Image forming device, information storage method and image forming system

Abstract

To easily store information useful for eliminating an error.SOLUTION: When an error is detected in an image forming apparatus 2, an image forming system 1 stores, as error log information, log information at the time of occurrence of the error, refers to a storage condition setting table 83, and sets a storage condition corresponding to the error. Thereafter, when the log information acquired in a normally operating state satisfies the storage condition, the image forming apparatus 2 stores the log information as comparison log information. As a result, in the image forming system 1, a maintenance worker, for example, compares the error log information and the comparison log information with each other, making it possible to efficiently proceed with analysis work, handling, etc. related to the error that has occurred in the image forming apparatus 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an information storage method, and an image forming system, and is suitable for application to, for example, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (so-called printer). [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, image forming devices have been widely used that print an image by, for example, generating a toner image using toner in an image forming unit that performs exposure processing, transferring the toner image to transported paper, and then fixing the image in a fixing unit, i.e., performing a printing process. Some of these image forming devices are equipped with various sensors, such as temperature sensors, humidity sensors, physical sensors, and optical sensors, so that they can acquire various information related to the printing process, such as the ambient temperature and humidity, the amount of remaining toner, and the transport state of paper (hereinafter, this information will also be referred to as log information).

[0003] Meanwhile, errors may occur in image forming devices due to various causes, and it is desirable to resolve the error by taking appropriate measures according to the cause. However, image forming devices generally have complex configurations, making it often difficult to identify the cause. Therefore, when an error occurs in an image forming device, various pieces of information obtained at the time are saved as log information (hereinafter also referred to as error information or error log information), and maintenance workers or the like can later refer to this log information during analysis, making it easier to identify the cause.

[0004] In addition, an image forming device has been proposed that is configured to be able to switch between multiple operating modes in response to user instructions, provides index information for each operating mode to determine whether it is normal or abnormal, and detects errors by comparing information obtained from the device with the index information corresponding to this operating mode (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-258384 A (Fig. 8, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Incidentally, with regard to image forming devices, if it is possible to obtain in advance comparative log information (hereinafter also referred to as comparative information or comparative log information) obtained during normal operation, then by comparing the error information with this comparative information in the above-mentioned analysis work, it is possible to shorten the time required for the analysis work and improve the accuracy of the analysis.

[0007] However, due to manufacturing costs and other reasons, image forming devices have limited storage capacity for saving log information, and therefore log information during normal operation is discarded rather than saved. Therefore, to obtain comparison information from an image forming device, the analysis work must reproduce the same operating conditions as when an error occurred. However, because the device configuration is complex and the installation environment is different, it is difficult to reproduce the same operating conditions as when an error occurred. In other words, with regard to image forming devices, it is difficult to obtain appropriate comparison information corresponding to error information, which makes it difficult to identify and resolve the cause of the error.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose an image forming apparatus, an information storage method, and an image forming system that can easily store information useful for solving errors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve this problem, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is provided with an image forming apparatus that includes a memory unit in which information relating to the image forming apparatus is stored, an error information storage processing unit that stores error information, which is information acquired from the image forming apparatus when an error occurs in the image forming apparatus, in the memory unit, and a comparison information storage processing unit that stores comparison information based on the new information in the memory unit when new information is acquired from the image forming apparatus and if no error has occurred in the image forming apparatus and the new information satisfies specified storage conditions.

[0010] Furthermore, the information storage method of the present invention is an information storage method for storing information relating to an image forming device, and includes an error information storage step for storing error information, which is information acquired from the image forming device when an error occurs in the image forming device, in a predetermined storage unit, and a comparison information storage step for storing comparison information based on the new information in the storage unit when new information is acquired from the image forming device, if no error has occurred in the image forming device and the new information satisfies predetermined storage conditions.

[0011] Furthermore, in the image forming system of the present invention, a plurality of image forming devices including a first image forming device and a second image forming device are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other, and the first image forming device has a first memory unit in which information about the first image forming device is stored, an error information storage processing unit that causes error information, which is information obtained from the image forming device when an error occurs in the first image forming device, to be stored in the first memory unit, and a transmission unit that transmits storage conditions, which are conditions for storing information obtained from the image forming device and are set in accordance with the error, to the second image forming device, and the second image forming device has a second memory unit in which information about the second image forming device is stored, a receiving unit that receives the storage conditions from the first image forming device, a storage condition storage unit that stores the storage conditions, and a comparison information storage processing unit that causes comparison information based on the new information to be stored in the second memory unit when new information is obtained from the second image forming device and if no error has occurred in the second image forming device and the new information satisfies the storage conditions.

[0012] When an error occurs in an image forming device, the present invention stores error information related to the error, and if no error occurs thereafter and information obtained from the image forming device satisfies storage conditions, the information is stored as comparison information. Therefore, by setting appropriate storage conditions, the present invention can store information obtained from the image forming device as comparison information suitable for comparison with error information when the information satisfies the storage conditions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an image forming apparatus, an information storage method, and an image forming system that can easily store information useful for resolving errors. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a storage condition setting table according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a log information storage process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing an error log information saving process procedure. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a storage condition setting process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a comparison log information storage process. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a restart process procedure. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a log reading process procedure. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a storage condition setting table according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing a log information storage process procedure of an image forming apparatus that detects an error according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for setting storage conditions according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when a new error is detected. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart (1) showing the procedure of the log information storage process of an image forming apparatus in which no error is detected according to the second embodiment. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart (2) showing the log information storage process procedure of an image forming apparatus in which no error is detected according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] 1. First Embodiment [1-1. Image Forming System Configuration] 1, the image forming system 1 according to the first embodiment has a configuration in which a computer device 4 is connected to an image forming apparatus 2. The image forming system 1 is also configured so that a maintenance computer device 6 can be temporarily connected to the image forming apparatus 2 in place of the computer device 4.

[0017] In the image forming system 1, the image forming device 2 and the computer device 4 are installed in, for example, a specific company, and the image forming device 2 and the computer device 4 are used by users working in the company. On the other hand, the maintenance computer device 6 is used by, for example, a maintenance worker of a maintenance company in charge of maintenance work for the image forming device 2.

[0018] The image forming device 2 is an electrophotographic color printer that can form monochrome or color images on paper, i.e., print. The image forming device 2 does not have an image scanner function for reading documents or a communication function using a telephone line, but is a single-function SFP (Single Function Printer) that has only a printing function.

[0019] As shown in the schematic left side view of Fig. 2, the image forming apparatus 2 has various components arranged inside a housing 10 formed in a roughly box shape. In the following description, the right end portion in Fig. 2 is considered to be the front of the image forming apparatus 2, and the up-down direction, left-right direction, and front-rear direction are defined when viewed from the front.

[0020] The image forming apparatus 2 is controlled overall by a control unit 11. As will be described later, this control unit 11 executes various processes by reading and executing predetermined programs. When image data representing an image to be printed is provided from a connected computer device 4 (FIG. 1) and an instruction to print the image data is given to the control unit 11, the control unit 11 executes a printing process to form a print image on the surface of paper P.

[0021] A display operation unit 12 is provided on the front side of the top surface of the housing 10. The display operation unit 12 is configured as a touch panel that combines, for example, a liquid crystal panel and a touch sensor. The display operation unit 12 displays various information under the control of the control unit 11, and also receives operation inputs from the user and notifies the control unit 11 of the inputs.

[0022] Four image forming units 20K, 20C, 20M, and 20Y are arranged in this order from front to rear on the upper side of the interior of the housing 10. The image forming units 20K, 20C, 20M, and 20Y correspond to the colors black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), respectively, but differ only in color and are all configured the same. For convenience of explanation, the image forming units 20K, 20C, 20M, and 20Y will hereinafter be collectively referred to as image forming units 20.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming units 20K, 20C, 20M and 20Y are connected to the corresponding toner cartridges 21K, 21C, 21M and 21Y by toner supply ducts 22K, 22C, 22M and 22Y, respectively.

[0024] The toner cartridges 21 (21K, 21C, 21M, and 21Y) contain toner (also called developer) of the respective colors. The toner supply ducts 22 (22K, 22C, 22M, and 22Y) supply toner from the toner cartridges 21 to the image forming units 20. Each toner supply duct 22 is provided with a duct sensor 23. The duct sensor 23 detects whether toner is being transported in the toner supply duct 22 and notifies the control unit 11 of the detection result.

[0025] Image forming unit 20 is provided with a plurality of rollers such as a supply roller and a development roller, a photosensitive drum, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) head, and a plurality of other components. Based on image data supplied from control unit 11, image forming unit 20 forms a toner image on the circumferential surface of the rotating photosensitive drum.

[0026] Meanwhile, inside the housing 10 (FIG. 1), a transport path W is formed, which is a path for transporting paper P. This transport path W starts from the front of the bottom end inside the housing 10 and heads upward toward the front, then makes about a half turn, and then travels rearward below each image forming unit 20. Next, the transport path W heads upward, travels upward along the rear side of the image forming units 20, and then heads forward. That is, the transport path W is shaped as if it were a capital letter "S" in FIG. 2. Inside the housing 10, various parts are arranged along the transport path W.

[0027] A paper feed unit 30 is disposed near the bottom end inside the housing 10. The paper feed unit 30 includes a paper cassette 31, a pickup roller 32, a transport guide 35, and pairs of transport rollers 36 and 37. The pickup roller 32 and pairs of transport rollers 36 and 37 are all formed in a cylindrical shape with their central axes aligned in the left-right direction.

[0028] The paper cassette 31 is configured in the shape of a hollow rectangular parallelepiped and is detachable from the housing 10. The paper cassette 31 stores the paper sheets P in a stacked state with the paper surfaces facing up and down, i.e., in a stacked state. The pickup roller 32 abuts against the vicinity of the front end of the paper sheets P stored in the paper cassette 31.

[0029] When a driving force is supplied from a paper feed motor (not shown), the paper feed unit 30 rotates or stops the pickup roller 32 as appropriate, causing the pickup roller 32 to feed the paper P stored in the paper cassette 31 forward or upward.

[0030] The transport guide 35 is disposed in the front lower portion of the transport path W, and causes the paper P to advance in a front-upper direction and then in a rear-upper direction along the transport path W. The transport roller pairs 36 and 37 are disposed near the center and near the upper end of the transport guide 35, respectively, and are supplied with driving force from a paper feed motor (not shown) to rotate in a predetermined direction. The transport roller pairs 36 and 37 thereby cause the paper P to advance along the transport path W.

[0031] Image forming units 20 (20K, 20C, 20M, and 20Y) of each color are arranged in sequence behind the pair of transport rollers 37. Each image forming unit 20 transfers a toner image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum onto paper P transported along transport path W, and then advances the paper P further rearward.

[0032] A fixing unit 40 is disposed behind the image forming units 20 for each color. The fixing unit 40 is composed of a heating unit 41 and a pressure unit 42, which are disposed opposite each other across the conveyance path W. The heating unit 41 has a heater that generates heat, multiple rollers, and the like disposed inside a heating belt that is a hollow endless belt. The pressure unit 42 is formed as a cylindrical pressure roller with its central axis aligned in the left-right direction, and presses its upper surface against the lower surface of the heating unit 41 to form a nip.

[0033] Based on the control of control unit 11, fixing unit 40 heats the heater of heating unit 41 to a predetermined temperature, rotates the roller appropriately to cause the heating belt to rotate in the direction of arrow R1, and rotates pressure unit 42 in the direction of arrow R2. Then, when fixing unit 40 receives paper P with a transferred toner image, it sandwiches (i.e., nips) it between heating unit 41 and pressure unit 42 and applies heat and pressure to fix the toner image to paper P, and then sends it out rearward.

[0034] Pairs of conveying rollers 44 and 45 are arranged behind the fixing unit 40, and a switching unit 46 is arranged behind the pair of conveying rollers 44 and 45. The switching unit 46 switches the traveling direction of the paper P to either the upward or downward direction under the control of the control unit 11. A paper discharge unit 50 is provided above the switching unit 46. The paper discharge unit 50 is made up of a conveying guide 51 that guides the paper P upward along the conveying path W, a pair of conveying rollers 52 that face each other across the conveying path W, a discharge port 53, etc.

[0035] A medium inverting unit 60 is disposed in a range extending from the rear of the switching unit 46 and the paper discharge unit 50 to below the fixing unit 40 and the image forming units 20 for each color. The medium inverting unit 60 has a conveying guide (not shown) and conveying roller pairs 62, 63, 64, and 65 that constitute the reverse conveying path Z. The reverse conveying path Z heads downward from the rear of the switching unit 46, then advances forward, and merges with the conveying path W upstream of the conveying roller pair 37.

[0036] When discharging the paper P, the control unit 11 uses the switching unit 46 to switch the traveling direction of the paper P to the upper paper discharge unit 50. The paper discharge unit 50 conveys the paper P received from the switching unit 46 upward and discharges it from the discharge port 53 to the paper discharge tray 14. When returning the paper P upside down, the control unit 11 uses the switching unit 46 to switch the traveling direction of the paper P to the upper rear medium inverting unit 60. The medium inverting unit 60 conveys the paper P received from the switching unit 46 to the inverting conveying path Z, and eventually reaches the upstream side of the conveying roller pair 37, causing the paper P to be conveyed again along the conveying path W. In this way, the image forming device 2 can return the paper P to the conveying path W with the paper surface of the paper P inverted, thereby performing so-called double-sided printing.

[0037] In this way, in the image forming device 2, the toner image formed in the image forming unit 20 is transferred to the paper P and then fixed in the fixing section 40, thereby printing an image on the paper P, i.e., forming an image.

[0038] Next, the circuit configuration of the image forming apparatus 2 will be described with reference to the block diagram of Fig. 3. The control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 2 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. (not shown), and can perform various processes by using the RAM as a work area and executing various programs read from the ROM, storage unit 73, etc. by the CPU.

[0039] The control unit 11 also includes a print control unit 71, a menu control unit 72, a memory unit 73, a log information storage processing unit 74, a storage condition setting unit 75, and a communication processing unit 76, and is also connected to external image forming units 20, fixing unit 40, motor control unit 78, duct sensor 23, switching unit 45, display operation unit 12, and communication interface 77. This allows the control unit 11 to acquire various pieces of information from each part of the image forming apparatus 2 at any time. Hereinafter, this information will be collectively referred to as log information.

[0040] The print control unit 71, menu control unit 72, log information storage processing unit 74, and storage condition setting unit 75 are each configured as software functional blocks by the CPU of the control unit 11 executing a predetermined program. Of these, the print control unit 71 comprehensively controls each unit regarding the printing process. Furthermore, the menu control unit 72 performs various processes regarding the display of the menu displayed on the display operation unit 12.

[0041] The storage unit 73 is a non-volatile storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores various programs and information. The storage unit 73 is provided with three log information storage areas 81 (81A, 81B, and 81C), a storage condition area 82, and a storage condition setting table 83.

[0042] Of these, the log information storage area 81, which serves as an information storage area, is an area for storing log information related to the image forming apparatus 2, and is configured to store one piece of log information in one location. This log information includes various information related to the image forming apparatus 2 at a certain point in time, as well as various information obtained before and after that point in time, and is composed of a wide variety of information categorized into multiple information groups, such as an environmental information group, an apparatus status information group, a job information group, and an apparatus operating status information group, as well as a group of before and after information obtained before and after that point in time. Incidentally, each log information storage area 81 also stores information regarding the date and time when the log information was saved.

[0043] The environmental information group includes, for example, information indicating the temperature, humidity, and the like in the environment in which the image forming apparatus 2 is installed. The device status information group includes, for example, information indicating the type of error if an error has occurred, the number of paper feed retries for the print job that was being executed when the error occurred, the implementation status of the fixing temperature adjustment function in the fixing unit 60, and the amount of toner used and the amount remaining in the toner cartridge 21, the photosensitive drum, the conveyor belt, and the fixing unit 40.

[0044] The job information group includes information indicating, for example, the paper size, paper type (cardboard, glossy paper, etc.), number of printed pages, print side (single-sided or double-sided), print color (image forming unit 20 used), and sender host name of the print job that was being executed when the error occurred. The device operating status information group includes, for example, information indicating the number of rotations of each transport roller and information indicating the counter value of the total number of printed sheets. The before and after information group includes, for example, information indicating the operating status of each part, such as the motor drive status, fixing temperature control status, paper transport status, and toner supply duct 22 drive status, for a certain period before and after the error occurred.

[0045] Incidentally, the control unit 11 executes a predetermined error detection program in parallel with other programs, and based on this information (i.e., log information) obtained from each part of the image forming device 2, it can detect that an error has occurred in each part and can also recognize the content of the error, etc.

[0046] The storage condition area 82, which serves as a storage condition storage unit, is capable of storing only one storage condition, which is a condition for storing log information in the log information storage area 81. This storage condition will be explained next together with the configuration of the storage condition setting table 83.

[0047] 4, the storage condition setting table 83 is configured as a table in which types of errors that may occur in the image forming device 2 are associated with information related to the errors that can be obtained from the image forming device 2. Specifically, in the storage condition setting table 83, each column aligned horizontally represents an error group.

[0048] The error groups are classifications of errors that can occur in the image forming apparatus 2, and include, for example, a "fixing system error group," a "drive system error group," and a "jam system error group." Incidentally, "jam" is a term that indicates that paper P has become clogged on the conveyance path.

[0049] Of these, the "fixing system error group" includes specific error types such as "fixing unit temperature error." The "drive system error group" includes specific error types such as "toner supply duct error" and "motor error." The "jam system error group" includes specific error types such as "transport jam error," "discharge jam error," and "paper feed jam error."

[0050] In the storage condition setting table 83, each row arranged vertically represents a variety of information obtained from the image forming apparatus 2, and this information is classified into information groups similar to the log information described above. That is, the information groups include, for example, an "environment information group," a "device status information group," a "job information group," and a "device operating status information group."

[0051] Each information group also contains various information, similar to the log information. For example, the "environmental information group" includes information such as "ambient temperature and humidity" as information about the environment where the image forming device 2 is installed. The "device status information group" includes information about the status of the image forming device 2, such as "other errors and alarms currently occurring," "fixing temperature adjustment status," "usage and remaining amount of each unit," and "number of paper feed retries."

[0052] The "job information group" includes information about the print job being processed by the image forming device 2, such as "paper size," "paper type," "number of pages to be printed," "print side," and "print color." The "device operating status information group" includes information such as "transport roller counter" and "total number of printed sheets."

[0053] Furthermore, in the storage condition setting table 83, a condition margin that defines the range of the corresponding numerical value is set for some information expressed by a numerical value. For example, the condition margin for "ambient temperature and humidity" is set to "10%," and the condition margin for "number of printed pages" is set to "20%."

[0054] The log information storage processing unit 74 (FIG. 3) serving as an error information storage processing unit and a comparison information storage processing unit performs processing to store log information in each log information storage area 81. The storage condition setting unit 75 performs processing to set storage conditions for the storage condition area 82.

[0055] The communication processing unit 76 (FIG. 3) controls the communication interface 77. The communication interface 77 has a connection terminal that complies with a wired communication standard such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), and also has a communication circuit and antenna that complies with a wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). This communication interface 77 transmits and receives various information to and from the computer device 4, for example, by connecting the USB connection terminal to the computer device 4, for example, via a USB cable.

[0056] Incidentally, the communication interface 77 can also read information from and write information to an external storage medium such as a USB memory (not shown) by connecting the external storage medium to the USB connection terminal.

[0057] The motor control unit 78 controls a plurality of motors (not shown) to control the rotation of each part, such as the pair of transport rollers 36 of the paper feed unit 30 and the photosensitive drums of the image forming units 20 .

[0058] The computer device 4 (FIG. 1) is configured similarly to a general computer device, and includes a predetermined control unit, memory unit, communication unit, display unit, and operation unit (none of which are shown). The control unit includes a CPU, ROM, and RAM (none of which are shown), and can perform various processes by using the RAM as a work area and executing various programs read from the ROM, memory unit, etc. The computer device 4 is connected to the image forming apparatus 2.

[0059] The maintenance computer 6 (FIG. 1) is configured similarly to the computer 4 and is capable of executing various processes. The maintenance computer 6 can be temporarily connected to the image forming apparatus 2 in place of the computer 4.

[0060] [1-2. Log saving process] Next, the process of saving log information of the image forming apparatus 2 in the image forming system 1 will be described, focusing on the process performed by the image forming apparatus 2. In the first embodiment, when the image forming apparatus 2 detects that an error has occurred, it saves the log information obtained at that time as error log information and sets saving conditions for saving comparison log information to be compared with the error log information. Thereafter, if log information obtained during normal operation satisfies the saving conditions, the image forming apparatus 2 saves the log information as comparison log information. For convenience of explanation, the error log information will also be referred to as error information, and the comparison log information will also be referred to as comparison information.

[0061] The following describes the detailed processing procedure of the image forming apparatus 2 with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. In addition, hereinafter, a detected error will also be referred to as a detected error, and the log information acquired at this point will also be referred to as detected log information.

[0062] When the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 2 detects an error by a separately executed error detection program while the power is on, it starts the log information saving processing procedure RT10 of FIG. 5 and proceeds to the first step SP101.

[0063] In step SP101, the control unit 11 performs basic error handling processing, and then proceeds to the next step, SP102. This basic error handling processing is similar to the processing that should be executed when an error occurs in a typical image forming apparatus, and includes multiple processes. Specifically, the basic error handling processing includes processing to stop the printing operation, such as stopping the motor or stopping heating of the fixing unit, notifying the computer device 4 via the communication interface 77 (FIG. 3) that printing has stopped, and processing to discard image data that was in the middle of being printed.

[0064] In step SP102, the control unit 11 executes error log information storage processing in which the log information storage processing unit 74 (FIG. 3) selects one of the three log information storage areas 81 (81A, 81B, and 81C, FIG. 3) and stores the error log information. Specifically, the control unit 11 starts the error log information storage processing procedure RT13 shown in FIG. 6 as a subroutine, and proceeds to the first step SP131.

[0065] In step SP131, the control unit 11 determines whether there is an unused area, that is, an unused portion, in the three log information storage areas 81, using the log information storage processing unit 74. If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that new error log information can be stored in the unused log information storage area 81. In this case, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step SP132, selects one of the unused log information storage areas 81 as a storage area for new log information, and proceeds to the next step SP136.

[0066] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP131, this means that log information is stored in all of the log information storage areas 81. In this case, the control section 11 proceeds to the next step SP133.

[0067] In step SP133, the control unit 11 determines, via the log information storage processing unit 74, whether or not there is one or more locations among the three log information storage areas 81 where previously obtained comparison log information is stored (hereinafter also referred to as comparison log stored areas). If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that the newly obtained log information can be stored as error log information by deleting or overwriting the previous comparison log information. In this case, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step SP134.

[0068] In step SP134, the control unit 11 causes the log information storage processing unit 74 to refer to the storage date and time in each log information storage area 81 in which comparison log information is stored, selects the log information storage area 81 in which the comparison log information with the oldest storage date and time is stored as the storage area for new log information, and proceeds to the next step SP136. In this case, the log information storage processing unit 74 selects the log information storage area 81 based on the policy that error log information is more important than comparison log information and should therefore be stored preferentially, and that the oldest existing comparison log information should be deleted to leave the newest one.

[0069] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP133, this means that error log information is stored in all log information storage areas 81. In this case, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step SP135, where the log information storage processing unit 74 references the storage date and time in each log information storage area 81, selects the log information storage area 81 in which the error log information with the oldest storage date and time is stored, as the storage area for new log information, and proceeds to the next step SP136. In this case, the log information storage processing unit 74 selects this log information storage area 81 based on the policy of deleting the oldest existing error log information, since relatively new error log information is more important.

[0070] In step SP136, the control unit 11 causes the log information storage processing unit 74 to store detection log information, including information acquired at the time the detection error was detected and around that time, as error log information in the selected log information storage area 81, and then proceeds to the next step SP137. At this time, if old comparison log information or old error log information is stored in the log information storage area 81, the log information storage processing unit 74 stores new error log information in place of it. Hereinafter, this step SP136 will also be referred to as the error information storage step.

[0071] In step SP137, the control unit 11 ends the error log information storage processing procedure RT13, returns to the original log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5), and proceeds to the next step SP103.

[0072] In step SP103, the control unit 11 executes a storage condition setting process in which the storage condition setting unit 75 (FIG. 3) sets storage conditions based on the log information acquired when the error is detected. Specifically, the control unit 11 starts the storage condition setting process procedure RT14 shown in FIG. 7 as a subroutine, and proceeds to the first step SP141.

[0073] In step SP141, the control unit 11 causes the storage condition setting unit 75 to refer to the storage condition setting table 83 (FIG. 4), set storage conditions based on the detection log information, and proceeds to the next step SP142. Specifically, the control unit 11 selects an error group to which the detected error belongs in the storage condition setting table 83, and sets the same value as the value of the detection log information or the range of the condition margin as the storage condition for each piece of information associated with that error group.

[0074] For example, if the detected error is an abnormal fuser temperature, the storage condition setting unit 75 configures the storage conditions based on the items of environmental temperature and humidity, other errors and alarms currently occurring, the fuser temperature adjustment status, paper size, paper type, and print surface. In this case, the storage condition setting unit 75 sets the storage condition for environmental temperature and humidity to be within a 10% range centered on the value of the detection log information, and for each other item, to be consistent with the value of the detection log information. Incidentally, the storage conditions are determined to be met when the values of all included items match or are within the range.

[0075] In step SP142, the control unit 11 stores the storage conditions set by the storage condition setting unit 75 in the storage condition area 82 (FIG. 3), and proceeds to the next step SP143. In step SP143, the control unit 11 ends the storage condition setting processing procedure RT14, returns to the original log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5), and proceeds to the next step SP104.

[0076] In step SP104, the control unit 11 starts an error display on the display operation unit 12 (FIG. 2) to display information about the detected error, and proceeds to the next step SP105. At this time, if the control unit 11 has already started an error display, it continues the error display if the content of the error has not changed, and if the content of the error has changed, it updates the error display to one corresponding to the latest error content.

[0077] In step SP105, the control unit 11 determines whether the error has been resolved (resolved) by a user action or the like, based on the information acquired from each unit. If a negative result is obtained here, the control unit 11 returns to step SP104 and waits for the error to be resolved. Also, if the user turns off the power to the image forming apparatus 2 and then restarts it, the control unit 11 executes a restart processing procedure RT17 (FIG. 9) described later.

[0078] On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP105, this means that the error that occurred in the image forming apparatus 2 has been resolved and the image forming apparatus 2 can now operate normally. In this case, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step SP106.

[0079] In step SP106, the control unit 11 ends the error display on the display operation unit 12 (FIG. 2), and proceeds to the next step SP107. In step SP107, the control unit 11 starts a storage condition monitoring process for monitoring whether various information (i.e., log information) sequentially obtained from each unit of the image forming apparatus 2 satisfies the storage conditions stored in the storage condition area 82 (FIG. 3), and proceeds to the next step SP108.

[0080] In step SP108, control unit 11 acquires each piece of information included in the storage conditions from each part of image forming apparatus 2, and proceeds to the next step SP109. In step SP109, control unit 11 determines whether each piece of acquired information satisfies all of the storage conditions. If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that at least a portion of the information (i.e., log information) acquired from each part of image forming apparatus 2 at this point matches the information acquired when the error was detected, or its value falls within the condition margin, and therefore is appropriate as log information for comparison. In this case, control unit 11 proceeds to the next step SP110.

[0081] In step SP110, the control unit 11 executes a comparison log information storage process, which is a process performed when storing comparison log information, by the log information storage processing unit 74 (FIG. 3). Specifically, the control unit 11 starts a comparison log information storage process procedure RT15 shown in FIG. 8 as a subroutine, and proceeds to the first step SP151.

[0082] In step SP151, the control unit 11 determines whether there is any unused area among the three log information storage areas 81 using the log information storage processing unit 74. If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that new error log information can be stored in that unused area. In this case, the log information storage processing unit 74 proceeds to the next step SP152, selects one of the unused areas (unused log information storage areas 81) as a storage area for new error log information, and proceeds to the next step SP155.

[0083] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP151, this means that log information is stored in all of the log information storage areas 81. In this case, the control section 11 proceeds to the next step SP153.

[0084] In step SP153, the control unit 11 determines whether or not there is one or more locations among the three log information storage areas 81 where past comparison log information is stored (i.e., areas where comparison logs have been stored). If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that the newly acquired log information can be stored as comparison log information by deleting or overwriting the past comparison log information. In this case, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step SP154.

[0085] In step SP154, the control unit 11 causes the log information storage processing unit 74 to refer to the storage date and time in each log information storage area 81 in which comparison log information is stored, selects the log information storage area 81 in which the comparison log information with the oldest storage date and time is stored as the storage area for new log information, and proceeds to the next step SP155. In this case, the log information storage processing unit 74 selects the log information storage area 81 based on the policy that newer comparison log information is more important than older comparison log information and therefore should be stored preferentially.

[0086] In step SP155, the control unit 11 causes the log information storage processing unit 74 to store various pieces of information (log information) acquired from each unit of the image forming apparatus 2 as comparison log information in the selected log information storage area 81, and proceeds to the next step SP156. At this time, if old comparison log information is stored in the log information storage area 81, the log information storage processing unit 74 overwrites it and stores the new comparison log information. Hereinafter, this step SP155 is also referred to as the comparison information storage step.

[0087] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP153, this indicates that error log information is stored in all of the log information storage areas 81. In this case, the log information storage processing unit 74 proceeds to the next step SP156 without storing any comparison log information. In this case, the log information storage processing unit 74 cancels the storage of new comparison log information based on the policy that the existing error log information is more important than the new comparison log information, and therefore the error log information is to be retained.

[0088] In step SP156, the control unit 11 ends the comparison log information storage processing procedure RT15 and returns to the original log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5). After that, the control unit 11 returns to step SP108 and repeats the series of processes.

[0089] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP109, this indicates that the information (i.e., log information) obtained from each unit of the image forming apparatus 2 at this point in time has a low degree of similarity to the information obtained when the error was initially detected, and is therefore not appropriate as log information for comparison. In this case, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step, SP111, without saving this log information.

[0090] In step SP111, the control unit 11 determines whether a new error has occurred. That is, the control unit 11 determines whether a new error has been detected based on various information obtained from each unit in the image forming apparatus 2 by an error detection program executed in parallel with the log information storage processing procedure RT10. If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that processing must be performed to address the new error. In this case, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step SP112.

[0091] In step SP112, the control unit 11 performs the same basic error handling process as in step SP101, and then proceeds to the next step SP113. In step SP113, as in step SP102, the control unit 11 executes the error log information storage process procedure RT13 (FIG. 6) as a subroutine, thereby causing the log information storage processing unit 74 (FIG. 3) to store error log information related to the newly detected error in one of the log information storage areas 81. Thereafter, the control unit 11 returns to step SP104 and repeats the series of processes.

[0092] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP111, this indicates that no error has been detected in the image forming apparatus 2 and that normal operation can be considered to be continuing. In this case, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step SP114.

[0093] In step SP114, the control unit 11 determines whether an instruction to end monitoring has been received. This instruction to end monitoring is given, for example, by a maintenance worker visiting the company where the image forming device 2 is installed and performing a predetermined operation via the display / operation unit 12 (FIGS. 2 and 3). The control unit 11 also considers the instruction to end monitoring to have been received when the storage conditions are deleted in response to an instruction from the maintenance computer device 6 (details will be described later). If a negative result is obtained here, this indicates that the storage condition monitoring process for the log information should be continued. In this case, the control unit 11 returns to step SP108 again to repeat the series of processes.

[0094] On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP114, this indicates that there is no longer any need to newly store comparison log information. In this case, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step SP115. In step SP115, the control unit 11 ends the storage condition monitoring process, and proceeds to the next step SP116. In step SP116, the control unit 11 deletes the storage conditions from the storage condition area 82 (FIG. 3), and proceeds to the next step SP117. In step SP117, the control unit 11 ends the log information storage processing procedure RT10.

[0095] Incidentally, in the image forming apparatus 2, when a detection error occurs, the user may turn off the power and then turn it on again, which may result in restarting the apparatus 2. In this case, the control unit 11 performs predetermined initialization processing, etc., and then starts the restart processing procedure RT17 (FIG. 9), and proceeds to the first step SP171.

[0096] In step SP171, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the storage conditions are stored in the storage condition area 82 (FIG. 3). If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that the storage condition monitoring process needs to be performed. In this case, the control unit 11 starts the log information storage process procedure RT10 (FIG. 5) and proceeds to step SP105 to perform a series of processes.

[0097] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP171, this indicates that there is no need to perform the storage condition monitoring process, and the control unit 11 then proceeds to the next step SP172, where it ends the restart process procedure RT17.

[0098] [1-3. Reading log information] Next, we will explain how log information is read by the maintenance computer device 6. When the maintenance computer device 6 is connected to the image forming apparatus 2 and receives an instruction to start a log reading process based on an operation by a maintenance worker, a control unit (not shown) starts a log reading process procedure RT18 shown in Fig. 10, and the process proceeds to the first step SP181.

[0099] In step SP181, the maintenance computer 6 requests the image forming apparatus 2 to read all log information. In response, the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 2 reads all log information (error log information and comparison log information) stored in each log information storage area 81 (FIG. 3) and transmits it to the maintenance computer 6. Upon receiving this log information, the maintenance computer 6 stores it in the storage unit, and then proceeds to the next step SP182.

[0100] In step SP182, the maintenance computer 6 requests the image forming apparatus 2 to delete all log information, and proceeds to the next step SP183. In response to this, the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 2 deletes all log information (error log information and comparison log information) stored in each log information storage area 81 (FIG. 3).

[0101] In step SP183, the maintenance computer 6 requests the image forming apparatus 2 to delete the storage conditions, and then proceeds to the next step SP184. In response, the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 2 deletes the storage conditions stored in the storage condition area 82 (FIG. 3). As a result, the image forming apparatus 2 obtains a positive result in step SP114 of the log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5), and then ends the storage condition monitoring process in the subsequent step SP117.

[0102] In step SP184, the maintenance computer 6 ends the log read processing procedure RT18. Thereafter, the maintenance computer 6, based on the operation of the maintenance worker, appropriately displays the acquired log information (error log information and comparison log information), thereby contributing to the analysis of the cause of the error in the image forming apparatus 2.

[0103] [1-4. Effects, etc.] In the above configuration, when the image forming system 1 according to the first embodiment detects an error in the image forming device 2, it saves the log information at the time the error occurred as error log information and sets storage conditions according to the error. After that, when the image forming device 2 is operating normally, if various pieces of information (log information) acquired from each unit satisfy the storage conditions, it saves the log information as comparison log information.

[0104] Therefore, in the image forming system 1, a maintenance worker can operate the maintenance computer device 6 to acquire error log information and comparison log information and compare the two. This allows the image forming system 1 to efficiently analyze errors that have occurred in the image forming device 2, and also to quickly identify the cause and establish appropriate countermeasures.

[0105] In particular, in the image forming device 2, the types of errors that may occur are associated with each piece of information that is highly relevant to each error and is considered useful for subsequent analysis work, and these are stored in advance in the storage unit 73 as a storage condition setting table 83 (FIG. 4). Therefore, in the image forming system 1, when an error occurs in the image forming device 2, the information that should be acquired according to the type of error can be easily identified simply by referring to the storage condition setting table 83, and this can be stored in the storage condition area 82 as appropriate storage conditions.

[0106] From another perspective, the image forming system 1 does not require the user of the image forming apparatus 2 to perform tasks such as saving comparison log information when the apparatus is in the same operating state as when an error occurs, or to set storage conditions through complex operations. In other words, when an error occurs, the image forming system 1 can set appropriate storage conditions and start the storage condition monitoring process without requiring the user to perform any tasks, and when the storage conditions are met during normal use thereafter, appropriate comparison log information can be automatically saved.

[0107] Furthermore, in the image forming device 2, a condition margin, such as "10%," is set in advance for information that can be acquired as a numerical value in the storage condition setting table 83 (FIG. 4). This allows the image forming system 1 to avoid narrowing the storage conditions more than necessary, and allows appropriate comparison log information to be saved when the numerical value of the information is within an appropriate range.

[0108] Furthermore, in the image forming device 2, if the log information acquired after starting the storage condition monitoring process matches the storage conditions, the comparison log storage process stores new comparison log information in any unused area of the log information storage area 81, or in the area where the oldest comparison log information is stored if there is no unused area (FIG. 8). Also, in the image forming device 2, if error log information is stored in all of the log information storage areas 81, the existing error log information is left as is without overwriting the comparison log storage information.

[0109] Therefore, in the image forming system 1, newer comparison log information can be saved with priority, and error log information can be retained with priority over comparison log information, so that more useful information can be provided in the error analysis work performed later by a maintenance worker.

[0110] Furthermore, when a new error is detected in image forming device 2, if there is an unused area in log information storage area 81, the new error log is saved in that area, if there is no unused area, in the area where the oldest comparison log information is stored, or if there is no area where comparison log information is stored, in the area where the oldest error log is stored (FIG. 6). Therefore, image forming system 1 can save newer error log information in preference to comparison log information, so that it can reliably provide information necessary for later error analysis work performed by a maintenance worker.

[0111] In addition, if the image forming device 2 is restarted by a user operation or the like after an error occurs, it performs a restart process (FIG. 9), and if the storage conditions are saved in the storage condition area 82 (FIG. 3), it performs a storage condition monitoring process (FIG. 5). Therefore, in the image forming system 1, even when the image forming device 2 is restarted, it is not necessary for the user to perform tasks such as setting the storage conditions again, and the necessary comparison log information can be automatically saved.

[0112] According to the above configuration, when the image forming system 1 detects an error in the image forming device 2, it saves the log information at the time the error occurred as error log information, and sets the saving conditions according to the error by referring to the saving condition setting table 83. After that, if the log information acquired while the image forming device 2 is operating normally satisfies the saving conditions, it saves the log information as comparison log information. This allows the image forming system 1 to efficiently analyze and deal with errors that have occurred in the image forming device 2 by having a maintenance worker compare the error log information and the comparison log information.

[0113] 2. Second Embodiment [2-1. Image formation system configuration] As shown in Fig. 11, which corresponds to Fig. 1, an image forming system 201 according to the second embodiment is configured around an image forming apparatus 202 that replaces the image forming apparatus 2. Although a computer 4 is connected to the image forming apparatus 202, similar to the first embodiment, a maintenance computer 6 can be temporarily connected in place of the computer 4. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 202 is also connected to an image forming apparatus 203 via a network 208.

[0114] Image forming apparatus 202 is configured generally similarly to image forming apparatus 2 (FIG. 2) in the first embodiment, but differs in that it has control unit 211 instead of control unit 11. As shown in FIG. 12, which corresponds to FIG. 3, image forming apparatus 202 has control unit 211 and each unit appropriately connected, and control unit 211 has multiple blocks inside.

[0115] As in the first embodiment, the control unit 211 has a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (not shown), and can perform various processes by using the RAM as a work area and executing various programs read from the ROM, memory unit 273, etc. by the CPU.

[0116] The control unit 211 also includes a print control unit 71, a menu control unit 72, a memory unit 273, a log information storage processing unit 74, a storage condition setting unit 275, and a communication processing unit 276, and is connected to the external image forming unit 20, the fixing unit 40, the motor control unit 78, the duct sensor 23, the switching unit 45, the display operation unit 12, and the communication interface 277. Of these, the print control unit 71, the menu control unit 72, the log information storage processing unit 74, and the like are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0117] The storage unit 273 is a non-volatile storage medium such as an HDD or SSD, similar to the storage unit 73 according to the first embodiment, and stores various programs and information. In addition to the three log information storage areas 81 (81A, 81B, and 81C) similar to those in the first embodiment, the storage unit 273 is provided with a storage condition area 282 and a storage condition setting table 283.

[0118] The storage condition area 282 has a similar configuration to the storage condition area 82 according to the first embodiment, but differs from the storage condition area 82 in that it is capable of storing a plurality of storage conditions.

[0119] 13, which corresponds to Fig. 4, the storage condition setting table 283 has a similar configuration to the storage condition setting table 83 according to the first embodiment, but differs in that a "priority" item is provided for each error group. This "priority" is stored with a value of either "high" or "low" set in advance, and indicates the degree to which comparison log information should be saved with priority.

[0120] The storage condition setting unit 275 (FIG. 12) performs processing that is partially different from that of the storage condition setting unit 75 (FIG. 3) in the first embodiment, thereby allowing storage conditions to be set in the storage condition area 282 (details will be described later).

[0121] The communication processing unit 276 (FIG. 12), like the communication processing unit 76 according to the first embodiment, controls the communication interface 277. As in the first embodiment, the communication interface 277 has a connection terminal that complies with a wired communication standard such as USB, and also has a communication circuit and antenna that complies with a wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). This communication interface 277 transmits and receives various information to and from the computer device 4, for example, by connecting the USB connection terminal to the computer device 4, for example, via a USB cable.

[0122] The communication interface 277 also functions as an interface for a wired LAN (Local Area Network) conforming to standards such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.3u / ab / an / ae, or a wireless LAN conforming to standards such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax. The communication interface 277 is connected to a network 208, and transmits and receives various information to and from other devices (such as the image forming apparatus 203) via the network 208.

[0123] The image forming apparatus 203 has the same configuration as the image forming apparatus 202. For convenience of explanation, the control unit of the image forming apparatus 203 will be referred to as a control unit 311 below. The control unit 311 has the same configuration as the control unit 211.

[0124] The network 208 is configured by combining various network devices such as hubs and routers (neither of which is shown), and constitutes a wired LAN conforming to standards such as IEEE802.3u / ab / an / ae, or a wireless LAN conforming to standards such as IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax, etc. This network 208 allows connected devices (such as the image forming apparatuses 202 and 203) to communicate with each other and send and receive various information.

[0125] [2-2. Log saving process] Next, the process of saving log information of image forming apparatus 202 in image forming system 201 will be described, focusing on the process performed by image forming apparatus 202 and image forming apparatus 203. When image forming apparatus 202 detects the occurrence of an error, it saves the log information at that time as error log information, as in the first embodiment, and sets saving conditions for saving comparison log information to be compared with the error log information. In addition, image forming apparatus 202 transmits these saving conditions to image forming apparatus 203. Thereafter, if log information obtained during normal operation of image forming apparatus 202 and 203 satisfies the saving conditions, image forming apparatus 202 and 203 save the log information as comparison log information.

[0126] 14, 15, and 16, the detailed processing procedure of the image forming apparatus 202 will be described, and the detailed processing procedure of the image forming apparatus 203 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 17 and 18. In the following, the flowcharts in the first embodiment will also be referenced as appropriate for some of the processing. Furthermore, in the following, a detected error will also be referred to as a detected error, and the log information acquired at this point will also be referred to as detected log information, as in the first embodiment.

[0127] For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, image forming apparatus 202 will also be referred to as a first image forming apparatus, image forming apparatus 203 will also be referred to as a second image forming apparatus, storage unit 273 of image forming apparatus 202 will also be referred to as a first storage unit, and storage unit 273 of image forming apparatus 203 will also be referred to as a second storage unit. hereinafter, communication processing unit 276 and communication interface 277 of image forming apparatus 202 will also be referred to as a transmitting unit, and communication processing unit 276 and communication interface 277 of image forming apparatus 203 will also be referred to as a receiving unit.

[0128] [2-2-1. Processing in the image forming device when an error is detected] When the control unit 211 of the image forming device 202 (FIG. 11) detects an error by a separately running error detection program while the power is on, it starts the log information saving processing procedure RT20 of FIG. 14 and proceeds to the first step SP201.

[0129] First, in steps SP201 and SP202, the control unit 211 performs the same processes as steps SP101 and SP102 of the log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5), respectively, and then proceeds to the next step SP203. Specifically, the control unit 211 performs basic error response processing, as in the first embodiment, and also stores error log information in one of the log information storage areas 81 by executing the error log information storage processing procedure RT13 (FIG. 6) as a subroutine.

[0130] In step SP203, the control unit 211 executes a storage condition setting process. Specifically, the control unit 211 starts a storage condition setting process procedure RT24 shown in Fig. 15 as a subroutine instead of the storage condition setting process procedure RT14 (Fig. 7) in the first embodiment, and proceeds to the first step SP241.

[0131] In step SP241, the control unit 211 causes the storage condition setting unit 275 (FIG. 12) to refer to the storage condition setting table 283 (FIG. 13), set storage conditions based on the detection log information, and proceeds to the next step SP242. Specifically, the storage condition setting unit 275 selects the error group to which the detected error belongs in the storage condition setting table 283, and sets the same value as the value of the detection log information or the range of the condition margin as the storage condition for each piece of information associated with that error group.

[0132] In step SP242, the control unit 211 stores the storage conditions set by the storage condition setting unit 275 in the storage condition area 282 (FIG. 12), and proceeds to the next step SP243. At this time, the control unit 211 also stores the priority associated with each error group as part of the storage conditions.

[0133] In step SP243, the control unit 211 transmits the set storage conditions to the image forming apparatus 203 via the network 208 using the communication processing unit 276 and the communication interface 277 (FIG. 12), and proceeds to the next step SP244. The processing of the image forming apparatus 203 in response to this will be described later.

[0134] In step SP244, the control unit 211 ends the storage condition setting processing procedure RT24, returns to the original log information storage processing procedure RT20 (FIG. 14), and proceeds to the next step SP204.

[0135] Thereafter, the control unit 211 performs the same processes as steps SP104, SP105, SP106, SP107, SP208, SP209, SP210, and SP211 (FIG. 5) in the first embodiment in steps SP204, SP205, SP206, SP207, SP208, SP209, SP210, and SP211. Among these, in step SP210, a comparison log information storage processing procedure RT15 (FIG. 8) is executed as a subroutine.

[0136] Furthermore, if a positive result is obtained in step SP211, this indicates that a new error (hereinafter also referred to as a new error) has been detected. In this case, the control unit 211 proceeds to the next step SP212. In step SP212, the control unit 211 executes new error detection processing, which is processing to be performed when a new error is detected. Specifically, the control unit 211 starts the new error detection processing procedure RT26 shown in Fig. 16 as a subroutine, and proceeds to the first step SP261.

[0137] In step SP261, the control unit 211 performs the same basic error handling process as in step SP101 (FIG. 5), and then proceeds to the next step SP262. In step SP262, the control unit 211 determines whether the priority of the error group to which the new error belongs when classified according to the storage condition setting table 283 (FIG. 13) is equal to or higher than the priority of the storage condition stored in the storage condition area 282.

[0138] If a negative result is obtained here, this indicates that the priority of the new error is lower than the priority of the storage conditions, and therefore there is no need to store an error log for the new error. In this case, the control unit 211 ends the new error detection processing procedure RT26, returns to step SP208 in the original log information storage processing procedure RT20 (FIG. 14), and repeats the series of processes.

[0139] On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP262, this indicates that the priority of the new error is equal to or higher than the priority of the storage conditions, and therefore error log information for the new error should be stored. In this case, the control unit 211 proceeds to the next step SP263. In step SP263, the control unit 211 executes the error log information storage processing procedure RT13 (FIG. 6) as a subroutine, as in step SP102 (FIG. 5), to select one of the log information storage areas 81 and store the error log information of the new error therein, and then proceeds to the next step SP264.

[0140] In step SP264, the control unit 211 compares the error types corresponding to the storage conditions stored in the storage condition area 282, i.e., the detected error type and the new error type, to determine whether they are different errors. If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that the storage conditions for the new error should also be stored in order to obtain log information for comparison. In this case, the control unit 211 proceeds to the next step SP265.

[0141] In step SP265, the control unit 211 executes the storage condition setting processing procedure RT24 (FIG. 15) as a subroutine, similar to step SP203 (FIG. 14), to additionally set storage conditions based on the new error, and then proceeds to the next step SP266. In other words, in this case, storage conditions are set for the new error in addition to the detected error.

[0142] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP264, this indicates that the new error is of the same type as the detected error and therefore there is no need to add a storage condition. In this case, the control unit 211 proceeds to the next step SP266. In step SP266, the control unit 211 ends the new error detection processing procedure RT26 and returns to the original log information storage processing procedure RT20 (FIG. 14), returning to step SP204 and repeating the series of processes.

[0143] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP211, this indicates that no new errors have been detected in the image forming apparatus 202 and that normal operation can be considered to be continuing. In this case, the control unit 211 proceeds to the next step SP213. In step SP213, the control unit 211 determines whether an instruction to end monitoring has been received, as in step SP114 (FIG. 5). If a negative result is obtained here, this indicates that the storage condition monitoring process for the log information should be continued. In this case, the control unit 211 returns to step SP208 again to repeat the series of processes.

[0144] On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP213, this means that there is no longer any need to store new log information for comparison, and the control section 211 then proceeds to the next step SP214.

[0145] In step SP214, the control unit 211 ends the storage condition monitoring process, and proceeds to the next step SP215. In step SP215, the control unit 211 transmits a message to the image forming apparatus 203 via the communication processing unit 276 and the communication interface 277 (FIG. 12) via the network 208 that the storage condition monitoring process should be ended, and proceeds to the next step SP216. The processing of the image forming apparatus 203 in response to this will be described later.

[0146] In step SP216, the control section 211 deletes each storage condition from the storage condition area 282 (FIG. 12), and proceeds to the next step SP217. In step SP217, the control section 211 ends the log information storage processing procedure RT20.

[0147] Incidentally, as in the first embodiment, the image forming apparatus 202 may be restarted by the user turning off the power and then turning it on again in response to the occurrence of a detection error. In this case, the control unit 211 performs predetermined initialization processing, etc., and then executes the restart processing procedure RT17 (FIG. 9) as a subroutine, similar to that of the first embodiment. However, if a positive result is obtained in step SP171, the control unit 211 starts the log information storage processing procedure RT20 (FIG. 14) and proceeds to step SP205 to perform a series of processes.

[0148] [2-2-2. Processing in an image forming device that does not detect an error] When the control unit 311 of the image forming apparatus 203 (FIG. 12) receives the storage conditions from the image forming apparatus 202 that detected the error while the power is on, it starts the log information storage processing procedure RT30 of FIG. 17 and proceeds to the first step SP301. In step SP301, the control unit 311 stores the received storage conditions in the storage condition area 282 (FIG. 12) and proceeds to the next step SP302.

[0149] In the following steps SP302, SP303, SP304, and SP305, the control unit 311 performs the same processes as steps SP107, SP108, SP109, and SP110 of the log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5). If a negative result is obtained in step SP304, the control unit 311 proceeds to the next step SP306.

[0150] In step SP306, the control unit 311 determines whether an error has occurred in the image forming apparatus 203. That is, the control unit 311 determines whether an error has been detected based on various information obtained from each unit in the image forming apparatus 203 by an error detection program executed in parallel with the log information storage processing procedure RT30. If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that processing must be performed to address the error (hereinafter referred to as a new error). In this case, the control unit 311 proceeds to the next step SP307 (FIG. 18).

[0151] After step SP307, the control unit 311 sequentially performs processes that are partially similar to the processes in the new error detection processing procedure RT26 (FIG. 16). Specifically, in step SP307, the control unit 311 performs basic error handling processing for the new error, similar to step SP261 (FIG. 16), and then proceeds to the next step, SP308.

[0152] In step SP308, the control unit 311, like step SP104 of the log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5), causes the display operation unit 12 (FIGS. 2 and 12) to start an error display that displays information about the new error, and proceeds to the next step SP309. In step SP309, like step SP262 (FIG. 16), the control unit 311 determines whether the priority of the error group to which the new error belongs in the storage condition setting table 283 (FIG. 13) is equal to or higher than the priority of the storage condition that is the target of the storage condition monitoring process.

[0153] If a negative result is obtained here, this means that the priority of the new error is lower than the priority of the storage conditions, and therefore there is no need to store an error log for the new error. In this case, the control unit 211 proceeds to the next step SP313 (FIG. 17).

[0154] On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP309, this indicates that the priority of the new error is equal to or higher than the priority of the storage conditions, and therefore error log information for the new error should be stored. In this case, the control unit 311 proceeds to the next step SP310. In step SP310, the control unit 311 executes the error log information storage processing procedure RT13 (FIG. 6) as a subroutine, as in step SP263 (FIG. 16), to store the error log information of the new error in one of the log information storage areas 81, and then proceeds to the next step SP311.

[0155] In step SP311, the control unit 311, as in step SP264 (FIG. 16), compares the type of error that formed the basis of the storage conditions stored in the storage condition area 282 with the type of the new error, and determines whether the two are different errors. If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that the storage conditions for the new error should also be stored in order to obtain log information for comparison. In this case, the control unit 311 proceeds to the next step, SP312.

[0156] In step SP312, the control unit 311 executes the storage condition setting processing procedure RT24 (FIG. 15) as a subroutine, similar to step SP265 (FIG. 16), to additionally set storage conditions for the new error, and then proceeds to the next step SP313. In other words, in this case, storage conditions for the new error have been additionally set.

[0157] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP311, this indicates that there is no need to add a storage condition because the new error is of the same type as the error that formed the basis of the storage condition stored in the storage condition area 282. In this case, the control unit 311 proceeds to the next step, SP313.

[0158] In step SP313, the control unit 311 determines whether the error has been resolved (resolved) by a user action or the like, based on the information acquired from each unit, as in step SP105 of the log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5). If a negative result is obtained here, the control unit 311 repeats step SP313 and waits for the error to be resolved. Furthermore, if the user turns off the power to the image forming apparatus 203 and then restarts it, the control unit 311 executes the restart processing procedure RT17 (FIG. 9) similar to that in the first embodiment (details will be described later).

[0159] On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP313, this indicates that the error that occurred in the image forming apparatus 203 has been resolved and the image forming apparatus 203 is now able to operate normally. At this time, the control unit 311 proceeds to the next step SP314. In step SP314, the control unit 311 terminates the display of the error information on the display operation unit 12 (FIG. 2), similar to step SP106 of the log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5). Thereafter, the control unit 311 returns to step SP302 and repeats the series of processes.

[0160] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP306 (FIG. 18), this indicates that no error has been detected in the image forming apparatus 203 and that normal operation can be considered to be continuing. In this case, the control unit 311 proceeds to the next step SP315. In step SP315, the control unit 311 determines whether an instruction to end monitoring has been received, similar to step SP114 of the log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5). If a positive result is obtained here, the control unit 311 proceeds to the next step SP316.

[0161] In step SP316, the control unit 311 ends the storage condition monitoring process and proceeds to the next step SP317. In step SP317, the control unit 311 deletes all storage conditions from the storage condition area 282 (FIG. 12) and proceeds to the next step SP318. In step SP318, the control unit 311 ends the log information storage processing procedure RT30.

[0162] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP315, this indicates that the storage condition monitoring process for the log information should be continued. In this case, the control unit 311 proceeds to the next step, SP319. In step SP319, the control unit 311 determines whether new storage conditions have been received from the image forming apparatus 202. If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that the received new storage conditions should also be added to the monitoring targets in the currently ongoing storage condition monitoring process. In this case, the control unit 311 proceeds to the next step, SP320.

[0163] In step SP320, the control section 311 stores the received storage conditions in the storage condition area 282 (FIG. 12), just as in step SP301. Thereafter, the control section 311 returns to step SP302 and repeats the series of processes.

[0164] Incidentally, the image forming apparatus 203 may be restarted by the user turning the power off and then on again, similar to the image forming apparatus 202, due to the occurrence of a new error or the like. In this case, the control unit 311 performs predetermined initialization processing, etc., and then executes the restart processing procedure RT17 (FIG. 9) as a subroutine, similar to that of the first embodiment. However, if a positive result is obtained in step SP171, the control unit 311 starts the log information storage processing procedure RT30 (FIG. 17) and proceeds to step SP302 to perform a series of processes.

[0165] [2-3. Effects, etc.] In the above configuration, when the image forming system 201 according to the second embodiment detects an error in the image forming device 202, it saves the log information at the time the error occurred as error log information, sets storage conditions according to the error, and further transmits the storage conditions to the image forming device 203.

[0166] Thereafter, when the image forming apparatuses 202 and 203 are operating normally, if various pieces of information (log information) acquired from the respective units satisfy the storage conditions, the image forming apparatuses 202 and 203 store the log information as comparison log information.

[0167] Therefore, in the image forming system 201, as in the first embodiment, the maintenance worker can operate the maintenance computer device 6 to acquire error log information and comparison log information and compare the two. This allows the image forming system 1 to efficiently analyze errors that have occurred in the image forming device 202, and also to quickly identify the cause and establish appropriate countermeasures.

[0168] In addition, in the image forming system 201, the storage condition monitoring process is performed not only in the image forming apparatus 202 but also in the image forming apparatus 203, and log information that matches the storage conditions is stored as comparison log information. Therefore, in the image forming system 201, the possibility of acquiring comparison log information that matches the storage conditions can be significantly increased compared to the first embodiment.

[0169] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 202 sets a priority for each error group in the storage condition setting table 283 (FIG. 13). Then, when a new error occurs, the image forming apparatuses 202 and 203 store the error log information of the new error in the new error detection processing procedure RT26 (FIG. 16) only if the priority of the new error is equal to or higher than the priority of the error that was the basis of the storage condition.

[0170] Therefore, in the image forming system 201, the image forming apparatuses 202 and 203 can effectively utilize the limited number of log information storage areas 81, and can reliably store error log information that has a high priority and should be stored.

[0171] In other respects, the image forming system 201 according to the second embodiment can achieve the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0172] 3. Other Embodiments In the first embodiment described above, the error log information storage procedure RT13 (FIG. 6) selects the log information storage area 81 for storing error log information in the following order: an unused area, an area where comparison log information is already stored, and an area where the oldest error log information is stored. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various other methods may be used to select the log information storage area 81 for storing error log information. Specifically, for example, the area where the oldest log information is stored may be overwritten without distinguishing between error log information and comparison log information. Alternatively, for example, a portion of the log information storage area 81 may be allocated in advance to error log information, and the remaining log information storage area 81 may be allocated to comparison log information, and the area where the oldest log information is stored may be overwritten within this allocated range. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0173] In the first embodiment described above, the comparison log information storage process RT15 (FIG. 8) selects the log information storage area 81 for storing the comparison log information in the order of unused areas and areas where comparison log information has already been stored. That is, the log information storage area 81 where error log information is stored is not overwritten with comparison log information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in the case of storing the error log information described above, the area where the oldest log information is stored may be overwritten without distinguishing between error log information and comparison log information. Alternatively, as in the case of storing the error log information described above, for example, a portion of the log information storage area 81 may be allocated in advance to error log information and the remaining log information storage area 81 may be allocated to comparison log information, and the area where the oldest log information is stored may be overwritten within this allocated range. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0174] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the comparison log information is stored in the log information storage area 81 (FIG. 3) provided in the storage unit 73 of the image forming apparatus 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a USB memory, which is a non-volatile storage medium, may be connected to the USB connection terminal of the communication interface 77 (FIG. 3), and the comparison log information may be stored in the USB memory. Alternatively, the comparison log information may be transmitted to the computer 4 or the maintenance computer 6 connected via the communication interface 77 and stored therein. The same applies to the second embodiment. Alternatively, for example, in the image forming apparatus 202 according to the second embodiment, the comparison log information may be transmitted to a predetermined server device (not shown) connected via the network 208 and stored therein.

[0175] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, in step SP109 of the log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5), if the acquired information satisfies all of the storage conditions, the information is determined to match the storage conditions. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if a predetermined percentage (e.g., 90%) or more of the information set as the storage conditions is satisfied, the information may be determined to match the storage conditions. Furthermore, this percentage may be set to a different value for each error group or error type and stored in advance in the storage condition setting table 83 (FIG. 4). The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0176] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the storage condition setting table 83 (FIG. 4) describes a configuration in which information obtained from the image forming device 2 is divided into multiple information groups, and two or more information groups are associated with each error group. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and for example, one or more information groups may be associated with each error group. Alternatively, for example, necessary information may be individually assigned to each error group without dividing the information into multiple information groups. In this case, by assigning multiple pieces of information to each error group, the usefulness of the comparison log information relative to the error log information can be increased. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0177] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, a storage condition setting table 83 (FIG. 4) is pre-stored in the storage unit 73 of the image forming apparatus 2, and when an error occurs in the image forming apparatus 2, the storage conditions corresponding to the type of error are automatically set based on the storage condition setting table 83. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the storage conditions may be set by input operations by a user or a maintenance worker. Alternatively, a correspondence table, such as the storage condition setting table 83, that associates error types with the storage conditions to be set may be printed in advance in the instruction manual for the image forming apparatus 2. In this case, when an error occurs, the user or a maintenance worker may refer to the correspondence table to find the storage conditions corresponding to the error that has occurred, and then set the storage conditions by input operations, etc. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0178] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, a configuration has been described in which no priority is set for each error group in the storage condition setting table 83 (FIG. 4), and no superiority or inferiority is set between error groups. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, as in the second embodiment, a priority may be set for each error group. Alternatively, conversely, as in the first embodiment, no priority may be set for each error group, and no superiority or inferiority may be set between error groups.

[0179] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, two levels of priority, "high" or "low," are set for each error group in the storage condition setting table 283 (FIG. 13). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, three or more levels of priority may be set, and priority may be set for each type of error rather than for each error group.

[0180] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, if the storage conditions are stored in the storage condition area 82 during the restart processing procedure RT17 (FIG. 9) executed when the image forming apparatus 2 is restarted, the log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5) is started from step SP105 to perform the storage condition monitoring process. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When the image forming apparatus 2 is restarted, it may determine whether to perform the storage condition monitoring process based on various information, and then perform the storage condition monitoring process if necessary. Specifically, for example, if error log information or comparison log information is stored in at least one log information storage area 81 upon restart, the log information storage processing procedure RT10 (FIG. 5) may be started from step SP105. The same applies to the second embodiment. Furthermore, for example, in the second embodiment, when the image forming apparatus 202 is restarted, it may inquire of other image forming apparatuses (such as the image forming apparatus 203) whether they are performing storage condition monitoring based on the storage conditions, and if so, perform the storage condition monitoring process based on the storage conditions itself.

[0181] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the storage condition monitoring process is terminated when an instruction to terminate monitoring is received in step SP114 of the log information storage process procedure RT10 (FIG. 5) through an operation by a maintenance worker or the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a termination condition may be set in advance, and the storage condition monitoring process may be terminated when the termination condition is met. This termination condition can be set to various conditions, such as when a predetermined number of pieces of log information for comparison have been saved, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the storage condition monitoring process, or when a predetermined number of pages have been printed since the start of the storage condition monitoring process. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0182] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the log information storage procedure RT10 (FIG. 5) proceeds without any particular notification to the user when storage conditions are set or comparison log information is stored. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when storage conditions are set or comparison log information is stored, a predetermined message or the like may be displayed on the display operation unit 12 to notify the user. In this case, for example, by prompting the user to contact a maintenance technician when the comparison log information is stored, the comparison log information can be handed over to the maintenance technician quickly, allowing error analysis work to be performed quickly. Also, for example, if error log information has already been stored in all log information storage areas 81 and comparison log information cannot be stored, a message such as "Please contact a maintenance technician" may be displayed to the user. This allows the maintenance technician to read and delete existing error log information, etc., and return to a state in which new comparison log information can be stored. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0183] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the log information includes various pieces of information related to the image forming apparatus 2 at a certain point in time, and various pieces of information obtained before and after that point in time. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the log information may include only various pieces of information related to the image forming apparatus 2 at a certain point in time. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0184] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, information about the date and time is included in the log information to be saved (error log information or comparison log information), and the old and new pieces of log information are compared by referring to this date and time in step SP134 (FIG. 6) of the error log information saving processing procedure RT13. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the log information may include the total number of printed sheets, which is the cumulative number of sheets printed in image forming apparatus 2 since shipping from the factory, and the old and new pieces of log information may be compared based on this total number of printed sheets, or other various pieces of information. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0185] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, only one storage condition is stored in the storage condition area 82 provided in the storage unit 73 (FIG. 3) of the image forming apparatus 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and multiple storage conditions may be stored, for example, as in the storage condition area 282 in the second embodiment.

[0186] Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, three log information storage areas 81 (81A, 81B, and 81C) are provided in the memory unit 73 (FIG. 3) of the image forming device 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the memory unit 73 may be provided with two or less or four or more log information storage areas 81. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0187] Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the image forming apparatus 2 is connected to the computer 4 or the maintenance computer 6 using a USB connection terminal provided in the communication interface 77 of the image forming apparatus 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, similar to the communication interface 277 of the image forming apparatus 202 in the second embodiment, the communication interface 77 may be provided with a communication circuit such as a wired LAN or wireless LAN, and connected to the computer 4 or the maintenance computer 6 via the network 208. This is also true in the second embodiment.

[0188] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, various programs, storage condition setting table 83, etc. are stored in advance in storage unit 73 of image forming apparatus 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various programs, storage condition setting table 83, etc. may be downloaded from a predetermined server device (not shown) connected via communication interface 77, for example, and executed or referenced. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0189] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the image forming apparatus 2 is configured as a single-function printer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus 2 may be configured as, for example, an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) having the functions of a copier or facsimile machine. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0190] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and other embodiments, and the scope of application of the present invention extends to embodiments in which the above-described embodiments and other embodiments are combined in part or in whole, or in which only a part of the above-described embodiments is extracted.

[0191] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the image forming apparatus 2 is configured as an image forming apparatus by the storage unit 73 as a storage unit, and the log information storage processing unit 74 as an error information storage processing unit and a comparison information storage processing unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus may be configured by a storage unit, an error information storage processing unit, and a comparison information storage processing unit having various other configurations. [Industrial Applicability]

[0192] The present invention can be used in, for example, an image forming apparatus that acquires various pieces of information from various parts within the apparatus. [Explanation of symbols]

[0193] 1, 201...Image forming system, 2, 202, 203...Image forming device, 4...Computer device, 6...Maintenance computer device, 11, 211, 311...Control unit, 12...Display operation unit, 20...Image forming unit, 21...Toner cartridge, 22...Toner supply duct, 23...Duct sensor, 40...Fusing unit, 73, 273...Memory unit, 74...Log information storage processing unit, 75, 275...Storage condition setting unit, 76, 276...Communication processing unit, 77, 277...Communication interface, 81...Log information storage area, 82, 282...Storage condition area, 83, 283...Storage condition setting table, 208...Network, P...Paper.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, a storage unit for storing information about the image forming apparatus; an error information storage processing unit that stores, in the storage unit, error information obtained from the image forming apparatus when an error occurs in the image forming apparatus; a comparison information storage processing unit that stores comparison information based on the new information in the storage unit when new information is acquired from the image forming apparatus and the error has not occurred in the image forming apparatus and the new information satisfies a predetermined storage condition; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. a storage condition setting section that sets the storage condition according to the error when the error occurs in the image forming apparatus and stores the set storage condition in a storage condition storage section; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The storage conditions are set so that conditions to be satisfied are respectively set for two or more of a plurality of information groups obtained by classifying the information obtained from the image forming apparatus according to type.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

4. When the information is expressed as a numerical value, the storage condition is set to a predetermined range that includes the value obtained when the error occurred.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

5. a priority is set for the error information and the storage condition according to the content of the error, The error information storage processing unit, in a situation where the storage condition is stored in the storage condition storage unit and a new error has occurred, If the priority of the new error is equal to or higher than the priority of the storage condition, store the error information in the storage unit; If the priority of the new error is lower than the priority of the storage condition, the error information is not stored in the storage unit, and the information already stored is maintained.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

6. the storage unit has a plurality of information storage areas for storing information about the image forming device; the error information storage processing unit stores the error information in a first information storage area, The comparison information storage processing unit stores the comparison information in a second information storage area different from the first information storage area.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

7. When the error information or the comparison information is stored in a plurality of the information storage areas and past comparison information is stored in at least one of the information storage areas, the comparison information storage processing unit stores the newly obtained comparison information in the information storage area in which the past comparison information is stored.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

8. When the error information or the comparison information is stored in a plurality of the information storage areas and past comparison information is stored in at least two of the information storage areas, the comparison information storage processing unit stores the newly obtained comparison information in the information storage area in which the oldest comparison information is stored.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

9. When the error information is stored in all the information storage areas, the comparison information storage processing unit causes the information storage area to hold the error information without storing the comparison information.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

10. When the error information or the comparison information is stored in a plurality of the information storage areas and the comparison information is stored in at least one of the information storage areas, the error information storage processing unit stores the newly obtained error information in the information storage area in which the comparison information is stored.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

11. When the error information or the comparison information is stored in a plurality of the information storage areas and the comparison information is stored in at least two of the information storage areas, the error information storage processing unit stores the newly obtained error information in the information storage area in which the oldest comparison information is stored.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.

12. The error information includes the information obtained before and after the error occurred in the image forming apparatus.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

13. The comparison information includes the information obtained before and after the time when the error did not occur in the image forming apparatus and the new information satisfied the storage condition.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

14. An information storage method for storing information about an image forming apparatus, comprising: an error information storage step of storing error information, which is information acquired from the image forming apparatus when an error occurs in the image forming apparatus, in a predetermined storage unit; a comparison information storage step of storing comparison information based on the new information in the storage unit when the new information is acquired from the image forming apparatus and the error has not occurred in the image forming apparatus and the new information satisfies a predetermined storage condition; An information storage method comprising:

15. An image forming system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses including a first image forming apparatus and a second image forming apparatus are communicably connected, the first image forming device, a first storage unit in which information relating to the first image forming apparatus is stored; an error information storage processing unit that stores, in the first storage unit, error information obtained from the first image forming apparatus when an error occurs in the first image forming apparatus; a transmission unit that transmits to the second image forming apparatus a storage condition that is set in response to the error and is a condition for storing the information acquired from the image forming apparatus; Equipped with the second image forming device, a second storage unit in which information relating to the second image forming apparatus is stored; a receiving unit that receives the storage conditions from the first image forming apparatus; a storage condition storage unit that stores the storage conditions; a comparison information storage processing unit that stores comparison information based on the new information in the second storage unit if the error has not occurred in the second image forming apparatus and the new information satisfies the storage condition when new information is acquired from the second image forming apparatus; An image forming system comprising:

Images