Information provision system and method

Abstract

To verify that a problem occurring in device processing has been resolved while preventing the verification from becoming complicated. [Solution] The information providing system includes a third acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an alternative process that can be substituted for a verification process, and a control means for displaying information regarding the alternative process when the verification process identified from the process information acquired by the first acquisition means includes a substituted process that is not essential for the verification and can be substituted by the alternative process.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing system and method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been known systems that verify the resolution of problems that occur in the processing of devices such as image processing devices. Patent Document 1 discloses a system that creates a confirmation instruction from a combination of an error code that indicates an error that has occurred in a network device and a unit code that indicates a countermeasure as a result of a diagnostic process executed in the network device when the error was detected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-187609 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, depending on the content of the verification process for verifying that a problem that occurred in the processing of the device has been resolved, the execution of the verification process may be cumbersome, and in order to reduce the complication, it may be desirable to verify the recovery of the device without executing this verification process. On the other hand, there may be verification processes that must be executed in order to achieve the verification. As such, there may be verification processes that are essential for the verification and verification processes that are cumbersome to execute, and it is desirable to achieve verification that the problem has been resolved while reducing the complexity of the verification. The present invention aims to realize verification that a problem that occurred in device processing has been resolved while preventing the verification from becoming complicated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system comprising: a first acquisition means for acquiring process information indicating a verification process for verifying that a problem that has occurred in equipment processing has been resolved; a second acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the verification process that is identified as being essential for the verification based on the result identified as the cause of the problem; a third acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an alternative process that can be substituted for the verification process; and a control means for displaying information regarding the alternative process when the verification process identified from the process information acquired by the first acquisition means includes a substituted process that is not essential for the verification and can be substituted by the alternative process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to verify that a problem that occurred in device processing has been resolved while preventing the verification from becoming complicated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a management system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a management server, a customer terminal, and a multifunction peripheral. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a management server, a customer terminal, and a multifunction peripheral. [Figure 4] 1A is a diagram showing a device management table, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a history management table. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a process management table. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a required process management table. [Figure 7] 10A is a diagram showing a substitution relationship management table, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing a user management table. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process determination process. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a verification process screen. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a verification process screen as a comparative example. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a modified process of determining a process. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a verification process screen as a modified example. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a verification process screen as a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a management system 1. The management system 1, which is an example of an information provision system, is a system that manages devices by resolving the problem that occurred in device processing when a problem occurs in the device's processing, creating a process for verifying that the problem has been resolved, and having an administrator execute the created process. Note that the device may be an image processing device such as a multifunction peripheral (MFP). The administrator is a person who manages the management system 1. Resolving a problem that occurred in device processing can also be considered as restoring the device that had the processing problem. The management system 1 includes a management server 100, a customer terminal 120, and a multifunction peripheral 150. The management server 100, the customer terminal 120, and the multifunction peripheral 150 are connected to one another via a network 170.

[0009] The management server 100 is a server that manages devices. The management server 100 has a CPU 101, a RAM 102, a ROM 103, a network I / F 104, a keyboard I / F 105, a display I / F 106, an external memory I / F 107, a keyboard 108, a display 109, and an external memory 110. The CPU 101, the RAM 102, the ROM 103, the network I / F 104, the keyboard I / F 105, the display I / F 106, and the external memory I / F 107 are connected to one another via a system bus 111.

[0010] The CPU 101 executes various processes based on application programs stored in the ROM 103 or the external memory 110. The CPU 101 also performs overall control of the various functional units of the management server 100. The CPU 101 also opens various registered windows based on commands indicated by a mouse cursor (not shown) or the like displayed on the display 109, and executes various data processing operations. The RAM 102 functions as the CPU 101's main memory, work area, etc. The ROM 103 is a read-only memory that functions as a storage area for basic I / O programs, etc. The ROM 103 or the external memory 110 stores an operating system program (hereinafter referred to as "OS"), which is the CPU 101's control program. The ROM 103 or the external memory 110 also stores files and various data used in processing based on the application programs, etc. The network I / F 104 communicates with external devices via the network 170. The keyboard I / F 105 controls the input of information from the keyboard 108 or a pointing device (not shown). The display I / F 106 controls the display on the display 109. The external memory I / F 107 controls the connection with the external memory 110. The external memory 110 stores a boot program, various applications, user files, edit files, etc. Examples of the external memory 110 include a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid-state drive (SSD). The management server 100 operates while the CPU 101 is executing a basic I / O program and an OS written in the ROM 103 or the external memory 110. Here, the basic I / O program is written in the ROM 103. The OS is also written in the ROM 103 or the external memory 110. When the management server 100 is powered on, an initial program load function in the basic I / O program writes the OS from the ROM 103 or the external memory 110 into the RAM 102, and the OS begins operating.

[0011] The customer terminal 120 is a terminal used by a user who is a customer of the business operator that manages the management system 1. The customer who uses the customer terminal 120 can also be considered as a user of the multifunction peripheral 150. The configuration of the customer terminal 120 is the same as the configuration of the management server 100 shown in FIG. The management server 100 and the customer terminal 120 are realized, for example, by a computer. The management server 100 and the customer terminal 120 may be configured by a single computer, or may be realized by distributed processing using multiple computers. Furthermore, the management server 100 and the customer terminal 120 may be realized on virtual hardware provided by cloud computing.

[0012] A multifunction peripheral 150, as an example of a device, is a device to be managed by the management system 1. The multifunction peripheral 150 has a network I / F 151, a CPU 152, a RAM 153, a ROM 154, an operation unit I / F 155, an operation unit 156, a printer I / F 157, a printer 158, a scanner I / F 159, and a scanner 160. The multifunction peripheral 150 also has an external memory I / F 161 and an external memory 162. The network I / F 151 , CPU 152 , RAM 153 , ROM 154 , operation unit I / F 155 , printer I / F 157 , scanner I / F 159 , and external memory I / F 161 are connected to each other via a system bus 163 .

[0013] The network I / F 151 communicates with external devices via the network 170. The CPU 152 outputs image signals as output information to the printer 158 via the printer I / F 157 based on a control program and the like. The control program is stored in the ROM 154 or the external memory 162. The CPU 152 also executes various processes based on application programs and the like stored in the ROM 154 or the external memory 162. The RAM 153 functions as the CPU 152's main memory, work area, and the like. The RAM 153 is also provided so that its memory capacity can be expanded by connecting an optional RAM to an expansion port (not shown). The RAM 153 is used as an output information development area, an environment data storage area, an NVRAM, and the like. The ROM 154 stores information. The ROM 154 or the external memory 162 stores the CPU 152's control program, application programs, font data used to generate output information, and other information used in the multifunction peripheral 150. The operation unit I / F 155 outputs information such as images to the operation unit 156. The operation unit I / F 155 also receives information input by the user via the operation unit 156. The operation unit 156 accepts user operations. The operation unit 156 may be an operation panel on which switches, LED indicators, and the like are arranged. The printer I / F 157 outputs an image signal to a printer 158 (printer engine) as output information. The scanner I / F 159 receives an image signal from a scanner 160 (scanner engine) as input information. The external memory I / F (memory controller) 161 controls connection with an external memory 162. The external memory 162 stores information. Examples of the external memory 162 include an HDD, an SSD, and an IC card. Note that a plurality of external memories 162 may be provided, and the plurality of external memories 162 may be connected to each other. The multifunction device 150 may also be provided with an NVRAM (not shown), and printer mode setting information from the operation unit 156 may be stored in the NVRAM.

[0014] 1, the number of customer terminals 120 and the number of multifunction peripherals 150 provided in the management system 1 are both one, but this is not limited to this. The management system 1 may be provided with a plurality of customer terminals 120 and a plurality of multifunction peripherals 150. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the management system 1 is provided with the multifunction peripheral 150, but the devices provided in the management system 1 are not limited to the multifunction peripheral 150. The devices provided in the management system 1 as targets of management by the management system 1 may be devices such as printers and fax machines. Furthermore, the devices provided in the management system 1 as targets of management by the management system 1 may be devices other than image processing devices.

[0015] 2 and 3 are functional block diagrams of the management server 100, the customer terminal 120, and the multifunction device 150. FIG. The management server 100 includes a communication unit 200 , a service providing unit 201 , a management unit 202 , and a storage unit 210 . The communication unit 200 communicates with the customer terminal 120 and the multifunction device 150 using any communication protocol. The service providing unit 201 receives an HTTP request from the customer terminal 120 and provides an HTTP response as a service in response to the received HTTP request. An example of the HTTP response is web page data stored in the storage unit 210. The HTTP response may also be generated in the management unit 202 in response to an instruction from the service providing unit 201. The storage unit 210 is a database that stores and manages information. Note that the storage unit 210 may be provided in a device different from the management server 100, as long as it is connected to the management unit 202. The information stored in the storage unit 210 will be described in detail later.

[0016] The management unit 202 manages the multifunction device 150 by detecting problems that occur during processing by the multifunction device 150, diagnosing the details of the detected problems, restoring the multifunction device 150 in which the problems have occurred, and verifying the restoration of the multifunction device 150. The management unit 202 is provided in the management server 100 as, for example, a program that executes processing in response to requests received by the service providing unit 201. The management unit 202 includes a transmission / reception unit 203 , an acquisition unit 204 , a detection unit 205 , a diagnosis unit 206 , a treatment unit 207 , and a verification unit 208 .

[0017] The transmitting / receiving unit 203 transmits and receives information. The transmitting / receiving unit 203 transmits an HTTP response generated in the management unit 202 in response to a request from the service providing unit 201 to the service providing unit 201. The transmitting / receiving unit 203 also receives information transmitted from the customer terminal 120, and transmits the received information or instructions corresponding to the received information to each functional unit of the management unit 202 in accordance with the received information. The acquisition unit 204 acquires the requested information by requesting information about the multifunction device 150 from the multifunction device 150. Examples of the information about the multifunction device 150 include information indicating the attributes of the multifunction device 150 and information indicating the processing history of the multifunction device 150. Note that any communication protocol is used for the acquisition unit 204 to acquire information from the multifunction device 150. Examples of communication protocols used by the acquisition unit 204 include HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). The information acquired by the acquisition unit 204 is stored in the storage unit 210.

[0018] The detection unit 205 detects the occurrence of a problem in the processing of the multifunction device 150. The detection unit 205 detects the occurrence of a problem in the multifunction device 150 from information related to the multifunction device 150 acquired by the acquisition unit 204. The detection unit 205 may also instruct a detection unit 247 of the multifunction device 150, which will be described later, to detect the occurrence of a problem in the multifunction device 150. The diagnosing unit 206 diagnoses the cause of the problem that occurred in the processing of the multifunction device 150, which is detected by the detecting unit 205. The diagnosis by the diagnosing unit 206 can also be understood as a diagnosis of the content of the problem that occurred in the processing of the multifunction device 150. The diagnosing unit 206 also causes information indicating the results of the diagnosis to be displayed on the display 109. The diagnosing unit 206 may also instruct a diagnosing unit 248 of the multifunction device 150, which will be described later, to diagnose the cause of the problem that occurred in the processing of the multifunction device 150.

[0019] The treatment unit 207 performs treatment to restore the multifunction device 150 in which a problem has occurred in processing, based on the results of the diagnosis by the diagnosis unit 206. The treatment by the treatment unit 207 can also be considered as treatment to resolve a problem that has occurred in the processing of the multifunction device 150. Examples of treatment performed by the treatment unit 207 include instructing the multifunction device 150 to change settings or to restart the device. The treatment unit 207 also causes the display 109 to display the content of the treatment required to restore the multifunction device 150. The multifunction device 150 restores itself by executing the treatment in accordance with the instruction from the treatment unit 207 in the multifunction device 150. The treatment unit 207 may also instruct a treatment unit 249 of the multifunction device 150, which will be described later, to perform treatment to restore the multifunction device 150 in which a problem has occurred in processing. Any communication protocol may be used for instructions from the processing unit 207 to the multifunction peripheral 150. Examples of communication protocols used by the processing unit 207 include HTTPS, XMPP, MQTT, and AMQP. XMPP stands for Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol. MQTT stands for Message Queuing Telemetry Transport. AMQP stands for Advanced Message Queuing Protocol.

[0020] The verification unit 208, which is an example of a control unit, identifies processes that need to be executed to verify whether the multifunction device 150 has been restored by the action taken by the treatment unit 207, and executes the identified processes to verify whether the multifunction device 150 has been restored. In identifying processes necessary for verification, the verification unit 208 of this embodiment extracts processes that are necessary for executing the process in which the problem detected by the detection unit 205 occurred. Then, the verification unit 208 replaces, among the extracted processes, processes that are not essential for verification and that can be substituted with other processes, and identifies the partially substituted processes as processes necessary for verification. Furthermore, the verification unit 208 may instruct a verification unit 250 of the multifunction device 150, which will be described later, to verify whether the multifunction device 150 has been restored. An example of having the process identified by the verification unit 208 executed is when the verification unit 208 displays the identified process on the display 109, causing the administrator or the management server 100 to execute the identified process. An example of having the process identified by the verification unit 208 executed is when the verification unit 208 instructs the multifunction device 150 to execute the identified process, causing the multifunction device 150 to execute the identified process. Furthermore, any communication protocol is used for the instructions from the verification unit 208 to the multifunction peripheral 150. Examples of communication protocols used by the verification unit 208 include HTTPS, XMPP, MQTT, and AMQP.

[0021] The communication unit 200 of the management server 100 is realized by the network I / F 104 (see FIG. 1). Furthermore, each process by the service providing unit 201 and the management unit 202 is realized by the CPU 101 loading a program stored in the ROM 103 or the external memory 107 into the RAM 102 and executing the program. Furthermore, the storage unit 210 is realized by the ROM 103 or the external memory 110.

[0022] Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the customer terminal 120. The customer terminal 120 includes a communication unit 220, a web browser 221, and a printer driver 222. The communication unit 220 communicates with the management server 100 and the multifunction peripheral 150 using any communication protocol. The web browser 221 transmits an HTTP request message to the management server 100 via the communication unit 220. The web browser 221 also receives an HTTP response transmitted from the management server 100 via the communication unit 220, and displays the received HTTP response on a display means (not shown). The printer driver 222 creates a print job and transmits the created print job to the multifunction device 150 via the communication unit 220. The printer driver 222 also receives the execution result of the print job transmitted from the multifunction device 150 via the communication unit 220, and displays information indicating the received execution result.

[0023] Next, we will explain the functional configuration of the multifunction device 150. The multifunction device 150 has a communication unit 240, a transmission / reception unit 253, a service providing unit 241, a printing unit 242, a scan transmission unit 243, a FAX unit 244, a history management unit 245, and a management unit 246. The communication unit 240 communicates with the management server 100 and the customer terminal 120 using any communication protocol. The transmitting / receiving unit 253 transmits and receives information. Examples of information received by the transmitting / receiving unit 253 include information input by the customer operating the operation unit 156. The service providing unit 241 receives an HTTP request from the web browser 221 of the customer terminal 120 or the management server 100, and provides an HTTP response as a service in response to the received HTTP request. An example of the HTTP response is web page data stored in the external memory 162. The HTTP response may also be generated in the management unit 246 in response to an instruction from the service providing unit 241.

[0024] The print unit 242 receives a print job sent from the printer driver 222 of the customer terminal 120 and executes the received print job. The print unit 242 also creates a history of the execution results of the print job and sends the created history to the history management unit 245. The scan transmission unit 243 receives a scan instruction from a customer, and generates and executes a scan job and a transmission job for the scan data. The scan transmission unit 243 transmits the scan data using protocols such as email or SMB (Server Message Block). The scan transmission unit 243 also creates a history of the execution results of the scan job and the transmission job, and transmits the created history to the history management unit 245. The FAX unit 244 receives FAX jobs transmitted from a FAX machine (not shown), its own machine, or another multifunction machine 150. The FAX reception job received by the FAX unit 244 is printed via the print unit 242 or transferred to another FAX machine, another multifunction machine 150, or the like different from its own machine. The FAX unit 244 also receives FAX transmission instructions from a customer, and generates and executes a FAX transmission job. The FAX unit 244 also creates a history of the execution results of the FAX reception job and the FAX transmission job, and transmits the created history to the history management unit 245. When the acquisition unit 204 of the management server 100 requests information indicating the processing history of the multifunction peripheral 150 , the history management unit 245 transmits the requested information to the management server 100 .

[0025] The management unit 246 manages the multifunction device 150. The management unit 246 is provided in the multifunction device 150 as a program that executes processing in response to an HTTP response provided by the service providing unit 241 or an HTTP request received by the service providing unit 241, for example. The management unit 246 includes a detection unit 247 , a diagnosis unit 248 , a treatment unit 249 , a verification unit 250 , a setting management unit 251 , and a power management unit 252 .

[0026] The detection unit 247 detects the occurrence of a problem in the processing of the multifunction device 150. Furthermore, when the detection unit 247 is instructed to perform detection by the detection unit 205 of the management server 100, the detection unit 247 detects whether or not there is a problem in the processing of the multifunction device 150, and transmits information indicating the detection result to the management server 100. The diagnosing unit 248 diagnoses the cause of the problem detected by the detecting unit 247. Furthermore, when the diagnosing unit 248 is instructed to perform a diagnosis by the diagnosing unit 206 of the management server 100, the diagnosing unit 248 diagnoses the cause of the processing problem in the multifunction peripheral 150 and transmits information indicating the results of the diagnosis to the management server 100. The treatment unit 249 identifies a treatment to restore the multifunction device 150 based on the result of the diagnosis by the diagnosis unit 248, and causes the setting management unit 251 and the power management unit 252 to execute the identified treatment. Furthermore, when the treatment unit 249 is instructed by the treatment unit 207 of the management server 100 to execute a treatment to restore the multifunction device 150, the treatment unit 249 executes the instructed treatment and transmits information indicating the result of the executed treatment to the management server 100.

[0027] The verification unit 250 verifies whether the multifunction device 150 has been restored by the action taken by the action unit 249. Furthermore, when the verification unit 250 is instructed to perform verification by the verification unit 208 of the management server 100, the verification unit 250 performs verification according to the instructed content and transmits information indicating the result of the verification to the management server 100. The setting management unit 251 manages the settings in the multifunction peripheral 150. When the setting management unit 251 receives an instruction to change the settings from a customer or the treatment unit 249, the setting management unit 251 changes the settings of the multifunction peripheral 150 in accordance with the received instruction. The power management unit 252 manages the power state of the multifunction peripheral 150. The power management unit 252 receives instructions to turn off or restart the power from a customer or the treatment unit 249, and sets the power state of the multifunction peripheral 150 to the instructed state.

[0028] The communication unit 240 of the management server 100 is implemented by the network I / F 151 (see FIG. 1). Furthermore, each process performed by the history management unit 245, the service providing unit 241, and the management unit 246 is implemented by the CPU 152 loading a program stored in the ROM 154 or the external memory 162 into the RAM 153 and executing the program.

[0029] Next, the information stored in the storage unit 210 will be described. 4(A) is a diagram showing the device management table 300. The device management table 300 is a table for managing information on devices that are targets of management in the management system 1. Note that, hereinafter, devices that are targets of management in the management system 1 may be referred to as managed devices. The device management table 300 is stored in the storage unit 210. The device management table 300 indicates a "device ID," a "device name," a "model name," an "IP address," a "serial number," and a "last updated date and time."

[0030] The information shown in the device management table 300 will now be described in detail. "Device ID" indicates a number that identifies the device to be managed. "Device Name" indicates the name of the device to be managed. "Model name" indicates the model name of the device to be managed. "IP Address" indicates the IP address of the device to be managed. "Serial number" indicates the serial number for identifying the device to be managed. The "last updated date and time" indicates the date and time when the most recent process was performed by the managed device.

[0031] When a process is executed by the multifunction peripheral 150, which is a device to be managed, the acquisition unit 204 of the management server 100 receives information indicating the date and time when this process was performed from the multifunction peripheral 150. The acquisition unit 204 then writes the received information into the "last updated date and time" field of the device management table 300 of the device to be managed. Furthermore, the "device ID," "device name," "model name," "IP address," and "serial number" shown in the device management table 300 may be information obtained from the device to be managed, or may be information entered into the management server 100 by an administrator or the like.

[0032] 4(B) is a diagram showing the history management table 301. The history management table 301 is a table for managing the history of jobs executed by the managed device. The history management table 301 is stored in the storage unit 210. A job is a process executed by the managed device. Examples of jobs include printing, scan transmission, and faxing. The history management table 301 shows "Device ID", "Job ID", "Job Type", "Job Start Date and Time", "Job End Date and Time", "User Name", "Result", and "Error Number".

[0033] The information shown in the history management table 301 will be specifically described. The "device ID" indicates a number that identifies the device to be managed. If the "device ID" indicates the same number in the history management table 301 and the device management table 300 (see FIG. 4(A)), it means that the device is the same device to be managed. "Job ID" indicates a number that identifies a job executed by a managed device. "Job Type" indicates the type of job executed on the managed device. "SCAN&SEND (Email)" indicated in "Job Type" indicates the type of job that sends a scanned image by email. "SCAN&SEND (SMB)" indicated in "Job Type" indicates the type of job that sends a scanned image via SMB. "PRINT" indicated in "Job Type" indicates the type of job that prints an image.

[0034] The "job start date and time" indicates the date and time when the job started. The "job end date and time" indicates the date and time when the job ended. The "user name" indicates the name of the customer who instructed the job to be executed. The "Result" column shows whether the job was successful or not. "Succeeded" in the "Result" column means that the job was executed successfully. "Failed" in the "Result" column means that an error, or problem, occurred in the job and the job was not executed successfully. The "error number" indicates a number that identifies the type of error that occurred in the job. The information indicated in the "error number" can also be interpreted as information indicating the cause of the error that occurred in the job.

[0035] The "job type," "job start date and time," "job start date and time," "user name," and "result" are generated by the functional unit that executed the target job out of the print unit 242, scan transmission unit 243, and FAX unit 244 of the multifunction peripheral 150, and are managed by the history management unit 245. The diagnosis unit 206 of the management server 100 diagnoses problems that have occurred in the processing of the multifunction peripheral 150 based on the "job type" and "result" shown in the history management table 301 for the multifunction peripheral 150. The diagnosis unit 206 may also diagnose problems that have occurred in the processing of the multifunction peripheral 150 based on information acquired from the multifunction peripheral 150 by communicating with the multifunction peripheral 150 identified by the "device ID" for which "Failed" is shown in the "result" field in the history management table 301. The "error number" is generated as a result of the diagnosis by the diagnosis unit 206 of the management server 100 or the diagnosis unit 248 of the multifunction peripheral 150, and is managed by the history management unit 245. The acquisition unit 204 requests information relating to the history of the multifunction device 150 from the multifunction device 150 at predetermined time intervals, and upon acquiring the requested information, writes the acquired information into the history management table 301. The predetermined time may be any length of time, for example, 60 seconds. Note that each time information relating to the history of the multifunction device 150 is generated, the history management unit 245 of the multifunction device 150 may transmit the generated information to the management server 100.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the process management table 302. The process management table 302 is a table for managing processes related to a job. Examples of processes related to a job include processes necessary for the execution of a job, and processes that can be substituted for processes necessary for the execution of a job when verifying whether the multifunction device 150 has recovered. Note that, hereinafter, a process necessary for the execution of a job may be referred to as a job process. Also, hereinafter, a process that can be substituted for a process necessary for the execution of a job when verifying whether the multifunction device 150 has recovered may be referred to as an alternative process. Also, the process management table 302 is stored in the storage unit 210. The process management table 302 indicates "process ID," "job type," "process content," "alternative," "target device," "necessary information," and "order."

[0037] The information shown in the process management table 302 will be specifically described. "Process ID" indicates a number that identifies a process related to a job. "Job type" indicates the type of job corresponding to the process related to the job. If the "Job type" indicates the same content in the process management table 302 and the history management table 301 (see FIG. 4(B)), this means that the job type is the same. The "Process Content" indicates the process content related to the job. The content shown in the "Process Content" can also be understood as the process content necessary to verify whether the MFP 150, which has had a processing problem, has recovered.

[0038] "Alternative" indicates information that identifies whether a process related to a job is an alternative process. A "-" next to "Alternative" means that the process related to the job is a job process. Also, a "◯" next to "Alternative" means that the process related to the job is an alternative process. In the illustrated example, a process related to a job whose "Process ID" is any of "1" to "13" is a job process. Also, a process related to a job whose "Process ID" is any of "14" to "20" is an alternative process. Here, an alternative process, which is a "process content" with "◯" in the "alternative" field in the process management table 302, can be regarded as a process that is different from the processing process of the multifunction device 150 where the problem occurred. Also, a job process, which is a "process content" with "-" in the "alternative" field in the process management table 302, can be regarded as the same process as the processing process of the multifunction device 150 where the problem occurred.

[0039] "Target equipment" indicates equipment that is the target of operations required to execute processes related to a job. Note that, hereinafter, equipment that is the target of operations required to execute processes related to a job may be simply referred to as target equipment. "Multifunction device" indicated in "Target equipment" means that the target equipment is multifunction device 150. Furthermore, "Customer terminal" indicated in "Target equipment" means that the target equipment is customer terminal 120. Furthermore, "Management server" indicated in "Target equipment" means that the target equipment is management server 100. In addition, when "management server" is indicated as the "target device," the target device does not have to be the management server 100, as long as it is a device connected to the multifunction device 150 via the network 170 and used by the administrator.

[0040] The "required information" indicates information that needs to be input into the "target device" to execute the process related to the job. The "customer information" indicated in the "required information" means that customer information needs to be input into the "target device" to execute the process related to the job. Furthermore, the "proxy information" indicated in the "required information" means that information on a customer's proxy needs to be input into the "target device" to execute the process related to the job. An example of a customer proxy is an administrator. Furthermore, a customer proxy such as an administrator verifies the recovery of the multifunction device 150 on behalf of the customer. Therefore, a customer proxy such as an administrator can also be considered as a delegatee who has been delegated the authority to verify the recovery of the multifunction device 150 by the customer. Here is an example of "required information." The "required information" for a job process with a "Process ID" of "7" shows "customer information." The "process content" of this job process is "Email scanned documents," that is, sending scanned documents by email. In order to send this email, the customer's email address as the email destination must be entered as "customer information" into the target device, the "multifunction device."

[0041] The "order" indicates the order in which job processes having the same "job type" are executed. In this embodiment, for example, the manager inputs each piece of information into the management server 100 in advance, and the process management table 302 is generated.

[0042] 6 is a diagram showing the required process management table 305. The required process management table 305 is a table for managing, among the job processes, processes that must be executed in order to verify whether or not the multifunction device 150 that has experienced a processing problem has recovered. Note that, among the job processes, a process that must be executed in order to verify whether or not the multifunction device 150 that has experienced a processing problem has recovered may be referred to as a required process hereinafter. A required process is a process that is not substituted by an alternative process when verifying whether or not the multifunction device 150 that has experienced a processing problem has recovered. The required process management table 305 is stored in the storage unit 210. The required process management table 305 indicates a "process ID," an "error number," a "job type," and a "process content."

[0043] The information shown in the essential process management table 305 will be specifically described. The "Process ID" indicates a number that identifies a job process that is a required process. If the "Process ID" indicates the same number in the required process management table 305 and the process management table 302 (see FIG. 5), it means that the job process is the same. The "error number" indicates a number that identifies the type of error in the job. If the "error number" shown in the required process management table 305 is the same as the "error number" shown in the history management table 301 (see FIG. 4(B)), this means that the type of error in the job is the same. The "job type" indicates the type of job corresponding to the required process. If the "job type" shown in the required process management table 305 is the same as the "job type" shown in the process management table 302, this means that the job types are the same. The "process content" indicates the content of the required process. Furthermore, if the "process content" shown in the required process management table 305 is the same as the content of the process management table 302, this means that the content of the job process is the same.

[0044] In this embodiment, the required steps differ depending on the type of error that occurs during processing by the multifunction device 150. In the illustrated example, a required step whose "step content" is "Check output" and a required step whose "step content" is "Scan documents" have the same job type. In contrast, when an error whose "error number" is "999" occurs, the job step whose "step content" is "Check output" is a required step, while the job step whose "step content" is "Scan documents" is not a required step. Also, when an error whose "error number" is "777" occurs, the job step whose "step content" is "Scan documents" is a required step, while the job step whose "step content" is "Check output" is not a required step. In this embodiment, for example, the manager inputs each piece of information into the management server 100 in advance, and the essential process management table 305 is generated.

[0045] 7(A) is a diagram showing the substitution relationship management table 303. The substitution relationship management table 303 is a table for managing substitution relationships between job processes and substitution processes. The substitution relationship management table 303 is stored in the storage unit 210. Note that, hereinafter, a job process that is substituted by an substitution process may be referred to as a substituted process. The substitution relationship management table 303 indicates "substitution ID," "job type," "error number," "substituted process ID," and "substitution process ID."

[0046] The information shown in the substitution relationship management table 303 will be specifically described. "Alternative ID" indicates a number that identifies the alternative relationship between the substituted process and the alternative process. The "job type" indicates the type of job corresponding to the substituted process and the substituting process. If the "job type" shown in the substitution relationship management table 303 is the same as that shown in the process management table 302, this means that the job type is the same. The "error number" indicates a number that identifies the type of error in the job. If the "error number" shown in the substitution relationship management table 303 is the same as the type of error in the history management table 301, this means that the type of error in the job is the same.

[0047] The "Substituted Process ID" indicates a number that identifies the substituted process. If the "Substituted Process ID" in the substitution relationship management table 303 and the "Process ID" in the process management table 302 have the same number, this means that they are the same job process. The "alternative process ID" indicates a number that identifies an alternative process. If the "alternative process ID" in the alternative relationship management table 303 and the "process ID" in the process management table 302 have the same number, this means that they are the same job process.

[0048] In this embodiment, a combination of a substituted process and an alternative process is predetermined according to the type of error that occurs during processing by the multifunction peripheral 150. Note that even if the job type is the same, different alternative processes may be applied when different errors occur in the jobs. For example, the "job type" may be "SCAN&SEND (Email)" and the "error number" identified as the error is "777" (see FIG. 4B). In this case, a substitution relationship in which the "substitution ID" is "1" may be applied, while a substitution relationship in which the "substitution ID" is "1" may not be applied. In other words, an alternative process with an "alternative process ID" of "14" may be substituted with a substituted process with a "substituted process ID" of "5," while an alternative process with an "alternative process ID" of "15" may not be substituted with substituted processes with "substituted process IDs" of "6" and "7." In other words, even if the "job type" is the same "SCAN&SEND (Email)", the number of alternative processes that can be applied may be greater when the "error number" is "999" than when the "error number" is "777". In this embodiment, for example, the administrator inputs each piece of information into the management server 100 in advance, and the substitution relationship management table 303 is generated.

[0049] 7(B) is a diagram showing the user management table 304. The user management table 304 is a table for managing users of the management system 1. Note that examples of users of the management system 1 include customers and administrators. The user management table 304 is stored in the storage unit 210. The user management table 304 shows "user ID," "user name," and "role."

[0050] The information shown in the user management table 304 will now be described in detail. "User ID" shows a number that identifies the user. The "user name" indicates the name of the user. The "role" indicates the permissions granted to the user. In this embodiment, for example, the administrator inputs each piece of information into the management server 100 in advance, and the user management table 304 is generated.

[0051] 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process determination process. The process determination process is a process in which, when a problem occurs in the processing of the multifunction device 150, the management server 100 determines a process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150 in which the problem has occurred. In this embodiment, when a problem occurs in the processing of the multifunction device 150, the process determination process is started once the management server 100 and the multifunction device 150 have diagnosed the cause of the problem and taken measures to recover the multifunction device 150. In the following description, among the problems that have occurred in the processing of the multifunction device 150, a problem that is the target of the process determination processing that is currently being executed may be simply referred to as the target problem.

[0052] The verification unit 208 of the management server 100 acquires information indicating the results of the diagnosis of the cause of the target problem by the diagnosis unit 206 of the management server 100 or the diagnosis unit 248 of the multifunction peripheral 150 (step (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "S") 101). The verification unit 208 extracts information indicating the results of the diagnosis of the cause of the target problem from the history management table 301 (see FIG. 4(B)). More specifically, the verification unit 208 extracts each piece of information indicated in the same row as the "job ID" of the job in which the target problem occurred in the history management table 301. In this case, the "error number" associated with the "job ID" of the job in which the target problem occurred is extracted, and therefore the verification unit 208 acquires information indicating the results of the diagnosis of the cause of the target problem. Also, in step 101, the verification unit 208 acquires information of the user corresponding to the verifier of the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150 from the user management table 304, and acquires information of the multifunction peripheral in which the problem occurred from the device management table 300. In the following, it is assumed that in step 101, the verification unit 208 extracts each piece of information shown in the same row as the "job ID" "5002" in the history management table 301. In this case, the verification unit 208 acquires the error number "999" associated with the "job ID" "5002" as information indicating the diagnosis result for the cause of the target problem. In addition, in this case, the type of the job in which the target problem occurred is "SCAN&SEND (Email)".

[0053] The verification unit 208 acquires information about the process related to the job in which the target problem occurred (S102). The verification unit 208 acquires information about the process related to the job in which the target problem occurred by extracting each piece of information shown in the same row as the "job type" of the job in which the target problem occurred in the process management table 302. In this example, the verification unit 208 acquires each piece of information shown in the same row of the process management table 302 as the "job type" "SCAN&SEND (Email)," in other words, each piece of information whose "process ID" is "5" to "8," "14," and "15."

[0054] The verification unit 208 can also be regarded as a first acquisition means for acquiring process information indicating a verification process for verifying that a problem occurring in the processing of the device has been resolved. An example of the verification process is a job process. An example of the process information is information acquired by the verification unit 208 in step 102 of the process determination process. Step 102 of the process determination process can also be regarded as a first acquisition process for acquiring process information indicating a verification process for verifying that a problem occurring in the processing of the device has been resolved. The verification unit 208 can also be regarded as a third acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an alternative process to be substituted for the verification process. Step 102 of the process determination processing can also be regarded as a third acquisition step for acquiring information indicating an alternative process to be substituted for the verification process.

[0055] The verification unit 208 acquires information indicating the required steps for the target problem (S103). The verification unit 208 extracts each piece of information shown in the same row as the "error number" that is the content of the target problem in the required step management table 305, and acquires information indicating the required steps made up of the "step content" associated with this "error number." In this example, the verification unit 208 obtains information on the required process whose "process content" is "Check output" by extracting each piece of information shown in the same row of the required process management table 305 as the "error number" "999" of the content of the target problem.

[0056] The verification unit 208 can also be regarded as a second acquisition means for acquiring information indicating a verification process that is identified as being essential for verification according to the result identified as the cause of the problem. Also, step 103 of the process determination processing can be regarded as a second acquisition step for acquiring information indicating a verification process that is identified as being essential for verification according to the result identified as the cause of the problem.

[0057] The verification unit 208 acquires information indicating an alternative process for the target problem (S104). The verification unit 208 extracts each piece of information shown in the same row as the "error number" that is the content of the target problem in the alternative relationship management table 303, and acquires information on the alternative process identified from the "alternative process ID" associated with this "error number." In this example, the verification unit 208 obtains information on alternative processes with "alternative process IDs" of "14" and "15" by extracting the information shown in the same row of the alternative relationship management table 303 as "999," which is the "error number" of the content of the target problem.

[0058] The verification unit 208 determines whether or not to substitute an alternative process for each job process about which information was acquired in step 102. In this case, the verification unit 208 determines the job process that is to be executed earliest among the job processes for which a determination has not been made as the subject of the determination (S105). Note that the job process determined as the subject of the determination in step 105 may be referred to as the job process to be determined hereinafter. In this example, the verification unit 208 determines the job process whose "Order" is "1" among the job processes whose "Process ID" is "5" to "8" in the process management table 302 as the target for judgment, i.e., the job process whose "Process ID" is "5".

[0059] The verification unit 208 determines whether the job process to be determined is a required process or not (S106). The verification unit 208 determines whether the job process to be determined is a required process or not by comparing the job process to be determined with the information indicating the required process acquired in step 103. In this example, the job process to be determined, which has a "process ID" of "5", does not match the required process, which has a "process ID" of "8" acquired in step 103. In this case, the verification unit 208 determines that the job process to be determined is not a required process (No in S106).

[0060] The verification unit 208 determines whether the job process to be determined is a process that can be substituted by an alternative process (S107). The verification unit 208 compares the job process to be determined with the information on the alternative process acquired in step 104 to determine whether the job process to be determined is a process that can be substituted by an alternative process. In this example, the "Substituted Process ID" of the substitution relationship management table 303 acquired in step 104 indicates "5," which is the "Process ID" of the job process to be determined. In this case, the verification unit 208 determines that the job process to be determined is a process that can be substituted by an alternative process having an "Alternative Process ID" of "14" (Yes in S107).

[0061] If the verification unit 208 determines that the job process to be determined is a process that can be substituted by an alternative process (Yes in step 107), the verification unit 208 determines that the process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150 should be the alternative process instead of the job process to be determined. In this case, the verification unit 208 also determines that the alternative process is to be displayed on a verification process screen, which will be described later (S108). In this example, instead of the job process to be judged, which has a "Process ID" of "5", the verification unit 208 determines an alternative process, which has a "Process ID" of "14", as the process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150. The verification unit 208 also determines the alternative process, which has a "Process ID" of "14", as the process to be displayed on the verification process screen.

[0062] If the verification unit 208 determines that the job process to be judged is a process that cannot be substituted by an alternative process (No in step 107), the verification unit 208 determines the job process to be judged as a process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150. In this case, the verification unit 208 also determines the job process to be judged as a process to be displayed on the verification process screen (S109).

[0063] The verification unit 208 determines whether or not all job processes, for which information was acquired in step 102, have been determined as to whether or not to substitute the job process with an alternative process (S110). If there is a job process among all job processes for which information was acquired in step 102 that has not been determined as to whether or not to substitute the job process with an alternative process (No in S110), the processing from step 105 onwards is repeated. That is, the processing from step 106 to step 109 is performed in order from the job process that is to be executed earliest until all job processes have been determined as to whether or not to substitute the job process with an alternative process.

[0064] In this example, not all job processes have been judged (No in S110), and the job process having a "Process ID" of "6" is determined to be the new target of judgment (S105). Furthermore, the job process having a "Process ID" of "6" is not a required process because it does not match the required process having a "Process ID" of "8" (No in S106). Furthermore, the "Substituted Process ID" in the substitution relationship management table 303 acquired in step 104 indicates "6," which is the "Process ID" of the job process to be judged. Therefore, the job process to be judged is determined to be a process that can be substituted by an alternative process having an "Alternative Process ID" of "15" (Yes in S107). In this case, it is determined that the alternative process will replace the job process to be judged as a process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150, and this alternative process is determined to be the target of display on the verification process screen (S108). Next, since not all job processes have been judged (No in S110), the job process having a "Process ID" of "7" is determined as the new target of judgment (S105). Furthermore, the job process having a "Process ID" of "7" is not a required process because it does not match the required process having a "Process ID" of "8" (No in S106). Furthermore, the "Substituted Process ID" in the substitution relationship management table 303 acquired in step 104 indicates "7", which is the "Process ID" of the job process to be judged. Therefore, the job process to be judged is determined as a process that can be substituted by an alternative process having an "Alternative Process ID" of "15" (Yes in S107). In this case, it is determined that the alternative process will replace the job process to be judged as a process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150, and this alternative process is determined as the target of display on the verification process screen (S108). Next, if not all job processes have been judged (No in S110), the job process having a "Process ID" of "8" is determined to be the new target for judgment (S105). Furthermore, the job process having a "Process ID" of "8" is a required process because it matches a required process having a "Process ID" of "8" (Yes in S106). In this case, the job process to be judged is determined to be the process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150, and the job process to be judged is determined to be the target for display on the verification process screen (S109). As a result, all job processes have been judged (Yes in S110).

[0065] If all job processes have been determined (Yes in S110), the verification unit 208 displays a verification process screen on the display 109 of the management server 100 (S111). Step 111 of the process determination process can also be considered as a display process. The display process is a process for displaying information about alternative processes when the verification processes identified from the process information acquired in the first acquisition process include a substituted process, which is a verification process that is not essential for verification and can be substituted by an alternative process. In this example, the verification unit 208 displays on the display 109 a verification process screen in which the alternative processes with the "Process ID" of "14" and "15" and the job process as a required process with the "Process ID" of "8" are processes for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150.

[0066] When a substituted process is replaced by an alternative process, the order in which the substituted processes are executed is assumed to be the order in which the substituted processes are executed. For example, when an alternative process with a "process ID" of "14" replaces a substituted process with a "process ID" of "5", the order in which this alternative process is executed is "1", which was the order in which the substituted process was executed (see Figure 5).

[0067] 9 is a diagram showing a verification process screen 400. The verification process screen 400 is a screen showing a process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150 that has encountered a problem in processing. The verification process screen 400 is displayed on the display 109 of the management server 100 when the process determination process (see FIG. 8) is executed. As shown in FIG. 9, the verification process screen 400 displays a user display image 500, an equipment display image 501, a job display image 502, a diagnosis display image 503, a treatment display image 504, a process display image 505, a positive section 509, and a negative section 510.

[0068] The user display image 500 displays information indicating the user who is logged in to the service for viewing the verification process screen 400. The device display image 501 displays information indicating the multifunction peripheral 150 that performed the job in which the problem occurred, and information indicating the customer who uses this multifunction peripheral 150. The job display image 502 displays the type of job in which the problem occurred and an error number (see Figure 4(B), etc.) indicating the results of the diagnosis of the problem by the diagnostic unit 206 of the management server 100 or the diagnostic unit 248 of the multifunction device 150. The diagnosis display image 503 displays information indicating the results of a diagnosis made by the diagnosis unit 206 of the management server 100 or the diagnosis unit 248 of the multifunction peripheral 150 regarding the content of the problem that has occurred. The treatment display image 504 displays the contents of the treatment that has been carried out based on the results of the diagnosis in order to restore the multifunction peripheral 150.

[0069] The process display image 505 displays a process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150. The process display image 505 includes an alternative process display section 520, a job process display section 508, and an operation display section 511. The alternative process display section 520 displays an alternative process as a process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150. The alternative process display section 520 is displayed in a color different from that of the job process display section 508. The alternative process display section 520 displays a first alternative display section 600 and a second alternative display section 601. The first alternative display unit 600 displays the alternative process that is to be executed first among the alternative processes determined in the process determination process as processes for verifying the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150. In the illustrated example, the first alternative display unit 600 displays the text "Step 1," which indicates the order in which the alternative process having a "Process ID" of "14" will be executed. In the illustrated example, the first alternative display unit 600 also displays the text "Scan / Send Settings," which indicates the content of the alternative process having a "Process ID" of "14," and the text "Use test settings for remote verification." The first alternative display unit 600 also displays the device display unit 512. In the illustrated example, the device suggestion unit 512 displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the alternative process displayed in the first alternative display unit 600 is the management server 100.

[0070] The second alternative display unit 601 displays the alternative process that will be executed after the first alternative display unit 600, among the alternative processes determined in the process determination process as processes for verifying the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150. In the illustrated example, the second alternative display unit 601 displays the text "Step 2," which indicates the execution order of the alternative process having a "Process ID" of "15." In addition, in the illustrated example, the first alternative display unit 600 displays the text "Document Scanning and Sending," which indicates the content of the alternative process having a "Process ID" of "15," and the text "A test document for remote verification will be used and a test transmission will be made to the email address below." In addition, the second alternative display unit 601 displays a device display unit 512, a proxy information unit 513, and a sending unit 514. In the illustrated example, the device suggestion unit 512 displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the alternative process displayed in the second alternative display unit 601 is the management server 100. Information about the agent of the customer is shown in the agent information section 513. In the illustrated example, the agent information section 513 shows the email address used by the agent as the email address to which the email is sent. When the sending section 514 is selected, an email is sent to the email address indicated in the proxy information section 513 as the destination.

[0071] The job process display section 508 displays job processes as processes for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150. The job processes displayed in the job process display section 508 are job processes that are not substituted by alternative processes. In the illustrated example, the job process display section 508 displays the text "Step 3," which indicates the order in which the job process having a "Process ID" of "8" will be executed. In the illustrated example, the job process display section 508 also displays the text "Confirm transmission result," which indicates the content of the job process as a required process having a "Process ID" of "8," and the text "Please confirm that the email with the PDF attachment was sent correctly." In addition, the device suggestion section 512 of the job process display section 508 displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the job process displayed in the job process display section 508 is the device as the email destination.

[0072] The operation display unit 511 displays information about operations required to execute the process displayed in the process display image 505. In the illustrated example, the operation display unit 511 displays the text "Some steps can be operated remotely," which means that the operations required to execute the process are not direct operations on the multifunction peripheral 150 but operations on a device used by the administrator. In addition, the operation display unit 511 displays the text "Some steps can be operated remotely" because the device that is the target of the operations required to execute the alternative process displayed in the first alternative display unit 600 and the second alternative display unit 601 is the management server 100. The affirmative section 509 is a button for receiving a report that the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150 has been verified. When the affirmative section 509 is selected, the verification of the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150 ends. The negation section 510 is a button for receiving a report that the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150 has not been verified. When the negation section 510 is selected, the cause of the problem that occurred in the processing of the multifunction peripheral 150 is re-diagnosed. It should be noted that the verification process screen 400 shown in FIG. 9 does not display the three substituted processes with the "process ID" of "5" to "7."

[0073] In this way, the verification process screen 400 displays the two alternative processes and the required process determined in the process determination process as processes for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150. That is, in this embodiment, the verification unit 208 of the management server 100 displays information about the alternative process when the verification processes identified from the process information include a substituted process, which is a verification process that is not essential for verification and can be substituted by an alternative process. The process information includes information acquired by the verification unit 208 in step 102 of the process determination process. Here, one possible method for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150 in which a problem has occurred is to execute the same process as the process in which the problem occurred in the multifunction device 150. However, when verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150 using this method, the verification may become complicated depending on the content of the process that has been executed.

[0074] 10 is a diagram showing a comparative example of a verification process screen 400. The process display image 505 on this verification process screen 400 displays only the job process that is the same as the process in which the problem occurred, and does not display any alternative processes. In other words, in the comparative example, the same process as the "SCAN&SEND (Email)" process in which the problem occurred in the multifunction device 150 is displayed on the verification process screen 400 as a process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150 in which the problem occurred. The verification process screen 400 shown in Fig. 10 shows three job process display areas 508. More specifically, the verification process screen 400 shown in Fig. 10 shows a first job display area 506, a second job display area 507, and a third job display area 515. Note that the third job display area 515 has the same content as the job process display area 508 in the verification process screen 400 shown in Fig. 9.

[0075] The first job display section 506 displays the text "Scan / Send Settings," which is the content of the job process having a "Process ID" of "5," and the text "Please set up the scan / send settings on the MFP." Also, the device suggestion section 512 of the first job display section 506 displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the job process displayed in the first job display section 506 is the multifunction peripheral 150. The second job display section 507 displays the text "Scan and send document" which is the content of the job process having the "Process ID" of "6" and "7", and the text "Set up the document on the MFP, and scan and send it." Also, the device suggestion section 512 of the second job display section 507 displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the job process displayed in the second job display section 507 is the multifunction device 150. The operation display section 511 also displays the text "On-site device operation required," which means that the operation required to execute the process is a direct operation on the multifunction device 150. The operation display section 511 also displays the text "Destination email address entry required," which means that the operation required to execute the process is the entry of a customer's email address as the destination of the email.

[0076] According to the verification process screen 400 shown in the comparative example, even when the administrator verifies the recovery of the multifunction device 150, the administrator must go to the location where the multifunction device 150 used by the customer is located in order to verify the recovery of the multifunction device 150. Furthermore, in order to verify the recovery of the multifunction device 150, the administrator must input customer information that has not been communicated to the administrator, such as the customer's email address, into the device. In contrast, in the present embodiment, when alternative steps are displayed on the verification step screen 400 instead of steps that are cumbersome for the administrator to execute, there is no need to execute the cumbersome steps in order to verify the recovery of the multifunction device 150. Furthermore, since essential steps are not substituted with alternative steps, the execution of these essential steps ensures the verification of the recovery of the multifunction device 150. Therefore, the verification of the recovery of the device is realized while preventing the verification from becoming cumbersome.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the substituted process is a process that requires direct operation of the multifunction device 150, and the substituting process is a process that does not require direct operation of the multifunction device 150 but is performed by operating another device connected to the multifunction device 150 via the network 170. In this case, compared to when the administrator needs to directly operate the multifunction device 150 in order to verify the recovery of the multifunction device 150, the administrator's verification of the recovery of the multifunction device 150 is prevented from becoming complicated.

[0078] In this embodiment, the substituted process is a process that requires input of user information about the user of the multifunction peripheral 150 to another device, and the substituting process is a process that does not require input of user information. Examples of user information include the customer's email address. In this case, compared to when user information needs to be input into the device to verify the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150, the administrator's verification of the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150 is prevented from becoming complicated. The process to be substituted may be a process that can only be performed by the customer, such as a process that requires the customer's personal information to be input into a device.

[0079] Furthermore, when displaying information related to an alternative process, the verification unit 208 restricts the display of information indicating the process to be substituted (see FIG. 9). In this case, it is possible to make the manager easily recognize that the substituting process is a process that has been substituted by the substituted process.

[0080] Furthermore, the verification unit 208 displays information about alternative processes in a color different from information about verification processes that are not substituted processes (see FIG. 9). In this case, it is possible to make it easier for the administrator to recognize the difference between alternative processes and verification processes that are not substituted processes. In this embodiment, the verification unit 208 displays the job process display area 508 and the alternative process display area 520 in different colors to distinguish between job processes and alternative processes, but the method for distinguishing between job processes and alternative processes is not limited to the above example. For example, the verification unit 208 may indicate that an alternative process displayed in the alternative process display area 520 is an alternative to a substituted process by displaying the text "Alternative" in the alternative process display area 520. That is, the verification unit 208 may display information about an alternative process in a color different from information about a verification process that is not a substituted process, or may display information indicating that an alternative process is an alternative to a substituted process.

[0081] Furthermore, when displaying information about the alternative process, the verification unit 208 displays information about the difference between the operation included in the substituted process and the operation included in the alternative process. Examples of the information about the difference between the operation included in the substituted process and the operation included in the alternative process include information displayed on the operation display unit 511. In this case, it is possible to make the administrator easily recognize the difference between the operation included in the substituted process and the operation included in the substituting process.

[0082] In addition, if it is determined in the process determination process that none of the job processes will be replaced by alternative processes, only the job process that is the same as the process in which the problem occurred will be displayed, as shown in the verification process screen 400 in Figure 10, and no alternative processes will be displayed.

[0083] Next, a modified example of the process determination process will be described. In the present embodiment, the substituted process to be substituted by the alternative process is not displayed on the verification process screen 400 (see FIG. 9), but the present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a modified process of determining the process. In the process determination process as a modified example, the processes from step 201 to step 207 are the same as the processes from step 101 to step 107 in the process determination process shown in FIG.

[0084] There is a case where the job process to be judged is not an essential process (No in S206) and is judged by the verification unit 208 to be a process that can be substituted by an alternative process (Yes in step 207). In this case, the verification unit 208 determines that both the job process to be judged and the alternative process are to be displayed on the verification process screen 400 (S208). Furthermore, there are cases where the job process to be judged is an essential process (Yes in S206), or where the verification unit 208 judges that the job process to be judged is a process that cannot be substituted by an alternative process (No in step 207). In these cases, the verification unit 208 determines the job process to be judged as a process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150, and determines the job process to be judged as a target for display on the verification process screen 400 (S209). On the other hand, alternative processes are not targets for display on the verification process screen 400. In the process determination process as a modified example, the processes of steps 210 and 211 are the same as the processes of steps 110 and 111 in the process determination process shown in FIG.

[0085] 12 and 13 are diagrams showing a modified verification process screen 400. The verification process screen 400 shown in Fig. 12 and 13 is displayed on the display 109 of the management server 100 by executing the process determination process shown in Fig. 11. 12 and 13 is the verification process screen 400 that is displayed when the process determination process shown in FIG. 11 is executed for the problem with the error number "888." More specifically, the verification process screen 400 is the verification process screen 400 that is displayed when the process determination process is executed for a problem that occurred in a job whose "job ID" is "5004" in the history management table 301 (see FIG. 4(B)). In this case, the process determination process determines that job processes with "process IDs" of "9" to "13," in other words, all job processes whose "job type" is "PRINT," can be substituted by alternative processes (Yes in S207). Then, all of these job processes and alternative processes with "process IDs" of "16" to "20" are determined to be displayed on the verification process screen 400 (S208).

[0086] The process display image 505 of the verification process screen 400 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 displays a job process display image 515 and an alternative process display image 516. The job process display image 515 shows job processes as processes for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150. The job process display image 515 shows, as the job process display section 508, a first job display section 800, a second job display section 801, a third job display section 802, a fourth job display section 803, and a fifth job display section 804.

[0087] The first job display section 800 displays the text "Step 1," which indicates the order in which the job step having a "Step ID" of "9" will be executed. In the illustrated example, the first job display section 800 also displays the text "Create a print job," which indicates the content of the job step having a "Step ID" of "9," and the text "Please create a print job on your PC." The device display section 512 of the first job display section 800 also displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the job step displayed in the first job display section 800 is the customer terminal 120.

[0088] The second job display area 801 displays the text "Step 2," which indicates the order in which the job step having the "Step ID" of "10" will be executed. In the illustrated example, the second job display area 801 also displays the text "Send print job," which indicates the content of the job step having the "Process ID" of "10," and the text "Send the print job created on the PC to the MFP." The device display area 512 of the second job display area 801 also displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the job step displayed in the second job display area 801 is the customer terminal 120.

[0089] The third job display portion 802 displays the text "Step 3," which indicates the order in which the job step having the "Step ID" of "11" will be executed. In the illustrated example, the third job display portion 802 displays the text "Receive print job," which indicates the content of the job step having the "Step ID" of "11," and the text "Please check on the panel that the MFP has received the sent print job." Furthermore, the device display portion 512 of the third job display portion 802 displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the job step displayed in the third job display portion 802 is the multifunction peripheral 150.

[0090] The fourth job display portion 803 displays the text "Step 4," which indicates the order in which the job step having the "Step ID" of "12" will be executed. In the illustrated example, the fourth job display portion 803 displays the text "Print," which indicates the content of the job step having the "Step ID" of "12," and the text "Please make sure that it will be printed on the MFP." Furthermore, the device display portion 512 of the fourth job display portion 803 displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the job step displayed in the fourth job display portion 803 is the multifunction peripheral 150.

[0091] The fifth job display area 804 displays the text "Step 5," which indicates the order in which the job step having the "Step ID" of "13" will be executed. In the illustrated example, the fifth job display area 804 displays the text "Confirm output result," which indicates the content of the job step having the "Step ID" of "13," and the text "Please confirm that the output result was printed correctly." In addition, the device display area 512 of the fifth job display area 804 displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the job step displayed in the fifth job display area 804 is paper output from the multifunction device 150.

[0092] Furthermore, the operation display section 511 of the job process display image 515 displays the text "Device operation required on-site," which means that the operation required to execute the process is a direct operation on the multifunction peripheral 150.

[0093] The alternative process display image 516 shows an alternative process as a process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction device 150. The alternative process display image 516 shows, as an alternative process display section 520, a first alternative display section 805, a second alternative display section 806, a third alternative display section 807, a fourth alternative display section 808, and a fifth alternative display section 809.

[0094] The first alternative display unit 805 displays the text "Step 1," which indicates the order in which the alternative process having a "Process ID" of "16" will be executed. In the illustrated example, the first alternative display unit 805 also displays the text "Create a print job," which indicates the content of the job process having a "Process ID" of "16," and the text "Use a test job for remote verification." The device display unit 512 of the first alternative display unit 805 also displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the alternative process displayed in the first alternative display unit 805 is the management server 100.

[0095] The second alternative display unit 806 displays the text "Step 2," which indicates the order in which the alternative process having a "Process ID" of "17" will be executed. In the illustrated example, the second alternative display unit 806 also displays the text "Send print job," which indicates the content of the job process having a "Process ID" of "17," and the text "Send test job for remote verification." The device display unit 512 of the second alternative display unit 806 also displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the alternative process displayed in the second alternative display unit 806 is the management server 100. The second alternative display unit 806 also displays a sender unit 514.

[0096] The third alternative display area 807 displays the text "Step 3," which indicates the order in which the alternative process having a "Process ID" of "18" will be executed. In the illustrated example, the third alternative display area 807 also displays the text "Receive print job," which indicates the content of the job process having a "Process ID" of "18," and the text "Confirm that the test job has been received by the MFP." The device display area 512 of the third alternative display area 807 also displays an icon indicating that the target of the operation required to execute the alternative process displayed in the third alternative display area 807 is the multifunction peripheral 150. The third alternative display area 807 also displays the text "Reception confirmed," which indicates that the alternative process has been executed, and the date and time when the alternative process was executed.

[0097] The fourth alternative display area 808 displays the text "Step 4," which indicates the order in which the alternative process having a "Process ID" of "19" will be executed. In the illustrated example, the fourth alternative display area 808 also displays the text "Print," which indicates the content of the job process having a "Process ID" of "19." The fourth alternative display area 808 also displays the text "Due to a problem with job reception, print confirmation is not required," which indicates that no substantial operation is required to execute the alternative process for the job process having a "Process ID" of "19." The fourth alternative display area 808 also displays the text "The test job will be automatically deleted within one minute after reception confirmation." The fourth alternative display area 808 does not display the device display area 512. Specifically, if no substantial operation is required to execute the process, the device display area 512 is not displayed.

[0098] The fifth alternative display area 809 displays the text "Step 5," which indicates the order in which the alternative process having a "Process ID" of "20" will be executed. In the illustrated example, the fifth alternative display area 809 also displays the text "Print," which indicates the content of the job process having a "Process ID" of "20." The fifth alternative display area 809 also displays the text "Due to a problem with job reception, it is not necessary to check the output result," which indicates that no actual operation is required to execute the alternative process for the job process having a "Process ID" of "20." The fifth alternative display area 809 also displays the text "The test job will be automatically deleted within one minute after reception is confirmed." The fifth alternative display area 809 does not display the device display area 512. Furthermore, the operation display section 511 of the alternative process display image 516 displays the text "Some steps can be remotely operated."

[0099] As described above, in this embodiment, the verification unit 208 displays information about the alternative process together with information about the process to be substituted. In this case, the administrator can be prompted to confirm and select whether to execute the alternative process or the substituted process as the process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150.

[0100] In this embodiment, the process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150 in which a processing problem has occurred has been described as consisting of a plurality of processes, but the present invention is not limited to this. The process for verifying the recovery of the multifunction peripheral 150 in which a processing problem has occurred may be at least one or more processes.

[0101] In addition, in the present embodiment, the management server 100 has been described as including a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, a third acquisition unit, and a control unit, but this is not limited to this. A device provided in the management system 1, such as the multifunction peripheral 150, may include the first acquisition unit, the second acquisition unit, the third acquisition unit, and a control unit. In other words, the first acquisition step, the second acquisition step, the third acquisition step, and the display step may be executed in a device provided in the management system 1, such as the multifunction peripheral 150.

[0102] The present invention also includes a case where a software program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device having a computer that can execute the program directly from a recording medium or via wired / wireless communication, and the program is executed. Therefore, the program code itself, supplied to and installed on a computer to implement the functional processes described above, also embodies the present invention. In other words, the computer program itself for implementing the functional processes of the present invention is also included in the present invention. In this case, the program may take any form, such as object code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied to an OS, as long as it has the program's functionality. Recording media for providing the program may include, for example, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium such as a magnetic tape, an optical / magneto-optical storage medium, or a non-volatile semiconductor memory. Another possible method for providing the program is to store the computer program forming the present invention on a server on a computer network, and then download the computer program to a connected client computer. Furthermore, an operating system or the like running on a computer may perform some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code, and the functions of the above-described embodiments may be realized by this processing. Furthermore, program code read from a storage medium may be written to memory provided on a function expansion board inserted into a computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Then, a CPU or the like provided on the function expansion board or function expansion unit may perform some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code. Even in this case, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized.

[0103] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration. (Configuration 1) a first acquisition means for acquiring process information indicating a verification process for verifying that a problem occurring in processing of the device has been resolved; a second acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the verification process identified as being essential for the verification in accordance with the result identified as the cause of the problem; a third acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an alternative process that is substituted for the verification process; a control means for displaying information about the alternative process when the verification process identified from the process information acquired by the first acquisition means includes a substituted process that is not essential for the verification and can be substituted by the alternative process; An information provision system equipped with: (Configuration 2) the process to be replaced is a process that requires direct operation of the device, 2. The information providing system according to configuration 1, wherein the alternative process is a process that is performed by operating another device connected to the device via a network, without requiring direct operation of the device. (Configuration 3) the substituted step is a step that requires input of user information about a user of the device to another device; 3. The information providing system according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the alternative step is a step that does not require input of the user information. (Configuration 4) 4. The information providing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the control means, when displaying the information related to the alternative process, limits display of information indicating the substituted process. (Configuration 5) 5. The information providing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the control means displays the information regarding the alternative process together with information indicating the substituted process. (Configuration 6) An information provision system described in any of configurations 1 to 5, wherein when the control means displays the information regarding the alternative process, the control means displays the information regarding the alternative process in a color different from the information regarding the verification process, or displays information indicating that the alternative process is a substitute for the substituted process. (Configuration 7) An information providing system described in any of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the control means, when displaying the information regarding the alternative process, displays information regarding the differences between the operations included in the substituted process and the operations included in the alternative process.

[0104] The present invention has been described in detail above based on its preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and these modifications are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 1...management system, 100...management server, 120...customer terminal, 150...multifunction device

Claims

1. a first acquiring means for acquiring process information indicating a verification process for verifying that a problem occurring in processing of the device has been resolved; a second acquiring means for acquiring information indicating the verification process identified as being essential for the verification in accordance with the result identified as the cause of the problem; a third acquiring means for acquiring information indicating an alternative process that is to be substituted for the verification process; a control means for displaying information about the alternative process when the verification process identified from the process information acquired by the first acquisition means includes a substituted process that is not essential for the verification and can be substituted by the alternative process; An information provision system equipped with:

2. the process to be replaced is a process that requires direct operation of the device, 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the alternative process is a process that is performed by operating another device connected to the device via a network, without requiring a direct operation on the device.

3. the substituted step is a step that requires input of user information about a user of the device to another device; 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the alternative process is a process that does not require input of the user information.

4. 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the control means, when displaying the information relating to the alternative process, limits display of information indicating the substituted process.

5. 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the control means displays the information regarding the alternative process together with information indicating the process to be substituted.

6. 2. The information providing system of claim 1, wherein when the control means displays the information regarding the alternative process, the control means displays the information regarding the alternative process in a color different from the information regarding the verification process or displays information indicating that the alternative process is a substitute for the substituted process.

7. 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the control means, when displaying the information regarding the alternative process, displays information regarding a difference between an operation included in the substituted process and an operation included in the alternative process.

8. a first acquisition step of acquiring process information indicating a verification step for verifying that a problem occurring in the processing of the device has been resolved; a second acquisition step of acquiring information indicating the verification step identified as being essential for the verification according to the result identified as the cause of the problem; a third acquisition step of acquiring information indicating an alternative step to be substituted for the verification step; a display step of displaying information about the alternative process when the verification process identified from the process information acquired in the first acquisition step includes a substituted process that is not essential for the verification and can be substituted by the alternative process; A method comprising:

Images