Image processing device, method and program

Abstract

To allow an administrator of an image processing device to confirm the result of confirmation by a user who recognizes the contents of settings changed in the image processing device in which a problem occurs in processing, whether or not the problem has been solved, without requiring the user to directly contact the administrator of the image processing device. [Solution] The image processing device is equipped with a display control means that displays prompting information on a display means to urge the user to confirm the operation, and the display control means displays on the display means a reception screen that shows change content information indicating the content of the changes made on the device in response to a change instruction and a reception section that accepts responses.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there have been known systems that verify the recovery of equipment such as image processing devices that have encountered problems in processing. 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 within 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] In some cases, settings on the image processing device are changed to resolve a problem that occurred during processing by the image processing device. In this case, even if the administrator of the image processing device checks the results of a verification to determine whether the problem occurred during processing by the image processing device has been resolved, depending on the content of the steps required for the verification, the user of the image processing device may be required to perform the steps. However, if the user is unaware of the content of the settings changed on the image processing device, this may increase the burden on the user. Furthermore, if the user is required to notify the administrator of the image processing device of the verification results, the user and the administrator's time may be tied up during communication between the user and the administrator, and the administrator's work to confirm the verification results may become cumbersome. To provide an image processing device that has a problem in processing, and an administrator of the image processing device can confirm the result of a user's confirmation of whether the problem has been resolved after recognizing the contents of settings that have been changed in the image processing device, without the user having to contact the administrator directly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, the image processing device of the present invention is an image processing device that includes an acquisition means for acquiring change instruction information that indicates an instruction to change the settings of the device where a processing problem has occurred, and answer instruction information that indicates an instruction to answer that the problem has been resolved or that the problem has not been resolved as a result of operation of the device where the change has been made, and a display control means for displaying prompting information on a display means that prompts the user to confirm the operation, and the display control means displays on the display means a reception screen that indicates change content information that indicates the content of the change made on the device by the instruction to make the change, and a reception section that accepts the response. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, a user who recognizes the contents of settings that have been changed in an image processing device in which a processing problem has occurred can confirm the results of the user's confirmation of whether the problem has been resolved, without the user having to contact the administrator of the image processing device directly. [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 diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a management server. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 5]FIG. 1A is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a bundle management unit, FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a repair unit, and FIG. 1C is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a result management unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an instruction execution unit. [Figure 7] 1A is a diagram showing a relationship management table, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an instruction management table. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing instruction information. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an information input screen. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a diagnosis result screen. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a setting value management table. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] 10A is a diagram showing a reception screen, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing a reply reception screen. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing from when an administrator inputs instructions to an image forming apparatus into a management server until when the administrator is notified of a response to the result of verification as to whether or not a problem with the image forming apparatus has been resolved. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing from when an administrator inputs instructions to an image forming apparatus into a management server until when the administrator is notified of a response to the result of verification as to whether or not a problem with the image forming apparatus has been resolved. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing from when an administrator inputs instructions to an image forming apparatus into a management server until when the administrator is notified of a response to the result of verification as to whether or not a problem with the image forming apparatus has been resolved. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a diagnosis result screen displayed on the output means of the management server when a resolution reception section is selected on the response reception screen. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a command sequence execution process. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a change instruction execution process. [Figure 20]FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a verification instruction execution process. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a change cancellation process. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a response acceptance screen according to Modification 1. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing instruction information in Modification 1. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a screen display process. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a re-promotion process. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a reception screen in Modification 2. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a cancellation determination process. [Figure 28] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a response acceptance screen in Modification 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a management system 1. When a problem occurs in the processing of an image processing device, the management system 1 takes action to resolve the problem on the image processing device and verifies that the action has resolved the problem, thereby managing the image processing device. The management system 1 includes a management server 610 and multiple image forming devices 130. The management server 610 and the multiple image forming devices 130 are connected via a network 600.

[0009] The management server 610 is a server that manages the image forming apparatus 130. When a problem occurs in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130, the management server 610 causes the image forming apparatus 130 to take measures to resolve the problem. The management server 610 also instructs the image forming apparatus 130 to have the user of the image forming apparatus 130 verify whether the problem in the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved by the measures that have been taken. Furthermore, the management server 610 obtains information indicating the results of the verification by requesting the image forming apparatus 130 to respond with the results of the verification. The management server 610 is used by the administrator of the image forming apparatus 130, in other words, the administrator of the management system 1. The management server 610 has a control means 611, a storage means 615, an input means 617, an output means 618, a communication control means 619, and a storage medium drive means 620. The control means 611, the storage means 615, the input means 617, the output means 618, the communication control means 619, and the storage medium drive means 620 are connected to each other via a bus 621.

[0010] The control means 611 controls the management server 610. The control means 611 includes a CPU 612, a ROM 614, and a RAM 613. The CPU 612 performs various calculations and information processing and overall control of the management server 610 according to a predetermined program. The ROM 614 is a read-only storage device that stores basic programs, data, parameters, etc. for operating the management server 610. The RAM 613 is a randomly accessible storage device that serves as a work area when the CPU 612 executes processing. The storage unit 615 is a readable / writable storage medium, such as a large-capacity hard disk. The storage unit 615 has a program storage unit 616. The program storage unit 616 stores an OS and other programs. The input unit 617 is a device that accepts information input from a keyboard, mouse, etc. The output unit 618 is a device that outputs information from a display device, printer, etc. The storage medium driving unit 620 is a driving device that drives a removable storage medium to read and write data. The communication control unit 619 is a functional unit that communicates with external devices, such as the image forming apparatus 130, via the network 600.

[0011] The management server 610 is realized, for example, by a computer. The management server 610 may be configured by a single computer, or may be realized by distributed processing using multiple computers. Furthermore, the management server 610 may be realized on virtual hardware provided by cloud computing.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 130. As shown in FIG. Image forming apparatus 130, which is an example of an image processing apparatus, is an apparatus equipped with a print function, a scan function, a network communication function, etc. Image forming apparatus 130 has CPU 101, ROM 102, RAM 103, HDD 104, operation unit I / F 105, operation unit 118, network I / F 106, scanner I / F 108, and scanner unit 113. The above-mentioned components of image forming apparatus 130 are connected to each other via bus 119.

[0013] The CPU 101 comprehensively controls the image forming apparatus 130 based on a control program stored in the ROM 102. The ROM 102 is a read-only nonvolatile storage area that stores a boot program, firmware, and the like for the image forming apparatus 130. The RAM 103 is a system work memory for the operation of the CPU 101 and also a memory for temporarily storing various data. Examples of the RAM 103 include nonvolatile static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), and volatile dynamic RAM (DRAM). The HDD 104 is a nonvolatile storage area that stores a system bundle, a later-installed bundle, and the like. Firmware for the image forming apparatus is stored in the HDD 104. Therefore, replacement of the HDD 104 due to a failure or the like does not affect the RAM 103. The operation unit I / F 105 controls input of information from the operation unit 118. The operation unit 118 accepts input of information. Examples of the operation unit 118 include a keyboard and a touch panel. The network I / F 106 is an interface used for communication with external devices via the LAN 116 or WAN 117. The scanner I / F 108 performs processing such as correction, processing, and editing on images received from the scanner unit 113. The scanner unit 113 is a scanner engine. The image forming unit 109 performs image direction conversion, image compression, image decompression, and the like. The printer I / F 110 receives images sent from the image forming unit 109 and transmits them to the printer unit 114. The printer unit 114 performs printing.

[0014] 1, two image forming devices 130 are provided in the management system 1, but this is not limiting. The number of image forming devices 130 provided in the management system 1 may be one, or may be three or more. Furthermore, the management system 1 may be provided with an image processing device other than the image forming device 130.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the management server 610. As shown in FIG. The management server 610 includes a storage unit 708 , an instruction receiving unit 700 , an instruction holding unit 701 , a request receiving unit 702 , an instruction creating unit 703 , an instruction transmitting unit 704 , a diagnosis obtaining unit 705 , and a treatment unit 706 . The storage unit 708 stores information. The information stored in the storage unit 708 will be described in detail later. The instruction receiving unit 700 receives information input by the administrator to the management server 610 as an instruction to be sent to the image forming apparatus 130 . The instruction storage unit 701 stores the contents of the instructions received by the instruction receiving unit 700. In addition, the instruction storage unit 701 notifies the image forming apparatus 130 of the presence or absence of an instruction in response to a request from the image forming apparatus 130. The request receiving unit 702 receives an instruction request from the image forming apparatus 130 . When the request receiving unit 702 receives an instruction request from the image forming apparatus 130, the instruction creating unit 703 creates information indicating an instruction to be sent to the image forming apparatus 130 based on the content of the instruction stored in the instruction storing unit 701. Note that the information created by the instruction creating unit 703 as information indicating the instruction to be sent to the image forming apparatus 130 may be referred to as instruction information hereinafter.

[0016] The instruction sending unit 704 sends a URL for downloading the instruction information generated by the instruction creating unit 703 to the image forming apparatus 130. Note that the instruction sending unit 704 may also send the instruction information directly to the image forming apparatus 130. When the instruction receiving unit 700 receives an instruction to obtain a diagnosis result of the cause of a problem occurring in processing by the image forming apparatus 130, the diagnosis obtaining unit 705 obtains information indicating the diagnosis result by requesting the diagnosis result from the image forming apparatus 130 in which the problem occurred. Furthermore, the diagnosis obtaining unit 705 causes the output unit 618 to display the information indicating the obtained diagnosis result. When the instruction receiving unit 700 receives an instruction to repair the image forming device 130 in which a problem has occurred in processing, the treatment unit 706 identifies a treatment to be performed to repair the image forming device 130 and causes the image forming device 130 to execute the identified treatment. The treatment unit 705 identifies the content of the treatment based on information indicating the diagnosis result acquired by the diagnosis acquisition unit 705 and information stored in the storage unit 708.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 130. As shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus 130 includes an operating system (OS) platform 201, a UI 202, a Java VM 203, a library 204, a framework group 210, a system bundle group 220, and a storage unit 230. The UI 202 is a user interface, and examples of the UI 202 include a display unit for displaying information and a speaker for outputting sound. The storage unit 230 stores information such as setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 130. The information stored in the storage unit 230 will be described in detail later.

[0018] Next, the JAVA (registered trademark) environment in the image forming apparatus 130 will be described. The image forming apparatus 130 is provided with an application program operating environment, such as a JAVA environment. In this embodiment, application programs that operate in an environment such as a JAVA environment are installed in the image forming apparatus 130, thereby improving the functionality and usability of the image forming apparatus 130. An example of an application platform is the OSGi (Open Services Gateway Initiative) Service Platform (hereinafter simply referred to as OSGi), which is a JAVA application platform for embedded devices. In OSGi, bundles are defined as management units for software modules, and specifications are defined for managing a lifecycle consisting of installation, start, stop, update, uninstallation, etc. Here, a bundle refers to a JAVA module, and is synonymous with an application program. The software platform in the JAVA environment of the image forming apparatus 130 is configured as a runtime environment of a Java VM 203, and is composed of the Java VM 203 as an interpreter, a library 204, and a group of frameworks 210. The library 204 has a standard API library. The group of frameworks 210 has an OSGi 211 and an OSGi extension unit 212. The OSGi 211 runs multiple bundles on a single Java VM 203. The OSGi extension unit 212 is a module that implements the interface specification of the OSGi 211. The OSGi extension unit 212 can extend its functions as needed within the scope of the OSGi 211 specifications. The OSGi 211 and the OSGi extension unit 212 provide functions such as bundle lifecycle management and inter-bundle communication functions.

[0019] The system bundle group 220 includes a plurality of bundles. Bundles constituting the system bundle group 220 include bundles that realize basic functions of the image forming device 130, such as copying, scanning, and printing (not shown). The system bundle group 220 also includes a bundle management unit 221, a transmission unit 222, an instruction execution unit 223, a request unit 224, a button management unit 225, an output unit 226, and a repair unit 227. The bundle management unit 221 manages the life cycle of a bundle, such as installing a bundle, updating a bundle, uninstalling a bundle, starting a bundle, and stopping a bundle. The transmission unit 222 transmits information about the configuration of the bundles managed by the bundle management unit 221 to an external device.

[0020] The instruction execution unit 223 executes instructions received from the management server 610. The configuration of the instruction execution unit 223 will be described in detail later. The request unit 224 requests information indicating whether or not an instruction has been issued from the instruction storage unit 701 (see FIG. 3) of the management server 610 at predetermined time intervals. The predetermined time may be any length of time, but is, for example, six hours. The request unit 224 also transmits the information acquired from the instruction storage unit 701 in response to the request to the instruction execution unit 223. The button management unit 225 manages buttons displayed as images on the UI 202. More specifically, the button management unit 225 manages whether or not a button is displayed on the UI 202 depending on whether or not the button is registered. The output unit 226 outputs information by causing the UI 202 to display information as an image or output information as sound. The repair unit 227 repairs the image forming device 130 when a problem occurs in the processing of the image forming device 130. The specific configuration of the repair unit 227 will be described in detail later.

[0021] Each process performed by the system bundle group 220 of the image forming apparatus 130 is implemented by the CPU 101 loading a program stored in the ROM 102 or the HDD 104 into the RAM 103 and executing the program. The storage unit 230 is implemented by the ROM 102 or the HDD 104.

[0022] 5A is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the bundle management unit 221. The bundle management unit 221 includes an information management unit 300 and a bundle initiation unit 301. The information management unit 300 manages information for each installed bundle. The bundle start unit 301 changes the state of an installed bundle from a stopped state to a started state. Whether a bundle is in a stopped state or a started state is managed by the information management unit 300.

[0023] 5B is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the repair unit 227. The repair unit 227 has a detection unit 310, a diagnosis unit 311, a treatment unit 312, a verification determination unit 313, and a result management unit 314. The detection unit 310 detects a problem that occurs during processing of the image forming apparatus 130 . The diagnosis unit 311 diagnoses the cause of the problem detected by the detection unit 310 and the details of the problem that has occurred. In response to a request from the diagnosis acquisition unit 705 of the management server 610, the diagnosis unit 311 transmits information indicating the results of the diagnosis to the diagnosis acquisition unit 705. The processing unit 312 performs the processing specified by the processing unit 706 of the management server 610 on the image forming apparatus 130 . The verification determination unit 313 determines the content of the processing required to verify whether the problem detected by the detection unit 310 has been resolved by the processing unit 207. The result management unit 314 manages information indicating the results of verification as to whether or not the problem in the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved by the treatment performed by the treatment unit 207 .

[0024] 5C is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the result management unit 314. The result management unit 314 has a response reception unit 320, a result transmission unit 321, an administrator notification unit 322, a rollback instruction unit 323, and a timing unit 324. The answer receiving unit 320 displays on the UI 202 an image for receiving an answer as a result of the verification of the content determined by the verification determination unit 314, and receives an answer from the user as a result of the verification. The result transmitting unit 321 transmits the response received by the response receiving unit 320 to the management server 610 . When the answer receiving unit 320 receives a response as a verification result indicating that the problem with the image forming apparatus 130 was not resolved by the treatment performed by the treatment unit 207, the administrator notification unit 322 notifies the device used by the administrator, such as a call center employee, of the response. In this case, the administrator receives the notification and contacts the user. The rollback instruction unit 323 instructs the instruction execution unit 223 to cancel the action taken by the treatment unit 207 when the response receiving unit 320 receives a response from the verification result indicating that the action taken by the treatment unit 207 did not resolve the problem with the image forming device 130. The timekeeping unit 324 keeps time and manages time, such as determining whether a predetermined time has been reached.

[0025] 6 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the instruction execution unit 223. The instruction execution unit 223 has a notification receiving unit 401, an instruction acquisition unit 400, an instruction analysis unit 410, a treatment management unit 420, a rollback management unit 430, a change management unit 440, and a verification management unit 450. The notification receiving unit 401 receives, from the request unit 224, information indicating whether or not there is an instruction from the management server 610 to the image forming apparatus 130. When the notification receiving unit 401 receives information indicating that an instruction has been sent to the image forming device 130 from the management server 610, the instruction acquiring unit 400 acquires the instruction for the image forming device 130 from the instruction sending unit 704 of the management server 610.

[0026] The instruction analysis unit 410 analyzes the instruction from the management server 610 to the image forming apparatus 130, which is acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 400. The instruction analysis unit 410 includes an instruction reading unit 411 and a content generation unit 412. The instruction reading unit 411 reads the content of the instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 400 . The content generation unit 412 generates information indicating the content of an instruction as a process to be executed by the image forming apparatus 130, based on the content of the instruction read by the instruction reading unit 411. The content generation unit 412 generates the information indicating the content of the instruction as a command sequence consisting of a command instance for each instruction. Furthermore, the content generation unit 412 generates information indicating which functional unit in the image forming apparatus 130 is to execute the process, according to the content of the instruction. For example, if the instruction from the management server 610 is an instruction to change the settings of the image forming apparatus 130, the content generation unit 412 generates a command instance targeted for the change management unit 440. Furthermore, if the instruction from the management server 610 is an instruction to verify whether a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved, the content generation unit 412 generates a command instance targeted for the verification management unit 450.

[0027] The treatment management unit 420 manages treatments instructed by the management server 610. The treatment management unit 420 includes a list 421, an execution unit 422, and a timer unit 423. List 421 is a list showing information generated by content generation unit 412 . The execution unit 422 executes the process indicated in the list 421 as an instruction from the management server 610 . The timekeeping unit 423 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed by measuring time. In this embodiment, the timekeeping unit 423 notifies the execution unit 422 of the elapse of time when a predetermined time has elapsed since the content generation unit 412 generated information indicating the content of processing to be executed in the image forming apparatus 130. This notification causes the execution unit 422 to start executing a process.

[0028] The rollback management unit 430 manages the cancellation of execution of an instruction from the management server 610. The rollback management unit 430 includes a content storage unit 431 and a rollback execution unit 432. The content storage unit 431 stores information indicating the content of the settings in the image forming device 130 before an instruction from the management server 610 is executed. For example, if the instruction from the management server 610 is an instruction to change the settings in the image forming device 130, the content storage unit 431 stores information indicating the content of the settings in the image forming device 130 before the change is made in response to the instruction. Based on the contents stored in the contents storage unit 431, the rollback execution unit 432 returns the settings in the image forming apparatus 130 to the state before the instruction from the management server 610 was executed.

[0029] The change management unit 440 manages changes to the settings of the image forming apparatus 130 in response to instructions from the management server 610. The change management unit 440 includes a storage unit 441, a setting change unit 442, and a pre-change retention unit 443. The storage unit 441 stores information indicating the content of changes to the settings of the image forming apparatus 130 as an instruction from the management server 610. The storage unit 441 stores the list 421. In response to an instruction from the management server 610, the setting change unit 442 instructs the processing unit 312 to change the setting of the image forming apparatus 130. The pre-change storage unit 443 stores information indicating the settings of the image forming apparatus 130 before the settings are changed by the treatment unit 312 .

[0030] The verification management unit 450 manages verification of whether or not a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved. The verification management unit 450 includes a storage unit 451, a content determination unit 452, and a start instruction unit 453. The storage unit 451 stores parameters as instructions acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 400. The content determining unit 452 determines the content of the information to be output by the output unit 226 . The start instruction unit 453 instructs the verification decision unit 314 to start processing.

[0031] 7A is a diagram showing a relationship management table. The relationship management table is a table for managing the relationship between the cause of a problem occurring in the image forming device 130 and the action to be taken on the image forming device 130 to resolve the problem. The relationship management table is stored in the storage unit 708 of the management server 610. The relationship management table shows "identification information," "cause," "problem," "measure," "setting target," and "change value."

[0032] The information shown in the relationship management table will now be described in detail. The "identification information" indicates information that identifies the cause of the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130. In the illustrated example, the cause is identified depending on whether the information indicated in the "identification information" is "cause A" or "cause B." The "cause" column indicates the cause of the problem in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130. The "Problem" indicates the content of the problem with the image forming apparatus 130. The "action" indicates the content of the action that needs to be taken on the image forming device 130 to resolve the "problem." The "setting target" indicates the target of the setting as the "treatment" for the image forming apparatus 130. The "change value" indicates the value to which the setting for the "treatment" for the image forming apparatus 130 is to be changed.

[0033] The "Cause" of "Cause A" shown in the relationship management table is the cause of the "problem" of "fax could not be sent," which is the cause of "username / password not set." The action to resolve the "problem" caused by the "cause" of this "Cause A" is to "change SMTP authentication from ON to OFF," the "setting target" is "smtp_auth_use," and the "change value" is "0." The "cause" of "cause B" shown in the relationship management table is the cause of the "problem" of "unable to communicate," which is that "the TLS version is an unacceptable version." The measure to resolve the "problem" caused by the "cause" of this "cause B" is to "change the minimum version of the TLS settings," with the "setting target" being "tls_version_min" and the "change value" being "1."

[0034] The treatment unit 706 of the management server 610 determines, as the content of the treatment, the "treatment," "setting target," and "change value" associated with the "factor" that corresponds to the result of the diagnosis identified from the information acquired by the diagnosis acquisition unit 705, among the "factors" shown in the relationship management table. More specifically, the treatment unit 706 determines, as the "treatment," to change the content of the "setting target" to the content of the "change value."

[0035] Fig. 7(B) is a diagram showing an instruction management table. The instruction management table is a table for managing instructions generated in the management server 610 as instructions to the image forming device 130. The instruction management table is stored in the instruction storage unit 701. Note that the instruction management table shown in Fig. 7(B) is assumed to have been generated as instructions in response to the occurrence of a problem in the processing of the image forming device 130, namely, "FAX could not be sent" (see Fig. 7(A)). The instruction management table indicates an "instruction ID," "instruction type," and "instruction content." "Instruction ID" indicates information for identifying an instruction. The "Instruction Type" indicates the type of instruction. The "Setting Change" indicated in the "Instruction Type" indicates that the type of instruction is a change in the settings of the image forming device 130. The "Verification Result Response" indicated in the "Instruction Type" indicates that the type of instruction is a response to the verification result as to whether or not a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved. "Instruction content" indicates the content of the instruction.

[0036] In the instruction management table, the instruction with an "Instruction ID" of "1" has an "Instruction Type" of "Settings Change" and an "Instruction Content" of "Setting Target: smtp_auth_use" and "Change Value: 0." This "Instruction Content" is the content identified from "Cause A" in the instruction management table. Additionally, the instruction with an "Instruction ID" of "2" in the instruction management table has an "Instruction Type" of "Verification Result Response" and an "Instruction Content" of "Verify that the issue of being unable to send a fax has been resolved." This "Instruction Content" is the content identified from the "Problem" associated with "Cause A" in the instruction management table.

[0037] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing instruction information 200. The instruction information 200 is generated by the instruction creation unit 703. As shown in FIG. 8, the instruction information 200 is generated as a command sequence. The instruction information 200 shown in FIG. 8 is generated based on the instruction management table shown in FIG. 7(B). The numbers "1" to "29" shown in the instruction information 200 in FIG. 8 indicate the number of lines. In the illustrated example, the instruction information 200 is generated in JSON format, but the instruction information 200 may also be generated in a format other than JSON format, such as XML format.

[0038] In the instruction information 200, "Script" on the second line indicates the entire instruction information 200. "Instructionid" on the third line is a number that identifies the instruction information 200. In the illustrated example, "00001" is used as the number that identifies the instruction information 200. "Command Sequence" on the fourth line indicates the arrangement of the command sequences. Note that multiple command sequences may be provided in one instruction information 200. A command sequence is composed of a command arrangement consisting of multiple commands. "Command SequenceId" on the sixth line is a number that identifies the command sequence. In the illustrated example, "001" is used as the number that identifies the command sequence. "Time" on the seventh line specifies the time at which the instruction indicated in the instruction information 200 is executed. Furthermore, "Immediate" on the seventh line indicates immediate execution. "Command" on the eighth line indicates the command arrangement. Lines 9 to 16 indicate "Set Config Value," a command that corresponds to a setting change. "Order" is a number that indicates the execution order of the process. In the illustrated example, "1" is indicated as the execution order of the process. "Name" indicates the command name. In the illustrated example, "Set Config Value" is indicated. "Parameter" indicates the content of the instruction. In the illustrated example, the instruction content includes "smtp_aut_use," which is the setting value key "configKey" indicating the setting target in the image forming apparatus 130, and "0" as the "config Value" indicating the changed value. In other words, when this instruction is executed, the setting value having the "smtp_aut_use" key, in other words, the SMTP authentication setting value, becomes 0, indicating that it is OFF. Lines 17 to 24 indicate "Ask User To Verify," which is the command corresponding to the answer of the verification result. "2" is indicated as the execution order of this process. Furthermore, "Ask User To Verify" is indicated as the command name. The parameters include "Fax could not be sent" and "Change SMTPP authentication from ON to OFF."

[0039] 9 is a diagram showing an information input screen 800. The information input screen 800 is a screen for inputting information about the image forming apparatus 130 to be searched for. The information input screen 800 is displayed on the output means 618 by the instruction receiving unit 700. The information input screen 800 shows a number receiving unit 801 and a request receiving unit 802. The number receiving unit 801 receives an input of the serial number of the image forming apparatus 130 to be searched for. The request receiving unit 802 receives a request for the results of a diagnosis of the cause of a problem occurring in processing by the image forming device 130. When the request receiving unit 802 is selected, the diagnosis acquisition unit 705 requests information indicating the results of a diagnosis of the cause of the problem from the diagnosis unit 311 of the image forming device 130 identified from the serial number input to the number receiving unit 801, and acquires the requested information.

[0040] 10 is a diagram showing a diagnosis result screen 810. The diagnosis result screen 810 is a screen that displays the results of a diagnosis of the cause of a problem occurring in processing by the image forming device 130. The diagnosis result screen 810 is displayed on the output unit 618 by the diagnosis acquisition unit 705. The diagnosis result screen 810 displays a device display section 811, a job display section 812, a result display section 813, a treatment display section 814, a request receiving section 815, and a treatment receiving section 816.

[0041] The device display section 811 displays the serial number of the image forming device 130 for which the cause of the problem has been diagnosed, and the user name of this image forming device 130. The job display section 812 displays a job for which a problem has occurred in the image forming apparatus 130. A job is a process executed in the image forming apparatus 130. Examples of jobs include printing, scanning, and faxing. In the illustrated example, the job display section 812 displays the date and time when the problem occurred, information identifying the user, "Fax" indicating that the job type is a fax, and the text "Failed" indicating that a problem has occurred with the job. The result display section 813 displays the results of the diagnosis made by the diagnosis section 311 as the cause of the problem in the job displayed in the job display section 812. In the example shown, the result display section 813 displays the text "User name / password not set," which is the cause of the problem. The result display section 813 also displays the text "SMTP authentication is ON, but the user name / password is not set," which is a specific explanation of the cause of the problem.

[0042] The action display section 814 displays the content of the action that is required to resolve the problem displayed in the result display section 813. In the illustrated example, the action display section 814 displays the text "Turn off SMTP authentication." The request receiving unit 815 receives a request from the user to verify whether or not the problem occurring in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved by performing the action displayed on the action display unit 814 . The treatment receiving unit 816 receives instructions to the image forming apparatus 130 for the treatment displayed on the treatment display unit 814. When the treatment receiving unit 816 is selected while the request receiving unit 815 is selected, the instruction receiving unit 700 receives an instruction to execute the treatment and an instruction to execute the verification.

[0043] If the action receiving unit 816 is selected without the request receiving unit 815 being selected, the instruction receiving unit 700 receives an instruction to perform the action, but does not receive an instruction to perform the verification. In this case, an instruction with an "instruction ID" of "2" shown in the instruction management table (see FIG. 7(B)) is not generated. In this case, the administrator directly contacts the user and requests verification of whether the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved.

[0044] 11 is a diagram showing a setting value management table. The setting value management table is a table for managing setting values ​​in the image forming apparatus 130. The setting value management table is stored in the storage unit 230 of the image forming apparatus 130. The setting value management table shows "setting target," "setting value key," "value," "display content," and "current value."

[0045] The information shown in the setting value management table will now be described in detail. The "setting target" indicates the item for which the value is to be set. The "setting value key" indicates the specific content of the "setting target." "Value" indicates the possible values ​​that can be set. The "display content" indicates the content that corresponds to the "value" and is displayed on the UI 202. "Current value" indicates information that identifies the current setting value in the image forming device 130. The "value" associated with the "◯" indicated in "Current value" is the current setting value in the image forming device 130.

[0046] For the "setting target" of "SMTP authentication" in the image forming apparatus 130, "ON" is displayed on the UI 202, which corresponds to "1", which is the current value of the "setting value key" of "smtp_auth_use". For the "setting target" which is the "TLS minimum version" in the image forming apparatus 130, "TLS1.2" which corresponds to the current value "2" of the "setting value key" of "tls_version_min" is displayed on the UI 202.

[0047] 12 is a diagram showing the list 421. The list 421 shows a plurality of command sequences 460 generated by the content generator 412. Furthermore, "command sequence 1," which is one of the command sequences 460, shows a setting change command 461 and a verification result reply command 462. The setting change command 461 is a command for instructing a change in the settings of the image forming apparatus 130. The verification result reply command 462 is a command for instructing a reply regarding the result of verification as to whether or not a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved.

[0048] 13A is a diagram showing a reception screen 500. The reception screen 500 is a screen for accepting processing in the image forming apparatus 130, and is displayed on the UI 202 by the output unit 226. The reception screen 500 displays a copy button 501, a print button 502, a fax button 503, an answer acceptance button 504, and an answer prompt image 510. A copy button 501 accepts execution of copying. A print button 502 accepts a print command. The fax button 503 accepts the execution of a fax.

[0049] The answer acceptance button 504 accepts an answer to the verification result as to whether or not a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved. In this embodiment, when the instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 400 includes an instruction to answer the verification result as to whether or not a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved, the answer acceptance button 504 is displayed on the reception screen 500. The answer prompting image 510 prompts the user to answer the result of the verification as to whether or not the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved. In the illustrated example, the answer prompting image 510 displays the text "Please reply to the verification result." The answer prompting image 510 also displays the text "Setting value changed," which means that measures have been taken to resolve the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130. The content displayed in the answer prompting image 510 is the content determined by the content determination unit 452.

[0050] Here, when the user selects the answer acceptance button 504, an answer acceptance screen 520 is displayed on the UI 202 by the output unit 226, as shown in Fig. 13(B). The answer acceptance screen 520 is a screen for accepting an answer as a result of verification as to whether or not a problem that occurred in processing by the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved. The answer acceptance screen 520 displays a problem display section 521, a solution display section 522, a resolution acceptance section 523, a non-resolution acceptance section 524, a message acceptance section 525, and an explanation section 526. Problem display section 521 displays the content of the problem that occurred in the processing of image forming device 130. In the illustrated example, the text "Fax could not be sent" is displayed, which is the content of the problem that occurred in the processing of image forming device 130. The action display section 522 displays the action taken to resolve the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130. In the illustrated example, the action display section 522 displays the text "The following setting values ​​were changed to resolve the above inquiry problem," which means that the action was taken to resolve the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130. Also, in the illustrated example, the action display section 522 displays the text "Change SMTP authentication from ON to OFF," which means the action that was taken.

[0051] The resolution receiving unit 523 receives a response indicating that the problem has been resolved as a result of verifying whether or not the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved. In the illustrated example, the resolution receiving unit 523 displays the text "(1) Verification OK." The non-resolution receiving unit 524 receives a response indicating that the problem has not been resolved as a result of verifying whether the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved. In the illustrated example, the non-resolution receiving unit 524 displays the text "(2) Verification NG." The contact receiving unit 525 receives a request from a manager, such as a call center employee, to contact the user when a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130 has not been resolved. In the illustrated example, the contact receiving unit 525 displays the text "Request for re-call." Regardless of whether the resolution acceptance section 523 or the non-resolution acceptance section 524 is selected, the acceptance screen 500 is displayed again, but the answer acceptance button 504 and the answer prompting image 510 are not displayed on the acceptance screen 500 that is displayed again.

[0052] The explanation section 526 displays an explanation regarding verification of whether a problem occurring in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved. In the illustrated example, the explanation section 526 displays the text "Please continue by verifying whether this setting change has resolved the problem," which requests the user to verify whether a problem occurring in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved. The explanation section 526 also displays the text "(1) If the problem has been resolved, please press the verification OK button.", which explains that the resolution acceptance section 523 should be selected if it is verified that the problem has been resolved. The explanation section 526 also displays the text "(2) If the problem has not been resolved, please press the verification NG button.", which explains that the non-resolution acceptance section 524 should be selected if it is not verified that the problem has been resolved. The explanation section 526 also displays the text "If you check the re-call request box at this time, you will be contacted by the call center.", which explains that if the problem has not been resolved, a request for contact from an administrator can be accepted by selecting the contact acceptance section 525.

[0053] 14 to 16 are sequence diagrams showing the processing flow from when the administrator inputs instructions for the image forming device 130 into the management server 610 until the administrator is notified of the result of verification as to whether the problem with the image forming device 130 has been resolved. First, the administrator inputs an instruction to the management server 610 (step (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "S") 910). In this example, the administrator selects the action receiving section 816 while selecting the request receiving section 815 on the diagnosis result screen 810 (see FIG. 10). In this case, the instruction receiving section 700 of the management server 610 receives an instruction to take action on the image forming device 130 where a problem has occurred in processing, and an instruction to verify whether the problem has been resolved in the image forming device 130 where the action was performed. The instruction to take action on the image forming device 130 is to turn off SMTP authentication, in other words, to change the setting value key "smtp_auth_use" in the image forming device 130 from 1 to 0.

[0054] The instruction sending unit 704 of the management server 610 sends the instruction information generated by the instruction creation unit 703 to the instruction acquisition unit 400 in the instruction execution unit 223 of the image forming apparatus 130 (S911). In this example, in step 911, the instruction information 200 shown in Fig. 8 is sent to the instruction acquisition unit 400. Furthermore, the content generation unit 412 of the instruction execution unit 223 generates, as a command sequence, information indicating the content of the instruction as a process to be executed in the image forming apparatus 130, based on the content analyzed by the instruction analysis unit 410 for the instruction information 200. Based on the instruction generated by the content generation unit 412, the pre-change storage unit 443 of the instruction execution unit 223 requests information on the current setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 130 from the storage unit 230 (S921). At this time, the setting value information requested by the pre-change storage unit 443 is the target for which the instructed action is to be performed, i.e., "smtp_auth_use" as SMTP authentication.

[0055] In response to the request from the pre-change holding unit 443, the storage unit 230 transmits the current setting value of "smtp_auth_use" (see FIG. 11) as the SMTP authentication in the image forming apparatus 130 to the pre-change holding unit 443 (S922). The setting change unit 442 of the instruction execution unit 223 instructs the treatment unit 312 of the repair unit 227 to change the settings in the image forming device 130 based on the instructions shown in the list 421 stored in the memory unit 441 of the change management unit 440 (S923). In response to an instruction from the setting change unit 442, the processing unit 312 changes the setting value of "smtp_auth_use" for the current SMTP authentication in the image forming apparatus 130 from "1" to "0" (S924). The processing unit 312 changes the setting value by updating the setting value stored in the storage unit 230.

[0056] The storage unit 230 notifies the processing unit 312 that the change of the setting value has been completed (S925). The treatment unit 312 notifies the instruction execution unit 223 that the change of the setting value has been completed (S926). The pre-change holding unit 443 generates, as a command, information indicating the content of the action required to cancel the setting change executed in step 924 from the setting value acquired in step 922, and causes the generated information to be held in the content holding unit 431 (S927). In this example, the information generated in the pre-change holding unit 443 and held in the content holding unit 431 is information indicating that the setting value of "smtp_auth_use" for the current SMTP authentication in the image forming apparatus 130, which is "0", should be changed back to "1". In this way, measures are taken to resolve the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130.

[0057] Next, the content generation unit 412 of the instruction execution unit 223 generates, as a command sequence, information indicating the content of an instruction to verify whether or not a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved, and stores the generated information in the storage unit 451 (S931). This information is generated based on the content analyzed by the instruction analysis unit 410 regarding the instruction information 200 and the action taken by the action unit 312. The information generated at this time also includes information indicating the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130, information indicating the action taken to resolve the problem, and the like.

[0058] The content determination unit 452 determines the content to be displayed in the answer prompting image 510 on the reception screen 500 based on the information stored in the storage unit 451 in step 931, and causes the output unit 226 to display the answer prompting image 510 based on the determined content (S932). As a result, the answer prompting image 510 shown in FIG. 13(A) is displayed on the reception screen 500. The start instruction unit 453 requests the bundling start unit 301 to start processing by the result management unit 314 (S933). The bundling start unit 301 causes the result management unit 314 to start processing (S934).

[0059] The response receiving unit 320 of the result management unit 314 acquires the information stored in the memory unit 451 in step 931 as information indicating the content of the instruction to verify whether the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved (S935). The answer receiving section 320 requests the button management section 225 to register a button for displaying the answer receiving screen 520, that is, the answer receiving button 504 (see FIG. 13(A)) (S936). The button management unit 225 registers the answer acceptance button 504 and displays the answer acceptance button 504 on the output unit 226 (S937). As a result, the answer acceptance button 504 is displayed on the reception screen 500 (see FIG. 13(A)).

[0060] Next, the user presses the answer acceptance button 504 on the acceptance screen 500 displayed on the UI 202 (S1010). The button management unit 225 requests the answer reception unit 320 of the result management unit 314 to display the answer reception screen 520 (S1011). In response to the request from the button management unit 225, the answer receiving unit 320 causes the output unit 226 to display the answer receiving screen 520 (S1012). In this example, the answer receiving screen 520 shown in FIG. 13(B) is displayed on the UI 202. Thereafter, the user verifies whether the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved according to the content displayed on the answer receiving screen 520. Furthermore, the user selects either the resolution receiving section 523 or the non-resolution receiving section 524 displayed on the answer receiving screen 520 according to the result of the verification.

[0061] First, a case where the user selects the non-resolution reception section 524 on the response reception screen 520 will be described. The user presses the non-resolution acceptance section 524 (S1021). In this example, it is assumed that the user presses the non-resolution acceptance section 524 with the contact acceptance section 525 selected. The response receiving unit 320 receives that the non-resolution receiving unit 524 has been selected. In this case, the rollback instruction unit 323 of the result management unit 314 requests the rollback management unit 430 of the instruction execution unit 223 to cancel the action taken by the action unit 312 in step 924 (S1022). The rollback execution unit 432 of the rollback management unit 430 cancels the action taken by the action unit 312 by restoring the setting value stored in the storage unit 230 in the image forming apparatus 130 to the value before it was changed by the action unit 312 (S1023). The rollback execution unit 432 cancels the action based on the information stored in the content storage unit 431 in step 927 as information indicating the content of the action required to cancel the action taken by the action unit 312. Also, in this example, the setting value of "smtp_auth_use" as the current SMTP authentication in the image forming apparatus 130, which is "0", is changed to "1". The result transmission unit 321 of the result management unit 314 notifies the management server 610 that the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130 has not been resolved (S1024). The administrator notification unit 322 of the result management unit 314 notifies the administrator that the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has not been resolved and that the user has requested contact (S1025). As a result, the administrator contacts the user. The answer acceptance unit 320 of the result management unit 314 requests the button management unit 225 to cancel the registration of the answer acceptance button 504 (S1026). As a result, the answer acceptance button 504 is no longer displayed on the reception screen 500. In addition, in conjunction with the answer acceptance button 504 no longer being displayed on the reception screen 500, the answer prompting image 510 may also no longer be displayed on the reception screen 500.

[0062] Next, a case where the user selects the resolution receiving section 523 on the response receiving screen 520 will be described. The user presses the cancellation acceptance section 523 (S1031). The response receiving unit 320 of the result management unit 314 receives the selection of the resolution receiving unit 523. In this case, the result transmission unit 321 notifies the management server 610 that it has been verified that the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved (S1032). The answer acceptance unit 320 of the result management unit 314 requests the button management unit 225 to cancel the registration of the answer acceptance button 504 (S1033). As a result, the answer acceptance button 504 is no longer displayed on the reception screen 500. In addition, in conjunction with the answer acceptance button 504 no longer being displayed on the reception screen 500, the answer prompting image 510 may also no longer be displayed on the reception screen 500.

[0063] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a diagnosis result screen 810 that is displayed on the output means 618 of the management server 610 when the resolution reception section 523 is selected on the response reception screen 520. As shown in FIG. When the image forming device 130 notifies the management server 610 that the resolution of a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been verified, a resolution notification section 1100 is displayed in the treatment display section 814 of the diagnosis result screen 810. The resolution notification section 1100 displays the text "Verified by user," which indicates that the user has verified whether the problem that occurred in the image forming device 130 has been resolved. The resolution notification section 1100 also displays the text "Result: OK," which indicates that the resolution of the problem that occurred in the image forming device 130 has been verified.

[0064] 18 is a flowchart showing the flow of the command sequence execution process, in which the instruction execution unit 223 executes the command sequence shown in the list 421. The time counting unit 423 determines whether or not it is time to execute the command sequence indicated as an instruction in the instruction information 200 (S1201). As long as the negative result continues, the process of step 1201 is repeated. If the time to execute the command sequence has arrived (YES in S1201), the instruction executing unit 223 starts a loop with the command held in the command sequence (S1202). The instruction execution unit 223 performs the instruction execution process (S1203), which will be described later. The instruction execution unit 223 repeats the commands held in the command sequence until the end of the loop is reached (S1204). When all commands have been executed, the command sequence execution process ends.

[0065] 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of the change instruction execution process. The change instruction execution process is a process in which the image forming apparatus 130 executes an instruction to change a setting value in the image forming apparatus 130. The change instruction execution process is one of the instruction execution processes (see FIG. 18). The pre-change holding unit 443 of the instruction executing unit 223 acquires information on the current setting values ​​in the image forming apparatus 130 from the storage unit 230 based on the instruction generated by the content generating unit 412 (S1301). The setting change unit 442 instructs the treatment unit 312 of the repair unit 227 to change the settings of the image forming device 130 based on the instructions shown in the list 421 stored in the storage unit 441 of the change management unit 440. The treatment unit 312 changes the setting values ​​of the image forming device 130 based on the instructions (S1302). The pre-change holding unit 443 generates, as a command, information indicating the content of the measures required to cancel the change of the settings executed in step 1302 from the current setting values ​​acquired in step 1301 (S1303). The pre-change storage unit 443 stores the information generated in step 1303 in the content storage unit 431 (S1304).

[0066] 20 is a flowchart showing the flow of the verification instruction execution process. The verification instruction execution process is a process in which the image forming apparatus 130 executes the content of an instruction to verify whether or not a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved. The verification instruction execution process is one of the instruction execution processes (see FIG. 18). The content generation unit 412 of the instruction execution unit 223 generates, as a command sequence, information indicating the content of an instruction to verify whether or not a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved, and stores the generated information in the storage unit 451 (S1401). This information is generated based on the content analyzed by the instruction analysis unit 410 for the instruction information 200 and the action taken by the action unit 312. The information generated at this time also includes information indicating the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130, information indicating the action taken to resolve the problem, and the like. The content determination unit 452 determines the content to be displayed in the answer prompting image 510 on the reception screen 500 based on the information stored in the storage unit 451, and causes the output unit 226 to display the answer prompting image 510 based on the determined content (S1402). As a result, the answer prompting image 510 shown in FIG. 13(A) is displayed on the reception screen 500. The start instruction unit 453 requests the bundling start unit 301 to start processing by the result management unit 314 (S1403). In this case, the bundling start unit 301 causes the result management unit 314 to start processing.

[0067] In this way, in the instruction execution process (see step 1203 in FIG. 18) in the command sequence execution process, either the change instruction execution process (see FIG. 19) or the verification instruction execution process (see FIG. 20) is performed depending on the instruction.

[0068] 21 is a flowchart showing the flow of the change cancellation process. The change cancellation process is a process in which the image forming apparatus 130 cancels the setting change executed by the processing unit 312. The change cancellation process starts when the non-resolution acceptance unit 524 is selected on the response acceptance screen 520. The response receiving unit 320 of the result management unit 314 notifies the rollback instruction unit 323 that the non-resolution receiving unit 524 has been selected (1501). The rollback instruction unit 323 of the result management unit 314 requests the rollback management unit 430 of the instruction execution unit 223 to cancel the treatment performed by the treatment unit 312 (S1502). The rollback execution unit 432 of the rollback management unit 430 cancels the action taken by the action unit 312 by restoring the setting value stored in the storage unit 230 in the image forming apparatus 130 to the value before it was changed by the action unit 312 (S1503). The rollback execution unit 432 cancels the action based on information stored in the content storage unit 431 as information indicating the content of the action required to cancel the action taken by the action unit 312.

[0069] As described above, in this embodiment, the CPU 101 of the image forming apparatus 130 acquires change instruction information indicating an instruction to change settings in the image forming apparatus 130 where a processing problem has occurred. The CPU 101 also acquires response instruction information indicating an instruction to respond that the problem has been resolved or that the problem has not been resolved as a result of the operation of the image forming apparatus 130 after the change has been made. Examples of the change instruction information and the response instruction information include instruction information generated by the instruction creation unit 703 of the management server 610. The CPU 101 also displays prompting information prompting the user to confirm the operation on the UI 202, which is a display unit. Examples of the prompting information include the response prompt image 510 and the explanation unit 526. The CPU 101 then displays a reception screen on the display unit, which shows change content information indicating the content of the change made in the image forming apparatus 130 in response to the change instruction and a reception unit for receiving a response. Examples of the change content information include the action display unit 522. Examples of the reception unit include the resolution reception unit 523 and the non-resolution reception unit 524. Examples of the reception screen include the response reception screen 520. In this case, the user can check the change content information to recognize the changed settings in the image forming device 130 and then perform verification. When the result of the user's verification is received by the reception unit, the received result is notified to the administrator. Therefore, the result of the user's confirmation of whether the problem has been resolved after recognizing the changed settings in the image processing device 130 where a processing problem has occurred can be confirmed by the administrator of the image processing device 130 without the user having to directly contact the administrator.

[0070] The CPU 101 can also be regarded as an acquisition unit that acquires the change instruction information and the answer instruction information, and as a display control unit that displays the promotion information on a display unit.

[0071] In addition, in this embodiment, when the receiving unit receives a response that the problem has not been resolved, the receiving unit also receives a request from the administrator of the image forming apparatus 130 to contact the user. In this case, the user does not need to separately input information indicating that the problem has not been resolved and request that the administrator contact the user.

[0072] Furthermore, when the reception unit receives a response that the problem has not been resolved, the CPU 101 returns the settings to the state before they were changed. In this case, it is possible to prevent the settings from being maintained even though it has not been confirmed that the problem has been resolved. The CPU 101 can also be regarded as a setting control means for returning settings to the state before they were changed.

[0073] Furthermore, the CPU 101 displays a reception image that accepts display of a reception screen on the UI 202. An example of the reception image is an answer reception button 504. The CPU 101 then restricts the display of the reception image regardless of whether the reception unit receives an answer that indicates that the problem has been resolved or an answer that indicates that the problem has not been resolved. In this case, it is possible to prevent the user from mistakingly believing that the answer is not complete even though the user has answered the verification result.

[0074] (Variation 1) Next, a description will be given of Modification 1. Fig. 22 is a diagram showing an answer acceptance screen 520 as Modification 1. The answer receiving screen 520 as the first modified example shows a verification operation receiving section 1600. The verification operation receiving section 1600 is an image for receiving an operation of the image forming device 130 that is necessary to verify whether or not a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved. In the illustrated example, the verification operation receiving section 1600 displays the text "Shortcut to fax screen," which indicates that the operation necessary for verification is faxing. When the verification operation receiving section 1600 is selected, the execution of faxing is accepted.

[0075] In this way, the verification operation receiving section 1600 is displayed on the answer receiving screen 520 as the modified example 1. In this case, it is possible to make the user aware of the operations required for verification, and to prompt the user to perform the operations required for verification.

[0076] Fig. 23 is a diagram showing instruction information 200 in Modification 1. Note that Fig. 23 shows instruction information 200 for displaying answer receiving screen 520 shown in Fig. 22. Fig. 23 also shows a part of instruction information 200 in Modification 1 that is different from the content shown in Fig. 8. In the instruction information 200 of the first modification, the command shown on lines 4 to 12 is the "Ask User To Verify" command, which corresponds to the verification result reply command 462. On line 8, "FAX" is specified as the issue type "issue type." With this specification, the verification operation receiving section 1600 displayed on the reply receiving screen 520 becomes a button for a shortcut to the fax screen. In addition to "FAX," other "issue types" include "COPY," "PRINT," and "PDL." The process to be shortcutted in the verification operation receiving section 1600 is determined according to the content specified as this "issue type." However, since "PDL" does not specify the screen required for verification, the verification operation receiving section 1600 is not displayed when "PDL" is specified as the "issue type."

[0077] 24 is a flowchart showing the flow of the screen display process. The screen display process is a process performed by the image forming device 130 to display the answer acceptance screen 520 in Modification 1. When the answer acceptance button 504 is displayed on the acceptance screen 500, the screen display process starts. The response receiving unit 320 of the result management unit 314 acquires information indicating a problem detected by the detection unit 310 as a problem that occurred during processing by the image forming apparatus 130 (S1701). The reply receiving unit 320 determines whether the job in which the problem occurred is a FAX job (S1702). If the job in which the problem occurred is a FAX job (YES in S1702), the reply receiving unit 320 determines that the verification operation receiving section 1600 to be displayed on the reply receiving screen 520 is to be a button for a shortcut to the FAX screen (S1703).

[0078] If the job in which the problem occurred is not a fax job (NO in S1702), the reply receiving unit 320 determines whether the job in which the problem occurred is a copy job (S1704). If the job in which the problem occurred is a copy job (YES in S1704), the reply receiving unit 320 determines that the verification operation receiving section 1600 to be displayed on the reply receiving screen 520 should be a button for a shortcut to the copy screen (S1705). If the job in which the problem occurred is not a copy job (NO in S1704), the answer receiving unit 320 determines whether the job in which the problem occurred is a print job (S1706). If the job in which the problem occurred is a print job (YES in S1706), the answer receiving unit 320 determines that the verification operation receiving section 1600 to be displayed on the answer receiving screen 520 should be a button for a shortcut to the print screen (S1707). If the job in which the problem occurred is not a copy job (NO in S1706), it means that the job in which the problem occurred is a PDL job. In this case, the answer receiving unit 320 does not display the verification operation receiving unit 1600 on the answer receiving screen 520. The response receiving unit 320 causes the output unit 226 to display the response receiving screen 520 based on the determination made as to whether or not to display the verification operation receiving unit 1600 and which job shortcut buttons to display as the verification operation receiving unit 1600 (S1708).

[0079] As described above, in this embodiment, the CPU 101 of the image forming apparatus 130 displays an image related to the acceptance of the execution of an operation on the acceptance screen. An example of the image related to the acceptance of the execution of an operation is the verification operation acceptance unit 1600. In this case, it is possible to make the user easily recognize the operation required for verification. Note that the image related to the acceptance of the execution of an operation is not limited to the verification operation acceptance unit 1600. The acceptance screen may display an image such as text indicating how to execute an operation required to verify whether or not the problem that occurred in the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved, as the image related to the acceptance of the execution of an operation.

[0080] (Variation 2) Next, a description will be given of Modification 2. In Modification 2, the content displayed on reception screen 500 differs from the content shown in Fig. 13(A). More specifically, in Modification 2, if the user does not perform verification despite being prompted to do so on reception screen 500 or answer reception screen 520, image forming apparatus 130 prompts the user to perform verification again.

[0081] 25 is a flowchart showing the flow of the re-promotion process, in which the image forming apparatus 130 prompts the user to perform verification again. The result management unit 314 determines whether a re-promotion condition is satisfied (S1801). The re-promotion condition is a condition used by the result management unit 314 to determine whether to re-promote the verification to the user. An example of the re-promotion condition is that a predetermined time has elapsed since the answer acceptance button 504 was displayed on the reception screen 500, as measured by the timer unit 324. The predetermined time may be any time, for example, 24 hours. The re-promotion condition may be, for example, that the answer acceptance screen 520 has been displayed on the UI 202 a predetermined number of times as a result of the answer acceptance button 504 being selected. The predetermined number of times may be any number, for example, three times. The result management unit 314 repeats the processing of step 1801 while a negative result continues.

[0082] Furthermore, if the re-prompt condition is satisfied (YES in S1801), the content determining unit 452 displays a re-prompt image on the reception screen 500 (S1802). The re-prompt image will be described later. The result management unit 314 resets the re-promotion condition (S1803). If the re-promotion condition is a condition related to the passage of time, the timing unit 324 resets the elapsed time to 0 in step 1803. If the re-promotion condition is a condition related to the number of times the answer acceptance screen 520 is displayed, the result management unit 314 resets the number of times the answer acceptance screen 520 has been displayed to 0.

[0083] Fig. 26 is a diagram showing a reception screen 500 in Modification 2. As shown in Fig. 26, a re-prompt image 1900 is displayed on the reception screen 500 in Modification 2. The re-prompt image 1900 is an image that prompts the user to verify again whether or not the problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved. In the illustrated example, the re-prompt image 1900 displays the text "The verification result is unanswered. Please reply." 26, the answer prompting image 510 (see FIG. 13(A)) is not displayed on the reception screen 500, but this is not limiting. The answer prompting image 510 may be displayed on the reception screen 500 even when the re-prompt image 1900 is displayed.

[0084] As described above, in this embodiment, when a condition defined for no response is satisfied, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 130 displays information prompting confirmation of an action with content different from the prompting information. The condition defined for no instruction to accept information input by the accepting unit is a re-prompt condition. Furthermore, the information prompting confirmation of an action is a re-prompt image 1900. In this case, it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to perform the verification.

[0085] (Variation 3) Next, a description will be given of Modification 3. In Modification 3, if the user does not verify whether the problem occurring in the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved, the treatment performed by the treatment unit 312 is canceled. 27 is a flowchart showing the flow of the cancellation determination process. The cancellation process is a process in which the image forming apparatus 130 determines whether or not to cancel the process executed by the process unit 312. In this embodiment, when the answer acceptance button 504 is displayed on the reception screen 500, the cancellation determination process starts.

[0086] The result management unit 314 determines whether the cancellation condition is satisfied (S2001). The repromotion condition is a condition used by the result management unit 314 to determine whether to cancel the action performed by the action unit 312. An example of the cancellation condition is when a predetermined time has elapsed since the answer acceptance button 504 was displayed on the reception screen 500 without any verification being performed, as measured by the timer unit 324. The predetermined time may be any time, e.g., one week, i.e., 168 hours. The cancellation condition may be when the answer acceptance button 504 is selected and the answer acceptance screen 520 is displayed on the UI 202 a predetermined number of times. The predetermined number of times may be any number, e.g., 10 times. The cancellation condition may be when a predetermined time has elapsed since the repromotion image 1900 was displayed on the reception screen 500. The predetermined time may be any time, e.g., 48 hours. Furthermore, the result management unit 314 repeats the process of step 2001 while the negative result continues.

[0087] Furthermore, if the cancellation condition is met (YES in S2001), the content determination unit 452 displays a cancellation notification image on the reception screen 500 instead of the answer prompting image 510 (S2002). The cancellation notification image is an image for notifying the user that the action performed by the action unit 312 will be canceled. An example of the cancellation notification image is text such as "Since there is no answer regarding the verification result, the setting value will be restored." Next, the change cancellation process (see FIG. 21) is started (S2003), whereby the change in the settings of the image forming apparatus 130 executed by the processing unit 312 is canceled. The result transmission unit 321 notifies the management server 610 that the verification was not performed (S2004).

[0088] FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a response reception screen 520 according to Modification 3. A pre-notification image 2100 is displayed on the response reception screen 520 according to Modification 3. The pre-notification image 2100 is an image for notifying the user in advance that the action performed by the action unit 312 will be canceled if the user does not verify whether the problem occurring in the image forming apparatus 130 has been resolved. In the illustrated example, the pre-notification image 2100 displays the following text: "If the verification result is not provided within one week, the changed setting values ​​will automatically revert to their original values." That is, in this example, the cancellation condition is set as 48 hours counted by the timer unit 324 without verification being performed after the response reception button 504 is displayed on the reception screen 500.

[0089] As described above, in this embodiment, when the condition defined for no response is satisfied, the CPU 101 of the image forming apparatus 130 returns the settings to the state before the change. The condition defined for no response is a cancellation condition. In this case, it is possible to prevent the setting from being maintained even though no response is given.

[0090] In particular, in this embodiment, CPU 101 displays information indicating that the settings will be restored to the state before the change if the cancellation conditions are met on the reception screen before the settings are restored to the state before the change. In this case, it is possible to prevent the user from noticing that the settings will return to the state before the change due to no response.

[0091] In this embodiment, the information input screen 800 and the diagnosis result screen 810 are displayed on the output means 618 of the management server 610, but the present invention is not limited to this. The information input screen 800 and the diagnosis result screen 810 do not have to be displayed on the management server 610 as long as they are displayed on a device used by the administrator.

[0092] Furthermore, the verification of whether or not a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved, as described in this embodiment, can also be regarded as a confirmation of the operation of the image forming device 130, that is, whether or not a problem that occurred in the processing of the image forming device 130 has been resolved. Therefore, answer prompting image 510 may display text such as "Please reply with the results of the operation check" instead of the text "Please reply with the results of the verification" (see FIG. 13(A)). Also, explanation section 526 may display text such as "Please continue to verify whether or not this setting change has resolved the problem" instead of the text "Please continue to check whether or not this setting change has resolved the problem." Also, resolution receiving section 523 may display text such as "Operation check OK," and non-resolution receiving section 524 may display text such as "Operation check NG."

[0093] 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.

[0094] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration. (Configuration 1) an acquisition means for acquiring change instruction information indicating an instruction to change the settings of the device in which a problem has occurred in processing, and response instruction information indicating an instruction to respond that the problem has been resolved or that the problem has not been resolved as a result of the operation of the device in which the change has been made; a display control means for displaying prompting information on a display means for prompting a user to confirm the operation; Equipped with The display control means causes the display means to display a reception screen showing change content information indicating the content of the change made in the device in response to the instruction to change, and a reception section that accepts the response. (Configuration 2) 2. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the accepting unit, when accepting the response that the problem has not been resolved, also accepts a request from an administrator of the image processing device to contact the user. (Configuration 3) 3. The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting control means for returning the setting to a state before the change when the receiving unit receives the response indicating that the problem has not been resolved. (Configuration 4) The display control means displaying a reception image that accepts that the reception screen be displayed on the display means; An image processing device described in any of configurations 1 to 3, which restricts the display of the received image regardless of whether the reception unit receives an answer that the problem has been resolved or an answer that the problem has not been resolved. (Configuration 5) 5. The image processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the display control means causes the reception screen to display an image related to reception of the execution of the action. (Configuration 6) The image processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the display control means displays information prompting confirmation of the action with content different from the prompting information when a condition set for the non-answering is met. (Configuration 7) 7. The image processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, further comprising a setting control means for returning the setting to a state before the change when a condition set for the non-response is satisfied. (Configuration 8) 8. The image processing device according to claim 7, wherein the display control means causes the reception screen to display information indicating that the setting will be restored to the state before the change if the condition is satisfied, before the setting is restored to the state before the change.

[0095] 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]

[0096] 1... management system, 130... image forming apparatus, 610... management server

Claims

1. an acquisition means for acquiring change instruction information indicating an instruction to change the settings of the device in which a problem has occurred in processing, and response instruction information indicating an instruction to respond that the problem has been resolved or that the problem has not been resolved as a result of the operation of the device in which the change has been made; a display control means for displaying prompting information on a display means for prompting a user to confirm the operation; Equipped with The display control means causes the display means to display a reception screen showing change content information indicating the content of the change made in the device in response to the instruction to change, and a reception section that accepts the response.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the accepting unit, when accepting the response that it has been confirmed that the problem has not been resolved, also accepts a request from an administrator of the image processing device to contact the user.

3. 2. The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting control means for returning the setting to a state before the change when the response indicating that the problem has not been resolved is received by the receiving unit.

4. The display control means displaying a reception image that accepts that the reception screen be displayed on the display means; 2. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein display of the received image is restricted regardless of whether the receiving unit receives an answer indicating that the problem has been resolved or an answer indicating that the problem has not been resolved.

5. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control means causes the reception screen to display an image relating to the reception of the execution of the action.

6. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control means displays information prompting the user to confirm the action with content different from the prompting information when a condition set for the user not making the response is satisfied.

7. 2. The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting control means for returning the setting to a state before the change when a predetermined condition for the non-response is satisfied.

8. 8. The image processing device according to claim 7, wherein the display control means causes the reception screen to display information indicating that the setting will be restored to the state before the change if the condition is satisfied, before the setting is restored to the state before the change.

9. acquiring change instruction information indicating an instruction to change settings in the image processing device in which a processing problem has occurred, and response instruction information indicating an instruction to respond that the problem has been resolved or that the problem has not been resolved as a result of operation of the image processing device in which the change has been made; a step of displaying prompting information on a display means of the image processing device to prompt a user to confirm the operation; a step of displaying on the display means a reception screen showing change content information indicating the content of the change made in the image processing device in response to the instruction for the change and a reception section for receiving the response; A method comprising:

10. On the computer, a function of acquiring change instruction information indicating an instruction to change the settings of an image processing device in which a processing problem has occurred, and response instruction information indicating an instruction to respond that the problem has been resolved or that the problem has not been resolved as a result of the operation of the image processing device in which the change has been made; a function of displaying prompting information for prompting a user to confirm the operation on a display means of the image processing device; a function of displaying on the display means a reception screen showing change content information indicating the content of the change made in the image processing device in response to the instruction for the change and a reception unit for receiving the response; A program to make this happen.

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