System and Method

Abstract

When repairing a malfunctioning image forming machine by remotely controlling it, the burden of identifying the cause of the malfunction is reduced. [Solution] When a specific setting value in the image forming apparatus is changed, the system stores update date and time information indicating the last update date and time of the setting value in the image forming apparatus, and stores success date and time information indicating the last successful date and time of a job executed in the image forming apparatus, and failure date and time information indicating the last failed date and time of the job. If, for a specific job, the system does not store the success date and time information indicating the last successful date and time after the last update date and time, but stores the failure date and time information indicating the last failed date and time after the last update date and time, or if the system continuously stores the failure date and time information, the system sends information to the server indicating that the specific job is a candidate for the diagnosis.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and a method.

Background Art

[0002] When a malfunction such as a job error occurs in an image forming apparatus, there is a technology for assisting in resolving the occurred malfunction. Patent Document 1 discloses holding current and past configuration information of an information system, configuration case information and countermeasures based on past precedents in a bit string, and showing a method for detecting possible setting errors and presenting countermeasures therefor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] [[ID=第二十一章]] [[ID=第二十二章]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When repairing an image forming apparatus in which a malfunction has occurred by controlling it from a remote location, if the control source of the image forming apparatus collects information without restricting the information of the image forming apparatus in order to identify the object of diagnosis of the cause of the malfunction, there is a risk that the load for identifying the object of diagnosis, such as information collection and processing using the collected information, will increase. 第二十六章 An object of the present invention is to reduce the load required to identify the object of diagnosis of the cause of a malfunction when repairing an image forming apparatus in which a malfunction has occurred by controlling it from a remote location.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a system comprising: a server that outputs information about a job in the image forming apparatus that is a candidate for diagnosing the cause of a malfunction when a malfunction occurs in the image forming apparatus; and a identifying means for identifying the job as a candidate for diagnosis. The identifying means maintains update date and time information indicating the last update date and time of a setting value in the image forming apparatus when a specific setting value in the image forming apparatus is changed, and maintains success date and time information indicating the last successful date and time of a job executed in the image forming apparatus, and failure date and time information indicating the last failed date and time of the job. If, for a specific job, the system maintains failure date and time information indicating the last failed date and time after the last update date and time without maintaining success date and time information indicating the last successful date and time after the last update date and time, or if the failure date and time information is maintained continuously, the system transmits information to the server indicating that the specific job is a candidate for diagnosis. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, when repairing an image forming apparatus that has malfunctioned by controlling it remotely, the burden of identifying the cause of the malfunction can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is an overall diagram of the remote repair system. [Figure 2] Figures (A) and (B) show the hardware configuration. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the functional configuration. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the notification information management table. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing the job history management table. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing the repair job management table. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing the target item management table. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing the job date and time management table. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing a change event. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an execution event. [Figure 11] It is a flowchart diagram showing the flow of the setting update process. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart diagram showing the flow of the result update process. [Figure 13] It is a sequence diagram showing the flow from when an administrator reports the occurrence of a job error in an image forming apparatus to the call center until the remote repair of the image forming apparatus is completed. [Figure 14] It is a sequence diagram showing the flow from when an administrator reports the occurrence of a job error in an image forming apparatus to the call center until the remote repair of the image forming apparatus is completed. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing a notification information management table. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing a notification information management table. [Figure 17] It is a diagram showing a notification confirmation screen. [Figure 18] It is a diagram showing a list screen. [Figure 19] It is a diagram showing a target item management table. [Figure 20] It is a diagram showing a job date and time management table. [Figure 21] It is a diagram showing a change event. [Figure 22] It is a flowchart diagram showing the flow of the setting update process. [Figure 23] It is a diagram showing a job date and time management table. [Figure 24] It is a flowchart diagram showing the flow of the result update process. [Figure 25] It is a sequence diagram showing the flow from when an administrator reports the occurrence of a job error in an image forming apparatus to the call center until the remote repair of the image forming apparatus is completed. [Figure 26] It is a diagram showing a repair job management table.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a remote repair system 1. The remote repair system 1 as an example of the system is a system that repairs an image forming apparatus in which a problem has occurred in processing by controlling it from a remote location. The remote repair system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 100, a repair server 101, a control server 102, a PC (Personal Computer) 103, and a storage server 104. The image forming apparatus 100, the repair server 101, the control server 102, the PC 103, and the storage server 104 are connected via a network 105.

[0009] The image forming apparatus 100 as an example of an image processing apparatus has functions such as printing, FAX, copying, scanning, and image transmission. Further, the image forming apparatus 100 executes processing for realizing the above-described functions in units of jobs. The processing executed by the image forming apparatus 100 in units of jobs may hereinafter be simply referred to as jobs. The problem in the processing in the image forming apparatus 100 described above can also be regarded as an error in a job in the image forming apparatus 100. The image forming apparatus 100 manages the history of executed jobs as job history information. The job history information includes, in association, a job ID for identifying a job, a job type, a time when the job was executed, an end code indicating the execution result of the job, and the execution content of the job. The job type is information indicating the type of function realized by the execution of the job, such as a FAX job, a printing job, a transmission job, or the like. The execution content of the job is the content of the executed job, such as the size of the paper to be printed and the number of printed sheets when a printing job is executed. From this execution content of the job, it becomes possible to reproduce a job having the same content. Examples of the image forming apparatus 100 include an MFP, a printer, and the like. The number of image forming apparatuses 100 provided in the remote repair system 1 may be any number.

[0010] As an example of a server, the repair server 101 is a server that controls the repair of the image forming apparatus 100. The repair server 101 receives requests from the PC 103 for the repair of the image forming apparatus 100. The repair server 101 also enables remote repair of the image forming apparatus 100 by instructing the control server 102 to control the image forming apparatus 100 for repair. In the following text, the jobs that the repair server 101 gives as instructions to enable remote repair of the image forming apparatus 100 may be referred to as remote repair jobs.

[0011] The control server 102 is a server that remotely controls the image forming apparatus 100. The control actions performed by the control server 102 include, for example, changing settings in the image forming apparatus 100 and collecting job history information in the image forming apparatus 100. Changing settings in the image forming apparatus 100 includes changing setting values. The control server 102 controls the image forming apparatus 100 according to instructions from the repair server 101. Furthermore, when the control server 102 receives result information from the image forming apparatus 100, which indicates the execution results of jobs based on the control of the image forming apparatus 100, it transmits the received result information to the repair server 101. PC103 is an information processing device with a specified operating system installed.

[0012] The storage server 104 is a server that stores information received from the image forming apparatus 100. The storage server 104 may utilize the stored information, or it may provide the stored information to an external device. The repair server 101, control server 102, and storage server 104 may be configured on a single computer or implemented through distributed processing by multiple computers. Furthermore, the repair server 101, control server 102, and storage server 104 may be implemented on virtual hardware provided through cloud computing.

[0013] Network 105 is not particularly limited in type, as long as it is capable of transmitting and receiving data. Examples of network 105 include the internet, LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), telephone lines, dedicated digital lines, ATM and frame relay lines, cable television lines, and wireless lines for data broadcasting. Furthermore, the communication lines used for transmitting and receiving data may be wired or wireless.

[0014] In this embodiment, when the administrator of the image forming apparatus 100 recognizes the occurrence of a job error in the image forming apparatus 100, the administrator notifies the call center of the error. In this case, the call center operator responds to the notification by communicating with the repair server 101 using the PC 103. The administrator of the image forming apparatus 100 may be simply referred to as the administrator below. Similarly, the call center operator may be simply referred to as the operator below.

[0015] Figure 2(A) shows the hardware configuration of the repair server 101, control server 102, PC 103, and storage server 104. The repair server 101, control server 102, PC 103, and storage server 104 each have a CPU 201, ROM 202, RAM 203, HDD 204, input device 205, output device 206, and I / F 207. The CPU 201, ROM 202, RAM 203, HDD 204, input device 205, output device 206, and I / F 207 are each connected via an internal bus. The CPU 201 controls components connected via an internal bus and executes programs to implement various functions. The ROM 202 stores the BIOS. The RAM 203 is a storage device used as the work area for the CPU 201 and as a temporary storage area for loading software modules to implement various functions. The HDD 204 is an indirect storage device that stores the basic software, the OS, and software modules. The HDD 204 also stores identification information for the image forming apparatus 100. This identification information for the image forming apparatus 100 includes information indicating the serial number of each image forming apparatus 100. An SSD may be used instead of the HDD 204. The input device 205 is a keyboard or pointing device (not shown). The output device 206 is a display. The I / F 207 is an interface for connecting to the network 105.

[0016] In the repair server 101, control server 102, PC 103, and storage server 104, after startup, the CPU 201 executes the BIOS and loads the OS from HDD 204 into RAM 203 in an executable state. The CPU 201 loads various software modules, described later, into RAM 203 from HDD 204 in an executable state as needed, according to the operation of the OS. The various software modules are executed and operated by the CPU 201 in cooperation with the above devices. In addition, I / F 207 is connected to network 105 and is controlled by the CPU 201 according to the operation of the OS to realize the communication described above.

[0017] Figure 2(B) shows the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a controller unit 211, an operating unit 217, a scanner 221, and a printer 222. The controller unit 211 controls the scanner 221, printer 222, and operation unit 217. The copy function is realized when the controller unit 211 controls the scanner 221 to acquire image data of the original document and controls the printer 222 to print and output the image on paper. The scan function is realized when the controller unit 211 controls the scanner 221 to acquire image data of the original document, converts it into code data, and transmits it to an external device via the network interface 218. The controller unit 211 has a CPU 212, RAM 213, ROM 214, HDD 215, operation interface 216, network interface 218, and device interface 219. The CPU 212, RAM 213, ROM 214, HDD 215, operation interface 216, network interface 218, and device interface 219 are connected via the system bus 220. The operation unit 217 accepts user input. The operation unit 217 may also display information. Examples of the operation unit 217 include a touch panel.

[0018] The CPU 212 controls the entire image forming apparatus 100. The RAM 213 is the system work memory for the operation of the CPU 212 and is an image memory for temporarily storing image data. The RAM 213 also stores programs and data such as the operating system, system software, and application software. The RAM 213 also stores scanned image data read by the scanner 221 and print data received via the network 105. The ROM 214 stores the system boot program. The HDD 215 stores the operating system, system software, application software, print data, settings, etc. The HDD 215 also stores the job history information mentioned above. The operation unit I / F 216 is the interface unit with the operation unit 217 and outputs information to be displayed on the operation unit 217. The operation unit I / F 216 also receives information input via user operations on the operation unit 217. The network I / F 218 communicates with external devices via the network 105. The device interface 219 connects the scanner 221 and printer 222 to the controller unit 211, and performs input and output of image data. The scanner 221 has a document glass that detects the paper size of the document placed on the document glass and reads the document placed on the document glass to generate image data. Printer 222 prints the instructed print data on paper.

[0019] Figure 3 shows the functional configuration of the repair server 101, the control server 102, the image forming apparatus 100, the PC 103, and the storage server 104. As shown in Figure 3, the repair server 101 has a repair application 300. The repair application 300 is a web service application stored on the HDD 204 and executed by the CPU 201. The repair application 300 includes a communication unit 301, a display generation unit 302, an authentication unit 303, a notification information management unit 304, a history management unit 305, a job management unit 306, an instruction generation unit 307, and a code generation unit 308.

[0020] The communication unit 301 communicates with external devices such as the image forming apparatus 100. The display generation unit 302 generates screen display information for sending and receiving information regarding remote repair of the image forming apparatus 100. The screen display information is generated in a language that can be parsed by a web browser, such as HTML, and transmitted via the communication unit 301. The authentication unit 303 manages user information that identifies the user of the repair application 300 and authenticates the user based on whether or not there is user information that matches the information transmitted from the communication unit 301. User information includes a user ID and authentication information. Authentication information includes, for example, a password. Authentication by the authentication unit 303 may be based on whether or not the user ID and authentication information match, or it may be based on biometric authentication or the like.

[0021] The notification information management unit 304 manages information related to notifications from the administrator of the image forming apparatus 100. The content of the information managed by the notification information management unit 304 will be described in detail later. The history management unit 305 manages the job history information collected from the image forming apparatus 100. The contents of the information managed by the history management unit 305 will be described in detail later. Job management unit 306 manages remote repair jobs. The content of the information managed by job management unit 306 will be described in detail later. The instruction generation unit 307 generates instructions to be included in the remote repair job. The code generation unit 308 generates a consent code, which will be described later.

[0022] The control server 102 has a control application 310. The control application 310 is a web service application stored on the HDD 204 and executed by the CPU 201. The control application 310 has a communication unit 311, an instruction management unit 312, and a result management unit 313. The communication unit 311 communicates with external devices such as the image forming apparatus 100 and the repair server 101. The instruction management unit 312 manages information indicating the instructions generated by the instruction generation unit 307 of the repair server 101. The instruction management unit 312 also sends instructions to the image forming apparatus 100 by transmitting information indicating the instructions generated by the instruction generation unit 307 to the image forming apparatus 100. The results management unit 313 manages the execution results when instructions managed by the instruction management unit 312 are executed by the image forming apparatus 100. The results management unit 313 also transmits the managed information to the repair server 101.

[0023] The image forming apparatus 100 includes a repair client application 320, a control client application 330, and a control application 340. The repair client application 320 is an application stored on the HDD 215 and executed by the CPU 212. When the cause of an error in a job of the image forming apparatus 100 is being diagnosed, the repair client application 320 selects a job to be diagnosed as a candidate for diagnosis and sends information indicating the selected job to the repair server 101. The job selected as a candidate for diagnosis may be referred to as a diagnostic candidate job below. The repair client application 320 has a communication unit 321, a display unit 322, and a selection unit 323.

[0024] The communication unit 321 communicates with external devices such as the repair server 101. The display unit 322 generates an image to be displayed on the operation unit 217, and displays the generated image on the operation unit 217 via the operation unit I / F 216. The selection unit 323 selects candidate diagnostic jobs based on job history information, the history of setting changes in the image forming apparatus 100, and the history of the success or failure of jobs executed in the image forming apparatus 100. The selection unit 323 also pre-selects candidate diagnostic jobs before a notification is received from the administrator. The selection unit 323 transmits information indicating the selected candidate diagnostic jobs to the repair server 101. The selection unit 323 also receives change events indicating that settings in the image forming apparatus 100 have been changed, and execution events indicating that a job has been executed in the image forming apparatus 100, from the control application 340. When the selection unit 323 receives a change event, if the item whose setting has been changed is an item to be saved, it updates the update date and time of the setting. When the selection unit 323 receives an execution event, it determines whether the executed event is a candidate diagnostic job.

[0025] The control client application 330 is an application stored in the HDD 215 and executed by the CPU 212. The control client application 330 includes a communication unit 331, an instruction analysis unit 332, an acquisition unit 333, a diagnostic unit 334, a modification unit 335, and an execution unit 336. The communication unit 331 communicates with external devices such as the control server 102. The communication unit 331 also obtains information indicating instructions by requesting confirmation of instructions related to the image forming apparatus 100 from the control application 310 at predetermined intervals. This interval can be any length of time, but is usually set to several tens of minutes to several hours. The instruction confirmation interval for the settings of the image forming apparatus 100 is stored as a setting value in the HDD 215. When the communication unit 331 obtains information indicating instructions, it transmits the obtained information to the instruction analysis unit 332. The instruction analysis unit 332 analyzes the instructions generated by the instruction generation unit 307 and issues instructions to the collection unit 333, the diagnosis unit 334, the modification unit 335, and the execution unit 336 based on the results of the analysis. When the instruction analysis unit 332 receives result information indicating the result of processing based on the issued instructions, it transmits the received result information to the control server 102.

[0026] When the collection unit 333 receives instructions from the instruction analysis unit 332, it collects job history information from the control application 340. In this case, the collection unit 333 collects job history information that satisfies the collection conditions indicated in the instructions from the instruction analysis unit 332, and does not collect job history information that does not satisfy the collection conditions. The collection unit 333 transmits the collected job history information as result information to the instruction analysis unit 332. When the diagnostic unit 334 receives instructions from the instruction analysis unit 332, it diagnoses the cause of the error that occurred in the job of the image forming apparatus 100. More specifically, the diagnostic unit 334 obtains information about the job to be diagnosed from the control application 340, and diagnoses the cause of the error and countermeasures for the error based on the job's exit code and job type identified from the obtained information. The job to be diagnosed is indicated in the instructions received from the instruction analysis unit 332. The diagnostic unit 334 also transmits information indicating the diagnosis result as result information to the instruction analysis unit 332.

[0027] When the modification unit 335 receives instructions from the instruction analysis unit 332, it modifies the settings of the image forming apparatus 100 stored in the HDD 215 via the control application 340. Settings that can be modified by the modification unit 335 include, for example, settings related to the operation of the image forming apparatus 100. Other settings related to the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 include, for example, network restriction settings and destination restriction settings when sending faxes. The modification unit 335 sends information indicating the result of the setting change as result information to the instruction analysis unit 332. When the execution unit 336 receives an instruction from the instruction analysis unit 332, it executes the instructed job. More specifically, the execution unit 336 obtains information about the job to be executed from the control application 340 and executes the job specified by the obtained information. The job to be executed is indicated in the instruction received from the instruction analysis unit 332. The execution unit 336 also transmits information indicating the job execution result as result information to the instruction analysis unit 332.

[0028] The control application 340 is an application stored in the HDD 215 and executed by the CPU 212. The control application 340 includes a setting management unit 341, an execution information management unit 342, and a communication unit 343. When the setting management unit 341 detects that the settings of the image forming apparatus 100 stored in the HDD 215 have been changed, it issues a change event. The contents of the change event will be described in detail later. In addition, upon receiving a request from the change unit 335, the setting management unit 341 transmits information indicating the setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 100 stored in the HDD 215 to the change unit 335. The setting management unit 341 also manages information indicating the setting values ​​after the change by the change unit 335.

[0029] When the execution information management unit 342 detects that a job has been executed in the image forming apparatus 100 under the control of the execution unit 336, it issues an execution event. The contents of the execution event will be described in detail later. In addition, upon receiving a request from the collection unit 333, the execution information management unit 342 transmits the job history information stored in the HDD 215 to the collection unit 333. The communication unit 343 communicates with external devices such as the storage server 104. In this embodiment, job history information is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 100 to the storage server 104 via the communication unit 343. In this case, the job history information transmitted to the storage server 104 may be all the job history information stored in the HDD 215. The transmission of job history information to the storage server 104 is performed for purposes such as providing services related to the image forming apparatus 100 and analyzing the usage status of the image forming apparatus 100. Therefore, if the job history information is used solely for the purpose of remote repair of the image forming apparatus 100, it is not necessary to transmit the job history information to the storage server 104.

[0030] Furthermore, the repair client application 320, control client application 330, and control application 340 in the image forming apparatus 100 can be considered as means for identifying jobs as candidates for diagnosing the cause of a malfunction in the image forming apparatus 100.

[0031] PC103 has a browser 350. Browser 350 is a web browser stored on HDD204 and executed by CPU201. Browser 350 communicates with repair server 101 and requests remote repair of image forming apparatus 100 from repair server 101. More specifically, browser 350 requests repair server 101 to create a remote repair job. The storage server 104 has a communication unit 360 and a storage unit 361. The communication unit 360 communicates with external devices such as the image forming apparatus 100. The storage unit 361 stores information received by the communication unit 360, such as job history information. The storage server 104 may also have functional units other than the communication unit 360 and the storage unit 361.

[0032] Figure 4 shows the notification information management table. The notification information management table is a table for managing information related to notifications from administrators. The notification information management table is stored on the HDD 204 of the repair server 101 as information managed by the notification information management unit 304. The notification information management table displays the "Notification ID," "Status," "Consent Code," "User ID," and "Device ID" in relation to each other.

[0033] I will now explain in detail the contents of the reporting information management table. The "Report ID" contains information that identifies the report from the administrator. The "Status" column indicates the status of the response to the error in the image forming apparatus 100 that was the subject of the report. "Awaiting consent" in the "Status" column means that consent from the administrator for remote repair of the image forming apparatus 100 has not yet been obtained. "Consent obtained" in the "Status" column means that consent from the administrator for remote repair of the image forming apparatus 100 has been obtained, but the response to the error has not yet been completed. "Response completed" in the "Status" column means that the response to the error in the image forming apparatus 100 that was reported has been completed. The "consent code" indicates characters used for consent by the administrator for remote repair of the image forming apparatus 100. In this embodiment, when a consent code related to a notification with the "status" set to "awaiting consent" is sent from the image forming apparatus 100 to the repair server 101, the "status" related to this notification is updated to "consented".

[0034] The "User ID" indicates information that identifies the operator who is the user of the repair server 101 responsible for responding to the notification. In this embodiment, only the operator identified by the "User ID" is permitted to operate the repair server 101 to respond to the target notification. For example, only the operator whose "User ID" is "UserA" is permitted to operate the repair server 101 to respond to a notification with the "Notification ID" "Notice_000". The "Device ID" indicates information that identifies the image forming apparatus 100 that is the subject of the notification. In this embodiment, only the image forming apparatus 100 identified by the "Device ID" is permitted to be operated by an operator to respond to the target notification on the repair server 101. For example, operation of the repair server 101 by an operator to respond to a notification with "Notice ID" "Notice_000" is permitted only for the image forming apparatus 100 with "Device ID" "DeviceA".

[0035] Figure 5 shows the job history management table. The job history management table is a table for managing job history information. The job history management table is stored on the HDD 204 of the repair server 101 as information managed by the history management unit 305. The job history management table displays the following information, associated with each other: "Job ID," "Device ID," "Execution Time," "Exit Code," "Job Type," and "Execution Details."

[0036] Let's explain the contents of the job history management table in detail. The "Job ID" indicates information that identifies the job executed in the image forming apparatus 100. The "Device ID" indicates information that identifies the image forming apparatus 100 that performed the job. The "Execution Time" column shows the time the job was executed. The "exit code" contains characters that indicate the type of result of the executed job. In this embodiment, the type of result of the executed job is predetermined for each character shown in the "exit code". Therefore, the user, administrator, and operator of the image forming apparatus 100 recognize the result of the executed job from the content of the "exit code". The "Job Type" column indicates the type of job that was executed. The "Execution Details" section shows the details of the job that was executed. For example, the "Execution Details" for a job with "Job Type" set to "Print" will show details such as whether the print color is black and white or full color, the number of copies to print, and whether it is double-sided or single-sided printing.

[0037] Figure 6 shows the repair job management table. The repair job management table is a table for managing remote repair jobs. The repair job management table is stored on the HDD 204 of the repair server 101 as information managed by the job management unit 306. The repair job management table displays the following information, associated with each other: "Remote Repair Job ID," "Job Type," "Status," "Target Notification ID," "Instruction Details," and "Result Information."

[0038] Let me explain the contents of the repair job management table in detail. The "Remote Repair Job ID" contains information that identifies the remote repair job. The "Job Type" field indicates the type of remote repair job. "Collection" under "Job Type" means the remote repair job is for collecting job history information. "Diagnosis" under "Job Type" means the remote repair job is for diagnosing the cause of the error in the image forming apparatus 100's job. "Action" under "Job Type" means the remote repair job is for taking action to change settings in the image forming apparatus 100. "Verification" under "Job Type" means the remote repair job is for verifying whether the error in the image forming apparatus 100 has been resolved by re-executing the job.

[0039] The "Status" column shows the status of the remote repair job. If the remote repair job is not yet complete, the "Status" column will show "In Progress." If the remote repair job is complete, the "Status" column will show "Completed." The "Target Notification ID" contains information that identifies notifications resulting from the occurrence of remote repair jobs. For example, "Notice_000," which is the "Target Notification ID" associated with a "Remote Repair Job ID" that shows "Job_000," targets notifications where "Notice_000" is indicated as the "Notification ID" in the notification information management table (see Figure 4).

[0040] The "Instruction Content" section shows the content of the instruction generated by the instruction generation unit 307, in JSON format. The contents of the "Instruction Details" will be explained in detail. The "id" in the "script" element is an element that indicates a value for uniquely identifying the control information. The "deviceId" is an element that indicates information for identifying the image forming apparatus 100 that is the target of control. The "name" in the "command" element is a command that indicates a control instruction. The "parameter" element contains elements that show the details of the control instruction described in "name". For example, the "Instruction Details" for "Remote Repair Job ID" "Job_000" states that "DeviceA" is instructed to collect "2" device jobs of "Image Transmission Type". Also, the "Instruction Details" for "Remote Repair Job ID" "Job_001" states that "DeviceB" is instructed to diagnose the job corresponding to "Device_100". Also, the "Instruction Details" for "Remote Repair Job ID" "Job_002" states that "DeviceB" is instructed to change the setting value of "Destination Network Restriction" to OFF. Furthermore, the "Instructions" for the "Remote Repair Job ID" "Job_003" include an instruction to run the job corresponding to "Device_100" again on "DeviceB".

[0041] The "Result Information" section displays the aforementioned result information in JSON format. For example, the "Result Information" for "Remote Repair Job ID" "Job_000" contains the job history information as a result of collecting job history information. The "Result Information" for "Remote Repair Job ID" "Job_001" contains the diagnostic result code and error countermeasures as a result of the job diagnosis. The "Result Information" for "Remote Repair Job ID" "Job_002" indicates that the setting change was successful as a result of changing the settings of the image forming apparatus 100. The "Result Information" for "Remote Repair Job ID" "Job_003" contains the result of the job being executed again.

[0042] Figure 7 shows the target item management table. The target item management table is a table for managing the setting items whose update date and time are updated in the selection unit 323 when the settings in the image forming apparatus 100 are changed. The target item management table is stored in the HDD 215 of the image forming apparatus 100. The Target Item Management Table displays "Target Items." These "Target Items" indicate the items for which the Selection Unit 323 updates the update date and time when the settings of an item in the image forming apparatus 100 are changed. For example, when the Selection Unit 323 receives a change event, and the received change event includes "Printer.Paper Settings," it updates the update date and time of the settings in the image forming apparatus 100 to the latest information. The "Target Items" shown in the Target Item Management Table are items related to jobs that can be remotely repaired by the image forming apparatus 100. In other words, items related to jobs that cannot be remotely repaired by the image forming apparatus 100 are not shown in the "Target Items" section of the Target Item Management Table. Furthermore, when the Selection Unit 323 receives a change event, if the received change event does not include any of the "Target Items" shown in the Target Item Management Table, it does not update the update date and time of the settings in the image forming apparatus 100.

[0043] Figure 8 shows the job date and time management table. The job date and time management table is a table for managing the date and time when processing related to a job was performed. The job date and time management table is stored in the HDD 215 of the image forming apparatus 100. The job date and time management table shows the "success date and time," "failure date and time," and "update date and time" associated with each other.

[0044] The "Success Date and Time" column indicates the date and time when the last job executed by the image forming apparatus 100 was successful. The "Failure Date and Time" column indicates the date and time when the last job executed by the image forming apparatus 100 failed. The "Update Date and Time" indicates the date and time when the settings of the image forming apparatus 100 related to the job were last updated.

[0045] If the item in the received change event contains a "target item" as shown in the target item management table (see Figure 7), the selection unit 323 updates the "update date and time" in the job date and time management table to the latest content. The job date and time management table shown in Figure 8 has one entry each for "Success Date and Time," "Failure Date and Time," and "Update Date and Time." Therefore, if an item in a change event received by the selection unit 323 includes a "Target Item" as shown in the Target Item Management Table, the "Update Date and Time" is updated regardless of which item the "Target Item" is. Also, if the result of a job identified from an execution event received by the selection unit 323 is the result of a job that is subject to updating in the job date and time management table, the "Failure Date and Time" or "Success Date and Time" is updated regardless of the type of job. Furthermore, for "Success Date and Time," "Failure Date and Time," and "Update Date and Time," if there is no history of the target process being executed, or if the history of the target process has been reset, "-" will be displayed.

[0046] Figure 9 shows a change event. The change events shown in Figure 9 are events that each application in the image forming apparatus 100 can receive. As shown in Figure 9, the change event displays a list of items whose settings have been changed in the image forming apparatus 100 and the changed setting values ​​as an event message. In the example shown, "Fax Settings.Line Settings.Line Type" shown in the change event means the item whose setting has been changed, and the value "1" means the changed setting value.

[0047] Figure 10 shows the execution events. The execution events shown in Figure 10 are events that each application in the image forming apparatus 100 can receive. As shown in Figure 10, the execution events indicate the content of the job executed in the image forming apparatus 100 as an event message. In the illustrated example, the job content shown in the execution event includes information managed in the job history management table (see Figure 5), such as job ID, device ID, execution time, exit code, job type, and execution details.

[0048] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the configuration update process. The configuration update process is the process in which the selection unit 323 updates the "update date and time" in the job date and time management table (see Figure 8). In this embodiment, the configuration update process starts when the selection unit 323 receives a change event from the configuration management unit 341. The selection unit 323 determines whether the item whose setting has been changed in the image forming apparatus 100 is an item listed in the "Target Item" section of the Target Item Management Table (see Figure 7) (step 401, sometimes referred to as "S" below). The selection unit 323 makes the determination in step 401 by checking the message in the received change event. For example, if the message in the change event identifies that the item whose setting has been changed includes "Printer.Paper Settings", then the selection unit 323 determines that this item is an item listed in the "Target Item" section of the Target Item Management Table.

[0049] If the item whose setting has been changed is not the item listed in the "Target Item" column of the Target Item Management Table (No in S401), the setting update process will terminate. In this case, the contents of the Job Date and Time Management Table will not be updated either. Furthermore, if the item whose setting has been changed is the item indicated in the "Target Item" column of the Target Item Management Table (Yes in S401), the selection unit 323 updates the "Update Date and Time" column of the Job Date and Time Management Table with the latest information (S402). More specifically, the selection unit 323 overwrites the "Update Date and Time" column of the Job Date and Time Management Table with the date and time the change event was received.

[0050] The selection unit 323 resets the "success date and time" and "failure date and time" in the job date and time management table (S403). As a result, "-" is overwritten in the "success date and time" and "failure date and time" in the job date and time management table.

[0051] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the result update process. The result update process is the process in which the selection unit 323 updates the results of the jobs executed in the image forming apparatus 100. In this embodiment, the result update process starts when the selection unit 323 receives an execution event from the execution information management unit 342. The selection unit 323 determines whether the job executed in the image forming apparatus 100 has failed (S501). The selection unit 323 makes the determination in step 501 by checking the message in the received execution event.

[0052] If the executed job failed (Yes in S501), the selection unit 323 updates the "failure date and time" in the job date and time management table with the latest information (S502). More specifically, the selection unit 323 overwrites the "failure date and time" in the job date and time management table with the job execution date and time indicated in the message within the received execution event. The selection unit 323 determines whether there is a history of successful jobs since the last time the settings in the image forming apparatus 100 were changed for the executed job (S503). Note that when the settings related to an executed job are changed, the "Success Date and Time" in the job date and time management table is reset. Therefore, if "-" is shown in "Success Date and Time", it is determined that there is a history of successful jobs since the last time the settings were changed. If a date and time are shown in "Success Date and Time", it is determined that there is a history of successful jobs since the last time the settings were changed. If there is a history of successful jobs since the settings were changed (No in S503), the result update process ends.

[0053] If there is no history of successful jobs since the settings were changed (Yes in S503), the selection unit 323 determines that the executed job is a candidate for diagnosis and sends information indicating that the executed job is a candidate for diagnosis to the repair server 101 (S504). The information sent at this time may be written to the job history management table (see Figure 5). That is, the repair client application 320 may send the "job ID", "device ID", "execution time", "exit code", "job type", and "execution details" of the job identified as a candidate for diagnosis, along with information indicating that this job is a candidate for diagnosis. If there is no history of successful jobs since the last change in the settings of the image forming apparatus 100 for a job that has been executed, the cause of the job failure may be due to the change in the settings of the image forming apparatus 100. Therefore, if there is no history of successful jobs since the last change in the settings of the image forming apparatus 100, the selection unit 323 decides to include this job as a candidate for diagnosis of the cause of the error in the image forming apparatus 100. Also, if a date and time is indicated in the "Success Date and Time" column of the job date and time management table, the selection unit 323 determines that the cause of the job failure is not due to the setting change and decides not to include this job as a candidate for diagnosis.

[0054] Furthermore, if the executed job was successful (No in S501), the selection unit 323 updates the "Success Date and Time" in the job date and time management table with the latest information (S505). More specifically, the selection unit 323 overwrites the "Success Date and Time" in the job date and time management table with the job execution date and time indicated in the message within the received execution event.

[0055] Figures 13 and 14 are sequence diagrams showing the process from when the administrator notifies the call center of a job error in the image forming apparatus 100 until the remote repair of the image forming apparatus 100 is completed. First, when the administrator recognizes that an error has occurred in the image forming apparatus 100, they notify the operator of the error (S601). In the following, it is assumed that the notification information management table (see Figure 4) when step 601 is performed is as shown in Figure 4.

[0056] The operator confirms the details of the error that occurred in the image forming apparatus 100 with the administrator (S602). The administrator and the operator perform steps 601 and 602, for example, by telephone. The operator requests login to the repair application 300 on the repair server 101 by entering the user ID and authentication information on the login screen (not shown) displayed on the PC 103 (S603). The login screen is generated by the display generation unit 302 of the repair application 300. The repair application 300 verifies the user based on the user ID and authentication information entered into PC103. If the user is authenticated, it displays information on PC103 indicating that the user has logged in (S604). In the following, it is assumed that a user with user ID "UserD" has logged in.

[0057] Upon operator intervention, PC103 requests the repair application 300 to initiate remote repair of the image forming apparatus 100 (S605). This request is executed by the PC103's JavaScript running on the login screen displayed under the control of the display generation unit 302. The JavaScript also runs on the browser 350. The notification information management unit 304 creates new information regarding the notification made in step 601 and writes the created information to the notification information management table (S606). As a result, the notification information management table is updated to the contents shown in Figure 15.

[0058] The notification information management table displays the following associated information: "Notification ID" (Notice_004), "Status" (Waiting for Consent), "Consent Code" (67891234), "User ID" (UserD), and "Device ID" (-). The "Notification ID" is information generated by the notification information management unit 304 to identify this notification. The "Consent Code" is information newly generated by the code generation unit 308. The "Device ID" indicates that it has not been specified which image forming apparatus 100 this notification targets.

[0059] The repair application 300 sends information indicating the newly written consent code to the notification information management table (S607). In this case, the repair application 300 may send the information indicating the consent code to the operator's email address, or it may display the information indicating the consent code on the PC 103. The operator contacts the administrator by telephone or other means to obtain the consent code sent from the repair application 300 in step 607 and requests that the administrator enter the consent code into the image forming apparatus 100 (S608). In step 608, the administrator associates the consent code received with the notification ID that identifies the current notification and inputs it into the image forming apparatus 100 (S609). In this embodiment, for example, an input screen (not shown) where the consent code can be entered is displayed on the image forming apparatus 100.

[0060] The repair client application 320 sends information to the repair application 300 indicating the consent code entered in step 609 and requests verification of the consent code (S610). At this time, the repair client application 320 also sends the repair application 300 a device ID that identifies its own device, the image forming apparatus 100, and a notification ID that identifies the current notification. In this example, the repair client application 320 sends the notification ID "Notice_004", the consent code "67891234", and the device ID "DeviceD" to the repair application 300. In step 610, the repair application 300 compares the consent code sent from the repair client application 320 with the "consent code" shown in the notification information management table (S611). The consent code subject to this comparison is the "consent code" associated with the notification ID sent from the repair client application 320 in step 610, among the "consent codes" shown in the notification information management table. If the sent consent code matches the "consent code" shown in the notification information management table, the repair application 300 authenticates the sent consent code. After authenticating the sent consent code, the repair application 300 updates the "status" and "device ID" associated with the "consent code" used for comparison in the notification information management table. As a result, the notification information management table is updated to the content shown in Figure 16.

[0061] In the notification information management table shown in Figure 16, the "Status" and "Device ID" associated with the "Notification ID," "Notice_004," show "Agreed" and "DeviceD," respectively. In other words, the repair application 300 overwrites the "Status" to "Agreed" by authenticating the consent code in step 610, and also overwrites the "Device ID" with "DeviceD" sent from the repair client application 320. This associates the current notification with the image forming apparatus 100 that is the subject of the notification.

[0062] The repair application 300 notifies the repair client application 320 that it has authenticated the consent code by matching the consent code requested in step 610 (S612). The repair application 300 sends information indicating that the administrator has consented to the remote repair of the image forming apparatus 100 (S613). In this case, the repair application 300 may send the consent information to the operator's email address, or it may display the consent information on the PC 103. The control client application 330 changes the cycle for confirming setting instructions in the image forming apparatus 100 to a shorter time (S614). A shorter time could be, for example, an extremely short time such as 10 seconds.

[0063] The repair application 300 acquires job history information related to the image forming apparatus 100 that is the subject of the notification (S615). More specifically, the repair application 300 acquires the information shown in the job history management table for the image forming apparatus 100 that is the subject of the notification. The information acquired by the repair application 300 at this time also includes information sent from the repair server 101 as job information indicating that it is a candidate for diagnosis in the result update process (see S504 in Figure 12). Repair application 300 displays information on PC103 indicating potential causes for the error that occurred (S616).

[0064] In step 616, the operator requests the repair application 300 to create a remote repair job based on the image displayed on the PC 103 (S617). In this example, the operator sends a request to the repair application 300 with the notification ID "Notice_004" and including the type of remote repair job and the parameters required for each type of remote repair job. Examples of parameters required for each type of remote repair job include, for example, the job type and exit code of the job to be diagnosed when the type of remote repair job is diagnostic. The repair application 300 creates a remote repair job requested by the operator and updates the repair job management table (see Figure 6) (S618). As a result, an item with notification ID "Notice_004" is added to the repair job management table. The instructions included in the remote repair job created at this time are generated by the instruction generation unit 307.

[0065] The repair application 300 sends the instructions included in the created remote repair job to the control application 310 (S619). The control application 310 analyzes the instructions sent from the repair application 300 and stores information indicating the instructions for each image forming apparatus 100 that is the target of the instructions in the HDD 204 (S620). The control client application 330 requests the control application 310 to confirm the instructions related to the image forming apparatus 100 (S621). The instructions that are the subject of this request are those related to the image forming apparatus 100 that made the request. Furthermore, the processing in step 621 is the processing that is executed according to the cycle that was changed in step 614. The control application 310 checks whether the instruction requested in step 621 is stored in the HDD 204, and if it is, it sends information indicating the requested instruction to the control client application 330 (S622).

[0066] When the control client application 330 receives information indicating the instruction sent in step 622, it executes the instructed job (S623). The control client application 330 sends result information to the control application 310 indicating the result of the job executed in step 623 (S624). In this example, it is assumed that the executed job was successful. The control application 310 sends the received result information to the repair application 300 (S625). Furthermore, if the result information indicates that the job was successful, the control application 310 deletes the instruction information stored in the HDD 204. The information deleted at this time is the information indicating the instruction to execute the successful job.

[0067] The repair application 300 notifies the operator of the execution result of the instructed job by sending result information to the PC 103 (S626). The repair application 300 also updates the item associated with the notification ID "Notice_004" in the repair job management table (see Figure 6). More specifically, the repair application 300 writes the created result information to "Result Information" and updates the "Status" to "Completed". In this embodiment, steps 617 to 626 are repeated. More specifically, steps 617 to 626 are repeated for each remote repair job of acquisition, diagnosis, treatment, and verification, thereby performing the processing required to respond to the notification. The operator also takes action to ensure that steps 617 to 626 are performed for each remote repair job of acquisition, diagnosis, treatment, and verification until the error in the image forming apparatus 100 that is the subject of the notification is resolved. Once the error in the image forming apparatus 100 that was the subject of the report is resolved, the operator requests the repair application 300 to terminate the response to the report by operating the PC 103 (S627).

[0068] The repair application 300 updates the "Status" associated with "Notice_004," which is the "Notification ID" in the notification information management table (Figure 16), to "Responding Completed." The repair application 300 also notifies the repair client application 320 that the response to the notification has been completed (S628). The repair client application 320 changes the cycle for checking setting instructions in the image forming apparatus 100 back to the normal cycle (S629). In other words, the control client application 330 returns the cycle for checking setting instructions in the image forming apparatus 100 back to the cycle before the change in step 614. As described above, the processes shown in Figures 13 and 14 enable the operator to remotely repair the image forming apparatus 100 using information indicating diagnostic candidates transmitted from the image forming apparatus 100.

[0069] Figure 17 shows the notification confirmation screen 700. The notification confirmation screen 700 is a screen for the operator to confirm information regarding the notification from the administrator. The notification confirmation screen 700 is displayed on the PC 103. The notification confirmation screen 700 is also generated in the display generation unit 302 of the repair application 300. In this embodiment, the notification confirmation screen 700 is displayed when the process in step 607 of Figure 13 is performed. The report confirmation screen 700 displays the list image 701. The list image 701 is an image showing a list of reports from the administrator. More specifically, the list image 701 shows only the information related to the user ID of the user who logged in in step 603 of Figure 13 from the report information management table. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the report confirmation screen 700 shown in Figure 17 is an image that is displayed when step 607 of Figure 13 is performed, so in the illustrated example, the list image 701 shows the contents of the report information management table shown in Figure 15.

[0070] Additionally, the list image 701 shows the list button 710 and the exit button 720. The list button 710 is a button that accepts the display of a list of remote repair jobs related to the notification associated with this list button 710. The end button 720 is a button that accepts a request to end the response to the report. The process in step 627 shown in Figure 14 is performed when the end button 720 is operated.

[0071] Figure 18 shows the list screen 800. The list screen 800 is a screen that displays a list of remote repair jobs. In this embodiment, when the list button 710 on the notification confirmation screen 700 (see Figure 17) is operated, the list screen 800 is displayed on the PC 103. In addition, the list screen 800 is displayed when the process in step 616 of Figure 13 is performed. The list screen 800 is generated in the display generation unit 302 of the repair application 300. The list screen 800 shows a job list image 801 and a create button 820.

[0072] Job List Image 801 is an image showing a list of remote repair jobs. More specifically, Job List Image 801 shows "Creation Date and Time," "Job Type," "Status," and "Execution Result." "Creation Date and Time" shows the date and time the remote repair job was created. "Job Type" and "Status" show the same information as "Job Type" and "Status" in the repair job management table (see Figure 6). "Execution Result" shows a result display button. The result display button is used to display the result information. In the illustrated example, the list button 710 on the notification confirmation screen 700 shown in Figure 17 is operated, and a list of remote repair jobs related to the notification with notification ID "Notice_004" is displayed. In the illustrated example, the list image 801 also shows result display buttons 810, 811, 812, and 813. Result display buttons 810, 811, and 812 are associated with the "Collection" "Job Type," while result display button 813 is associated with the "Diagnosis" "Job Type."

[0073] In the list image 801, the result display button can only be operated if the corresponding remote repair job has been completed. Therefore, result display buttons 810 and 811 can be operated, while result display buttons 812 and 813 cannot. The "Pre-collection" indicated in the "Status" associated with result display button 810 refers to the acquisition of job history information performed in step 615 of Figure 13. This "Pre-collection" is not a remote repair job, but once the process shown in step 615 of Figure 13 is performed, the result display button 810 becomes operable. When the result display button 810 is operated, a list of job history information acquired in step 615 of Figure 13 is displayed on PC 103. At this time, the job information displayed on PC 103 includes information sent from the repair server 101 as job information indicating that the job is a candidate for diagnosis in the result update process (see S504 in Figure 12). Note that "Collection" shown in the "Job Type" associated with the result display button 811, and "Collection" shown in the "Job Type" associated with the result display button 812, are remote repair jobs.

[0074] The Create button 820 accepts the creation of a remote repair job. The remote repair job created by operating the Create button 820 is the remote repair job related to the target report on the list screen 800. Furthermore, the Create button 820 can only be operated if "Agreed" is indicated in the "Status" column of the report information management table. Although not shown in the diagram, when the operator operates the create button 820, a reception screen (not shown) that accepts the selection of the type of remote repair job to be created is displayed on the PC103. By selecting the type of remote repair job, such as collection, diagnosis, treatment, or verification, on the reception screen, the operator creates a remote repair job of the selected type. In addition, by selecting the result display button 810, the operator can refer to the information of a candidate job for diagnosis and then create a "diagnosis" remote repair job targeting that job by selecting the create button 820.

[0075] As mentioned above, the "Collection" indicated in the "Job Type" associated with the result display button 810 is the job performed in step 615 of Figure 13, and is not a remote repair job. On the other hand, the "Collection" indicated in the "Job Type" associated with the result display button 811 and the "Collection" indicated in the "Job Type" associated with the result display button 812 are remote repair jobs created by the operator operating the create button 820. Here, the "Collection" shown in the "Job Type" associated with the result display button 810 may be displayed in a way that distinguishes it from the "Collection" shown in the "Job Type" associated with the result display button 811 or the result display button 812. For example, the "Job Type" associated with the result display button 810 may display the text "Collection (Pre-collection)", while the "Job Type" associated with the result display button 811 or the result display button 812 may display the text "Collection (Manual Collection)". Also, for example, the "Job Type" associated with the result display button 810 and the "Job Type" associated with the result display button 811 or the result display button 812 may be displayed in different colors.

[0076] (Variation 1) Next, I will explain some variations. In this embodiment, when the remote repair system 1 finds that an item whose setting has been changed in the image forming apparatus 100 is a target item shown in the target item management table, it updates a single "update date and time" in the job date and time management table, regardless of which target item it is. Here, the manner in which the update date and time is updated is not limited to the example described above. Figure 19 shows a target item management table as an example of modification 1. In the target item management table shown in Figure 19, "target item" and "job type" are shown in association.

[0077] The "Target Item" in the Target Item Management Table shown in Figure 19 is the same item as the "Target Item" in the Target Item Management Table shown in Figure 7. The "Job Type" column in the Target Item Management table indicates the type of job that affects the "Target Item". For example, the "Target Item" "Send Settings.Email_I-Fax Settings.Destination Domain Restriction" is associated with the "Job Type" "Send". This means that if "Send Settings.Email_I-Fax Settings.Destination Domain Restriction" is changed, it may no longer be possible to send to destinations that were previously possible, thus affecting "Send". Another example is the "Target Item" "Common Settings.Job Execution Restriction" is associated with the "Job Type" "Print, Fax, Send". This means that if "Common Settings.Job Execution Restriction" is changed, it will affect the Print, Fax, and Send jobs.

[0078] Figure 20 shows a job date and time management table as an example of modification 1. In the job date and time management table shown in Figure 20, "job type," "success date and time," "failure date and time," and "update date and time" are associated with each other. The "Success Date and Time," "Failure Date and Time," and "Update Date and Time" fields in the job date and time management table shown in Figure 20 are the same as those in the job date and time management table shown in Figure 8. The "Job Type" column indicates the type of job. Furthermore, in the modified example 1, the job date and time management table shows the "Success Date and Time," "Failure Date and Time," and "Update Date and Time" for each job type. For example, the "Update Date and Time" for a job with the "Job Type" being "Send" is "2024 / 05 / 23 17:04:00." Another example shows the "Update Date and Time" for a job with the "Job Type" being "Print" as "2024 / 08 / 01 08:00:00."

[0079] Next, we will explain the flow of the setting update process as a modified example. In the following example, it is assumed that the change event shown in Figure 21 has been received by the selection unit 323. Figure 21 shows that in the image forming apparatus 100, the setting for "Fax Settings.Line Settings.Line Type" was changed to "1", and the setting for "Common Settings.Job Execution Restriction" was changed to "3". Also, Figure 21 shows that in the image forming apparatus 100, the setting for "Environment Settings.Display Settings.Display Language.Keyboard Switching.Language" was changed to "10".

[0080] Figure 22 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the configuration update process. The selection unit 323 identifies one of the items whose settings have been changed in the image forming apparatus 100 as the item to be judged in the setting update process (S901). The selection unit 323 identifies one of the items indicated in the message within the change event received as an item whose settings have been changed in the image forming apparatus 100 as the item to be judged. In the following, the item identified as the item to be judged in step 901 may be referred to as the judgment item. Also, in the following example, the judgment item is assumed to be "Common setting.Job execution restriction" (see Figure 21).

[0081] The selection unit 323 determines whether the judgment item is an item shown in the target items of the target item management table (see Figure 19) (S902). In this example, the judgment item "Common Settings.Job Execution Restriction" is an item shown in the target items of the target item management table. If the judgment item is an item shown in the "Target Item" column of the Target Item Management Table (Yes in S902), the selection unit 323 identifies the type of job that affects the judgment item (S903). The selection unit 323 identifies the type of job that affects the judgment item by identifying the "Job Type" associated with the "Target Item" in the Target Item Management Table. In this example, the selection unit 323 identifies "Print, Fax, Send" associated with "Common Settings.Job Execution Restriction," which is the "Target Item," as the type of job that affects the judgment item.

[0082] The selection unit 323 identifies one of the jobs identified in step 903 as the job to be processed for the configuration update (S904). In the following, the job identified as the target of processing in step 904 may be referred to as the target job. In the following example, the target job is assumed to be "FAX". The selection unit 323 updates the "update date and time" for the job to be processed in the job date and time management table with the latest information (S905). More specifically, the selection unit 323 overwrites the "update date and time" in the job date and time management table with the date and time the change event was received. As a result, the job date and time management table is updated to the contents shown in Figure 23. In the job date and time management table shown in Figure 23, the "update date and time" for the "job type" which is "FAX" is shown as "2024 / 08 / 01 09:00:00".

[0083] The selection unit 323 resets the "success date and time" and "failure date and time" for the job to be processed in the job date and time management table (S906). As a result, "-" is overwritten on the "success date and time" and "failure date and time" associated with the "job type" of the job to be processed in the job date and time management table. After step 906, or if the judgment item is not an item shown in the target item of the target item management table (No in S902), the process proceeds to the next step. The selection unit 323 determines whether the current setting update process has been performed for any of the jobs identified in step 903 (S907). If there are any unprocessed jobs (No in S907), the process from step 904 is repeated. In this way, the process from step 904 to step 907 is repeated until there are no more unprocessed jobs. In other words, in this example, steps 904 to 907 are repeated with "Print" and "Send" as the jobs to be processed. As a result, in the job date and time management table, "2024 / 08 / 01 09:00:00" is shown in the "Update Date and Time" associated with "Print" and "Send" respectively. Also, in the job date and time management table, "-" is overwritten in the "Success Date and Time" and "Failure Date and Time" associated with "Print" and "Send" respectively.

[0084] Furthermore, if the setting update process has been performed on any of the jobs identified in step 903 (Yes in S907), the process proceeds to the next step. The selection unit 323 determines whether the setting update process has been performed on any of the items whose settings have been changed in the image forming apparatus 100 (S908). If there are any unprocessed items (No in S908), the process from step 901 is repeated. In this way, the process from step 901 to step 908 is repeated until there are no more unprocessed items. Furthermore, if the setting update process is performed for any of the items whose settings have been changed in the image forming apparatus 100 (Yes in S908), the setting update process will be terminated.

[0085] Figure 24 is a flowchart showing the flow of the result update process as an example of modification 1. The selection unit 323 determines whether the job executed in the image forming apparatus 100 is the job indicated in the "Job Type" column of the job date and time management table (see Figure 23) (S1001). If the executed job is not indicated in the "Job Type" column of the job date and time management table (No in S1001), the result update process ends. Furthermore, if the executed job is indicated in the "Job Type" column of the job date and time management table (Yes in S1001), the selection unit 323 determines whether the job executed in the image forming apparatus 100 failed or not (S1002). The selection unit 323 makes the determination in step 1002 by checking the message in the received execution event.

[0086] If the executed job failed (Yes in S1002), the selection unit 323 updates the "failure date and time" associated with the "job type" to which the executed job belongs in the job date and time management table with the latest information (S1003). More specifically, the selection unit 323 overwrites the "failure date and time" in the job date and time management table with the job execution date and time indicated in the message within the received execution event. The selection unit 323 determines whether there is a history of successful executions since the last change in the settings of the image forming apparatus 100 for the executed job (S1004). The selection unit 323 makes the determination in step 1004 from the information shown in the "success date and time" associated with the "job type" to which the executed job belongs in the job date and time management table.

[0087] If there is no history of successful jobs since the settings were changed (Yes in S1004), the selection unit 323 determines that the executed job is a candidate for diagnosis and sends information indicating that the executed job is a candidate for diagnosis to the repair server 101 (S1005). Furthermore, if the executed job was successful (No in S1002), the selection unit 323 updates the "success date and time" associated with the "job type" to which the executed job belongs in the job date and time management table with the latest information (S1006). More specifically, the selection unit 323 overwrites the "success date and time" in the job date and time management table with the execution date and time of the job indicated in the message within the received execution event.

[0088] Thus, in variation 1, information is managed in the job date and time management table for each job type. As shown in the configuration in Figure 8, if only the information of the latest job is managed in the job date and time management table regardless of the job type, then when a job error occurs in the image forming apparatus 100, diagnostic candidates may not be identified with high accuracy. For example, suppose the settings for a "FAX" job are changed in the image forming apparatus 100, a "Print" job succeeds, and then the "FAX" job fails. In this case, with a configuration where information is updated in the job date and time management table regardless of the job type, the "Success Date and Time" in the job date and time management table (see Figure 8) will show the execution date and time of the "Print" job, and the "Failure Date and Time" will show the execution date and time of the "FAX" job. Therefore, the failed "FAX" job will not be identified as a diagnostic candidate (No in S503 in Figure 12). In contrast, as shown in Modification 1, when information is managed in a job date and time management table for each job type, the selection unit 323 determines whether or not to include a job of the type executed in the job history as a candidate for diagnosis. As a result, candidates for diagnosis are identified with high accuracy.

[0089] (Modification 2) Figure 25 is a sequence diagram illustrating a modified example (modification 2), showing the process from when the administrator notifies the call center of a job error in the image forming apparatus 100 until the remote repair of the image forming apparatus 100 is completed. In the modified example 2, first, the same process as in steps 601 to 615 in Figure 13 is performed. Next, the repair application 300 creates a remote repair job and updates the repair job management table (S1101) based on the information written to the notification information management table in step 606 and the job history information acquired in step 615. As a result, the contents of the part of the repair job management table updated in step 1101 are as shown in Figure 26. Figure 26 shows the contents of the newly generated remote repair job. More specifically, in the repair job management table, "Target Notification ID" shows the notification ID that targets the information related to the notification generated in step 606, "Job Type" shows "Collection", and "Status" shows "Completed". Also, since the contents shown are not the result of instructions from the repair application 300, no information is shown in "Instruction Content". Also, "Result Information" shows the job history information acquired in step 615.

[0090] Next, the repair application 300 deletes the job history information obtained in step 615 from the job history management table (S1102). Next, the repair application 300 displays the list screen 800 (see Figure 18) on the PC 103 (S1103). After this, the same process as in step 617 in Figure 13 and steps 618 to 629 in Figure 14 is performed.

[0091] Thus, in the modified example 2, after a remote repair job is created based on the job history information acquired in step 615, the acquired job history information is deleted from the job history management table. In this way, when remote repairs are performed again on the image forming apparatus 100 that has already undergone remote repairs, the job history information for past repairs that have been completed will no longer be displayed on the list screen 800. This prevents unnecessary job history information from being notified to the operator. In the modified example 2, the repair application 300 may store the job history information acquired in step 615 of Figure 25, associated with the notification ID related to the current notification and the device ID related to the image forming apparatus 100 that is the subject of the current notification. The list screen 800 may then display only the job history information associated with the current notification.

[0092] Furthermore, it was explained that the repair client application 320 sends information to the repair server 101 indicating that a job is a diagnostic candidate if there is no history of successful configuration changes in the image forming apparatus 100 since the last time a job failed to execute. Here, the conditions under which the repair client application 320 identifies a diagnostic candidate are not limited to the examples described above. For example, the selection unit 323 of the repair client application 320 may identify a job as a candidate for diagnosis if the same job fails multiple times in a row. Multiple consecutive failures of the same job mean, for example, that the same job fails multiple times in a row without any successes. For example, when the selection unit 323 receives an execution event indicating that a job has failed, it refers to the "success date and time" and "failure date and time" in the job date and time management table. The selection unit 323 then determines that the same job has failed multiple times in a row if the "failure date and time" shows a more recent date and time than the "success date and time," and may identify this job as a candidate for diagnosis. In this case, the "failure date and time" in the job date and time management table for this same job is updated consecutively.

[0093] As described above, in this embodiment, when a malfunction occurs in the image forming apparatus 100, the repair server 101 outputs information about the job of the image forming apparatus 100 that is a candidate for diagnosing the cause of the malfunction. Furthermore, when a specific setting value in the image forming apparatus 100 is changed, the image forming apparatus 100 retains update date and time information indicating the last update date and time of the setting value in the image forming apparatus 100. Specific setting values ​​include the setting values ​​shown in the target items of the target item management table. Update date and time information includes the information shown in "Update Date and Time" of the job date and time management table. The image forming apparatus 100 also retains success date and time information indicating the last successful date and time of a job executed in the image forming apparatus 100, and failure date and time information indicating the last failed date and time of a job. Success date and time information and failure date and time information include the information shown in "Success Date and Time" and "Failure Date and Time," respectively, of the job date and time management table. In addition, there are cases where the image forming apparatus 100 retains failure date and time information indicating the last failed date and time after the last update date and time for a particular job, without retaining success date and time information indicating the last successful date and time after the last update date and time, or where it continuously retains failure date and time information. In this case, the image forming apparatus 100 sends information to the repair server 101 indicating that a particular job is a candidate for diagnosis. An example of continuously retaining failure date and time information is when a job fails multiple times without success, resulting in the "failure date and time" being updated multiple times in the job date and time management table without the "success date and time" being updated. In this case, compared to a configuration in which the repair server 101 collects information from the image forming apparatus 100 without restriction in order to identify the target for diagnosing the cause of the malfunction in the image forming apparatus 100, the load on the repair server 101 to collect information is reduced. Furthermore, since the operator can determine the target job for diagnosis based on the job information indicating candidate diagnoses output from the repair server 101 to the PC 103, the load on the operator and the repair server 101 to identify the target for diagnosis is reduced. Therefore, when repairing the malfunctioning image forming apparatus 100 by controlling it remotely, the load required to identify the target for diagnosing the cause of the malfunction is reduced.

[0094] If the selection unit 323 has never received any change events, "-" will be displayed in the "Update Date and Time" column of the job date and time management table. In this state, if, for a particular job, success date and time information is not displayed in the "Success Date and Time" column of the job date and time management table, but failure date and time information is displayed in the "Failure Date and Time" column, the repair client application 320 may identify this particular job as a candidate for diagnosis. The repair client application 320 may then send information to the repair server 101 indicating that this particular job is a candidate for diagnosis.

[0095] Furthermore, if a setting value other than a specific setting value is changed in the image forming apparatus 100, the last update date and time of the other setting value will not be used for comparison with the last successful date and time and last unsuccessful date and time for identifying diagnostic candidates. Other setting values ​​include setting values ​​for items not shown in the target items of the target item management table. In this case, it is prevented that the job will not be identified as a candidate for diagnosis due to changes in other settings.

[0096] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 100 stores update date and time information, success date information, and failure date and time information in association with each other, and updates the contents of the update date and time information stored in association with the success date and time information and failure date and time information when a specific setting value is changed (see S402 in Figure 11, etc.). However, the image forming apparatus 100 does not update the contents of the update date and time information stored in association with the success date and time information and failure date and time information when other setting values ​​are changed. In this case, when the image forming apparatus 100 compares the last successful date and time and the last failed date and time with the update date and time information in order to identify a candidate for diagnosis, it is no longer necessary to determine whether or not the update date and time information being compared is information related to a specific setting value.

[0097] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 100 maintains update date and time information for each predetermined job type, and updates the update date and time information related to the job type associated with the changed specific setting value when a specific setting value is changed. The predetermined job types include the "job types" shown in the job date and time management table in Figure 20. The job types associated with specific setting values ​​include the "job types" associated with the "target items" in the target item management table (see Figure 19) that the specific setting value targets. The image forming apparatus 100 may maintain failure date and time information for a specific job, indicating the final failure date and time after the last update date and time, without maintaining success date and time information for the specific job, which indicates the final success date and time after the last update date and time identified from the update date and time information for the specific job. Also, the image forming apparatus 100 may continuously maintain failure date and time information for a specific job. In either of these cases, the image forming apparatus 100 sends information to the server indicating that the specific job is a candidate for diagnosis. After the update date and time information for the job type associated with a specific setting has been updated, a job of a type not associated with that specific setting may fail after a job of a type not associated with that specific setting has succeeded. In this case, when determining whether the failed job should be identified as a candidate for diagnosis, the success history of jobs not associated with that specific setting is not used as a comparison, thus preventing the failed job from being identified as a candidate for diagnosis.

[0098] Furthermore, if multiple types of jobs are associated with a specific setting value, the image forming apparatus 100 updates the update date and time information for each of the multiple jobs. For example, the setting value of "Common Settings.Job Execution Restriction," which is a "Target Item" in the Target Item Management Table (see Figure 19), may be changed. In this case, the image forming apparatus 100 updates the "Update Date and Time" for the job types "Send," "Print," and "FAX" associated with "Common Settings.Job Execution Restriction" in the Target Item Management Table, among the "Job Types" in the Job Date and Time Management Table (Figure 20). In this case, if any of the multiple jobs affecting a change to a specific setting value fail, the last modified date and time of that specific setting value will not be used as a comparison point for identifying diagnostic candidates.

[0099] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 100 discards success date and time information and failure date and time information when certain setting values ​​are changed. Examples of discarding success date and time information and failure date and time information include resetting the "success date and time" and "failure date and time" in the job date and time management table (see step 403 in Figure 11, etc.). In this case, when the image forming apparatus 100 compares the last successful date and time and the last failed date and time with the update date and time information in order to identify a candidate for diagnosis, it is no longer necessary to determine whether the success date and time information and the failure date and time information are from after a change in a specific setting value.

[0100] Furthermore, the present invention also includes cases in which a software program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment is supplied directly from a recording medium or via wired / wireless communication to a system or device having a computer capable of executing the program, and the program is executed. Therefore, in order to realize the functional processing described above in relation to the present invention using a computer, the program code itself supplied to and installed on the computer also realizes the present invention. In other words, the computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention is also included in the present invention. In this case, the form of the program is not limited as long as it has the functionality of a program, such as object code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied to an OS. As a recording medium for supplying the program, for example, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium such as magnetic tape, an optical / magneto-optical storage medium, or a non-volatile semiconductor memory may be used. Furthermore, as a method of supplying the program, a method can be considered in which a computer program forming the present invention is stored on a server on a computer network, and a connected client computer downloads the computer program and programs it. Furthermore, based on the instructions of the program code, an operating system or similar device running on the computer may perform some or all of the actual processing, thereby realizing each of the functions of the embodiment described above. In addition, the program code read from the storage medium may be written to the memory of a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Then, based on the instructions of that program code, a CPU or similar device in that function expansion board or function expansion unit may perform some or all of the actual processing. Even in this case, each of the functions of the embodiment described above will be realized.

[0101] This embodiment includes the following configuration. (Composition 1) A server that outputs information about the job of the image forming apparatus, which is a candidate for diagnosing the cause of the malfunction, when a malfunction occurs in the image forming apparatus, A means for identifying the job as a candidate for the diagnosis, Equipped with, The aforementioned specifying means is, When a specific setting value in the image forming apparatus is changed, update date and time information indicating the last update date and time of the setting value in the image forming apparatus is stored. The image forming apparatus maintains success date and time information indicating the final success date and time of a job executed, and failure date and time information indicating the final failure date and time of the job. A system that, for a particular job, if it retains failure date and time information indicating the last failure date and time after the last update date and time, but does not retain success date and time information indicating the last success date and time after the last update date and time, or if it retains failure date and time information consecutively, sends information to the server indicating that the particular job is a candidate for the diagnosis. (Configuration 2) The system according to Configuration 1, wherein, if a setting value other than the specific setting value is changed in the image forming apparatus, the last update date and time of the other setting value is not used for comparison with the last success date and time and the last failure date and time for identifying the candidate for the diagnosis. (Composition 3) The aforementioned specifying means is, The update date and time information, the success date and time information, and the failure date and time information are stored in association with each other. When the aforementioned specific setting value is changed, the contents of the update date and time information, which is held in association with the success date and time information and the failure date and time information, are updated. The system according to configuration 2, wherein when the aforementioned other setting values ​​are changed, the content of the update date and time information, which is held in association with the success date and time information and the failure date and time information, is not updated. (Composition 4) The aforementioned identification means maintains the update date and time information for each predetermined job type, When the aforementioned specific setting value is changed, the update date and time information relating to the job type associated with the changed specific setting value is updated. A system according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein if the system does not retain the success date and time information for the specific job that indicates the last success date and time after the last update date and time identified from the update date and time information for the specific job, but instead retains the failure date and time information for the specific job that indicates the last failure date and time after the last update date and time, or if it continuously retains the failure date and time information for the specific job, it sends information to the server indicating that the specific job is a candidate for the diagnosis. (Composition 5) The system according to configuration 4, wherein the identifying means updates the update date and time information for each of the multiple jobs if multiple types of jobs are associated with the specific setting value. (Composition 6) The system according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the identifying means discards the success date and time information and the failure date and time information when the specific setting value is changed. (Composition 7) A step in which, when a malfunction occurs in the image forming apparatus, information regarding the job of the image forming apparatus, which is a candidate for diagnosing the cause of the malfunction, When a specific setting value in the image forming apparatus is changed, the process includes storing update date and time information indicating the last update date and time of the setting value in the image forming apparatus, A step of storing success date and time information indicating the final success date and time of a job executed in the image forming apparatus, and failure date and time information indicating the final failure date and time of the job, If, for a particular job, the success date and time information indicating the last successful date and time after the last update date and time is not retained, but the failure date and time information indicating the last failed date and time after the last update date and time is retained, or if the failure date and time information is retained consecutively, the process includes transmitting information indicating that the particular job is a candidate for the diagnosis. A method having

[0102] Although the present invention has been described in detail above based on its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible in accordance with the spirit of the present invention, and these modifications are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1…Remote repair system, 100…Image forming apparatus, 101…Repair server, 102…Control server, 103…PC

Claims

1. A server that outputs information about the job of the image forming apparatus, which is a candidate for diagnosing the cause of the malfunction, when a malfunction occurs in the image forming apparatus, A means for identifying the job as a candidate for the diagnosis, Equipped with, The aforementioned specifying means is, When a specific setting value in the image forming apparatus is changed, update date and time information indicating the last update date and time of the setting value in the image forming apparatus is stored. The image forming apparatus maintains success date and time information indicating the final success date and time of a job executed, and failure date and time information indicating the final failure date and time of the job. A system that, for a particular job, if it retains failure date and time information indicating the last failure date and time after the last update date and time, but does not retain success date and time information indicating the last success date and time after the last update date and time, or if it retains failure date and time information consecutively, sends information to the server indicating that the particular job is a candidate for the diagnosis.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein, if a setting value other than the specific setting value is changed in the image forming apparatus, the last update date and time of the other setting value is not used for comparison with the last success date and time and the last failure date and time for identifying the candidate for the diagnosis.

3. The aforementioned specifying means is, The update date and time information, the success date and time information, and the failure date and time information are stored in association with each other. When the aforementioned specific setting value is changed, the contents of the update date and time information, which is held in association with the success date and time information and the failure date and time information, are updated. The system according to claim 2, wherein the content of the update date and time information, which is held in association with the success date and time information and the failure date and time information, is not updated when the other setting values ​​are changed.

4. The aforementioned identification means maintains the update date and time information for each predetermined job type, When the aforementioned specific setting value is changed, the update date and time information relating to the job type associated with the changed specific setting value is updated. The system according to claim 1, wherein if the system does not retain the success date and time information for the specific job that indicates the last success date and time after the last update date and time identified from the update date and time information for the specific job, but instead retains the failure date and time information for the specific job that indicates the last failure date and time after the last update date and time, or if it continuously retains the failure date and time information for the specific job, it transmits to the server information indicating that the specific job is a candidate for the diagnosis.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the identifying means updates the update date and time information for each of the multiple jobs if multiple types of jobs are associated with the specific setting value.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the identifying means discards the success date and time information and the failure date and time information when the specific setting value is changed.

7. A step in which, when a malfunction occurs in the image forming apparatus, information regarding the job of the image forming apparatus, which is a candidate for diagnosing the cause of the malfunction, When a specific setting value in the image forming apparatus is changed, the process includes storing update date and time information indicating the last update date and time of the setting value in the image forming apparatus, A step of storing success date and time information indicating the final success date and time of a job executed in the image forming apparatus, and failure date and time information indicating the final failure date and time of the job, If, for a particular job, the success date and time information indicating the last successful date and time after the last update date and time is not retained, but the failure date and time information indicating the last failed date and time after the last update date and time is retained, or if the failure date and time information is retained consecutively, the process includes transmitting information indicating that the particular job is a candidate for the diagnosis. A method having.

Images