unit 351 when the remote repair server 105 accepts a request. FIG. 6(A), FIG. 6(B), FIG. 7(A) and FIG. 7(B) are screen configurations displayed in GUI on the browser 311 started on the information processing device 101 used by the remote maintenance staff. Note that FIG. 6(A), FIG. 6(B), FIG. 7(A) and FIG. 7(B) are screens available to the remote maintenance staff, and the user is the remote maintenance staff.

[0063] In most cases, the remote maintenance staff is not the same person as the user in the customer management department. In particular, there are cases where remote maintenance is outsourced to another company, making it difficult to communicate between the remote maintenance staff and the user in the customer management department, and often making it difficult to directly share information about maintenance work and progress in real time.

[0064] 6(A) is an example of a login screen 500. The login screen 500 is a screen that accepts a login request from a user to the remote repair server 105. The login screen 500 has an input field that accepts input of a user ID and a password as user information, and a login execution button that, when pressed, instructs execution of a login process including the user information.

[0065] 6(B) is an example of the communication start screen 510. The communication start screen 510 is a screen that allows the logged-in user to specify which image forming apparatus 102 the remote repair server 105 will communicate with. The communication start screen 510 has an input field for receiving input of the device ID and error code that are the target of remote maintenance, and a communication execution button that, when pressed, instructs execution of communication processing to the image forming apparatus 102 that corresponds to the device ID.

[0066] Fig. 7(A) is an example of a remote repair work screen 520. The remote repair work screen 520 is a screen that allows a logged-in user to instruct a command to be executed by the image forming apparatus 102 of the communication partner. The remote repair work screen 520 has an input / output field that accepts a command input from the user and displays a response from the image forming apparatus 102 of the communication partner, and an end instruction button that, when pressed, instructs execution of an end process of remote maintenance. Note that Fig. 7(B) will be described later.

[0067] When the device status check screen 400, the work status check screen 410, the login screen 500, the communication start screen 510, and the remote repair work screen 520 are displayed in a GUI on the browser 311, they are enlarged or reduced in size according to the window size, and only a partial area is displayed. When the device status check screen 400, the work status check screen 410, the login screen 500, the communication start screen 510, and the remote repair work screen 520 are displayed in a GUI on the browser 311, scroll bars are provided for moving the display area as necessary.

[0068] <Sequence> Fig. 8, Fig. 9, Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 are diagrams for explaining sequences of the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the sequence on the right side of Fig. 8. The circled English letters shown in Fig. 8 are connected to the same characters in the circled English letters shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the sequence on the lower side of Fig. 8. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the sequence on the lower side of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the sequence on the right side of Fig. 10. The circled English letters shown in Fig. 10 are connected to the same characters in the circled English letters shown in Fig. 9.

[0069] The sequence of the remote maintenance system 10 includes a start phase P600 of the remote maintenance system 10 and a fault notification phase P601 of the image forming apparatus. The sequence of the remote maintenance system 10 further includes a communication start phase P602 between the image forming apparatus and the remote repair server, and a remote maintenance start phase P603. The sequence of the remote maintenance system 10 further includes a remote maintenance execution phase P604 and a remote maintenance end phase P605.

[0070] First, a description will be given of the start phase P600 of the remote maintenance system 10. In step S601 of Fig. 9, the remote monitoring server 104 generates a device status confirmation screen 400 for each preregistered device ID. In parallel with step S601, in step S602, the remote repair server 105 generates a login screen 500 for the remote repair server 105.

[0071] Next, a description will be given of the failure notification phase P601 of the image forming apparatus 102. In step S611 of Fig. 8, the image forming apparatus 102 starts transmitting operation information such as its own device information and error information to the data management server 103.

[0072] 9, the data management server 103 transmits the received operation information, such as device information and error information, of the image forming apparatus 102 to the remote monitoring server 104. In addition, the data management server 103 manages the error information included in the operation information in association with a candidate task corresponding to the error information.

[0073] 9, the remote monitoring server 104 manages the received error information of the image forming device 102 as an error history. In addition, the remote monitoring server 104 updates the display content of the device status confirmation screen 400 for the device ID corresponding to the image forming device 102 in accordance with the error history.

[0074] In step S614, in response to the occurrence of an error in the image forming device 102, the remote monitoring server 104 notifies the customer management department of the sales company that sells and manages the image forming device 102 of the malfunction of the image forming device 102. Alternatively, in step S614, in response to the occurrence of an error in the image forming device 102, a customer of the image forming device 102 notifies the customer management department of the sales company that sells and manages the image forming device 102 of the malfunction of the image forming device 102.

[0075] 8 and 9, a start phase P600 illustrates a sequence in which the sales company's customer management department, which has received the failure notification, requests a customer engineer to deal with the failure. The sales company's customer management department checks the status of the device via the device status environment screen 400. Depending on the results of the check, the sales company's customer management department requests the sales company's customer engineer to be dispatched.

[0076] Next, the communication start phase P602 between the image forming apparatus 102 and the remote repair server 105 will be described. Note that the user here is a customer engineer who has been requested by the sales company's customer management department to deal with the breakdown, that is, a remote maintenance technician. It is also assumed that the user has previously used the information processing apparatus 101 to access the device status confirmation screen 400 for the remote maintenance target from the browser 311 and confirmed the device status (device ID, error code).

[0077] 9, the remote repair server 105 receives a login request including user information. The user information and the login request are transmitted in accordance with a user's operation via the login screen 500 accessed from the browser 311 activated by the information processing device 101 of the user.

[0078] 9, the remote repair server 105 authenticates the login user using the user information included in the received login request. If the authentication is successful, the remote repair server 105 generates a communication start screen 510 and displays it on the browser 311 started by the information processing device 101.

[0079] 9, the remote repair server 105 receives the device ID and error code of the remote maintenance target. The device ID and error code are transmitted in accordance with a user's operation via a communication start screen 510 accessed from a browser 311 activated by the user's information processing device 101.

[0080] 9, the remote repair server 105 transmits remote repair information including a user name, a device ID, and an error code, and a request for an estimated work time to the data management server 103. Here, the user name included in the remote repair information is the user name associated with the login user information authenticated in step S622. Also, the device ID and error code included in the remote repair information are the device ID and error code received in step S623. Note that the association between the user information and the user name is defined in advance by the remote repair server 105.

[0081] 9, the data management server 103 manages the device ID, error code, and user name included in the received remote repair information, and the candidate work associated with the error code as a remote repair history. Also, in step S625, the data management server 103 transmits the estimated work time included in the candidate work to the remote repair server 105 in response to the received estimated work time request.

[0082] 9, the remote repair server 105 transmits a communication start request to the image forming apparatus 102 corresponding to the device ID received in step S623. The remote repair server 105 manages in advance information required for communication, such as the device ID and the IP address information and port number of the image forming apparatus 102, in association with each other. The image forming apparatus 102 also registers in advance user information that is the same as the login user information authenticated in step S622.

[0083] In step S627 of FIG. 8, when the image forming apparatus 102 receives the communication start request, it starts a communication session with the remote repair server 105 that sent the request.

[0084] Next, the remote maintenance start phase P603 will be described.

[0085] In step S631 of FIG. 9, the remote repair server 105 transmits the estimated work time received in step S625 to the image forming apparatus 102 of the communication partner.

[0086] 8, the image forming apparatus 102 generates a maintenance screen. This maintenance screen includes the time when the communication session with the remote repair server 105 was started in step S627, the time obtained by adding the estimated work time received to the start time, and a message that indicates that maintenance is being performed. Here, the time when the communication session with the remote repair server 105 was started is the work start time, and the time obtained by adding the estimated work time to the start time is the estimated work completion time.

[0087] The image forming apparatus 102 displays the generated maintenance screen on the operation panel 239, and disables the functions of the operation panel 239. Note that the image forming apparatus 102 may request a confirmation from the user of the image forming apparatus 102 as to whether or not to permit the start of maintenance, before displaying the maintenance screen. This request is made to prevent the display of the maintenance screen and the functions of the operation panel 239 from being disabled while the user is using the image forming apparatus 102, thereby preventing the interruption of the use of the image forming apparatus 102. This request is made, for example, in the form of displaying a screen on the operation panel 239 that displays the request and allows the user to perform an operation to permit the request.

[0088] In step S633 in FIG. 9, the remote repair server 105 receives a response from the image forming apparatus 102 notifying it that the maintenance screen has been displayed.

[0089] In step S634 of FIG. 9, upon receiving the response in step S633, the remote repair server 105 transmits a remote repair start notification including the device ID received in step S623 to the remote monitoring server 104.

[0090] In step S635 of FIG. 9, when the remote monitoring server 104 receives the remote repair start notification including the device ID, it transmits to the data management server 103 a request for the remote repair history linked to the device ID.

[0091] In step S636 in FIG. 9, when the data management server 103 receives the request for the remote repair history including the device ID, it transmits to the remote monitoring server 104 the remote repair history linked to the device ID.

[0092] 9, when the remote monitoring server 104 receives the remote repair history from the data management server 103, it generates a work status confirmation screen 410 configured using the user name and estimated work time included in the remote repair history. The work status confirmation screen 410 has the user name, the time when the remote repair start notification was received, and the time when the remote repair start notification was received plus the estimated work time. The remote monitoring server 104 displays the generated work status confirmation screen 410 on the device status confirmation screen 400 corresponding to the device ID included in the remote repair history.

[0093] Next, the remote maintenance execution phase P604 will be described.

[0094] In step S641 in FIG. 11, the remote repair server 105 generates a remote repair work screen 520 and displays it on the browser 311 activated by the information processing device 101 of the user.

[0095] 11, the remote repair server 105 transmits an executable command to the communication partner image forming apparatus 102. The command is input and transmitted in accordance with a user's operation via the remote repair work screen 520 accessed from the browser 311 activated by the user's information processing apparatus 101. This user operation is indicated by step S642 in parentheses in FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0096] In step S643 of FIG. 10, the image forming apparatus 102 executes the received command.

[0097] 10, the image forming apparatus 102 responds with the execution result to the remote repair server 105. The response is displayed on the remote repair work screen 520 accessed from the browser 311 activated by the information processing apparatus 101 of the user.

[0098] In step S645 in FIG. 10, the image forming apparatus 102 transmits operation information, such as device information and error information, to the data management server 103.

[0099] In step S646 in FIG. 11, the data management server 103 transmits the received operation information, such as the device information and error information, to the remote monitoring server 104.

[0100] 11, the remote monitoring server 104 manages the received error information as an error history, and updates the device status confirmation screen 400 with the latest operation information and error history.

[0101] Next, the remote maintenance completion phase P605 will be described.

[0102] 11, the remote repair server 105 transmits a request to end remote maintenance to the image forming apparatus 102 of the communication partner. The request to end the remote maintenance is transmitted in accordance with a user operation via the remote repair work screen 520 accessed from the browser 311 activated by the user's information processing apparatus 101. This user operation is indicated by step S651 in parentheses in FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0103] When the image forming apparatus 102 receives the request to end the remote maintenance in step S652 in FIG. 10, the image forming apparatus 102 hides the maintenance screen displayed on the operation panel 239 and enables the functions of the operation panel 239.

[0104] Furthermore, in step S653 in FIG. 10, the image forming apparatus 102 responds to the remote repair server 105 that sent the request with an end of communication, and ends the communication session with the remote repair server 105.

[0105] In step S654 in FIG. 11, when the remote repair server 105 receives the communication end response from the image forming device 102, it transmits a remote repair end notification including the device ID corresponding to the image forming device 102 to the data management server 103 and the remote monitoring server 104.

[0106] In step S655 of FIG. 11, when the data management server 103 receives the remote repair completion notification, it deletes the remote work history linked to the device ID included in the remote repair completion notification.

[0107] 11, when the remote monitoring server 104 receives the remote repair completion notification, it hides and deletes the work status confirmation screen 410 displayed on the device status confirmation screen 400 corresponding to the device ID included in the remote repair completion notification. The remote repair completion notification is an example of a remote monitoring end notification. The remote repair completion notification is issued, for example, in response to a logout request by the user.

[0108] 10 and 11 show an example of a sequence in which the sales company's customer management department then notifies the customer that remote maintenance is complete. The image forming device 102 notifies the customer that maintenance is complete. The remote monitoring server 104 also notifies the sales company's customer management department that the work report is complete. The sales company's customer management department provides aftercare to the customer as necessary.

[0109] As described above, the remote maintenance start phase P603 in the sequence of the remote maintenance system 10 allows the customer management department of the sales company to grasp the start of remote maintenance by viewing the device status confirmation screen 400. In addition, the end of remote maintenance can also be grasped by the remote maintenance end phase P605.

[0110] The operation processes of the image forming apparatus 102, the data management server 103, the remote monitoring server 104, and the remote repair server 104 that appear in the above sequence will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this regard, the reference numerals shown in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11 will be added to the processes corresponding to the sequences in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0111] <Operation of the image forming device> Fig. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the operation processing of image forming apparatus 102 in the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The processing in Fig. 12 is realized by CPU 231 of image forming apparatus 102 reading out a controller program recorded in storage device 240, expanding it in RAM 233, and executing it. The processing in Fig. 12 is started when image forming apparatus 102 is powered ON, and CPU 231 starts the processing of steps S701 to S702 and the processing of steps S703 to S710 as separate processes.

[0112] First, the process of steps S701 and S702 will be described. In step S701, control unit 323 detects the occurrence of an error in image forming apparatus 102 and determines whether or not an error has occurred. If control unit 323 determines that an error has occurred, processing of step S702 is executed. If control unit 323 determines that an error has not occurred, processing of step S711 is executed.

[0113] In step S702, the control unit 323 collects the error information detected in step S701, and transmits operation information such as device information of the image forming apparatus 102 and the collected error information to the data management server 103 via the operation information transmitting / receiving unit 321. The processing in step S702 corresponds to the processing in steps S611 and S645 in FIGS.

[0114] Next, the process of steps S703 to S710 will be described. In step S703, the control unit 323 accepts a communication start request and determines whether or not the request has been received. If the control unit 323 determines that the communication start request has been received, the process of step S704 is executed. If the control unit 323 determines that the communication start request has not been received, the process of step S711 is executed.

[0115] In step S704, the control unit 323 starts a communication session with the sender of the communication start request received in step S703. The process in step S704 corresponds to the process in step S627 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11. In the subsequent processes, data is transmitted and received with the communication partner with which the communication session was started in the process in step S704.

[0116] In step S705, the control unit 323 receives the estimated work time and determines whether or not the estimated work time has been received. If the control unit 323 determines that the estimated work time has been received, the process of step S706 is executed. If the control unit 323 determines that the estimated work time has not been received, the process of step S705 is executed.

[0117] In step S706, the control unit 323 generates a maintenance screen having the time when the communication session was started in step S704, the time obtained by adding the estimated work time received in step S705 to the start time, and a message that maintenance is being performed. Here, the time when the communication session with the remote repair server 105 was started is the work start time, and the time obtained by adding the estimated work time to the start time is the estimated work end time. When the control unit 323 generates the maintenance screen, the display unit 324 displays the screen, disables the function of the operation panel 239, and stops accepting execution instruction operations from the user (hereinafter referred to as user operations). The process of this step S706 corresponds to the process of step S632 in FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11. Note that the display unit 324 may display a confirmation display for whether or not to permit the start of maintenance, and a screen on which the confirmation permission operation can be performed, before displaying the maintenance screen. When the display unit 324 displays the maintenance screen, the control unit 323 responds to the communication partner. This response process corresponds to the process in step S633 in FIGS.

[0118] In step S707, the control unit 323 accepts a command and determines whether or not the command has been received. If the control unit 323 determines that the command has been received, the process proceeds to step S708. If the control unit 323 determines that the command has not been received, the process proceeds to step S707.

[0119] In step S708, the control unit 323 executes the command received in step S707 and returns a response with the execution result of the command. The process in step S708 corresponds to the processes in steps S643 and S644 in FIGS.

[0120] In step S709, the control unit 323 accepts a request to end remote maintenance and determines whether the request has been received. If the control unit 323 determines that the request has been received, the process proceeds to step S710. If the control unit 323 determines that the request has not been received, the process proceeds to step S707.

[0121] In step S710, the display unit 324 hides the maintenance screen displayed in step S706, enables the functions of the operation panel 239, and starts accepting user operations. This process of starting acceptance corresponds to the process of step S652 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11. Also, in step S710, the control unit 323 deletes the maintenance screen generated in step S706, transmits a communication end response to the communication partner, and ends the communication session started in step S704. This process of ending the communication session corresponds to the process of step S653 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0122] In step S711, the CPU 231 determines whether or not to end the process. Ending the process refers to a case where a predetermined operation for ending the process, such as turning off the power of the image forming apparatus 102, is performed. If the CPU 231 determines to end the process, the process ends. If the CPU 231 determines not to end the process, the processes of steps S701 and S5703 are executed.

[0123] <Data management server operation> Figures 13 and 14 are flowcharts for explaining the operation processing of the data management server 103 in the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The processing in Figures 13 and 14 is realized by the CPU 201 of the data management server 103 reading out a controller program recorded in the HDD 204, expanding it in the RAM 203, and executing it. The circled numbers shown in Figure 13 are connected to the circled numbers shown in Figure 14 with the same numbers.

[0124] 13, the operation information transmitting / receiving unit 331 receives operation information such as device information and error information of the image forming apparatus 102, and determines whether or not the operation information has been received. If the operation information transmitting / receiving unit 331 determines that the operation information has been received, the process proceeds to step S802. If the operation information transmitting / receiving unit 331 determines that the operation information has not been received, the process proceeds to step S804.

[0125] In step S802, the work determination unit 332 determines work candidates for resolving the error information included in the operation information received in step S801. This process refers to a predefined list of error resolving work candidates for the received error code, and acquires work candidates linked to the error code. In addition, in step S802, the estimated work time management unit 333 associates the error code included in the operation information received in step S801 with all the work candidates acquired by the work determination unit 332 and stores them. The process of step S802 corresponds to the process of step S612 in Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11. The process of step S802 corresponds to the process of step S646 in Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11. The work candidates include work content and estimated work time.

[0126] In step S803, the operation information transmitting / receiving unit 331 transmits the operation information received in step S801 to the remote monitoring server 104. The process of step S803 corresponds to the process of step S612 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11. The process of step S803 corresponds to the process of step S646 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11. The task candidate includes the task content and the estimated task time.

[0127] In step S804 of Fig. 14, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 receives remote repair information including a device ID, an error code, and user information, and determines whether the remote repair information has been received. If the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 determines that the remote repair information has been received, the process of step S805 is executed. If the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 determines that the remote repair information has not been received, the process of step S806 is executed.

[0128] In step S805, the remote repair history management unit 335 refers to the estimated work time management unit 333 to acquire a candidate work associated with the error code included in the remote repair information received in step S804. Then, in step S805, the remote repair history management unit 335 saves the remote repair information and the acquired candidate work as a remote repair history. The process of step S805 corresponds to the process of step S625 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0129] In step S806, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 receives the estimated work time request including the error code and determines whether the request has been received. If the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 determines that the estimated work time request has been received, the process proceeds to step S807. If the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 determines that the estimated work time request has not been received, the process proceeds to step S808.

[0130] In step S807, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 refers to the remote repair history stored by the remote repair history management unit 335, and acquires a candidate task associated with the error code included in the estimated task time request received in step S806. Then, in step S807, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 transmits the estimated task time included in the acquired candidate task to the request source. The process of step S807 corresponds to the process of step S625 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0131] In step S808, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 accepts a remote repair history request including a device ID and determines whether the request has been received. If the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 determines that the remote repair history request has been received, the process proceeds to step S809. If the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 determines that the remote repair history request has not been received, the process proceeds to step S810.

[0132] In step S809, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 refers to the remote repair history stored in the remote repair history management unit 335, and acquires the remote repair history associated with the device ID included in the remote repair history request received in step S808. Then, in step S809, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 transmits the acquired remote repair history to the request source. The process of this step S809 corresponds to the process of step S636 in Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0133] In step S810, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 receives a remote repair completion notification including a device ID and determines whether or not the notification has been received. If the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 determines that the remote repair completion notification has been received, the process of step S811 is executed. If the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 334 determines that the remote repair completion notification has not been received, the process of step S812 is executed.

[0134] In step S811, the remote repair history management unit 335 deletes the remote repair history linked to the device ID included in the remote repair completion notification received in step S810 by the remote repair information transmission / reception unit 334. The process of this step S811 corresponds to the process of step S655 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0135] 13, CPU 201 determines whether or not to end the process. Ending the process refers to a case where a predetermined operation for ending the process, such as turning off the power of data management server 103, is performed. If CPU 201 determines to end the process, the process ends. If CPU 201 determines not to end the process, the process of step S801 is executed.

[0136] <Remote monitoring server operation> Figures 15 and 16 are flowcharts explaining the operation processing of the remote monitoring server 104 in the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The processing in Figures 15 and 16 is realized by the CPU 201 of the remote monitoring server 104 reading out a controller program recorded in the HDD 204, expanding it in the RAM 203, and executing it. The circled numbers shown in Figure 15 are connected to the circled numbers shown in Figure 16 with the same numbers.

[0137] In step S901, the device status display unit 344 generates the device status confirmation screen 400 for each pre-registered device ID. The process of step S901 corresponds to the process of step S601 in FIGS.

[0138] In step S902, the operation information receiving unit 341 receives operation information such as device information and error information of the image forming apparatus 102, and determines whether or not the operation information has been received. If the operation information receiving unit 341 determines that the operation information has been received, the process of step S903 is executed. If the operation information receiving unit 341 determines that the operation information has not been received, the process of step S906 in FIG. 16 is executed.

[0139] In step S903, the error history management unit 342 saves the error information included in the operation information received in step S901 as an error history. The process of step S903 corresponds to the process of step S613 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11. The process of step S903 corresponds to the process of step S647 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0140] In step S904, the device status display unit 344 updates the device status check screen 400 generated in step S901 with the error history stored in step S903 that is linked to the device ID corresponding to the screen. The process of this step S904 corresponds to the process of step S613 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11. The process of this step S904 corresponds to the process of step S647 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0141] In step S905, after saving the error history in step S903, the device status display unit 344 notifies the user of the occurrence of an error in a predetermined manner. The process in step S905 corresponds to the process in step S614 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11. The notification may be achieved, for example, by sending a notification to a contact (e.g., an email address) registered in advance or by displaying an alert on the device status confirmation screen 400.

[0142] In step S906 of Fig. 16, the remote repair information receiving unit 343 receives a remote repair start notification including a device ID and determines whether or not the notification has been received. If the remote repair information receiving unit 343 determines that the remote repair start notification has been received, the process of step S907 is executed. If the remote repair information receiving unit 343 determines that the remote repair start notification has not been received, the process of step S910 is executed.

[0143] In step S907, the remote repair information receiving unit 343 requests the remote repair history linked to the device ID included in the remote repair start notification received in step S906 from the data management server 103. The process of step S907 corresponds to the process of step S635 in FIGS.

[0144] In step S908, the remote repair information receiving unit 343 accepts the remote repair history and determines whether the remote repair history has been received. If the remote repair information receiving unit 343 determines that the remote repair history has been received, the process of step S909 is executed. If the remote repair information receiving unit 343 determines that the remote repair history has not been received, the process of step S908 is executed.

[0145] In step S909, the device status display unit 344 generates a work status confirmation screen 410 having the user name and estimated work time included in the remote repair history received in step S908. Then, in step S909, the device status display unit 344 displays the generated work confirmation screen 410 on the device status confirmation screen 400 corresponding to the device ID included in the remote repair history. The process of step S909 corresponds to the process of step S637 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0146] In step S910, the remote repair information receiving unit 343 receives a remote repair completion notification including a device ID and determines whether the notification has been received. If the remote repair information receiving unit 343 determines that the remote repair completion notification has been received, the process of step S911 is executed. If the remote repair information receiving unit 343 determines that the remote repair completion notification has not been received, the process of step S912 is executed.

[0147] In step S911, the device status display unit 344 hides the work confirmation screen 410 displayed on the device status confirmation screen 400 corresponding to the device ID included in the remote repair completion notification received by the remote repair information receiving unit 343 in step S910. Also, in step S911, the device status display unit 344 deletes the work confirmation screen 410. The processing of this step S911 corresponds to the processing of step S656 in FIGS. 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0148] In step S912 of Fig. 15, the CPU 201 determines whether or not to end the process. Ending the process refers to a case where a predetermined operation for ending the process, such as turning off the power of the remote monitoring server 104, is performed. If the CPU 201 determines to end the process, the process ends. If the CPU 201 determines not to end the process, the process of step S902 is executed.

[0149] <Remote repair server operation> 17 and 18 are flowcharts for explaining the operation processing of the remote repair server 105 in the remote maintenance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The processing in Fig. 17 and Fig. 18 is realized by the CPU 201 of the remote repair server 105 reading out a controller program recorded in the HDD 204, expanding it in the RAM 203, and executing it. The circled numbers shown in Fig. 17 are connected to the circled numbers shown in Fig. 18 with the same numbers.

[0150] In step S1001, the remote repair work display unit 351 generates a login screen 500 for the remote repair server 105. The process of this step S1001 corresponds to the process of step S602 in FIGS.

[0151] In step S1002, the remote repair work display unit 351 accepts a login request including user information, and determines whether or not user authentication using the user information included in the request has been successful. If the remote repair work display unit 351 determines that the authentication has been successful, the process of step S1003 is executed. If the remote repair work display unit 351 determines that the authentication has not been successful, the process of step S1002 is executed. The user information and the login request are received via the login screen 500 generated in step S1001.

[0152] In step S1003, the remote repair work display unit 351 generates the communication start screen 510. The process of this step S1003 corresponds to the process of step S622 in FIGS.

[0153] In step S1004, the remote repair work display unit 351 receives the device ID and the error code, and determines whether or not the device ID and the error code have been received. If the remote repair work display unit 351 determines that the device ID and the error code have been received, the process of step S1005 is executed. If the remote repair work display unit 351 determines that the device ID and the error code have not been received, the process of step S1004 is executed. The device ID and the error code are received via the communication start screen 510 generated in step S1003.

[0154] In step S1005, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 352 transmits remote repair information including the user name associated with the user information received in step S1002 and the device ID and error code received in step S1004 to the data management server 103. Here, the user name is specified by referring to the association between the user information and the user name defined in advance. In addition, in step S1005, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 352 transmits an estimated work time request including the error code to the data management server 103. The process of this step S1005 corresponds to the process of step S624 in Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0155] In step S1006, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 352 receives the estimated work time and determines whether or not the estimated work time has been received. If the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 352 determines that the estimated work time has been received, the process of step S1007 is executed. If the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 352 determines that the estimated work time has not been received, the process of step S1006 is executed.

[0156] In step S1007, the device communication unit 353 refers to the association between the predefined device ID and the image forming apparatus 102, identifies the image forming apparatus 102 corresponding to the device ID received in step S1004, and transmits a communication start request. The process of step S1007 corresponds to the process of step S626 in FIGS. 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0157] In step S1008, the device communication unit 353 receives a response to the communication start request transmitted in step S1007, and determines whether or not a response indicating the start of communication has been received. If the device communication unit 353 determines that a response indicating the start of communication has been received, the process proceeds to step S1009. If the device communication unit 353 determines that a response indicating the start of communication has not been received, the process proceeds to step S1008.

[0158] In step S1009, the device communication unit 353 transmits the estimated work time received in step S1006 to the communication partner image forming apparatus 102. The process in step S1009 corresponds to the process in step S631 in FIGS.

[0159] In step S1010, the device communication unit 353 receives the reception response of the estimated work time transmitted in step S1009, and determines whether or not the response has been received. If the device communication unit 353 determines that the response has been received, the process of step S1011 in Fig. 18 is executed. If the device communication unit 353 determines that the response has not been received, the process of step S1010 is executed.

[0160] 18, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 352 transmits a remote repair start notification including a device ID corresponding to the communication partner image forming apparatus 102 to the remote monitoring server 104. The process of this step S1011 corresponds to the process of step S634 in FIGS. 8, 9, 10, and 11.

[0161] In step S1012, the remote repair work display unit 351 generates the remote repair work screen 520. The process of this step S1012 corresponds to the process of step S641 in FIGS.

[0162] In step S1013, the remote repair work display unit 351 accepts a command to be executed by the image forming apparatus 102 of the communication partner, and determines whether or not the command has been received. If the remote repair work display unit 351 determines that the command has been received, the process of step S1014 is executed. If the remote repair work display unit 351 determines that the command has not been received, the process of step S1015 is executed. The command is received via the remote repair work screen 520 generated in step S1012.

[0163] In step S1014, the device communication unit 353 transmits the command received in step S1013 to the communication partner image forming apparatus 102. The process of step S1014 corresponds to the process of step S642 in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11. When the remote repair server 105 receives a command execution result response from the communication partner image forming apparatus 102, the remote repair server 105 displays the response on the remote repair work screen 520.

[0164] In step S1015, the remote repair work display unit 351 accepts a remote repair end instruction and determines whether or not the instruction has been received. If the remote repair work display unit 351 determines that the remote repair end instruction has been received, the process of step S1016 is executed. If the remote repair work display unit 351 determines that the remote repair end instruction has not been received, the process of step S1013 is executed. The remote repair end instruction is received via the remote repair work screen 520 generated in step S1012.

[0165] In step S1016, the device communication unit 353 transmits a request to end the remote maintenance to the communication partner image forming apparatus 102. The process of step S1016 corresponds to the process of step S651 in FIGS.

[0166] In step S1017, the device communication unit 353 receives a communication end response from the communication partner image forming apparatus 102 and determines whether the response has been received. If the device communication unit 353 determines that the communication end response has been received, the process proceeds to step S1018. If the device communication unit 353 determines that the communication end response has not been received, the process proceeds to step S1017.

[0167] In step S1018, the remote repair information transmitting / receiving unit 352 transmits a remote repair completion notification including the device ID corresponding to the image forming apparatus 102 that is the transmission source of the communication completion response received in step S1017 to the data management server 103 and the remote monitoring server 104. The processing in step S1018 corresponds to the processing in step S654 in FIGS.

[0168] In step S1019, the CPU 201 determines whether or not to end the process. Ending the process refers to a case where a predetermined operation for ending the process, such as turning off the power of the remote monitoring server 104, is performed. If the CPU 201 determines to end the process, the process ends. If the CPU 201 determines not to end the process, the process of step S1001 in FIG. 17 is executed.

[0169] As described above, in this embodiment, the remote maintenance technician accesses the communication start screen 510 and the remote repair work screen 520 from the browser 311 of the information processing device 101. The remote maintenance technician issues instructions to start communication between the remote repair server 105 and the image forming device 102 and remote maintenance via the communication start screen 510 and the remote repair work screen 520.

[0170] In response to the start of remote maintenance, the remote monitoring server 104 displays a work status confirmation screen 410 having the start time and estimated end time of the maintenance work on the device status confirmation screen 400. This display allows the customer management department of the sales company to check the device status confirmation screen 400 from the information processing device 101 via the browser 311. This allows the customer management department of the sales company to know that remote maintenance of the image forming device 102 has started and the estimated end time of the remote maintenance.

[0171] The estimated work time used to calculate the estimated work completion time to be displayed on the work status confirmation screen 410 is the sum of the estimated work times of the candidate work items linked to the target error code, but it may be the estimated work time of the candidate work item selected by the user. For example, after receiving the device ID and error code from the user on the screen of Fig. 7(A), a screen (see Fig. 7(B)) may be generated that lists candidate work items linked to the error code and allows the user to select one.

[0172] [Second embodiment] In the second embodiment of the present invention, a method for displaying information on work being performed by a remote maintenance technician on a remote monitoring screen will be described. The configuration of the system in the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, except for the characteristic parts. Therefore, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0173] <Screen Configuration> Fig. 19(A) and Fig. 19(B) are diagrams showing screen configurations for remote monitoring of a remote maintenance system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 19(A) is an example of a work status check screen 1100 generated on the device status check screen 400 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 19(B) is an example of a work status check screen 1101 generated on the device status check screen 400 according to the second embodiment.

[0174] 19(A) shows a work status confirmation screen 1100 in which the work in progress and the start time have been added to the work status confirmation screen 410 generated by the remote monitoring server 104 upon receiving a remote repair start notification. The work status confirmation screen 1100 is generated when the remote monitoring server 104 receives a work start notification including a device ID and performed work information, and displays the performed work information included in the notification as the work in progress and the time when the notification was received as the start time.

[0175] 19(B) shows a work status confirmation screen 1101 generated by the remote monitoring server 104 that generated the work status confirmation screen 1100 and further receives a work start notification. The work status confirmation screen 1101 is generated by adding the performed work information contained in the notification and the time when the notification was received to the display contents of the work status confirmation screen 1100.

[0176] Fig. 20 is a diagram showing a screen configuration for remote monitoring of the remote maintenance system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 20 is an example of a remote repair work screen 1200. The remote repair work screen 1200 is a screen that allows a logged-in user to specify the maintenance work to be performed and the command to be executed by the image forming apparatus 102 of the communication partner. In addition to the configuration of the remote repair work screen 520, the remote repair work screen 1200 has a selection input field for selecting the maintenance work to be performed, and a send button that, when pressed, confirms the selection of the work to be performed.

[0177] <Sequence> Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 are diagrams showing a sequence of a remote maintenance system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 are diagrams for explaining a remote maintenance execution phase P604 of the sequence of the remote maintenance system according to the second embodiment. Fig. 22 is a diagram showing the sequence on the right side of Fig. 21. The circled letters shown in Fig. 21 are connected to the same letters in the circled letters shown in Fig. 22.

[0178] In S1301, the remote repair server 105 generates the remote repair work screen 1200, and displays it on the browser 311 activated by the information processing device 101 of the user.

[0179] In S1302, the remote repair server 105 transmits a work start notification including a device ID and work information to the remote monitoring server 104. The work information is input and transmitted in accordance with a user's operation via the remote repair work screen 1200 accessed from the browser 311 activated by the user's information processing device 101. This user operation is indicated by step S1302 in parentheses in Figs. 21 and 22.

[0180] In S1303, the remote monitoring server 104 updates the work status check screen 410 displayed on the device status check screen 400. The device status check screen 400 here is the device status check screen 400 that corresponds to the device ID included in the received work start notification. The work status check screen 410 is updated by generating a work status check screen 1100 or 1101 that adds to the work status check screen 410 the performed work information included in the received work start notification and the reception time of the notification.

[0181] The processing from step S642 to step S647 is similar to the processing of the steps with the same reference numerals in the sequences of FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0182] <Remote monitoring server operation> Figures 23 and 24 are flowcharts showing the processing of the remote monitoring server 104 of the remote maintenance system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The processing of Figures 15 and 16 is realized by the CPU 201 of the remote monitoring server 104 reading out a controller program recorded in the HDD 204, expanding it in the RAM 203, and executing it. The circled numbers shown in Figure 23 are connected to the circled numbers shown in Figure 24 with the same numbers.

[0183] The processes from step S901 to step S909 are similar to those of the steps with the same reference numerals in the flowcharts of FIGS. 15 and 16, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0184] In step S906, the remote repair information receiving unit 343 receives a remote repair start notification including a device ID and determines whether the notification has been received. If the remote repair information receiving unit 343 determines that the remote repair start notification has been received, the process of step S907 is executed. If the remote repair information receiving unit 343 determines that the remote repair start notification has not been received, the process of step S1401 is executed.

[0185] In S1401, the remote repair information receiving unit 343 receives a work start notification including a device ID and work information, and determines whether the notification has been received. If the remote repair information receiving unit 343 determines that the work start notification has been received, the process of step S1402 is executed. If the remote repair information receiving unit 343 determines that the work start notification has not been received, the process of step S910 is executed.

[0186] In S1402, the remote repair information receiving unit 343 updates the work status confirmation screen 410 displayed on the device status confirmation screen 400. The device status confirmation screen 400 here is the device status confirmation screen 400 corresponding to the device ID included in the work start notification received in S1401. The work status confirmation screen 410 is updated by adding the performed work information included in the work start notification and the reception time of the notification to the work status confirmation screen 410. The processing of this step S1402 corresponds to the processing of step S1303 in Figs. 21 and 22.

[0187] The processing from step S910 to step S911 is similar to the processing of the steps with the same reference numerals in the flowcharts of FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0188] <Remote repair server operation> Figures 25 and 26 are flowcharts showing the processing of the remote repair server 105 of the remote maintenance system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The processing of Figures 25 and 26 is realized by the CPU 201 of the remote repair server 105 reading out a controller program recorded in the HDD 204, expanding it in the RAM 203, and executing it. The circled numbers shown in Figure 25 are linked to the circled numbers shown in Figure 26 with the same numbers.

[0189] The processing from step S1001 to step S1012 is similar to the processing of the steps with the same reference numerals in the flowcharts of FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0190] In step S1012, the remote repair work display unit 351 generates the remote repair work screen 1200. The process of this step S1012 corresponds to the process of step S1301 in FIGS.

[0191] In S1501, the remote repair work display unit 351 accepts input of performed work information and determines whether or not the performed work information has been received. If the remote repair work display unit 351 determines that the performed work information has been received, the process of step S1502 is executed. If the remote repair work display unit 351 determines that the performed work information has not been received, the process of step S1501 is executed. The performed work information is received via the remote repair work screen 1200 generated in step S1012.

[0192] In S1502, the remote repair work display unit 351 transmits a work start notification including the received work information and the device ID corresponding to the communication partner image forming apparatus 102 to the remote monitoring server 104. The process of this step S1502 corresponds to the process of step S1302 in FIGS.

[0193] The processing from step S1013 to step S1014 is similar to the processing of the steps with the same reference numerals in the flowcharts of FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0194] In S1503, the remote repair work display unit 351 accepts an input for changing the performed work information and determines whether or not the changed performed work information has been received. If the remote repair work display unit 351 determines that the changed performed work information has been received, the process of step S1502 is executed. If the remote repair work display unit 351 determines that the changed performed work information has not been received, the process of step S1013 is executed. The performed work information is received via the remote repair work screen 1200 generated in step S1012.

[0195] As described above in this embodiment, the remote maintenance technician inputs the work to be performed via the remote repair work screen 1200. In response to receiving the performed work information, the remote monitoring server 104 displays the work status confirmation screen 1100 including the work information on the device status confirmation screen 400. This allows the customer management department of the sales company to grasp the progress of the remote maintenance work for the image forming device 102 by checking the device status confirmation screen 400 from the information processing device 101 via the browser 311.

[0196] The performed work information displayed as a work in progress on the work status confirmation screens 1100, 1101 is not limited to being input according to a user's operation via the remote repair work screen 1200, but may be input automatically. Automatic input is realized, for example, by defining in advance a command and performed work information in association with each other, and when a command is input via the remote repair work screen 1200, the performed work information corresponding to the command is automatically input.

[0197] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-mentioned embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. Also, the present invention can be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) for realizing one or more functions.

[0198] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0199] The disclosure of the present embodiment includes the following configurations: a method and a program. (Configuration 1) An information providing system for providing information regarding maintenance of a device, comprising: A means for receiving a login request accompanied by user information and performing user authentication; a means for starting communication with a device corresponding to a designated device ID when the user authentication is successful, notifying the start of remote monitoring of the device of the communication partner, and displaying a screen for performing remote operations on the device of the communication partner; a means for receiving the notification of the start of the operation and displaying a user name associated with the user information and an estimated operation time associated with a specified error code on a screen for confirming the status of the device of the communication partner; a means for notifying the end of remote monitoring of the device of the communication partner when a task end operation is received from the authenticated user; a means for receiving the completion notification and hiding the user name and the estimated work time on a screen for confirming the status of the device of the communication partner; An information providing system comprising: (Configuration 2) The designated device ID is input by the user from a screen that is displayed when the user authentication is successful. 2. The information providing system according to configuration 1. (Configuration 3) The remote operation is to send a command to the device of the communication partner. 3. The information providing system according to configuration 1 or 2. (Configuration 4) The specified error code is an error code corresponding to an error occurring in the communication partner device. 4. The information providing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 3. (Configuration 5) The estimated work time includes an estimated work start time and an estimated work end time. 5. The information providing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 4. (Configuration 6) The operation to end the work is a logout request by the authenticated user. 6. The information providing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, (Configuration 7) The screen for performing the remote work is a screen for providing to a maintenance person who is different from the person to whom the screen for checking the status of the device is provided. 7. The information providing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 6. (Method 1) 1. A method for providing information regarding maintenance of a device, comprising: receiving a login request accompanied by user information and performing user authentication; a step of starting communication with a device corresponding to a specified device ID when the user authentication is successful, notifying the start of remote monitoring of the device of the communication partner, and displaying a screen for performing remote operations on the device of the communication partner; receiving the notification of the start of the process, and displaying a user name associated with the user information and an estimated operation time associated with a specified error code on a screen for confirming the status of the device of the communication partner; a step of notifying an end of remote monitoring of the device of the communication partner when a task end operation is received from the authenticated user; receiving the completion notification, and hiding the user name and the estimated work time on a screen for confirming the status of the device of the communication partner; The method according to claim 1, further comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0200] 101 Information processing device 102 Image forming device 103 Data Management Server 104 Remote monitoring server 105 Remote Repair Server 400 Device status check screen 410 Work status confirmation screen 500 Login screen 510 Communication start screen 520 Remote Repair Work Screen

Claims

1. An information providing system for providing information regarding maintenance of a device, comprising: A means for receiving a login request accompanied by user information and performing user authentication; a means for starting communication with a device corresponding to a designated device ID when the user authentication is successful, notifying the start of remote monitoring of the communication partner device, and displaying a screen for performing remote operations on the communication partner device; a means for receiving the notification of the start of the operation and displaying a user name associated with the user information and an estimated operation time associated with a specified error code on a screen for confirming the status of the device of the communication partner; a means for notifying the end of remote monitoring of the device of the communication partner when a task end operation is received from the authenticated user; a means for receiving the completion notification and hiding the user name and the estimated work time on a screen for confirming the status of the device of the communication partner; An information providing system comprising:

2. The designated device ID is input by the user from a screen that is displayed when the user authentication is successful.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

3. The remote operation is to send a command to the device of the communication partner.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

4. The specified error code is an error code corresponding to an error occurring in the communication partner device.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

5. The estimated work time includes an estimated work start time and an estimated work end time.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

6. The operation to end the work is a logout request by the authenticated user.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

7. The screen for performing the remote work is a screen for providing to a maintenance person who is different from the person to whom the screen for checking the status of the device is provided.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

8. 1. A method for providing information regarding maintenance of a device, comprising: receiving a login request accompanied by user information and performing user authentication; a step of starting communication with a device corresponding to a designated device ID when the user authentication is successful, notifying the start of remote monitoring of the communication partner device, and displaying a screen for performing remote operations on the communication partner device; receiving the notification of the start of the process, and displaying a user name associated with the user information and an estimated operation time associated with a specified error code on a screen for confirming the status of the device of the communication partner; a step of notifying the end of remote monitoring of the device of the communication partner when a task end operation is received from the authenticated user; receiving the completion notification, and hiding the user name and the estimated work time on a screen for confirming the status of the device of the communication partner; The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

Images