Information processing device, control method for the same, and program for the same

Abstract

To shorten the period during which an information processing device does not operate normally by presenting a user with more appropriate countermeasures.SOLUTION: The information processing device that executes job has diagnostic means for diagnosing the information processing device on the basis of diagnostic content and predetermined job information and display means for displaying diagnostic results obtained from the diagnostic means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to accurately performing diagnosis by an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] When executing a job using an information processing device such as a multifunction peripheral (MFP), an error may occur. For example, in the case of an MFP, an error may occur when printing, or even if the print job is executed normally, the output may not be as expected. In this way, printing problems may occur. When this happens, the user will try to deal with the problem by checking the product manual or troubleshooting. Furthermore, if they are unable to find a solution themselves, they may contact a call center or call a service technician to resolve the problem.

[0003] While making inquiries to a call center or calling a service technician, the information processing device such as a multifunction peripheral cannot operate normally. Therefore, users are required to resolve the issue themselves in order to reduce the period during which the device does not operate normally.

[0004] Therefore, as in Patent Document 1 (JP 2012-163805 A), a technique is disclosed that presents possible solutions based on the state of the device so that the device operates normally. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-163805 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As described above, in order to shorten the period during which the information processing device does not operate normally, it is proposed that the information processing device be provided with a diagnostic function.

[0007] When using a diagnostic function of an information processing device, it is conceivable that a user will use the diagnostic function due to a job being executed by the information processing device. However, until now, the diagnostic function of an information processing device has performed a diagnosis based on the current state of the information processing device, etc. Therefore, the presented solutions have sometimes been inaccurate.

[0008] Therefore, an information processing device according to the present invention has a diagnostic function and aims to shorten the period during which the information processing device does not operate normally by presenting a more appropriate solution to the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In consideration of the above problems, the information processing device of the present invention is an information processing device that executes jobs, and is characterized by having a diagnostic means for diagnosing the information processing device, a first reception means for receiving a selection of diagnostic content to be diagnosed by the diagnostic means, a first display means for displaying one or more pieces of job information, a second reception means for receiving one or more pieces of job information from the displayed job information, and a second display means for displaying the diagnostic result that is the result of the diagnosis by the diagnostic means, wherein the diagnostic means diagnoses the information processing device using the diagnostic content received by the first reception means and the job information received by the second reception means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the information processing device of the present invention, it is possible to shorten the period during which the information processing device does not operate normally. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a software configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart of a process for leaving job information in a job log during printing. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a job log. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a top menu screen for diagnosing a problem with a job. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying candidate jobs for a printing problem. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart of a process for displaying candidate jobs for a printing problem. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a candidate job extraction table for printing troubles. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a diagnostic process for a selected job in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a list of solutions to printing problems. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying candidate solutions and details of a selected solution in the first embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing a diagnostic process for a selected job in the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying candidate solutions and details of a selected solution in the second embodiment. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart showing a diagnostic process for a selected job in the third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a job history. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a list of solutions to printing problems. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying candidate solutions and details of a selected solution in the third embodiment. [Figure 18] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a screen transition in which a problem is selected after a job is selected and a solution is displayed according to the third embodiment. [Figure 19] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating an example of a screen transition that displays a solution after a job is selected in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] First Embodiment The first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The first embodiment will be exemplified by an image forming apparatus that narrows down potential solutions to printing problems based on job log information of a job selected by a user, and displays only potentially relevant solutions, while not displaying irrelevant solutions.

[0014] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a printing system in this embodiment. In this system, a host computer 101 and an image forming apparatus 100 are connected via a LAN 102. A user generates print data on the host computer 101 and sends the data from the host computer 101 to the image forming apparatus 100 via the LAN 102. The image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment may be either an MFP (Multi Function Printer) or an SFP (Single Function Printer). A printer with multiple functions such as faxing, copying, printing, and scanning is called an MFP, and a printer with only a print function is called an SFP.

[0015] <Hardware configuration of image forming devices> An example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The CPU 110 is the central control unit of the image forming apparatus 100, which controls all devices connected to a system bus 117. The RAM 111 is a storage device accessible by the CPU 101 and, in this embodiment, is used as a work memory for the CPU 101. The ROM 112 stores programs, which the CPU 110 loads into the RAM 111 and executes to operate the software modules shown in FIG. 2 (described later). The storage unit 113 is, for example, a hard disk drive, and stores system software for various processes and acquired print data. The operation unit I / F 114 is an interface unit for the operation unit 115, which has a display unit for displaying various menus and information related to print data instructed to be printed, and outputs operation screen data to the operation unit 115. The operation unit I / F 114 also transmits information input by a user via the operation unit 115 to the CPU 110. The network I / F 116 is an interface for communicating information with an external device (e.g., the host computer 101) via the LAN 102. In this embodiment, it is assumed that PDL (Page Description Language) data is received as print data from the external device. The printer 118 is a print engine that prints on a recording medium (such as paper) in accordance with the PDL data interpreted by the CPU 110.

[0016] The image forming apparatus 100 may be configured to include a reading device, and may be an apparatus having a so-called SEND function that reads an original document using the reading device, converts the read original document into data, and transmits the data to an external device.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the image forming apparatus 100. The image forming apparatus 100 has software modules 201, 202, and 203 shown in FIG. 2. As described above, these software modules operate when the CPU 110 executes a program loaded from the ROM 112 onto the RAM 111. The data acquisition unit 201 receives PDL data. The data processing unit 202 interprets the received PDL data and executes printing processing. The data processing unit 202 also records information about the PDL data and the print results in a job log. The trouble diagnosis unit 203 narrows down the possible solutions to the trouble based on the diagnosis content and the job log, and displays the possible solutions on the operation unit 115. The operation unit 115 also displays the solution based on the selected possible solution.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by CPU 110, from obtaining PDL data to executing print processing and saving a job log.

[0019] In the CPU 110, in S301, the data acquisition unit 201 communicates with, for example, an external device and receives PDL data via the network I / F 104. Alternatively, the PDL data may be acquired from the storage unit 113 of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0020] In S302, the data acquisition unit 201 acquires print information. The print information is information related to the acquired PDL data, such as information required for printing the PDL data or information to be recorded in a job log. For example, the print information includes information about the OS, driver, and application used to create the PDL data, driver setting information such as paper size, paper type, and page layout, and device setting information such as halftones and thickness adjustments stored in the storage unit 113 of the image forming apparatus 100. The process of acquiring print information is conventional technology, and details are omitted here. The print information is acquired by analyzing the PDL data and acquiring print settings assigned to the PDL data. Alternatively, the print settings are acquired from the storage unit 113 of the image forming apparatus 100. The OS and application information used to create the PDL data can be acquired from the PDL data by being assigned to the PDL data, or acquired separately from the PDL data via the network I / F 104. In the CPU 110, the data processing unit 202 executes print processing in S303.

[0021] When printing PDL data stored in storage unit 113 of image forming apparatus 100, the printing is started by the user pressing a print execution button on operation unit 115. Specifically, information about PDL jobs stored in storage unit 113 is displayed on operation unit 115 (third display means), and the user selects the PDL job they wish to print and instructs printing to be executed.

[0022] In the printing process, the acquired PDL data is first analyzed and intermediate data is generated for the number of pages. Next, RIP (Raster Image Processor) processing is performed based on the generated intermediate data, and image formation processing is performed to convert it into a raster format image. After that, the CPU 110 performs image processing on the raster format image, and the printer 118 prints the processed rasterized image on a recording medium.

[0023] In the CPU 110, the data processing unit 202 executes a job log saving process in S304. In the job log saving process, information related to the PDL data for which printing processing has been executed is left as a job log in the storage unit 113. The data processing unit 202 creates a job log DB (database) in the storage unit 113 and saves the created job log together with past job logs in the job log DB. An example of the job log DB and job log is shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, 400 indicates the job log DB, and 401 indicates an example of a job log. The job log stores information obtained before the start of printing processing, the printed results, etc. Specific items in the job log 401 are shown below.

[0024] The job ID is a unique value that identifies the job.

[0025] The start time is the time when the printing process started.

[0026] The end time is the time when the printing process is completed.

[0027] The print result is a value that indicates the result of the printing process, and is OK if the process ended normally, and NG if the process ended abnormally.

[0028] The completion code is an identification number used to check the error message if the print result is NG. If the print result is OK, it will be "-".

[0029] The job type indicates the type of job, such as fax, copy, print, or scan.

[0030] The job name indicates the name of the printed file.

[0031] The user name indicates the name of the user who executed the printing.

[0032] The OS indicates the OS (Operating System) of the terminal on which the user executed printing, such as Windows or macOS (registered trademark).

[0033] The PDL type indicates the type of PDL data, such as LIPSLX, PCLXL, or PDF.

[0034] The driver name indicates the driver name used for printing. If no driver is used for direct printing, "--" is displayed.

[0035] The driver model indicates the model applied to the driver used for printing.

[0036] The application indicates the name of the application that executed the printing.

[0037] The paper size indicates the paper size such as A4, B4, postcard, etc.

[0038] The paper type indicates the paper type such as plain paper, thick paper, envelope, etc.

[0039] The number of copies indicates how many copies of the same content are to be printed.

[0040] The number of pages indicates the number of pages of the PDL data.

[0041] The page layout indicates settings such as aggregate printing.

[0042] The print orientation indicates whether portrait or landscape is selected.

[0043] The printing method indicates the setting of single-sided or double-sided printing.

[0044] The color mode indicates color, black and white, and automatic color settings.

[0045] Thickness adjustment refers to the setting to make characters, lines, graphics, etc. thicker.

[0046] The items recorded in the job log introduced here are merely examples and are not limited to these. The job log DB 400 stores the job log for each job and is used to display the job history, diagnose printing problems, etc.

[0047] Here, the diagnostic means provided in the information processing device will be described below.

[0048] By looking at the results of the job performed by the information processing device, the user diagnoses whether there is any problem with the information processing device. Here, the information processing device of this embodiment has a diagnostic means, and the diagnostic means performs a diagnosis according to the job performed by the information processing device. This makes it possible to provide more accurate diagnostic results to the user.

[0049] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a top menu for performing a diagnosis by the diagnostic means. Diagnostic menu 500 displays diagnostic contents for selecting diagnostic contents. Diagnostic menu 500 displays a diagnostic menu button for each function and symptom of a malfunction, which are diagnostic contents.

[0050] Here, as an example, the candidate job display when the menu "Edge cut" 501 of the "Print" function is pressed will be described with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 8. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of candidate job display processing performed by CPU 110.

[0051] In the CPU 110, in step S701, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 displays the diagnosis menu 500 shown in FIG.

[0052] In S702, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 acquires the candidate job extraction table 800 of Fig. 8. The trouble diagnosis unit 203 receives a press of the menu button for "Edges are cut off" 501, which is one of the diagnosis contents (first receiving means). Then, in S703, the candidate job extraction conditions for "Edges are cut off" 801 are acquired from the candidate job extraction table 800. The candidate job extraction conditions for "Edges are cut off" 801 are jobs whose job type value matches "print".

[0053] In S704, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether a job log exists in the job log DB. If one or more job logs exist (YES in S704), the process proceeds to S705. If no job logs exist (NO in S704), there are no candidate jobs to display, so the process ends.

[0054] In S705, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 acquires one job log from the job log DB 400. In S706, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether the acquired job log matches all of the extraction conditions. If all of the extraction conditions are matched (YES in S706), the process proceeds to S707. If not (NO in S706), the process proceeds to S708.

[0055] In step S707, if all the extraction conditions are met, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 adds the job as a candidate job. For example, the extraction condition for the candidate job "edge cut" 801 is a job whose job type value matches "print," and the job log 401 matches the condition, so it is extracted as a candidate job.

[0056] In S708, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether there are any job logs in the job log DB that have not been compared with the extraction conditions. If there are any job logs that have not been compared (YES in S708), the process returns to S705 to acquire a new job log, and the processes of S706 and S707 are repeated. If there are no job logs that have not been compared (NO in S708), the process proceeds to S709.

[0057] In S709, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether there is a candidate job that meets the conditions. If there is a candidate job (YES in S709), the process proceeds to S710, where the candidate job is displayed (first display means) in the candidate job display section (600) shown in FIG. 6 in the operation unit 115. The first display means displays predetermined job information so that the user can distinguish the candidate job from other candidate jobs. If there is no candidate job (NO in S709), there is no candidate job to display, so the first display means does not display any candidate jobs to display, and the process ends.

[0058] Here, the example shows the extraction of candidate jobs for the problem "Edges are cut off" 801, but the extraction method is the same when other problems are selected. For example, when the problem "Number of copies not printed" 802 is selected, extraction is performed according to the conditions in 802. All jobs whose job type value is "print" and whose number of copies value matches "1" are obtained from the job log DB 400 and displayed.

[0059] In this way, candidate jobs are extracted according to the conditions in the candidate job extraction table 800 in Fig. 8. However, although a method of extraction using conditions linked to troubles has been shown, candidate jobs may also be extracted in combination with conditions that are not linked to troubles (for example, extracting the most recent 50 jobs, extracting from jobs of the logged-in user, etc.). Furthermore, the conditions linked to troubles are not limited to this.

[0060] The display of solutions when a problem is diagnosed will be described using FIGS. 9 to 11, taking as an example the case where the diagnosis content of "edge cut" 501 and job 601 are selected.

[0061] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow in which the CPU 110 narrows down candidate solutions to a problem based on the selected diagnosis content and job information in the trouble diagnosis section 203.

[0062] In the CPU 110, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 receives the selection of "edge cut" 501 (first reception means), and further receives the pressing of the diagnosis button of the job 601 (second reception means). Then, in S901, the diagnosis content is acquired. Here, the trouble of "edge cut" is acquired as the diagnosis content.

[0063] Next, in step S902, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 acquires the job log corresponding to the selected job information. In this example, the job log 401 corresponding to the job 601 is acquired.

[0064] In S903, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 acquires the solution list 1000 of Fig. 10. In S904, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 acquires one solution candidate from the solution list 1000, and in S905 acquires extraction conditions for determining whether to extract it as a solution candidate.

[0065] In S906, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether the acquired job log 401 matches all of the extraction conditions. If all match (YES in S906), the trouble diagnosis unit 203 proceeds to S907, adds the corresponding solution candidate to a display list, and proceeds to S908. If any of the conditions do not match (NO in S906), the trouble diagnosis unit 203 proceeds to S908.

[0066] In S908, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether there are any other uncompared candidate solutions. If there are any uncompared candidate solutions (YES in S908), the process returns to S904 to acquire a new candidate solution, and repeats the processes from S905 to S907. If there are no uncompared candidate solutions (NO in S908), the process proceeds to S909.

[0067] For the problem "edges are cut off," 1001 to 1003 in solution list 1000 correspond to possible solutions. Job log 401 is compared with each of the extraction conditions 1001 to 1003. The extraction condition for "(Application: Acrobat) Change page size processing" 1001 is application = "Acrobat." In job log 401, the condition is met when application = "Acrobat," so the possible solutions are added to the display list. The condition for "(Windows) Edges of printed results are cut off" 1002 is driver ≠ "-" and OS = Windows. In job log 401, the condition is met when driver = "LIPSLX Printer Driver" and OS = "Windows," so the possible solutions are added to the display list. The condition for "(macOS) Edges of printed results are cut off" 1003 is driver ≠ "-" and OS = macOS. In job log 401, there are mismatched conditions: Driver = "LIPSLX Printer Driver" and OS = "Windows", so the solution candidates are not added to the display list. Ultimately, solution candidates 1001 and 1002 are added to the display list.

[0068] In S909, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether there are any candidate solutions in the display list. If there are candidate solutions (YES in S909), the process proceeds to S910.

[0069] In S910, the diagnostic result obtained by the diagnostic unit is displayed (second display unit). The second display unit displays candidate solutions as the diagnostic result in a candidate display area (1100) shown in FIG. 11 in the operation unit 115. Here, as an example, two candidate solutions are displayed by the second display unit. When detecting the pressing of the menu button for "(Windows) Edges of printed results are clipped" 1002, in S911 the trouble diagnosis unit 203 displays detailed information about the selected solution in the solution details display area (1101). Specifically, the display character string for "(Windows) Edges of printed results are clipped" 1002 in FIG. 10 and an image obtained by converting the manual URL into a QR code (registered trademark) are displayed. The displayed content is merely an example and is not limited to this.

[0070] Here, an example is shown in which potential solutions are extracted when the "Edge cut" problem and job 601 are selected. However, the method for extracting potential solutions is similar when a combination of other problems and other jobs is selected. For example, when the "Staple (staple) / No staples / No holes punched" problem and job 601 are selected, potential solutions 1004 to 1006 corresponding to "Staple (staple) / No staples / No holes punched" are compared and extracted. This is compared with the information in the job log 401 corresponding to job 601, and finally, potential solution 1005 is added to the display list and displayed (second display means). In this way, when the "Staple (staple) / No staples / No holes punched" problem is selected, potential solutions for "Staple (staple) / No staples / No holes punched" and the selected job are displayed. Of course, this is not limited to this, and if the job used by the diagnostic means for diagnosis is a SEND job, potential solutions for the SEND job are displayed.

[0071] As described above, in this embodiment, the candidates for how to deal with printing problems are narrowed down according to the job log information of the job selected by the user, and only the candidates that may be relevant are displayed, and irrelevant candidates are not displayed.

[0072] Until now, users have had to spend a lot of time searching for the appropriate solution to a printing problem from the multiple solutions available, or they may not be able to solve the problem on their own.However, this will enable users to more quickly find the appropriate solution to a printing problem.

[0073] Second Embodiment The second embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, candidate solutions are prioritized, with solutions that are likely to be relevant being displayed at the top and irrelevant solutions being displayed at the bottom. The configuration of the image forming apparatus in the second embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Only the differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

[0074] In the second embodiment, the process performed by the CPU 110 in the trouble diagnosis unit 203 to prioritize candidate solutions to a problem and change the display order of the candidate solutions based on the selected diagnostic content and job will be described using the flowchart in Fig. 12. As an example, the display of solutions when the diagnostic content (first reception means) of "Edges are cut off" 501 of the "Print" function and the job 601 are selected (second reception means) and a trouble diagnosis is performed will be described.

[0075] In the CPU 110, when the trouble diagnosis unit 203 detects that the diagnosis button for the job 601 is pressed after the trouble "edge cut" 501 is selected, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 first acquires the diagnosis content in step S1201. Here, the trouble "edge cut" is acquired as the diagnosis content.

[0076] Next, in step S1202, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 acquires the job log corresponding to the selected job. In this example, the job log 401 corresponding to the job 601 is acquired.

[0077] In S1203, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 acquires the solution list 1000 of Fig. 10. In S1204, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 acquires one solution candidate from the solution list 1000, and in S1205 acquires one extraction condition for determining whether to extract it as a solution candidate.

[0078] In S1206, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether the acquired job log 401 matches the extraction conditions. If it matches (YES in S1206), the trouble diagnosis unit 203 proceeds to S1207, where it raises the priority of the corresponding candidate solution, and then proceeds to S1209. If it does not match (NO in S1206), the trouble diagnosis unit 203 proceeds to S1208, where it lowers the priority of the corresponding candidate solution, and then proceeds to S1209.

[0079] In S1209, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether there are other extraction conditions. If there are other extraction conditions (YES in S1209), the process returns to S1205 to acquire new extraction conditions, and the processes from S1206 to S1208 are repeated. If there are no other extraction conditions (NO in S1209), the process proceeds to S1210.

[0080] In S1210, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether there are any other candidate solutions that have not been compared. If there are any candidate solutions that have not been compared (YES in S1210), the process returns to S1204 to acquire a new candidate solution, and repeats the processes from S1205 to S1209. If there are no candidate solutions that have not been compared (NO in S1210), the process proceeds to S1211.

[0081] In the case of the problem "edges are cut off," 1001 to 1003 in solution list 1000 are candidate solutions. Job log 401 compares each of the extraction conditions 1001 to 1003 and prioritizes them. Here, as an example of a method of prioritizing, we will introduce a method of scoring candidate solutions. One point is added for each condition that is met, and two points are subtracted for each condition that is not met. "(Application: Acrobat) Change page size processing" 1001 has the condition that the application = "Acrobat." In job log 401, the condition is met when the application = "Acrobat," so the score for 1001 is 1 point. "(Windows) Edges of printouts are cut off" 1002 has two conditions: driver ≠ "-" and OS = Windows. In job log 401, the condition is met when Driver = "LIPSLX Printer Driver" and when OS = "Windows", so 1002 receives a score of 2 points. "(macOS) Edges of printouts are missing" 1003 has two conditions: Driver ≠ "-" and OS = macOS. In job log 401, Driver = "LIPSLX Printer Driver" receives 1 point because it meets the condition, and OS = "Windows" does not meet the condition so 2 points are subtracted, resulting in a score of minus 1 point for 1003. Finally, the potential solutions are assigned points and prioritized, with 1001 receiving 1 point, 1002 receiving 2 points, and 1003 receiving minus 1 point.

[0082] In S1211, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 displays the prioritized solution candidates in the candidate display area (1300) shown in FIG. 13 in the operation unit 115 in descending order of score (second display means). Here, the solution candidates are displayed in the order of 1002, 1001, and 1003. When detecting a press of the menu button for "(Windows) Edges of printed results are missing" 1002, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 displays detailed information about the selected solution in the solution details display area (1301) in S1212. Specifically, the display character string for "(Windows) Edges of printed results are missing" 1002 in FIG. 10 and an image obtained by converting the manual URL into a QR code are displayed. The displayed content is merely an example and is not limited to this. The prioritization method is also merely an example and is not limited to this. For example, other methods may be used, such as weighting conditions and assigning the highest priority to applications that match. When displaying candidate solutions with the same percentage, the display order may be determined by weighting the solutions themselves, or by displaying them in the order they are found in the list. Lower-ranked candidates may be grayed out to indicate that they are less relevant, or another method may be used.

[0083] As described above, in this embodiment, candidate solutions for dealing with printing problems are displayed in accordance with the job log information of the job selected by the user, with solutions that are likely to be relevant being displayed at the top and irrelevant solutions being displayed at the bottom.

[0084] Until now, users have had to spend a lot of time searching for the right solution to a printing problem from among the multiple solutions available, and they may not be able to find a solution on their own, but with this feature, users can find the right solution for printing problems more quickly.In addition, if the most likely solutions do not solve the problem, they can try unrelated solutions.

[0085] Third Embodiment The third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the third embodiment, an image forming apparatus is exemplified that performs trouble diagnosis based on a job selected from the job history without selecting diagnostic content. Potential solutions are narrowed down according to the job log information of the selected job, and only potentially relevant candidates are displayed, while irrelevant candidates are not displayed. The configuration of the image forming apparatus of the third embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Only the differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

[0086] In the third embodiment, the process performed by the CPU 110 in the trouble diagnosis unit 203 to narrow down candidate solutions according to the job log information of the selected job and display only those candidates that may be relevant will be described using the flowchart in Fig. 14. Fig. 15 shows an example of a job history screen, and describes the display of solutions when job 1501 is selected (reception means) from job history 1500 (first display means) and diagnosed without selecting a problem. In the third embodiment, the first display means is used as a display means for displaying job information.

[0087] When the trouble diagnosis unit 203 in the CPU 110 detects (receives) that the diagnosis button for job 1501 has been pressed from the job history 1500, it first acquires the job log corresponding to the job selected in S1401. Here, the job log 401 corresponding to job 1501 is acquired.

[0088] Next, in S1402, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 acquires the solution list 1600 of Fig. 16. In S1403, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 acquires one solution candidate from the solution list 1600, and in S1404 acquires extraction conditions for determining whether to extract it as a solution candidate.

[0089] In S1405, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether the acquired job log 401 matches all of the extraction conditions. If all match (YES in S1405), the trouble diagnosis unit 203 proceeds to S1406, adds the corresponding solution candidate to a display list, and proceeds to S1407. If any of the conditions do not match (NO in S1405), the trouble diagnosis unit 203 proceeds to S1407.

[0090] In S1407, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether there are any other candidate solutions that have not been compared. If there are any candidate solutions that have not been compared (YES in S1407), the process returns to S1403 to acquire a new candidate solution, and repeats the processes from S1404 to S1406. If there are no candidate solutions that have not been compared (NO in S1407), the process proceeds to S1408.

[0091] Since only job 1501 is selected from job history 1500 and diagnosis is performed without selecting any diagnosis content, all solutions in solution list 1600 are subject to condition comparison, and the job log 401 is compared with the extraction conditions of all solutions to narrow down the solution candidates. Here, an example is explained in which each of the extraction conditions 1606 to 1608 is compared with an excerpt. The extraction condition for "(Application: Acrobat) Change page size processing" 1606 is application = "Acrobat." In job log 401, the condition is met when application = "Acrobat," so the solution candidate is added to the display list. The condition for "(Windows) Edges of printouts are missing" 1607 is driver ≠ "-" and OS = Windows. In job log 401, the condition is met when driver = "LIPSLX Printer Driver" and OS = "Windows," so the solution candidate is added to the display list. The condition for "(macOS) Edges of the print result are missing" 1608 is that Driver ≠ "-" and OS = macOS. In job log 401, there is a mismatched condition where Driver = "LIPSLX Printer Driver" and OS = "Windows", so the solution candidate is not added to the display list. Similarly, comparison is made with the extraction conditions for all solutions from 1601 to 1619, and ultimately solution candidates 1601, 1602, 1604, 1606, 1607, 1614, 1615, 1616, and 1618 are added to the display list.

[0092] In S1408, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 checks whether there are any candidate solutions in the display list. If there are candidate solutions (YES in S1408), in S1409, the candidate solutions are displayed in the candidate display area (1700) of the operation unit 115 shown in FIG. 17. Here, 1601, 1602, 1604, 1606, 1607, 1614, 1615, 1616, and 1618 are displayed as candidate solutions. If the solutions do not all fit on the screen, only a portion is displayed, and other candidates can be confirmed by scrolling. While scrolling is shown as an example of a case where the solutions do not all fit on the screen, the display may be performed by switching pages, and this is not the only option. When the menu button "(Windows) Edges of the print result are cut off" 1607 is detected as being pressed, the trouble diagnosis unit 203 displays detailed information about the selected solution in the solution details display area (1701) in S1410. Specifically, the displayed text "(Windows) The edges of the printout are missing" 1607 in Figure 16 and an image of the manual URL converted into a QR code are displayed. The displayed content is merely an example and is not limited to this.

[0093] Here, an example is shown in which countermeasure candidates are extracted when job 1501 is selected, but the method for extracting countermeasure candidates is the same when other jobs are selected.

[0094] In addition, when job 1501 is selected, candidate solutions are extracted by comparing all solutions in solution list 1600. However, this is merely an example and is not limiting. For example, when job 1501 is selected, a reverse lookup may first be performed in candidate job extraction table 800 to extract related diagnostic content, and then only solutions for related problems may be compared from solution list 1600. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 18, after selecting job 1501, a menu 1800 for problems related to the job may be displayed, and the user may select the problem 1801 to be diagnosed and the solutions may be displayed. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 19, after selecting job 1501, related problems and their corresponding solutions may be displayed on a single screen. Here, an example is shown in which solutions 1606 and 1607 for problem 1901 and solution 1614 for problem 1902 are displayed.

[0095] The example given is a method of narrowing down the candidate solutions without selecting diagnostic content based on a job selected from the job history, but instead of narrowing down the candidate solutions, it is also possible to prioritize the candidate solutions and change the display order.

[0096] <Other embodiments> It may be a control program that can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. It may also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It may also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 100 Image forming device 110 CPU 111 RAM 112 ROM 113 Storage device 115 Operation section 118 Printer

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for executing a job, a diagnostic means for diagnosing the information processing device; a first receiving means for receiving a selection of diagnostic content to be diagnosed by the diagnostic means; a first display means for displaying one or more pieces of job information; a second receiving means for receiving one or more pieces of job information from the displayed job information; the diagnostic unit diagnoses the information processing device using the diagnostic content received by the first reception unit and the job information received by the second reception unit; a second display means for displaying a diagnosis result obtained by the diagnosis means; An information processing device comprising:

2. an operation unit having a display unit, the first display means displays the job information on the display unit; The second display means displays the diagnosis result on the display unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The information processing device can communicate with an external device, a printing device for printing; a receiving unit for receiving a job to be printed by the printing device from an external device; a third display unit that displays information about the job received by the receiving unit on the display unit; an execution unit that executes a job in response to an instruction to execute a job of the selected information when the information to be displayed by the third display unit is selected in the operation unit; 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

4. The information processing device can communicate with an external device, a printing device for printing; a reading device for reading an image; a printing means for forming and printing an image on paper by the printing device; a transmitting means for transmitting the data read by the reading device to an external device; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

5. If the job is a job to be performed by the printing means, the diagnostic means diagnoses the information processing apparatus using information about the printing means.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

6. If the job is a job by the transmission means, the diagnosis means diagnoses the information processing apparatus using information about the transmission means.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

7. the second display means displays the diagnostic result related to the diagnostic content accepted by the first accepting means.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

8. the second display means displays only the diagnostic results related to the diagnostic content accepted by the first accepting means, among the diagnostic results that the second display means can display; 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

9. the second display means displays the diagnostic result related to the job information accepted by the second accepting means.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

10. the second display means displays only the diagnostic results related to the job information accepted by the second accepting means, among the diagnostic results that the second display means can display; 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9,

11. the second display means displays the diagnostic result related to the diagnostic content accepted by the first accepting means and the job information accepted by the second accepting means.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

12. the second display means displays only the diagnostic results related to the diagnostic content accepted by the first accepting means and the job information accepted by the second accepting means, among the diagnostic results that can be displayed by the second display means; 12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11,

13. the first display means displays one or more pieces of job information after the selection of the diagnostic content; the diagnostic means selects one or more pieces of job information from the displayed job information and diagnoses the information processing device.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

14. The second display means displays a QR code.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

15. An information processing apparatus for executing a job, a diagnostic means for diagnosing the information processing device; a first display means for displaying one or more pieces of job information; a receiving unit for receiving one or more pieces of job information from the displayed job information; the diagnosis unit diagnoses the information processing device using at least the job information received by the reception unit; a second display means for displaying a diagnosis result obtained by the diagnosis means; An information processing device comprising:

16. an operation unit having a display unit, the first display means displays the job information on the display unit; The second display means displays the diagnosis result on the display unit.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15,

17. The information processing device can communicate with an external device, a printing device for printing; a receiving unit for receiving a job to be printed by the printing device from an external device; a second display unit that displays information about the job received by the receiving unit on the display unit; an execution unit that executes a job in response to an instruction to execute the job of the selected information when the information to be displayed by the second display unit is selected in the operation unit; 17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

18. The information processing device can communicate with an external device, a printing device for printing; a reading device for reading an image; a printing means for forming and printing an image on paper by the printing device; a transmitting means for transmitting the data read by the reading device to an external device; 16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

19. If the job is a job to be performed by the printing means, the diagnostic means diagnoses the information processing apparatus using information about the printing means.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 18,

20. If the job is a job by the transmission means, the diagnosis means diagnoses the information processing apparatus using information about the transmission means.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 18,

21. A control program that can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, the control program being executed by a computer to cause an information processing apparatus to execute a job, a diagnostic means for diagnosing the information processing device; a first receiving means for receiving a selection of diagnostic content to be diagnosed by the diagnostic means; a first display means for displaying one or more pieces of job information; a second receiving means for receiving one or more pieces of job information from the displayed job information; the diagnostic unit diagnoses the information processing device using the diagnostic content received by the first reception unit and the job information received by the second reception unit; a second display means for displaying a diagnosis result obtained by the diagnosis means; A control program that causes the information processing device to function as an information processing device having the above-mentioned program.

22. A control program storable in a computer-readable storage medium, comprising: a diagnostic step of diagnosing the information processing device; a first receiving step of receiving a selection of diagnostic content to be diagnosed by the diagnostic step; a first display step of displaying one or more pieces of job information; a second receiving step of receiving one or more pieces of job information from the displayed job information; the diagnosing step diagnoses the information processing device using the diagnosis content received by the first receiving step and the job information received by the second receiving step; a second display step of displaying a diagnosis result obtained by the diagnosis step; A control program that causes a computer to execute the above.

23. A control program that can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, the control program being executed by a computer to cause an information processing apparatus to execute a job, a diagnostic means for diagnosing the information processing device; a first display means for displaying one or more pieces of job information; a receiving unit for receiving one or more pieces of job information from the displayed job information; the diagnosis unit diagnoses the information processing device using at least the job information received by the reception unit; a second display means for displaying a diagnosis result obtained by the diagnosis means; A control program that causes the information processing device to function as an information processing device having the above-mentioned program.

24. A control program storable in a computer-readable storage medium, comprising: a diagnostic step of diagnosing the information processing device; a first display step of displaying one or more pieces of job information; a receiving step of receiving one or more pieces of job information from the displayed job information; the diagnosing step diagnoses the information processing device using at least the job information received by the receiving step; a second display step of displaying a diagnosis result obtained by the diagnosis step; A control program for causing a computer to execute the

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