Image processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image processing apparatus capable of reducing the necessity of monitoring various statuses by a manager or the like.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus includes a status detection unit 20, a storage unit 28, a communication unit 24, a notification rule determination unit 33, a message creation unit 34, and a notification control unit 35. The status detection unit 20 detects various statuses S of the own apparatus. The storage unit 28 stores each notification rule AR in association with a to-be-notified item SN that needs to be notified among various statuses S and one or more notification destinations R. The communication unit 24 communicates with an external device. The notification rule determination unit 33 determines whether or not any of the notification rules AR is satisfied. The message creation unit 34 creates the message M including the to-be-notified item SN for each of the notification destinations R stored in association with the notification rule AR determined to be satisfied. The notification controller 35 transmits the created message M to the notification destination R via the communicator 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0129998 discloses a computer-implemented system and method for notifying users of the occurrence of an event. Embodiments further include notifying selected users upon the occurrence of a particular event in a session using various notification methods. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 9,173,009 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 does not relate to a device that requires monitoring of various internal statuses, nor does it treat changes in various internal statuses of a device as events.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus that can reduce the need for an administrator or the like to monitor various statuses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The image processing device of the present invention includes a status detection unit, a storage unit, a communication unit, a notification rule determination unit, a message creation unit, and a notification control unit. The status detection unit detects various statuses of the device itself. The storage unit stores, for each notification rule, notification items that require notification among the various statuses and one or more notification destinations in association with each other. The communication unit communicates with an external device. The notification rule determination unit determines whether any of the notification rules is satisfied. The message creation unit creates a message including the notification items for each notification destination stored in association with the notification rule that is determined to be satisfied. The notification control unit transmits the created message to the notification destination via the communication unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the image processing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the need for an administrator or the like to monitor various statuses. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an image forming apparatus 10 including an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the overall functional configuration of an image forming system 1 including an image forming apparatus 10. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating various statuses S. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a notification rule AR. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a notification destination R. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display of the main screen of the JSAF function. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display of a setting screen for the JSAF function. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display of a log report of the JSAF function. [Figure 9A] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a message format F1 suitable for a case in which the communication medium CM is e-mail and is received exclusively by a personal computer. [Figure 9B] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a message format F2 that is suitable when the communication medium CM is an e-mail that is received mainly by a smartphone. [Figure 9C] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a message format F3 suitable for when the communication medium CM is a FAX. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart showing main processing by the image forming apparatus 10. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of use of the image forming apparatus 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals and description thereof will not be repeated.

[0010] 1. Configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 equipped with an image processing apparatus according to this embodiment First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, the configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 equipped with an image processing apparatus having a Job Status Auto Forwarding (JSAF) function will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the image forming apparatus 10 equipped with an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of an entire image forming system 1 equipped with the image forming apparatus 10. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating various statuses S. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a notification rule AR. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a notification destination R. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of a main screen for the JSAF function. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of a setting screen for the JSAF function. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of a log report for the JSAF function. Note that the image processing apparatus according to this embodiment is not limited to image forming apparatuses and can be applied to various devices.

[0011] Automatic job status forwarding is a function in which an image processing device installed in an image forming device such as a multifunction peripheral automatically forwards and notifies the administrator of the device of various job status information according to pre-set conditions or schedules. Examples of various status information include, but are not limited to, the remaining amount of each color toner, the remaining amount of paper in each paper feed cassette, and job reports. The notification destination can be flexibly set, not just to the administrator, and the administrator himself does not need to actively monitor the various status information. Below, this function is sometimes referred to as the JSAF function or JSAF service.

[0012] The image forming apparatus 10 is, for example, a copier, a printer, or a multifunction peripheral. In the following, as an example, a case will be described in which the image forming apparatus 10 is a multifunction peripheral having a printer function, a copy function, a facsimile function, and a network communication function.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 10 includes an image reading unit 11, an image forming unit 12, a status detection unit 20, an operation display unit 23, a communication unit 24, a memory unit 28, and a control unit 31.

[0014] The image reading unit 11 reads an image from a document. The image reading unit 11 has a document table 120 and a document transport unit 110. The image reading unit 11 reads an image formed on a document and generates read data. Specifically, the image reading unit 11 reads an image formed on a document transported by the document transport unit 110, or an image formed on a document placed on the document table 120. Specifically, the image reading unit 11 is composed of an automatic document feeder, a document image scanning device (scanner), etc.

[0015] The image forming unit 12 includes an image forming section 220 , a paper feed cassette 230 , a conveying section 240 , and a discharge section 270 .

[0016] The image forming unit 220 forms an image on the recording medium P. For example, the image forming unit 220 forms an image on the recording medium P based on the read data. The image forming unit 220 includes a plurality of toner containers.

[0017] The plurality of toner containers are detachably attached to the image forming apparatus 10. Each of the plurality of toner containers contains toner of a different color. The toner in the toner container is supplied to the image forming unit 220.

[0018] The image forming unit 220 includes an exposure unit, a photosensitive drum, a charging unit, a developing unit, a primary transfer roller, a cleaning unit, an intermediate transfer belt, a secondary transfer roller, and a fixing unit.

[0019] A recording medium P for printing is accommodated in paper feed cassette 230. The recording medium P is transported by transport unit 240. When printing is performed, the recording medium P in paper feed cassette 230 passes through image forming unit 220 and is discharged from discharge unit 270.

[0020] The conveying section 240 conveys the fed recording medium P to the image forming section 220. After the image forming section 220 forms an image on the recording medium P, the conveying section 240 further conveys the recording medium P from the image forming section 220 and discharges the recording medium P to the outside of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0021] The status detection unit 20 detects various statuses S of the image forming apparatus 10 (its own device). As shown in the left column of FIG. 3, the various statuses S include, but are not limited to, the remaining amount of toner (the remaining amount in the toner containers of each color) and the remaining amount of paper in each paper feed cassette 230. Since detecting the remaining amount of toner and paper is a well-known technique, a detailed description will be omitted. The various statuses S also include log reports (also referred to as job records or logs, etc.).

[0022] The operation display unit 23 is used to allow a user to operate the image forming apparatus 10. The operation display unit 23 includes a display unit 21 and an operation unit 22.

[0023] The display unit 21 has a display screen 21a. The display screen 21a displays images. The images also include text such as letters and symbols. The display unit 21 is configured with a display such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or ELD (Electro Luminescence Display) that has a touch panel function.

[0024] The operation unit 22 accepts operation input. In this embodiment, the display unit 21 and a part of the operation unit 22 may be integrated. Furthermore, the operation unit 22 of the operation display unit 23 may have a touch panel and physical buttons.

[0025] The communication unit 24 communicates with an external device 50. The external device 50 refers to a physical device that actually receives notifications from the image forming apparatus 10. Specific examples of the external device 50 include, but are not limited to, a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, and a facsimile machine. The communication unit 24 has a facsimile communication unit 25 and a network communication unit 26. Hereinafter, the facsimile communication unit 25 may be referred to as the FAX communication unit 25, and the network communication unit 26 may be referred to as the NW communication unit 26. Furthermore, facsimile may be abbreviated as FAX.

[0026] The FAX communication unit 25 transmits or receives FAX images. Specifically, the FAX communication unit 25 transmits and receives image data and the like to and from external devices 50-1, 50-2, which are facsimile devices, via a FAX communication network. The received FAX images are printed on a recording medium P by the image forming unit 12. The FAX images are also written as read data into a storage area of ​​the storage unit 28.

[0027] The NW communication unit 26 can communicate with an external device 50 equipped with a communication device that uses the same communication method (protocol). Specifically, the NW communication unit 26 communicates with other external devices 50-3, 50-4, ..., 50-N, etc., via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The NW communication unit 26 is, for example, a communication interface equipped with a communication module such as a LAN board. For example, the external device 50-3 includes a display unit 51, an operation unit 52, a storage unit 53, a communication unit 54, and a control unit 55. These configurations are known, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0028] The storage unit 28 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The storage unit 28 may include a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM). The storage unit 28 stores various data and a control program for controlling the operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 10. The control program is executed by the control unit 31. In addition, the image read by the image reading unit 11 is written as read data to a predetermined data area of ​​the storage unit 28.

[0029] The storage unit 28 stores, for each notification rule AR, a notification item SN that requires notification among the various statuses S and one or more notification destinations R in association with each other. As shown in FIG. 3, the notification item SN is an item for which "notify" (YES in the right column of FIG. 3) is selected among the various statuses S. As shown in FIG. 4, the notification rule AR indicates, for example, that a specific item among the various statuses S has reached a predetermined threshold. As shown in FIG. 5, the notification destination R includes, for example, an email address or a fax number, but is not limited to these. The notification rule AR and notification destination R will be described later.

[0030] The control unit 31 is a hardware circuit configured by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc. The control unit 31 controls the operation of each operating unit of the image forming apparatus 10 by having the processor read and execute a control program stored in the storage unit 28.

[0031] The control unit 31 includes a timekeeping unit 32, a notification rule determination unit 33, a message creation unit , a notification control unit 35, and a notification rule setting unit .

[0032] The timekeeping unit 32 has a clock function and outputs at least the current hour, minute, and second data. The timekeeping unit 32 may also have a calendar function and be able to output year, month, and day data.

[0033] Notification rule determination unit 33 determines whether any of notification rules AR is satisfied. Specifically, notification rule determination unit 33 determines whether any of notification rules AR is satisfied based on the various statuses detected by status detection unit 20 and the output of timer unit 32.

[0034] The message creating unit 34 creates a message M including a notification item SN for each notification destination R that is stored in association with the notification rule AR that has been determined to be satisfied.

[0035] The notification control unit 35 transmits the created message M to the notification destination R via the communication unit 24.

[0036] Therefore, when any of the preset notification rules AR is satisfied, a message M including a notification item SN among the various statuses S is sent to a preset notification destination R. As a result, the need for an administrator or the like to monitor the various statuses S is reduced.

[0037] The image forming device 10 is configured so that the JSAF function can be switched on and off at any time. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, the JSAF main screen is displayed on the display screen 21a. When the JSAF function is on, the color of the center button is highlighted in reverse, and "Enabled" may be displayed below the button.

[0038] The notification rule setting unit 36 ​​displays the notification rule AR, or the notification items SN or notification destinations R for each notification rule AR, on the display screen 21a, and updates, adds, or deletes the notification rule AR, or the notification items SN or notification destinations R for each notification rule AR based on the operation input received by the operation unit 22.

[0039] Therefore, it becomes possible to update, add, or delete the notification rule AR, or the notification item SN or notification destination R for each notification rule AR. As a result, the notification rule AR, notification item SN, or notification destination R can be customized as desired, improving convenience.

[0040] On the JSAF main screen shown in Figure 6, if you tap the "Settings" button on the right, the first JSAF settings screen will be displayed, as shown in Figure 7. On this first screen, you can make detailed settings for message format F (described below). If you tap the "Recipients / Sending Format" tab displayed on the left side of this first screen, you can make detailed settings for notification recipients R and communication medium CM. If you tap the "Alert Rules" tab, you can make detailed settings for notification rules AR.

[0041] If you tap the "Log Reports" button on the left side of the JSAF main screen shown in Figure 6, a log report (described below) like the one shown in Figure 8 will be displayed.

[0042] 2. Supplementary Information Regarding the Configuration of the Image Forming Apparatus 10 Next, a supplementary explanation of the configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 will be provided with reference to Figures 9A to 9C in addition to Figures 3 to 5. Figure 9A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a message format F1 that is suitable when the communication medium CM is email and is received exclusively by a personal computer. Figure 9B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a message format F2 that is suitable when the communication medium CM is email and is received exclusively by a smartphone. Figure 9C is an explanatory diagram illustrating a message format F3 that is suitable when the communication medium CM is fax.

[0043] As described above, the various statuses S include at least one of the remaining toner amount, the remaining amount of paper in each paper feed cassette, and the job report (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the notification rule AR causes a message M to be sent that includes at least one of the remaining toner amount, the remaining amount of paper in each paper feed cassette, and the job report. As a result, the need for an administrator or the like to monitor these items is reduced.

[0044] The notification rule AR includes at least one of the following: the date and time of communication, a specific item among the various statuses S reaching a predetermined threshold, or an inquiry being made. Therefore, the message M is sent according to the notification rule AR that includes at least one of the date and time of communication, a specific item among the various statuses S reaching a predetermined threshold, or an inquiry being made. As a result, the burden on the administrator, etc. is reduced.

[0045] As shown in Figure 4, the notification rule AR may be, for example, when the remaining amount of toner (black) reaches 20% or when the remaining amount of paper in the cassette (second stage) reaches 0%. The notification rule AR may also be a schedule determined by the communication date and time, such as "every Friday at 5:00 PM" or "the first day of every month." In these cases, the message M will be sent periodically according to the schedule set in the notification rule AR.

[0046] The storage unit 28 may further store a communication medium CM corresponding to the notification destination R for each notification rule AR. In this case, the notification control unit 35 transmits the message M over the communication medium CM corresponding to the notification destination R. Therefore, the message M including the notification-required item SN is transmitted over the communication medium CM corresponding to the notification destination R. As a result, the communication medium CM can be selected depending on the notification destination R, improving convenience.

[0047] The communication medium CM includes at least one of e-mail and fax. Therefore, at least one of e-mail and fax can be used as the communication medium CM. As a result, the widely used communication medium CM can be used appropriately as needed.

[0048] For example, as shown in Fig. 5, if the notification destination R is an email address, the communication medium CM is email, and if the notification destination R is a fax number, the communication medium CM is fax. Note that although it is limited to a text message with a small number of characters, it is not excluded to specify a mobile phone number as the notification destination R and select SMS (Short Message Service) as the communication medium CM.

[0049] The storage unit 28 may further associate and store the message format F for each notification destination R. In this case, the message creation unit 34 creates the message M in the message format F that is stored and associated with the notification destination R. Therefore, the message M is created in the message format F that is stored and associated with the notification destination R. As a result, the message M becomes easy to read according to the notification destination R and the communication medium CM.

[0050] For example, as shown in Figures 9A to 9C, an appropriate message format F may be assigned to each communication medium CM. If the communication medium CM is email and is expected to be received mainly on a personal computer, for example, message format F1 may be used, which is designed for a wide, horizontally long display screen, as shown in Figure 9A. If the communication medium CM is email and is expected to be received mainly on a smartphone, for example, message format F2 may be used, which is designed for a portrait-long, not very wide display screen, as shown in Figure 9B. If the communication medium CM is fax, for example, message format F3 may be used, which fits comfortably on one sheet of paper, as shown in Figure 9C. However, the message formats F are not limited to these.

[0051] 3. Main Processing of Image Forming Apparatus 10 Next, the main processing of the image forming apparatus 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the main processing of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0052] As described above, the image forming device 10 is configured so that the JSAF can be switched on and off at any time. The JSAF may be turned off in the initial state of the image forming device 10 when it is shipped from the factory. When the center button is pressed on the JSAF function main screen displayed on the display screen 21a, the following series of processes are performed.

[0053] 10, in step S1, the control unit 31 first collects JSAF setting information. Specifically, this involves collecting templates of message format F (step S1a) and automatic forwarding notification rules AR (step S1b). At this time, the control unit 31 checks all access permissions (step S1c).

[0054] In step S2, the control unit 31 turns on JSAF and starts the service. As a result, the color of the button on the JSAF main screen is highlighted in reverse, and the word "Enabled" is displayed below the button (see FIG. 6).

[0055] In step S3, the control unit 31 checks whether the user U has turned off the JSAF. If it has not been turned off, the process proceeds to the next step S4, and if it has been turned off, the process ends.

[0056] In step S4, the notification rule determination unit 33 waits for a notification trigger. That is, the notification rule determination unit 33 waits for one of the notification rules AR to be satisfied. Specifically, this may be waiting for a specific schedule time (S4a) or a specific status trigger (a specific item among the various statuses S reaching a predetermined threshold / S4b). Examples of status triggers include, but are not limited to, low toner or paper levels, and printer status. If any status trigger occurs, the process proceeds to the next step S5.

[0057] In step S5, the message creation unit 34 creates a message M in response to the trigger that has occurred in a message format F that has been created in advance.

[0058] In step S6, the notification control unit 35 attempts to send the message M by a preselected communication medium CM. Specifically, the notification control unit 35 attempts to send the message M by FAX (step S6a), email (step S6b), or other medium (step S6c).

[0059] In step S7, the notification control unit 35 checks whether the message M has been successfully transmitted. If the transmission has failed, the process proceeds to step S8, and if the transmission has been successful, the process proceeds to step S9.

[0060] In step S8, the notification control unit 35 returns to step S6 to attempt to send the message M again.

[0061] In step S9, the control unit 31 stores information relating to the successful transmission of the message M as a log in the storage unit 28, and the process returns to step S2.

[0062] In this way, the image forming apparatus 10 continues to provide the JSAF service until the user U turns off the JSAF (YES in step S3).

[0063] 4. Example of use of image forming apparatus 10 Next, a usage example of the image forming device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a usage example of the image forming device 10. This usage example shows a case where a service that provides the JSAF function has already been turned on. However, the usage example is not limited to this.

[0064] To use the JSAF service, the user U must issue an instruction to the image forming apparatus 10, but in this example, the JSAF service is already turned on (step S11).

[0065] The JSAF service collects necessary data by inquiring about the status of the job system of the image forming device 10 (step S12). The job system returns various statuses S of the image forming device 10 (step S13).

[0066] The JSAF service creates a message M based on the settings preset by the user U (step S14), and then sends the created message M to the transmission system (step S15).

[0067] The sending system sends this message M to the notification destination R (step S16). The sending system returns a result indicating whether the sending was completed successfully (step S17). If the sending was completed successfully, the sending result is recorded in a log (step S18).

[0068] The present invention can be embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or main features. While the above description focuses on the reservation of a "conference" in order to clarify the gist of the invention, similar applications are possible for the preparation time for work reservations, etc. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted as limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and is not bound by the specification. Furthermore, all modifications and variations within the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0069] The present invention can be used in an image processing device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1. Image forming system 10 Image forming device 20 Status detection unit 21 Display section 21a Display screen 22 Control section 24 Communications Department 28 Memory section 31 Control Unit 32 Timing section 33 Notification Rules Judgment Department 34 Message Creation Section 35 Notification control section 36 Notification rule setting section 50 External device

Claims

1. a status detection unit that detects various statuses of the device itself; a storage unit that stores, for each notification rule, notification items that require notification among the various statuses and one or more notification destinations in association with each other; a communication unit for communicating with an external device; a notification rule determination unit that determines whether any of the notification rules is satisfied; a message creating unit that creates a message including the notification item for each of the notification destinations that are stored in association with the notification rule that has been determined to be satisfied; a notification control unit that transmits the created message to the notification destination via the communication unit; An image processing device comprising:

2. a display unit having a display screen; an operation unit that accepts operation input; a notification rule setting unit that displays the notification rules, or the notification items or notification destinations for each of the notification rules, on the display screen, and updates, adds, or deletes the notification rules, or the notification items or notification destinations for each of the notification rules, based on the operation input received by the operation unit; The image processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. The storage unit further stores a communication medium corresponding to the notification destination for each notification rule, The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the notification control unit transmits the message via the communication medium corresponding to the notification destination.

4. The image processing device according to claim 3 , wherein the communication medium includes at least one of an email and a facsimile.

5. The storage unit further associates a message format with each notification destination and stores the message format; The image processing device according to claim 4 , wherein the message creation unit creates the message in the message format that is stored in association with the notification destination.

6. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the various statuses include at least one of a remaining amount of toner, a remaining amount of paper in each paper feed cassette, and a job report.

7. 3. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the notification rule includes at least one of the date of communication, the time of communication, a specific item among the various statuses reaching a predetermined threshold, or an inquiry being made.

Images