Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program capable of preventing extension of a time (downtime) during which an image forming apparatus cannot execute a print job.SOLUTION: A maintenance management system according to the present invention includes: a specifying unit configured to specify a person who performs maintenance of a device based on failure sign information of the device, schedule information of the device, and user schedule information; a recording unit configured to record, for each type of the maintenance, performance information including a past list of the persons who have performed the maintenance, a total execution time of each of the past persons who have performed the maintenance, a number of times of execution of each of the past persons who have performed the maintenance, and an average execution time of each of the past persons who have performed the maintenance; and a display control unit configured to display a list of the skilled persons and contact information necessary for inquiry on a user interface when the person who has not been a skilled person having a skill level equal to or higher than a predetermined value is specified by the specifying unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology has been developed that automatically plans maintenance work to resolve or prevent a failure during free time in the usage schedule of an image forming apparatus when a failure occurs or a sign of failure is detected in a device such as an image forming apparatus. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that detects signs of failure from the usage history of an image forming apparatus and performs maintenance during free time in the schedule with the aim of preventing failures in the image forming apparatus. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] However, with the above-described technology, when a user is performing scheduled maintenance on an image forming apparatus, an error may suddenly occur, and the user may not know the cause or how to deal with it, requiring the user to inquire with other users who do know the cause and how to deal with it. In this case, if no user knows information such as "which users have performed that maintenance in the past" or "who are users with experience, knowledge, or expertise in that maintenance," it may be necessary to inquire with an administrator or the entire group to obtain that information, which is time-consuming and laborious.

[0004] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can prevent an extension of the time (downtime) during which an image forming device cannot execute print jobs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention comprises a designation means for designating a person to perform maintenance on a device based on device failure prediction information, schedule information for the device, and schedule information for the user; a recording means for recording performance information for each type of maintenance, including the person who performed the maintenance in the past, the total performance time for each person who performed the maintenance in the past, the number of times each person performed the maintenance in the past, and the average performance time for each person who performed the maintenance in the past; a calculation means for calculating the proficiency level of each person for each type based on the performance information; and a display control means for, when the designation means designates a person who is not an expert whose proficiency level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, displaying a list of the experts and contact information required for inquiries on a UI. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent an extension of the downtime during which the image forming apparatus cannot execute a print job. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system including an information processing device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus and the information processing apparatus included in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing from when maintenance occurs to when expert information is displayed in the information processing system according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a performance table stored in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen displayed in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen displayed in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen displayed in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0009] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system including an information processing device according to the present embodiment. The information processing system according to the present embodiment includes, for example, an information processing device 1, an image forming device 2, and terminal devices 3 that are used individually by multiple users.

[0010] The information processing device 1 can receive notification of information on detected failures and signs of failure of the image forming device 2 from the image forming device 2. The information processing device 1 is also connected to a terminal device 3 so that they can communicate with each other. In the configuration of the information system according to this embodiment, the functions of the information processing device 1 may be included as part of the image forming device 2.

[0011] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus and an information processing apparatus included in an information processing system according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the terminal device 3 includes a communication unit 301 and a UI operation unit 302, as shown in Fig. 2. The communication unit 301 controls communication with the information processing apparatus 1. The UI operation unit 302 is a display unit that displays various information.

[0012] In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 2 has a failure sign detection unit 201 and a notification transmission unit 203, as shown in Fig. 2. The failure sign detection unit 201 detects a failure or a sign of a failure in the image forming apparatus 2 (an example of a device). The notification transmission unit 203 transmits the detection result of the failure or a sign of a failure by the failure sign detection unit 201 (hereinafter also referred to as failure sign information) to the information processing apparatus 1. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the device is an image forming apparatus 2 such as a copier or printer, but the device may be a device other than an image forming apparatus as long as it is a device that requires maintenance.

[0013] In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 has a UI operation unit 101, a communication unit 102, a schedule management unit 103, a notification receiving unit 104, a proficiency calculation unit 105, an actual performance information storage unit 106, and a user information storage unit 107, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0014] The notification receiving unit 104 receives from the image forming apparatus 2 the detection result of a failure or a failure sign of a device such as the image forming apparatus 2 (failure sign information).

[0015] The schedule management unit 103 manages schedule information such as schedule information for the image forming device 2 (for example, the time when a task or maintenance is to be performed on the image forming device 2) and user schedule information (for example, the person who will perform the task or maintenance). Furthermore, when the notification receiving unit 104 receives failure symptom information, the schedule management unit 103 starts planning maintenance and determines the person who will perform the maintenance of the image forming device 2 based on the time when the maintenance is to be performed and the person who will perform the maintenance with a low level of skill.

[0016] That is, the schedule management unit 103 functions as an example of a designation unit that designates a person who will perform maintenance on the image forming apparatus 2 based on the failure symptom information, schedule information of the image forming apparatus 2, and schedule information of the user.

[0017] An achievement table is recorded in the achievement information storage unit 106. The achievement table is an example of a storage means for recording, for each type of maintenance, values ​​(an example of achievement information) used to calculate the proficiency of past performers, such as past performers, the number of times each performer performed the maintenance in the past, the duration of each performer in the past (total duration), and the average duration of each maintenance (average duration of each performer in the past), as well as target flags of maintenance candidates.

[0018] The proficiency level calculation unit 105 is an example of a calculation means that calculates the proficiency level of each practitioner based on the performance information recorded in the performance table stored in the performance information storage unit .

[0019] The user information storage unit 107 stores contact information for each practitioner who uses the image forming apparatus 2. The contact information for the expert displayed on the UI operation unit 101 is acquired from the user information storage unit 107.

[0020] When the schedule management unit 103 determines the time and person to perform maintenance, the UI operation unit 101 displays a maintenance notification to the person to perform maintenance and user information (list) of experts on the UI (operation screen) shown in Fig. 5. The UI operation unit 101 is an example of a display control means that displays a list of experts and contact information on the UI (operation screen) when an unskilled person is designated as the person to perform maintenance on the image forming apparatus 2.

[0021] This allows the user to inquire about the highly skilled person when a maintenance task is assigned to a less skilled person by displaying information identifying the highly skilled person who will perform that maintenance task, without having to inquire with the administrator or other members. As a result, it is possible to prevent an extension of the time (downtime) during which the image forming device 2 cannot execute print jobs.

[0022] Here, an expert is a practitioner whose proficiency level calculated by the proficiency level calculation unit 105 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold may be a preset threshold, and may be the proficiency level at which the practitioner is judged to be an expert. Here, the contact information is information required for inquiries. The UI operation unit 11 may display an operation screen on a display unit included in the information processing device 1, or may display an operation screen on the UI operation unit 302 of the terminal device 3.

[0023] Furthermore, the UI operation unit 101 may display the list of experts on the UI in descending order, with the more skilled person at the top. By displaying multiple experts when displaying information for identifying who is the most skilled maintenance expert, even if the most skilled person is unable to respond, it is possible to find another expert who can handle the inquiry.

[0024] Furthermore, the UI operation unit 101 may hide the list if the proficiency level of the person performing the maintenance is higher than a certain standard. This allows the person to perform the maintenance themselves, and when an expert who does not need to be contacted takes charge of the maintenance, the list of experts, which contains unnecessary information, is hidden, making it easier to check other information necessary for the maintenance.

[0025] Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow from occurrence of maintenance to display of expert information in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a performance table stored in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. Figs. 5 to 7 are diagrams showing examples of operation screens displayed in the information processing system according to the present embodiment.

[0026] First, the schedule management unit 103 determines (step S301) who will perform maintenance on the image forming device 2. The criteria for determining who will perform maintenance may be to determine the user who was operating the device when the failure occurred, or to acquire schedule information for each user and determine who is available to perform maintenance at the planned time based on the free time in the schedule information for the image forming device 2, such as a printer.

[0027] After the maintenance performer is determined, the proficiency calculation unit 105 determines whether the user is an expert (step S302). This determination is made by calculating and comparing the proficiency of each user. This determination is made by recording data used to calculate the proficiency of each user in a performance record table, which records performance information (e.g., performer, number of times performed, performance time, average performance time) for each type of maintenance. A performance record table is created for each type of maintenance, and the expert is calculated based on the performance information in the performance record table.

[0028] 4, the proficiency level is calculated based on the cumulative value of past maintenance implementation time, the number of implementation times, and the average implementation time. When calculating the proficiency level, the proficiency level calculation unit 105 uses a calculation method such as adding more proficiency the longer the implementation time, adding more proficiency when the number of implementation times exceeds a certain number, or adding more proficiency when the average implementation time is 30 minutes or less.

[0029] Whether or not a person is an expert is determined based on whether or not the proficiency level exceeds a predetermined threshold. Here, the predetermined threshold is a threshold set in advance, and may be the proficiency level at which a person is determined to be an expert. In the example of the performance table shown in Fig. 4, whether or not a person is an expert is determined based on whether or not the proficiency level exceeds a predetermined threshold of 50.

[0030] If the skilled person determination process determines that the person performing the maintenance is a skilled person (step S302: Yes), the information processing device 1 ends the process because the information required for making an inquiry to the skilled person is no longer necessary.

[0031] If the expert determination process determines that the person performing the maintenance is not an expert (step S302: No), the UI operation unit 101 determines that the user is likely to require information necessary for making an inquiry to an expert, creates a list of experts based on performance information of past maintenance of the same type (step S303), and displays a dialog with an expert display button for displaying the list of experts on the UI shown in Fig. 5 (step S304). At this time, the UI operation unit 101 may display a mark indicating whether the expert selected by the user from the list of experts is online or offline, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0032] If the user determines that it is necessary to inquire of other users while performing maintenance, the user presses the expert display button to display a list of experts displayed on the UI in step S304.

[0033] After the expert display button is pressed (step S305: Yes), the UI operation unit 101 displays a list of the person with the highest level of expertise for that type of maintenance, or the top several experts (step S306). When displaying the list of experts, the UI operation unit 101 displays the list in descending order, with the most experienced experts at the top. At this time, the UI operation unit 101 may display a mark indicating whether the expert selected by the user from the list of experts is online or offline, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0034] When the user selects an expert from the list of experts and presses the details button shown in FIG. 5 to display detailed information about the expert (step S307: Yes), the UI operation unit 101 displays detailed contact information for the selected expert (step S308). This allows the user to make a call or inquiry on their own terminal device 3 based on the information about the highly skilled experts. In this case, the UI operation unit 101 may display a call button for requesting a call or inquiry to the expert, as shown in FIG. 7. The UI operation unit 101 may also display, as detailed information about the expert, information about how many inquiries the expert has received from whom, the content of the maintenance for which the inquiry was made, and the like.

[0035] In this way, with the information processing device 1 according to the present embodiment, when a maintenance task is assigned to a less skilled person, or when a specific person is working and an unexpected error occurs, requiring maintenance, and the person in question does not know the cause or how to deal with the error, the information processing device 1 can inquire of a more skilled person who can perform the maintenance, without having to inquire of an administrator or other members. As a result, it is possible to prevent an extension of the time (downtime) during which the image forming device 2 cannot execute print jobs.

[0036] The program executed by the information processing device 1 of this embodiment is provided by being pre-installed in a ROM (Read Only Memory) or the like. The program executed by the information processing device 1 of this embodiment may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

[0037] Furthermore, the program executed by the information processing device 1 of this embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Also, the program executed by the information processing device 1 of this embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0038] The program executed by the information processing device 1 of this embodiment has a modular configuration including the above-mentioned units (UI operation unit 101, communication unit 102, schedule management unit 103, notification receiving unit 104, and proficiency calculation unit 105), and in actual hardware, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) reads and executes the program from the above-mentioned ROM, thereby loading the above-mentioned units onto the main memory, and the UI operation unit 101, communication unit 102, schedule management unit 103, notification receiving unit 104, and proficiency calculation unit 105 are generated on the main memory. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Information processing equipment 2. Image forming device 3 Terminal Devices 101,302 UI operation section 102,301 Communications Department 103 Schedule Management Department 104 Notification Receiving Unit 105 Proficiency Calculation Department 106 Performance information storage unit 107 User information storage unit 201 Failure Prediction Detection Unit 203 Notification sending unit [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0040] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6331668

Claims

1. a designation means for designating a person who will carry out maintenance on the device based on failure symptom information of the device, schedule information of the device, and schedule information of the user; a recording means for recording performance information for each type of maintenance, including the past performers, the total maintenance time for each performer, the number of times each performer has performed the maintenance in the past, and the average maintenance time for each performer in the past; a calculation means for calculating the proficiency level of each of the implementers for each of the types based on the performance information; a display control means for displaying a list of the experts and contact information required for inquiries on a UI when the expert who is not an expert with a proficiency level of a predetermined value or more is designated by the designation means; An information processing device comprising:

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display control means displays the list on the UI in descending order, with the practitioner with the highest level of proficiency at the top.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display control means hides the list when the proficiency level of the implementer designated by the designation means is higher than a certain standard.

4. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, a step of designating a person who will perform maintenance on the device based on failure symptom information of the device, schedule information of the device, and schedule information of the user; calculating the proficiency of each of the performers for each type of maintenance based on performance information recorded for each type of maintenance, the performance information including the past performers, the total performance time for each of the past performers, the number of times each of the past performers has performed the maintenance, and the average performance time for each of the past performers; When the implementer is designated as a person who is not an expert and whose proficiency level is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a process of displaying a list of the experts and contact information required for inquiries on a UI; An information processing method including:

5. Computer, a designation means for designating a person who will carry out maintenance on the device based on failure symptom information of the device, schedule information of the device, and schedule information of the user; a calculation means for calculating the proficiency level of each of the performers for each type of maintenance based on performance information recorded for each type of maintenance, the performance information including the past performers, the total performance time for each of the past performers, the number of times each of the past performers has performed the maintenance, and the average performance time for each of the past performers; a display control means for displaying a list of the experts and contact information required for inquiries on a UI when the expert is not an expert whose proficiency level is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; A program to make it function as such.

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