Information processing apparatus, and method for controlling information processing apparatus

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: when an error notification setting is changed, the change of the setting is not appropriately notified, and thus a delay in work flow occurs at the occurrence of an error.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus has: setting means that performs settings related to notification of error information; and notification means that, when an error occurs in the information processing apparatus, notifies a notification destination set in the setting means of the error information. When the settings related to notification are changed in the setting means, the notification means notifies the notification destination that the settings are changed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a control method thereof.

Background Art

[0002] In a general image processing apparatus, when an error such as toner shortage or paper jam during printing occurs, a function is known to detect the occurrence of the error and notify a predetermined notification destination by e-mail or the like. By this error notification function, for example, when a toner shortage error occurs, the toner replacement person is notified, and by quickly replacing the toner, there is an advantage such as elimination of stagnation in the business flow.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that when an error occurs in a printing apparatus, a notification of the error occurrence is sent to the e-mail address of the destination determined by extraction from a pre-stored error notification destination table.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When the notification type to the error notification destination is changed by a specific administrator, that fact is not notified to the existing notification destinations. For example, when the toner shortage error and the paper empty error are set to be notified to a specific e-mail address, if a specific administrator arbitrarily updates the setting so that the paper empty error is not notified, the change of the setting is not notified to the existing e-mail address. As a result, when a paper empty error occurs, the paper replacement cannot be performed quickly, leading to stagnation in the business flow.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus that can appropriately notify a change in error notification settings and does not require a person who is the error notification destination to log in and perform notification setting operations when a change in error notification settings of the image processing apparatus occurs.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] An information processing apparatus (100) includes a setting means (402) for setting notifications regarding error information, and a notification means (401) for notifying the error information to a notification destination set by the setting means when an error occurs within the information processing apparatus. When the setting regarding the notification is changed by the setting means, the notification means notifies the notification destination that the setting has been changed.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, even when the error notification settings of the image processing apparatus are changed, it is possible to notify that the error notification settings have been changed without the login operation and notification setting operation of the person who is the error notification destination. As a result, the error notification destination can detect that the setting has been changed, preventing unintended setting changes, and can appropriately notify the error notification destination even when an error occurs. Therefore, in the error notification of the image processing apparatus, it is possible to eliminate the work redundancy of the person who is the notification destination and prevent the stagnation of the business flow.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) [Overall Configuration of the System] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall system configuration in the present invention.

[0012] The image processing apparatus 100 and the client terminal 110 are communicably connected via the network 120.

[0013] The image processing apparatus 100 has a function of notifying a previously registered notification destination when an error occurs in the image processing apparatus. Also, it is possible to change the settings regarding the notification destination of the error and the settings regarding the notification type of the error. Further, this embodiment is also applicable to an information processing apparatus having a function of notifying a previously registered notification destination when an error occurs.

[0014] The client terminal 110 is a terminal that communicates with the image processing apparatus 100 using a built-in browser or the like and has a function of changing the error notification settings of the image processing apparatus 100. Note that the client terminal 110 is assumed to be a personal computer, a mobile terminal, or the like, but in the present invention, its form is not limited. Also, it is assumed that there may be a plurality of client terminals 110.

[0015] The network 120 is, for example, a LAN such as the Internet, a WAN, a telephone line, a dedicated digital line, or the like, and is a communication network realized by a combination of these.

[0016] Note that the above configuration is an example and is not limited to the configuration example in FIG. 1. For example, regarding the change of the error notification settings, it may also be realized by directly operating the image processing apparatus 100. In that case, the client terminal 110 is not essential in the present invention.

[0017] [Hardware Configuration] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the client terminal 110 in the present invention.

[0018] The system bus 201 controls the flow of data within the apparatus.

[0019] The Central Processing Unit (CPU) 202 controls the entire apparatus.

[0020] The CPU 202 executes application programs, the OS, etc. stored in the Hard Disc Drive (HDD) 205, and performs control to temporarily store information necessary for program execution in the Randam Access Memory (RAM) 203.

[0021] The RAM 203 is a temporary storage means and functions as the main memory, work area, etc. of the CPU 202.

[0022] The Read Only Memory (ROM) 204 is a storage means and stores various data such as basic I / O programs internally.

[0023] The HDD 205 is one of the external storage means, functions as a large-capacity memory, and stores application programs such as web browsers, programs of service server groups, the OS, related programs, etc.

[0024] The display 206 is a display means and displays commands input from the keyboard 207, etc.

[0025] The keyboard 207 is an instruction input means.

[0026] The interface 208 is an external device I / F and connects a printer, USB device, and peripheral devices.

[0027] The Network Interface Card (NIC) 209 exchanges data with external devices via the interface 209 and the network 170.

[0028] Note that the above configuration is just an example and is not limited to the configuration example in FIG. 2. For example, the storage destination of data and programs can also be changed to the RAM 203, ROM 204, HDD 205, etc. according to their characteristics.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention.

[0030] The image processing apparatus 100 can be applied to, for example, an image forming apparatus such as a digital multi-function device, a facsimile apparatus, a laser beam printer, an inkjet printer, or a scanner apparatus. The image processing apparatus 100 includes a CPU 301, a RAM 302, a ROM 303, a storage device 304, a network I / F 305, an internal bus 306, a device control 307, a printing unit 308, an input / output I / F 309, and an input / output device 310.

[0031] The CPU 301 has a program stored in the ROM 303 and comprehensively controls each device via the internal bus 306. Further, the CPU 301 performs execution processing of the program together with the RAM 302 and the ROM 303, and also performs processing for recording image data on a recording medium such as the storage device 304.

[0032] The RAM 302 functions as a memory and a work area for the CPU 301.

[0033] The ROM 303 also stores destination information indicating the region to which the image processing apparatus 100 is shipped. The language to be displayed by the input / output device 310 is determined according to this destination information.

[0034] The storage device 304 functions as an external storage device, stores image data and the like, and can also store the above-described counter information, system information, and monitoring information as a backup in place of the RAM 302.

[0035] The network I / F 305 exchanges data with an external network device or a personal computer (PC) in one direction or both directions via the network 140.

[0036] The device control 307 controls the printing unit 308.

[0037] The printing unit 308 indicates various devices necessary for printing, such as a fixing device and a transfer belt.

[0038] The input / output device 310 indicates a plurality of components responsible for input / output in the image processing device 100. Specifically, it receives an input from a user (such as a button input), and transmits a signal corresponding to the input to each of the above-described processing units via the input / output I / F 309. In addition, a display device (such as a touch panel) for providing necessary information to the user or receiving a user operation is also included in the input / output device 310. Furthermore, a scanning device for reading a document and receiving electronic data as an input may also be included in the input / output device 310.

[0039] Note that the configuration of the image processing device 100 is an example, and is not limited to the configuration example in FIG. 3. For example, the control of the input / output device 310 can also be changed so that the device control 307 performs it according to its characteristics.

[0040] [Software Configuration and Network Connection Configuration] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the software configuration in the present invention.

[0041] The error notification management function 400 is stored in the storage device 304 and executed by the CPU 301. The error notification management function 400 is composed of a communication unit 401, a notification control unit 402, a notification setting management unit 403, and a notification information generation unit 404.

[0042] The communication unit 401 communicates with the client terminal 110, and receives a setting change of the error notification type (error notification kind) and a request for changing the error notification destination setting. In addition, it transmits the error notification email generated by the notification information generation unit 404 to the designated transmission destination.

[0043] The notification control unit 402 detects errors such as toner shortage, paper shortage (paper empty), and jam occurrence during image formation in the image processing apparatus 100. Then, the notification control unit 402 requests the notification setting management unit 403 to confirm whether the error is a notification setting target. If it is a notification target, the notification control unit 402 passes the information of the notification destination to the notification information generation unit 404, requests the generation of an error notification email, and requests the communication unit 401 to send the generated error notification email. Also, when the notification control unit 402 is requested by the communication unit 401 to change the setting of the error notification type or the setting of the error notification destination, the notification control unit 402 requests the notification setting management unit 403 to update the error notification setting.

[0044] In response to the confirmation request from the notification control unit 402 regarding the error information and whether the error is a notification setting target, the notification setting management unit 403 accesses the notification setting database 410 to confirm whether the error is a notification setting target. Also, in response to the update request of the error notification setting from the notification control unit 402, the notification setting management unit 403 accesses the notification setting database 410 and updates the corresponding error notification setting information.

[0045] In response to the notification destination information and the generation request of the error notification email from the notification control unit 402, the notification information generation unit 404 generates an error notification email.

[0046] The notification setting database 410 is a database area existing in the storage device 304, and stores error notification setting information such as the notification destination and notification type when an error occurs in the image processing apparatus 100. In the present embodiment, the notification setting database 410 includes a notification setting data table. An example of the table information of the notification setting database 410 is shown in Table 1.

[0047]

Table 1

[0048] The "Notification Setting Information ID" column stores a value for uniquely identifying notification setting information.

[0049] The "Notification Type" column stores a value indicating the error types to be the target of error notifications in JSON format.

[0050] The "Notification Destination" column stores a value indicating the error notification destination address in JSON format.

[0051] For example, the column with the "Notification Setting Information ID" of "Notice001" indicates that when the "PaperEmpty (out of paper)" error occurs, an error notification email should be sent to "UserA@xxx.com". Also, the column with the "Notification Setting Information ID" of "Notice002" indicates the following. When the "TonerEmpty (toner empty)" or "jamOccured (jam occurred)" error occurs, it indicates that an error notification email should be sent to "UserB@xxx.com" and "UserC@xxx.com".

[0052] The browser 420 is stored in the HDD 205 and executed by the CPU 202. Also, the browser 420 communicates with the image processing apparatus 100 and requests changes to the setting of the error notification type and the setting of the error notification destination of the image processing apparatus 100.

[0053] [Processing Sequence] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the processing sequence of the entire system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the notification setting data table when the sequence of FIG. 5 is started is in the state of Table 1.

[0054] In S500, a request to confirm the current error notification setting of the image processing apparatus 100 is made from the browser 420 to the image processing apparatus 100. In this embodiment, it is assumed that this process is performed by the administrator of the image processing apparatus 100 operating the client terminal 110.

[0055] In S501, the notification control unit 402 detects, via the communication unit 401, that a confirmation request for error notification settings has been made, and acquires the notification setting data table information of the notification setting database 410 via the notification setting management unit 403.

[0056] In S502, the notification control unit 402 sends the notification setting information to the client terminal 110 via the communication unit 401. At the time of S502 in the present embodiment, the notification setting data table information in Table 1 is sent.

[0057] In S503, a request to change the error notification destination setting of the image processing apparatus 100 is made from the browser 420 to the image processing apparatus 100. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a request has been made to change the "notification destination" from "UserA@xxx.com" to "UserD@xxx.com" in the notification setting of "Notice001" in Table 1.

[0058] In S504, the notification control unit 402 detects, via the communication unit 401, that a request to change the error notification settings has been made, and updates the notification setting data table information of the notification setting database 410 via the notification setting management unit 403. At this time, the notification setting information before and after the change is temporarily stored in the RAM 302 as notification setting change result information. Table 2 shows the table information of the notification setting database 410 when the process of S504 in the present embodiment is completed.

[0059]

Table 2

[0060] By the process of S504, the "notification destination" of "Notice001" is updated from "UserA@xxx.com" to "UserD@xxx.com".

[0061] In S505, a process of notifying the related notification destinations of the notification setting change content updated in S504 is performed. Here, the error notification setting change process will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

[0062] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flowchart of error notification setting change processing of the image processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0063] In S600, the notification control unit 402 refers to the notification setting change result information from the RAM 302 and determines whether the error notification setting has been changed. At this time, if it is determined that the notification setting has been changed, S601 is executed. If it is determined that the notification setting has not been changed, this flowchart ends. In S505 of the present embodiment, since the notification setting has been changed, S601 is executed.

[0064] In S601, the notification control unit 402 continues to refer to the notification setting change result information and determines whether the setting of the error notification type has been changed. At this time, if it is determined that the error notification type has been changed, S602 is executed. If it is determined that the error notification type has not been changed, S603 is executed. In S505 of the present embodiment, although the notification destination has been changed, the notification type has not been changed, so S603 is executed.

[0065] In S602, the notification control unit 402 generates an error notification type change mail via the notification information generation unit 404 and transmits the error notification type change mail via the communication unit 401. Here, with reference to FIG. 7, the mail transmitted by the image processing apparatus 100 in the present embodiment will be described.

[0066] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a mail transmitted by the image processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0067] 700 is an email that the image processing apparatus 100 sends when the setting of the error notification destination is changed. The content of the email describes the error notification settings before and after the change, and the destinations are set to both the destination before the change and the destination after the change. That is, if the content updated in S504 is an update that deletes "UserB@xxx.com" in Notice002, an error notification destination change email is sent to "UserB@xxx.com" to which this change notification has been deleted, informing that it has been deleted. To explain the case where the content updated in S504 is that "UserD@xxx.com" in Notice001 is deleted and changed to "UserA@xxx.com". In this case, the error notification destination change email will be sent to both "UserA@xxx.com" and "UserD@xxx.com".

[0068] 701 is an email that the image processing apparatus 100 sends when the setting of the error notification type is changed. The content of the error notification settings before and after the change is described, and the destinations are set to all the addresses set for the destination before the change.

[0069] 702 is an email that is sent to the addresses of the pre-set destinations when a paper empty error occurs in the image processing apparatus 100. The content of the email describes the type of the error that has occurred and the notification setting that triggered the notification, and it is sent to all the set destination addresses.

[0070] Here, return to the description of FIG. 6.

[0071] In S603, the notification control unit 402 continuously refers to the notification setting change result information to determine whether the setting of the error notification destination has been changed. At this time, if it is determined that the error notification destination has been changed, S604 is executed. If it is determined that the error notification destination has not been changed, this flowchart ends. Note that in S505 of this embodiment, since the destination has been changed, S604 is executed.

[0072] In S604, the notification control unit 402 generates an error notification destination change email via the notification information generation unit 404, and transmits the error notification destination change email via the communication unit 401. In S505 of the present embodiment, the error notification destination change email 700 in FIG. 7 is transmitted to "UserA@xxx.com" and "UserD@xxx.com".

[0073] Here, return to the description of FIG. 5.

[0074] In S506, the notification control unit 402 sends notification setting change information to the client terminal 110 via the communication unit 401. At the time of S506 in the present embodiment, the notification setting data table information in Table 2 is sent.

[0075] In S507, a request to change the error notification type setting of the image processing apparatus 100 is made from the browser 420 to the image processing apparatus 100. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a request to cancel "TonerEmpty" in the "notification type" of the notification setting of "Notice002" in Table 2 has been made.

[0076] In S508, the same processing as in S504 is performed. The table information of the notification setting database 410 when the processing of S504 in the present embodiment is completed is shown in Table 3.

[0077]

Table 3

[0078] By the processing of S508, "TonerEmpty" is deleted from the "notification type" of "Notice002", and only "jamOccured" remains.

[0079] In S509, a process is performed to notify the relevant notification destinations of the notification setting change details updated in S508. In S509 of this embodiment, since only the notification type is changed, S602 in FIG. 6 is executed, and the error notification type change mail 701 in FIG. 7 is sent to "UserB@xxx.com" and "UserC@xxx.com".

[0080] In S510, the notification control unit 402 sends the notification setting change information to the client terminal 110 via the communication unit 401. At the time of S510 in this embodiment, the notification setting data table information in Table 3 is sent.

[0081] In S511, a specific error occurs in the image processing apparatus 100, the notification control unit 402 detects the occurred error, and specifies the type of the error. In this embodiment, it is assumed that an error of "PaperEmpty" has occurred.

[0082] In S512, the notification control unit 402 acquires the information of the notification destination corresponding to the error type that occurred in S510 from the notification setting database 410 via the notification setting management unit 403. Further, the notification control unit 402 generates an error notification mail via the notification information generation unit 404, and further sends it to the notification destination address via the communication unit 401. In this embodiment, since an error of "PaperEmpty" has occurred, the error notification mail 702 in FIG. 7 is sent to "UserD@xxx.com" in "Notice001" of Table 3.

[0083] As described above, when the error notification destination of the image processing apparatus 100 is changed according to the sequence of FIG. 5, the notification destinations before and after the change are notified that the setting change has been made. When the error notification type of the image processing apparatus 100 is changed, the notification destinations that are set are notified that the setting change has been made. Further, when an error occurs, the notification destinations that are set are notified that an error has occurred. Also, these can be realized without the login work or notification setting work of the person who is the notification destination. In this embodiment, the explanation has been given using an email address as the notification destination, but any method may be used as long as it can notify the client terminal, such as a short message using a telephone number, and the method is not limited.

[0084] As described above, according to this embodiment, in the error notification of the image processing apparatus, it is possible to prevent the stagnation of the business flow while eliminating the work redundancy of the person who is the notification destination.

[0085] (Embodiment 2) As Embodiment 2, in order to prevent an unintended change in the error notification setting, a form is provided in which the change in the error notification setting is not immediately reflected and the setting change can be canceled when the person who is the notification destination denies the setting change. In this embodiment, the setting in the case of denial will be described, but a form in which the setting is changed in the case of approval may also be used. That is, the setting change may be controlled based on the necessity of the setting change from the person who is the notification destination.

[0086] In Embodiment 1, when the error notification setting of the image processing apparatus 100 is changed, a form is provided in which the content of the setting change is notified to the notification destinations related to the changed notification setting.

[0087] However, for example, in Embodiment 1, an operation to cancel the toner empty error from the notification types was performed. If this is done without the approval of the person who is the notification destination, the person who is the notification destination may request the cancellation of the setting. In such a case, in Embodiment 1, it is necessary to perform operations such as the person who is the notification destination directly talking to the administrator of the image processing apparatus 100 and having the setting changed. In this case, the problem that the work redundancy of the person who is the notification destination occurs cannot be sufficiently solved.

[0088] In this embodiment, in view of such problems, an object is to provide a form in which the image processing apparatus 100 does not immediately reflect the notification setting change content, performs a confirmation of denial of the setting change to the notification destination, and cancels the notification setting change content if it is denied.

[0089] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the processing sequence of the entire system in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In this embodiment, the table information of the notification setting database 410 when the sequence of FIG. 8 is started is shown in Table 4.

[0090] [Table 4]

[0091] The notification setting database 410 of this embodiment includes a notification setting data table and a notification setting reservation data table. Since the notification setting data table is the same as Table 1, the description thereof is omitted.

[0092] The "notification setting reservation information ID" column is a column that stores a value for uniquely identifying the notification setting reservation information.

[0093] The "reservation target notification setting information ID" column is the notification setting information ID to which the reserved setting change information is applied.

[0094] The "change application time" column is the time when the setting change reservation is applied. When the current time has passed the time of this column, the notification setting information in the corresponding notification setting data table is updated.

[0095] The "Change Notification Type" column shows the content of the setting change of the "Notification Type". It is a column that stores the values showing the values before and after the change in JSON format. Note that if there is no setting change, the value will be blank.

[0096] The "Change Notification Destination" column shows the content of the setting change of the "Notification Destination". It is a column that stores the values showing the values before and after the change in JSON format. Note that if there is no setting change, the value will be blank.

[0097] Since S800 to S803 are the same as S500 to S503 in FIG. 5, the description is omitted. Note that at the time of S802 in this embodiment, the notification setting database information in Table 5 is sent. Also, at S803, it is assumed that the same setting change request as S503 was made.

[0098] At S804, the notification control unit 402 detects via the communication unit 401 that a change request for the error notification setting has been made, and updates the notification setting reservation database information in the notification setting database 410 via the notification setting management unit 403. Table 5 shows the table information of the notification setting database 410 when the process of S804 in this embodiment is completed.

[0099]

Table 5

[0100] Notification setting reservation information of "Reserve001" is added to the notification setting reservation database.

[0101] The "Target Notification Setting Information ID" stores the notification setting information ID "Notice001" that is the change target.

[0102] The "change application time" stores the time one hour after the current time. In this embodiment, assume that the current time at S804 is "12:00:00 on September 14, 2023". That is, after the reservation for setting change is set, if there is no error notification setting confirmation request from the client terminal, and one hour, which is the change application time, elapses, the setting change will be made. Note that one hour is just an example, and it can be any predetermined time set by the user.

[0103] Since no change in the notification type setting is requested, the "change notification type" stores an empty value.

[0104] Since a change request from "UserA@xxx.com" to "UserD@xxx.com" is made for the "change notification destination", its content is stored.

[0105] Also, at S804, the notification setting data table is not updated.

[0106] At S805, a process of notifying the relevant notification destinations of the content of the reservation for changing the error notification setting updated at S804 is performed. Here, the process of reserving the change of the error notification setting will be described with reference to FIG. 9.

[0107] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the process of reserving the change of the error notification setting of the image processing apparatus in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0108] At S900, the notification control unit 402 refers to the notification setting database 410 via the notification setting management unit 403 to determine whether a reservation for changing the error notification setting has been registered. At this time, if it is determined that the reservation for changing the error notification setting has been registered, S901 is executed. If it is determined that the reservation for changing the error notification setting has not been registered, this flowchart ends. Note that in S805 of this embodiment, since the reservation for changing the error notification setting has been registered, S901 is executed.

[0109] In S901, the notification control unit 402 continuously refers to the notification setting change reservation information and determines whether the notification setting change reservation information is a reservation for changing the error notification type. If it is determined that it is a reservation for changing the error notification type, S902 is executed. If it is determined that it is not a reservation for changing the error notification type, S903 is executed. In S805 of the present embodiment, although the change of the notification destination is reserved, the change of the notification type is not reserved, so S603 is executed.

[0110] In S902, the notification control unit 402 generates an error notification type change reservation mail via the notification information generation unit 404 and transmits the error notification type change reservation mail via the communication unit 401. Here, with reference to FIG. 11, the mail sent by the image processing apparatus 100 in the present embodiment will be described.

[0111] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a mail sent by the image processing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0112] 1100 is a mail sent by the image processing apparatus 100 when a reservation for changing the error notification destination is made. The content of the mail describes the contents of the error notification setting reservation before and after the change, and the destinations are set to both the notification destination before the change and the notification destination after the change. In addition, a link for denying the setting reservation is included.

[0113] 1101 is a mail sent by the image processing apparatus 100 when a reservation for changing the error notification type is made. The content of the mail describes the contents of the error notification setting reservation before and after the change, and the destinations are set to all the addresses set for the notification destination before the change. In addition, a link for denying the setting reservation is included.

[0114] 1102 is a mail sent by the image processing apparatus 100 when the error notification setting reservation is canceled. The content of the mail describes that the denial of the notification setting has been made, the notification destination that made the denial, and the notification setting that was denied.

[0115] Now, return to the description of FIG. 9.

[0116] In S903, the notification control unit 402 continuously refers to the notification setting change reservation information and determines whether the notification setting change reservation information is a reservation for changing the error notification destination. If it is determined that it is a reservation for changing the error notification destination, S904 is executed. If it is determined that it is not a reservation for changing the error notification type, this flowchart ends. Note that in S805 of the present embodiment, since a reservation for changing the notification destination has been made, S904 is executed.

[0117] In S904, the notification control unit 402 generates an error notification destination change reservation mail via the notification information generation unit 404 and transmits the error notification destination change reservation mail via the communication unit 401. In S805 of the present embodiment, the error notification destination change reservation mail 1100 in FIG. 11 is transmitted to "UserA@xxx.com" and "UserD@xxx.com".

[0118] Now, return to the description of FIG. 8.

[0119] In S806, the notification control unit 402 sends the notification setting change reservation result information to the client terminal 110 via the communication unit 401. At the time of S806 in the present embodiment, the notification setting change reservation data table information in Table 5 is sent.

[0120] Since S807 is the same as S507 in FIG. 5, the description is omitted. Note that in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the same setting change request as S507 has been made.

[0121] In S808, the same processing as S804 is performed. The table information of the notification setting database 410 when the processing of S804 in the present embodiment is completed is shown in Table 6.

[0122]

Table 6

[0123] By the process of S808, the notification setting reservation information of "Reserve002" is registered. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the current time at the time of S808 is "12:05:00, September 14, 2023".

[0124] In S809, a process is performed to notify the related notification destinations of the notification setting change reservation content updated in S808. In S809 of this embodiment, since only the notification type change reservation is made, S902 in FIG. 9 is executed, and the error notification type change reservation mail 1101 in FIG. 11 is sent to "UserB@xxx.com" and "UserC@xxx.com".

[0125] In S810, the notification control unit 402 sends the notification setting change reservation result information to the client terminal 110 via the communication unit 401. At the time point of S806 in this embodiment, the notification setting change reservation data table information in Table 6 is sent.

[0126] In S811, when the change reservation denial link included in the error notification destination change reservation mail 1100 or the error notification type change reservation mail 1101 in FIG. 11 is clicked, a denial of the error notification setting change is requested from the client terminal 110 to the image processing apparatus 100. In S811 of this embodiment, it is assumed that the mail recipient of "UserB@xxx.com" clicks the link of the error notification type change reservation mail 1101, and the time at that point is "12:30:00, September 14, 2023".

[0127] In S812, the notification control unit 402 detects, via the communication unit 401, that a denial request for error notification reservation setting has been made, analyzes the query information included in the requested address, and identifies the error notification reservation information ID to be denied. Further, the notification control unit 402 acquires the target notification setting reservation information from the notification setting database 410 via the notification setting management unit 403. At this time, if the current time has not passed the "change application time" of the target notification setting reservation information, the notification control unit 402 deletes the target notification setting reservation information via the notification setting management unit 403. Also, if the current time has passed the "change application time" of the target notification setting reservation information, the process is completed without deleting the notification setting reservation information. Note that Table 7 shows the table information of the notification setting database 410 when S812 of this embodiment is completed.

[0128]

Table 7

[0129] In S811, the denial of the error notification setting change reservation information of "Reserve002" is performed. Since the time at that time has not passed "13:05:00 on September 14, 2023", which is the "change application time" of "Reserve002", "Reserve002" is deleted.

[0130] In S813, when the error notification setting change reservation information is deleted in S811, the notification control unit 402 generates an error notification setting change reservation cancellation email via the notification information generation unit 404 and transmits the error notification setting change reservation cancellation email via the communication unit 401. In S812 of this embodiment, the error notification setting change reservation cancellation email 1102 in FIG. 11 is sent to "UserB@xxx.com" and "UserC@xxx.com".

[0131] In this embodiment, a process of reflecting the error notification setting change reservation at a fixed period asynchronously with the sequence in FIG. 8 is performed. Here, the error notification setting change reflection process will be described with reference to FIG. 10.

[0132] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the error notification setting change reflection process of the image processing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that time has elapsed since the sequence of FIG. 8 was completed, and the current time is "13:01:00 on September 14, 2023".

[0133] In S1000, the notification control unit 402 refers to the notification setting database 410 via the notification setting management unit 403, and determines whether there is notification setting change reservation information in which the "change application time" that is an older time than the current time is stored. If it is determined that there is notification setting change reservation information in which the "change application time" that is an older time than the current time is stored, S1001 is executed. If it is determined that there is no notification setting change reservation information in which the "change application time" that is an older time than the current time is stored, this flowchart ends. In the present embodiment, since the "change application time" of "Reserve001" is an older time than the current time, S1001 is executed. That is, in S1001, it is determined whether there is notification setting change reservation information in which the "change notification type" is not empty among the notification setting change reservation information in which the "change application time" that is an older time than the current time is stored. If it is determined that there is notification setting change reservation information in which the "change notification type" is not empty, S1002 is executed. If it is determined that there is no notification setting change reservation information in which the "change notification type" is not empty, S1004 is executed. In the present embodiment, since the "change notification type" of "Reserve001" is empty, S1004 is executed.

[0134] In S1002, the notification control unit 402 updates the notification setting database table information of the notification setting database 410 via the notification setting management unit 403. At the time of the update, the "notification type" of the notification setting information having the "notification setting information ID" corresponding to the "target notification setting information ID" of the notification setting change reservation information is updated according to the value of the "change notification type". At this time, the notification setting information before and after the change is temporarily stored in the RAM 302 as notification setting change result information. Also, when the update is completed, the corresponding notification setting change reservation information is deleted.

[0135] In S1003, the notification control unit 402 transmits an error notification type change email via the notification information generation unit 404. Since the error notification type change email to be transmitted is the same as that in Embodiment 1, the description is omitted.

[0136] In S1004, it is determined whether there is reservation information for changing notification settings in which the "change application time" is an earlier time than the current time and the "change notification destination" is not empty among the reservation information for changing notification settings. If it is determined that there is reservation information for changing notification settings in which the "change notification destination" is not empty, S1005 is executed. If it is determined that there is no reservation information for changing notification settings in which the "change notification destination" is not empty, this flowchart ends. In this embodiment, since the "change notification destination" of "Reserve001" is not empty, S1005 is executed.

[0137] In S1005, the notification control unit 402 updates the notification setting database information in the notification setting database 410 via the notification setting management unit 403. At the time of update, the "notification destination" of the notification setting information having the "notification setting information ID" corresponding to the "target notification setting information ID" of the reservation information for changing notification settings is updated according to the value of the "change notification destination". At this time, the notification setting information before and after the change is temporarily stored in the RAM 302 as notification setting change result information. Also, when the update is completed, the corresponding reservation information for changing notification settings is deleted. Table 7 shows the table information of the notification setting database 410 when S812 of this embodiment is completed.

[0138]

Table 8

[0139] The reservation information for changing the notification settings of "Reserve001" is applied to the notification setting information of "Notice001", and the "notification destination" is updated from "UserA@xxx.com" to "UserD@xxx.com". Also, since the change has been applied, the reservation information for changing the notification settings of "Reserve001" is deleted.

[0140] In S1006, the notification control unit 402 transmits an error notification destination change email via the notification information generation unit 404. Since the error notification destination change email to be transmitted is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. In S1006 of the present embodiment, the error notification destination change email 700 in FIG. 7 is transmitted to "UserA@xxx.com" and "UserD@xxx.com".

[0141] As described above, with the sequence in FIG. 8 and the flowchart in FIG. 10, when the error notification setting of the image processing apparatus 100 is changed without the approval of the person who is the notification destination, the person who is the notification destination can cancel the notification setting change only by clicking the denial request address.

[0142] As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the error notification setting of the image processing apparatus 100 is performed without the approval of the person who is the notification destination, it is possible to cancel the error notification setting after eliminating the work redundancy of the person who is the notification destination.

[0143] (Embodiment 3) As Embodiment 3, in addition to Embodiment 2, a form that can accept an immediate reflection request for an error notification setting change is provided.

[0144] In Embodiment 2, in order to prevent an unintended error notification setting change from being made, a form is provided in which the error notification setting change is not immediately reflected and the setting change can be canceled when the person who is the notification destination denies the setting change.

[0145] However, in Embodiment 2, in order to prevent an unintended error notification setting change from being made, the error notification setting change is not reflected until a certain time has elapsed after the error notification setting change request is made. On the other hand, depending on the content of the error notification setting change, there may be a case where it is necessary to reflect the error notification setting as soon as possible, but in Embodiment 2, the error notification setting is not immediately reflected. Therefore, there is a problem that the stagnation of the business flow cannot be sufficiently prevented.

[0146] In this embodiment, in view of such problems, an object is to provide a form in which an immediate reflection request can also be received in a request to change the error notification setting for the image processing apparatus 100.

[0147] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the processing sequence of the entire system in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0148] Since S1200 to S1206 are the same as S800 to S806 in FIG. 8, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0149] In S1207, an immediate reflection request for changing the error notification type setting of the image processing apparatus 100 is made from the browser 420 to the image processing apparatus 100. In S1207 of the present embodiment, it is assumed that the same setting change request as S507 in FIG. 5 has been made.

[0150] In S1208, the notification control unit 402 detects that an immediate change request for the error notification setting has been made via the communication unit 401. In this case, the notification setting database 410 is updated in the same process as S508 in FIG. 5.

[0151] Since S1209 to S1210 are the same as S509 to S510 in FIG. 5, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0152] Since S1211 to S1213 are the same as S811 to S813 in FIG. 8, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0153] As described above, according to the sequence of FIG. 12, when an immediate reflection request for the error notification setting is made, the notification setting database information is immediately updated, and when a normal error notification setting change request is made, it is reserved and managed in the notification setting change reservation database information.

[0154] As described above, according to Embodiment 3, even when it is necessary to reflect the error notification setting as soon as possible, it is possible to prevent the stagnation of the business flow.

[0155] (Embodiment 4) As Embodiment 4, in addition to Embodiment 2, a form is provided in which an error notification setting change can be canceled by a plurality of denial requests for the notification setting.

[0156] In Embodiment 2, in order to prevent an unintended error notification setting change from being made, a form is provided in which the error notification setting change is not immediately reflected and the setting change can be canceled when the person to be notified denies the setting change.

[0157] However, in Embodiment 2, when any one of the persons to be notified denies the change of the notification setting, the reservation of the notification setting is immediately canceled. On the other hand, depending on the content of the error notification setting change, there may be a case where a person makes a denial request without fully understanding the content of the setting change. On the other hand, in such a case, in Embodiment 2, since the reflection of the error notification setting is always canceled, there is a problem that the stagnation of the business flow cannot be sufficiently prevented.

[0158] In the present embodiment, in view of such problems, an object is to provide a form in which only the error notification setting change reservation information in which a certain number of denial requests for the error notification setting change to the image processing apparatus 100 have reached can cancel the notification setting change.

[0159] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the processing sequence of the entire system in Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In the present embodiment, Table 9 shows the table information of the notification setting database 410 when the sequence of FIG. 13 is started.

[0160] [Table 9]

[0161] The notification setting database 410 of this embodiment includes a notification setting data table and a notification setting reservation data table. Since the "notification setting reservation information ID", "reservation target notification setting information ID", "change application time", "change notification type", and "change notification destination" columns of the notification setting data table and the notification setting reservation data table are the same as those in Table 4, the description is omitted.

[0162] The "denial count" column is the number of times this notification setting reservation information has been denied, and it is incremented when the setting change reservation denial link is clicked.

[0163] The "denial threshold" column is a value that serves as a threshold for whether to cancel this notification setting reservation. When the value of the "denial count" column becomes equal to or greater than the value of this column, the setting change reservation is cancelled.

[0164] Since S1300 to S1302 are the same as S800 to S802 in FIG. 8, the description is omitted.

[0165] In S1303, from the browser 420 to the image processing apparatus 100, after specifying the denial threshold, a request to change the error notification destination setting of the image processing apparatus 100 is made. In this embodiment, in the notification setting of "Notice001" in Table 9, it is assumed that a request has been made to change the "notification destination" from "UserA@xxx.com" to "UserD@xxx.com". Also, it is assumed that the "denial threshold" is specified as "2".

[0166] In S1304, the notification control unit 402 detects, via the communication unit 401, that a request to change the error notification setting has been made, and updates the notification setting reservation data table information in the notification setting database 410 via the notification setting management unit 403. Table 10 shows the table information of the notification setting database 410 when the processing of S1304 in this embodiment is completed.

[0167]

Table 10

[0168] The "denial threshold value" stores the "2" specified in S1303.

[0169] The "denial count" stores the initial value of "0".

[0170] Note that since other information is the same as that in S804 of FIG. 8, the description thereof is omitted.

[0171] Since S1305 to S1306 are the same as S805 to S806 in FIG. 8, the description thereof is omitted.

[0172] Since S1307 is the same as S811 in FIG. 8, the description thereof is omitted.

[0173] In S1308, the notification control unit 402 detects, via the communication unit 401, that a denial request for error notification reservation setting has been made, analyzes the query information included in the requested address, and identifies the error notification reservation information ID to be denied. Further, the notification control unit 402 counts up the "denial count" of the target notification setting reservation information in the notification setting database 410 via the notification setting management unit 403 and then updates it. Table 11 shows the table information of the notification setting database 410 when the process of S1308 in the present embodiment is completed.

[0174]

Table 11

[0175] The "denial count" of the notification setting change reservation information of "Reserve001" is updated from "0" to "1".

[0176] In the present embodiment, similar to Embodiment 2, a process of reflecting the error notification setting change reservation at a fixed period asynchronously with the sequence in FIG. 13 is performed. Here, the error notification setting change reflection process will be described with reference to FIG. 14.

[0177] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the error notification setting change reflection process of the image processing apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that time has elapsed since the completion of the sequence in FIG. 13, and the current time is "13:01:00 on September 14, 2023".

[0178] In S1400, the notification control unit 402 refers to the notification setting database 410 via the notification setting management unit 403 to determine whether there is notification setting change reservation information in which the "denial value" exceeds the "denial threshold value". If it is determined that there is notification setting change reservation information in which the "denial value" exceeds the "denial threshold value", S1401 is executed. If it is determined that there is no notification setting change reservation information in which the "denial value" exceeds the "denial threshold value", S1403 is executed. In the present embodiment, since the "denial value" of "Reserve001" does not exceed the "denial threshold value", S1403 is executed.

[0179] In S1401, the same process as S812 is performed, and the notification setting change reservation information in which the "denial value" exceeds the "denial threshold value" is deleted.

[0180] In S1402, the same process as S813 is performed, and an error notification setting change reservation cancellation email is sent. From S1403 to S1409, since they are the same as S1000 to S1006 in FIG. 10, the description is omitted. In the present embodiment, the notification setting change reservation of "Reserve001" is applied in S1405.

[0181] As described above, with the sequence in FIG. 13 and the flowchart in FIG. 14, even when the error notification setting change is made without the approval of the person who is the denial request notification destination without fully understanding the change content, a form in which the setting change content is not canceled can be realized.

[0182] As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the error notification setting change is made without the approval of the person who is the denial request notification destination without fully understanding the change content, it is possible to prevent the stagnation of the business flow.

[0183] (Embodiment 5) As Embodiment 5, there is provided a form in which, after immediately reflecting a change in error notification settings, if the person to be notified denies the setting change, the setting change can be reverted to the setting before the reflection.

[0184] In Embodiment 3, in view of cases where it is desired to reflect a change in error notification settings as soon as possible, a form was provided in which an immediate reflection request can also be accepted in a request to change the error notification settings for the image processing apparatus 100.

[0185] However, in Embodiment 3, it is necessary for the operator of the client terminal 110 to determine whether to perform immediate reflection. Depending on the content of the change in error notification settings, there may be cases where it is difficult for the operator of the client terminal 110 to make such a determination. Therefore, in such cases, there is a problem that the application of the change in error notification settings is not appropriately performed and the stagnation of the business flow cannot be sufficiently prevented.

[0186] In the present embodiment, in view of such problems, there is provided a form in which, after immediately reflecting a change in error notification settings, if the person to be notified denies the setting change, the setting change can be reverted to the setting before the reflection.

[0187] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the processing sequence of the entire system in Embodiment 5 of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the table information of the notification setting database 410 when the sequence in FIG. 15 is started is shown in Table 12.

[0188] [Table 12]

[0189] The notification setting database 410 of the present embodiment includes a notification setting data table and a notification setting change history data table. Since the notification setting data table is the same as Table 1, the description thereof is omitted.

[0190] The "Notification Setting Change History Information ID" column stores a value for uniquely identifying the notification setting change history information.

[0191] The "Target Notification Setting Information ID" column is a value indicating the "Notification Setting Information ID" of the changed notification setting information.

[0192] The "Change Time" column is the time when the notification setting information was changed.

[0193] The "Change Notification Type" column is the content of the setting change of the "Notification Type". It is a column that stores a value indicating the values before and after the change in JSON format. Note that when no setting change is made, the value is blank.

[0194] The "Change Notification Destination" column is the content of the setting change of the "Notification Destination". It is a column that stores a value indicating the values before and after the change in JSON format. Note that when no setting change is made, the value is blank.

[0195] Since S1500 to S1504 are the same as S500 to S504 in FIG. 5, the description is omitted. Table 13 shows the table information of the notification setting database 410 when the processing of S1504 in this embodiment is completed.

[0196]

Table 13

[0197] By the processing of S1504, the "Notification Destination" of "Notice001" is updated from "UserA@xxx.com" to "UserD@xxx.com".

[0198] In S1505, the notification control unit 402 refers to the notification setting change result information from the RAM 302, and registers the content of the notification setting information updated in S1504 as history information in the notification setting change history data table via the notification setting management unit 403. Table 14 shows the table information of the notification setting database 410 when the processing of S1504 in this embodiment is completed.

[0199]

Table 14

[0200] By the process of S1505, "History001" is registered.

[0201] In S1506, the notification control unit 402 generates an error notification setting change email via the notification information generation unit 404, and transmits the error notification setting change email via the communication unit 401. Here, with reference to FIG. 16, the email sent by the image processing apparatus 100 in the present embodiment will be described.

[0202] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an email sent by the image processing apparatus in Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[0203] The email 1600 is an email sent by the image processing apparatus 100 when the setting of the error notification destination is changed. The content of the email describes the content of the error notification setting before and after the change, and the destinations are set for both the notification destination before the change and the notification destination after the change. Further, a link for restoring the setting is included.

[0204] Since S1507 is the same as S506 in FIG. 5, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0205] In S1508, when the link for restoring the change setting included in the error notification destination change email 1600 in FIG. 16 is clicked, a request for restoring the notification setting change is made from the client terminal 110 to the image processing apparatus 100. In S1508 of the present embodiment, it is assumed that the email recipient of "UserA@xxx.com" clicks the link of the error notification destination change email 1600.

[0206] In S1509, the notification control unit 402 detects, via the communication unit 401, that a restoration request for the error notification destination setting has been made, analyzes the query information included in the requested address, and identifies the notification setting change history information ID to be restored. Further, the notification control unit 402 updates the notification setting database 410's notification setting data table information via the notification setting management unit 403. At the time of the update, the "notification destination" of the notification setting information having the "notification setting information ID" corresponding to the "notification setting information ID to be changed" in the notification setting change history information is updated according to the value of the "changed notification destination". Also, the "notification type" of the notification setting information having the "notification setting information ID" corresponding to the "notification setting information ID to be changed" in the notification setting change history information is updated according to the value of the "changed notification type".

[0207] Table 15 shows the table information of the notification setting database 410 when the process of S1504 in this embodiment is completed.

[0208]

Table 15

[0209] By the process of S1509, the "notification destination" of "Notice001" is restored from "UserD@xxx.com" to "UserA@xxx.com".

[0210] In S1510, the notification control unit 402 refers to the notification setting change result information from the RAM 302, and registers, as history information, the content of the notification setting information updated in S1509 in the notification setting change history data table via the notification setting management unit 403. Table 16 shows the table information of the notification setting database 410 when the process of S1504 in this embodiment is completed.

[0211]

Table 16

[0212] By the process of S1510, "History002" is registered.

[0213] Since the process of S1511 is the same as that of S1506, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0214] As described above, according to the sequence of FIG. 15, it is possible to realize a form in which, after immediately reflecting the change in the error notification setting, if the person to be notified denies the setting change, the setting change can be reverted to the setting before the reflection.

[0215] As described above, according to Embodiment 5, even when it is difficult for the operator of the client terminal 110 to judge the immediate reflection of the notification setting change, it is possible to prevent the stagnation of the business flow.

Claims

1. Setting means for performing settings regarding notification of error information; Notification means for, when an error occurs in the information processing apparatus, notifying the error information to the notification destination set by the setting means; having; when the setting regarding the notification is changed by the setting means, the notification means notifies the notification destination that the setting has been changed An information processing apparatus characterized by the above.

2. The setting regarding the notification of the error information includes at least setting of one or more notification destinations for notifying the error information The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The setting regarding the notification of the error information includes at least setting of the type of error information to be notified The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

4. When the setting regarding the notification is changed from a first setting to a second setting by the setting means, the notification means notifies the notification destinations included in the first setting and the second setting that the setting has been changed The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

5. The information processing apparatus has image forming means for forming an image on paper; detection means for detecting an error in the information processing apparatus; having; The error is any one of toner shortage, paper shortage, and occurrence of a jam during image formation The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

6. The information processing apparatus is communicably connected to one or more client terminals, and the notification means performs notification to the client terminals. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that...

7. A setting step of setting regarding notification of error information; A first notification step of notifying the error information to a set notification destination when an error occurs in the information processing apparatus; A second notification step of notifying the notification destination that the setting regarding the notification has been changed when the setting regarding the notification is changed; A control method for an information processing apparatus, characterized by comprising...

8. An information processing apparatus communicably connected to a client terminal, comprising: Setting reservation means for reserving a change in a setting accompanied by notification to the client terminal; Notification means for notifying the client terminal of information regarding the setting reservation when the setting reservation is made; Control means for controlling the change of the set reservation based on the necessity of the set reservation received from the client terminal; An information processing apparatus comprising...

9. The information regarding the setting reservation includes information for denying the setting reservation, and the control means controls not to change the set reservation when the denial is made. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that...

10. The control means controls to change the set reservation when a predetermined time has elapsed in a state where the necessity of the set reservation is not received from the client terminal. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that...

11. A control method for an information processing apparatus communicably connected to a client terminal, comprising: A setting reservation step of reserving a change in a setting accompanied by notification to the client terminal; A notification step of notifying the client terminal of information regarding the setting reservation when the setting reservation is made; A control step of controlling the change of the set setting based on the necessity of the setting reservation received from the client terminal; A control method for an information processing apparatus having the above.

12. An information processing apparatus communicably connected to a client terminal, Setting means for changing a setting with notification to the client terminal; Notification means for notifying the client terminal of information for denying the change of the setting when the setting is changed from a first setting to a second setting; Having the above, When receiving a denial from the client terminal, the setting means changes the setting from the second setting to the first setting An information control apparatus characterized by the above.

13. The information for denying the change of the setting is a link for denying the change of the setting The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, characterized by the above.

14. A control method for an information processing apparatus communicably connected to a client terminal, A setting step of changing a setting with notification to the client terminal; A notification step of notifying the client terminal of information for denying the change of the setting when the setting is changed from a first setting to a second setting; Having the above, A control method for an information processing apparatus, characterized in that when receiving a denial from the client terminal, the setting is changed from the second setting to the first setting.

Images