Information processing systems and programs

Abstract

This system and program provides an information processing system that enables accurate determination of whether a unit can be reused, even if some of its components have been repaired. [Solution] The processor acquires and records management information for managing the remaining lifespan of each unit that constitutes the device under management. This management information includes remaining lifespan determination information for determining the remaining lifespan of each component included in the unit.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a recycling processing system that improves the reuse rate of units or parts of device products by configuring them to be replaceable when they are compatible and managing these device products collectively.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] For example, in a device such as a multifunction machine, units that make up part of the device may be reused. In this case, information on the usage history is acquired for each unit, and units whose remaining life does not meet the standard are not reused.

[0005] However, when some parts in a unit are repaired, the remaining life of the unit may change, making it impossible to accurately determine whether the unit can be reused based on the usage history information of the unit.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing system and a program that enable an accurate determination of whether a unit can be reused even when some parts in the unit are repaired.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The information processing system in the first embodiment includes a processor, the processor acquires and records management information for managing the remaining lifespan of each unit constituting the device to be managed, and the management information includes remaining lifespan determination information for determining the remaining lifespan of each component included in the unit.

[0008] In the second embodiment of the information processing system, the remaining life determination information is a cumulative value indicating the usage history of the component, in the information processing system of the first embodiment.

[0009] In the third embodiment of the information processing system, the cumulative value is a value proportional to the number of times the component is used or the usage time of the component, in the information processing system of the second embodiment.

[0010] In the fourth embodiment of the information processing system, the remaining life determination information is information on the start date of use of the component, in the information processing system of the first embodiment.

[0011] In the fifth embodiment of the information processing system, in the information processing system of the first embodiment, the processor receives repair of a component in the unit and, upon obtaining management information of the unit in which the component has been repaired, updates the remaining lifespan determination information of the repaired component.

[0012] The information processing system of the sixth embodiment is an information processing system of the fifth embodiment in which the processor acquires management information of a unit whose parts have been repaired from a device equipped with the unit.

[0013] The information processing system of the seventh embodiment, in the information processing system of the fifth embodiment, has a processor that obtains management information of a unit whose parts have been repaired from a terminal owned by a maintenance worker of the device equipped with the unit.

[0014] The program of the eighth embodiment causes a computer to perform the step of acquiring and recording management information for managing the remaining lifespan of each unit that constitutes the device to be managed, wherein the management information includes identification information for each component included in the unit and remaining lifespan determination information for determining the remaining lifespan of each component included in the unit.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the information processing system of the first aspect, even when some parts in the unit are repaired, it is possible to accurately determine whether the unit can be reused.

[0016] According to the information processing system of the second aspect, it is possible to determine the remaining life of a part by using the information of the cumulative value indicating the usage status of the part.

[0017] According to the information processing system of the third aspect, it is possible to determine the remaining life of a part by using the information of the number of times the part is used or the usage time of the part.

[0018] According to the information processing system of the fourth aspect, it is possible to determine the remaining life of a part by using the information of the start date of use of the part.

[0019] According to the information processing system of the fifth aspect, it is possible to reflect the fact that a part in the unit has been repaired in the determination of the remaining life.

[0020] According to the information processing system of the sixth aspect, it is possible to obtain management information from a device including the unit.

[0021] According to the information processing system of the seventh aspect, it is possible to obtain management information from a terminal owned by a maintenance person.

[0022] According to the program of the eighth aspect, even when some parts in the unit are repaired, it is possible to accurately determine whether the unit can be reused.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing the system configuration of an image forming apparatus management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a management server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of management information of an automatic duplex document feeder unit of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 5] It is a diagram for explaining the update of management information of an automatic duplex document feeder unit of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in an image forming apparatus. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in an image forming apparatus. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in an image forming apparatus. [Figure 9] It is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in a management server. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in a terminal owned by a maintenance person. [Figure 11] It is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in a management server.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, exemplary embodiments for implementing the technology of the present disclosure will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an image forming apparatus management system according to an embodiment.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus management system according to the present embodiment is composed of a management server 10 and a plurality of image forming apparatuses 20. This image forming apparatus management system is a system that acquires information on usage history for each unit in the management server 10 in order to enable reuse of units that constitute a part of the image forming apparatus 20.

[0026] The management server 10 is a server for acquiring and managing information on the usage history of each unit of the second image forming apparatus 20. The management server 10 is an example of an information processing system in the technology of this disclosure.

[0027] The image forming apparatus 20 is a so-called multifunction device that has multiple functions such as copying, printing, faxing, and scanning. The image forming apparatus 20 is composed of multiple units, such as an automatic duplex document feeder, an image reading unit, and an image forming unit. The image forming apparatus 20 is connected to the management server 10 via the internet 30. The image forming apparatus 20 is an example of a device to be managed in the technology of this disclosure.

[0028] Next, the hardware configuration of the management server 10 in this embodiment will be described. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the management server 10.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the management server 10 comprises a control unit 11, a communication interface (hereinafter abbreviated as communication IF) 12, and a user interface device (hereinafter abbreviated as UI device) 13. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 14.

[0030] The control unit 11 comprises a processor 11a, a memory 11b, and a storage unit 11c. The processor 11a executes predetermined processing based on a program read from the storage unit 11c and expanded into the memory 11b. The storage unit 11c is composed of, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or an SSD (Solid State Drive). Various programs and data are stored in the storage unit 11c.

[0031] In this embodiment, the processor 11a is described as reading and executing a program stored in the memory unit 11c, but it is not limited to this. This program may be provided in the form of a computer-readable recording medium as described above. Alternatively, this program may be obtained from an external device via a communication line.

[0032] The communication interface 12 transmits and receives data to and from external devices. The UI device 13 is a device for the user to input information, such as a mouse and / or keyboard.

[0033] Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 20 of this embodiment will be described. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 20.

[0034] As shown in Figure 3, the image forming apparatus 20 comprises a control unit 21, a communication interface 22, a user interface 23, a print engine 24, and a scanner 25. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 26.

[0035] The control unit 21 comprises a processor 21a, a memory 21b, and a storage unit 21c. The processor 21a executes predetermined processing based on a program read from the storage unit 21c and expanded into the memory 21b. The storage unit 21c is composed of, for example, a ROM, HDD, or SSD. Various programs and data are stored in the storage unit 21c.

[0036] In this embodiment, the processor 21a is described as reading and executing a program stored in the memory unit 21c, but it is not limited to this. This program may be provided in the form of a computer-readable recording medium as described above. Alternatively, this program may be obtained from an external device via a communication line.

[0037] The communication IF 22 transmits and receives data to and from external devices. The UI device 23 is a device for the user to receive and input information, such as a touch panel and / or buttons. The print engine 24 prints an image onto a recording medium such as printing paper through processes such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing. The scanner 25 reads the original document loaded into the image forming apparatus 20 as image data.

[0038] As described above, the image forming apparatus management system of this embodiment is a system that acquires usage history information for each unit on the management server 10 in order to enable the reuse of units that constitute part of the image forming apparatus 20.

[0039] However, if some parts of a unit are repaired, the remaining lifespan of that unit may change, making it impossible to accurately determine whether the unit can be reused based on its usage history.

[0040] To resolve these issues, the control unit 11 of the management server 10 in this embodiment acquires and records management information for managing the remaining lifespan of each unit that constitutes the image forming apparatus 20. The management information also includes remaining lifespan determination information for determining the remaining lifespan of each component included in the unit.

[0041] The remaining lifespan of a unit is most significantly influenced by the component with the shortest remaining lifespan among all the components it contains. Therefore, understanding the remaining lifespan of each component allows for an accurate determination of whether or not the unit can be reused.

[0042] In the image forming apparatus management system of this embodiment, the remaining life determination information may be a cumulative value indicating the usage history of a component. Here, "cumulative value indicating usage history" refers to a value that represents, for example, the number of times a component has been used or the usage time of a component.

[0043] This cumulative value may be a value proportional to the number of times the part is used or the usage time of the part. Here, "a value proportional to the number of times the part is used or the usage time of the part" may be the number of times the part is used or the usage time of the part itself, or it may be a value proportional to the number of times the part is used or the usage time of the part, for example, by counting 1 for every 100 times the part is used, or by counting 1 for every 100 hours the part is used.

[0044] The control unit 11 of the management server 10 may acquire the cumulative value indicating the usage history itself from the image forming apparatus 20. Alternatively, the control unit 11 of the management server 10 may acquire the difference value of the cumulative value indicating the usage history from the image forming apparatus 20 compared to the previous acquisition, and calculate the cumulative value in the control unit 11.

[0045] Furthermore, the remaining lifespan assessment information may also include the date the component was first used.

[0046] The management information acquired by the management server 10 is described below. Here, as an example, the management information of the automatic duplex document feeder unit is described. This automatic duplex document feeder unit includes a front-side reading sensor and a back-side reading sensor as components included in the unit. Figure 4 shows an example of the management information 50 of the automatic duplex document feeder unit.

[0047] As shown in Figure 4, the management information 50 of the automatic duplex document feeder includes the serial number 51, which is the identification information of the unit, the remaining lifespan determination information 52 of the automatic duplex document feeder, the management information 60 of the front reading sensor, and the management information 70 of the back reading sensor.

[0048] The remaining lifespan determination information 52 of the automatic duplex document feeder unit is, for example, history information showing the usage history, and includes information such as operating time, number of power-offs, number of sleep transitions, total number of scans, number of single-sided scans, and number of double-sided scans.

[0049] The management information 60 for the surface reading sensor includes a part number 61, which is part identification information, and remaining lifespan determination information 62 for the surface reading sensor. The remaining lifespan determination information 62 for the surface reading sensor is, for example, history information showing the usage history, and includes information such as the number of power-offs, the number of sleep transitions, the number of single-sided scans, and the number of double-sided scans.

[0050] The management information 70 for the back-side reading sensor includes the part number 71, which is the identification information of the part, and the remaining lifespan determination information 72 for the back-side reading sensor. The remaining lifespan determination information 72 for the back-side reading sensor is, for example, history information showing the usage history, and includes information such as the number of times the power was turned off, the number of sleep transitions, and the number of double-sided scans.

[0051] Furthermore, the control unit 11 may update the remaining lifespan determination information of the repaired part when it receives repair information for a part within the unit and obtains management information for the unit in which the part was repaired.

[0052] Here, "repaired parts" includes both replacing parts with new ones and repairing parts.

[0053] Furthermore, "updating remaining lifespan information" means updating the cumulative value if the remaining lifespan information is a cumulative value indicating the usage history of a part. Note that updating the cumulative value does not necessarily mean setting it to zero. For example, if a part is replaced, the cumulative value may be set to zero, and if a part is repaired, the cumulative value may be reduced.

[0054] Furthermore, "updating remaining lifespan information" means entering the repair date if the remaining lifespan information is based on the start date of use of the part.

[0055] When updating the remaining lifespan determination information for a repaired part, the control unit 11 may obtain the management information of the unit in which the part was repaired from the image forming apparatus 20, or it may obtain it from a terminal owned by the maintenance personnel of the image forming apparatus 20.

[0056] The following describes how to update the remaining lifespan information for repaired parts. Here, as an example, we will explain how to update the management information 50 of the automatic duplex document feeder. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating how to update the management information 50 of the automatic duplex document feeder.

[0057] For example, if the back-side reading sensor is repaired, the control unit 11 acquires and updates the management information 70A of the new back-side reading sensor, as shown in Figure 5. In the updated management information 70A, the number of power-offs, the number of sleep transitions, and the number of double-sided scans in the remaining lifespan determination information 72 are updated to zero.

[0058] Next, the processing flow in each device that constitutes the image forming apparatus management system will be explained with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 6 to 11.

[0059] As shown in Figure 6, when the power to the image forming apparatus 20 is turned on, the control unit 21 of the image forming apparatus 20 identifies the units mounted on the image forming apparatus 20 in step S01.

[0060] Next, in step S02, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the mounting status of the unit has been changed.

[0061] If it is determined in step S02 that the mounting status of the unit has changed, the control unit 21 connects to the management server 10 in step S03 to synchronize the unit management information recorded in the image forming apparatus 20 with the unit management information recorded in the management server 10, and in step S04 updates the numerical value of the remaining life judgment information in the management information and transitions the image forming apparatus 20 to a usable state.

[0062] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S02 that the mounting status of the unit has not changed, the control unit 21 switches the image forming apparatus 20 to a usable state.

[0063] Furthermore, when the image forming apparatus 20 is brought into a usable state, the control unit 21 resets the value of the counter that measures the change in the value of the remaining life judgment information to zero.

[0064] As shown in Figure 7, when the image forming apparatus 20 becomes available for use, the control unit 21 of the image forming apparatus 20 accepts the user's request to use the image forming apparatus 20 in step S11, and updates the numerical value of the remaining life judgment information in the management information of each unit in step S12.

[0065] Next, in step S13, the control unit 21 determines whether or not it is a synchronous execution timing.

[0066] If it is determined in step S13 that it is time for synchronous execution, the control unit 21 performs synchronization with the management server 10 in step S14 and then proceeds to step S11.

[0067] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S13 that it is not a synchronous execution timing, the control unit 21 proceeds directly to step S11.

[0068] As shown in Figure 8, when synchronization with the management server 10 is performed in the image forming apparatus 20, the control unit 21 of the image forming apparatus 20 sends the value of the remaining life judgment information counter in the management information to the management server 10 in step S21, and then in step S22, it performs zero-clearing of the value of the remaining life judgment information counter in the management information to complete the synchronization.

[0069] As shown in Figure 9, when synchronization with the image forming apparatus 20 is performed in the management server 10, the control unit 11 of the management server 10 adds the value of the counter managed for each image forming apparatus in step S31.

[0070] Next, in step S32, the control unit 11 adds up the values ​​of the counters managed for each unit.

[0071] Next, in step S33, the control unit 11 adds up the values ​​of the counters managed for each component and completes the synchronization.

[0072] As shown in Figure 10, when a component within the image forming apparatus 20 is repaired, the maintenance personnel for the image forming apparatus 20 input the repair information from their terminal.

[0073] First, in step S41, the maintenance personnel input the serial number of the repaired unit and the part number of the replaced part as repair information, and in step S42, they send the inputted repair information to the management server.

[0074] As shown in Figure 11, in step S51, when the control unit 11 of the management server 10 receives the serial number of the repaired unit and the part number of the replaced part as repair information, in step S52, it resets the counter value of the corresponding part of the corresponding unit to zero.

[0075] [Differentiation] Although an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate.

[0076] In each of the embodiments described above, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0077] Furthermore, the operation of the processor in the above embodiments may not be performed by a single processor, but may be performed by multiple processors located in physically separate locations working together. Also, the order of the processor operations is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, but may be changed as appropriate.

[0078] Furthermore, in the technology of this disclosure, a system includes both systems composed of multiple devices and systems composed of a single device.

[0079] Furthermore, the technology disclosed herein can also be applied to programs and program products.

[0080] [Note] With regard to the embodiments described above, the following additional information is disclosed.

[0081] (((1))) Equipped with a processor, The aforementioned processor, For each unit that makes up the managed device, management information is acquired and recorded to manage the remaining lifespan of the unit. The aforementioned management information is Includes remaining lifespan determination information for determining the remaining lifespan of each component included in the unit. Information processing system.

[0082] (((2))) The remaining lifespan determination information is a cumulative value indicating the usage history of the component. The information processing system described in (((1))).

[0083] (((3))) The aforementioned cumulative value is proportional to the number of times the part is used or the time the part is used. The information processing system described in (((2))).

[0084] (((4))) The remaining lifespan determination information is information about the start date of use of the component. The information processing system described in (((1))).

[0085] (((5))) When the aforementioned processor receives repairs to a component within a unit and obtains management information for the unit in which the component was repaired, it updates the remaining lifespan determination information for the repaired component. An information processing system as described in any one of items (((1))) through (((4))).

[0086] (((6))) The aforementioned processor obtains management information of the unit whose components have been repaired from the device that houses the unit. The information processing system described in (((5))).

[0087] (((7))) The processor obtains management information of the unit whose parts have been repaired from a terminal owned by the maintenance personnel of the device equipped with the unit. The information processing system described in (((5))).

[0088] (((8))) The computer is instructed to perform the following steps to acquire and record management information for each unit that makes up the device under management, in order to manage the remaining lifespan of the unit. The aforementioned management information is Identification information for each component included in the unit, Includes remaining lifespan determination information for determining the remaining lifespan of each component included in the unit. program.

[0089] The effects of the configuration described below are explained below.

[0090] According to the information processing system (((1))), even if some of the parts in the unit are repaired, it is possible to accurately determine whether the unit can be reused.

[0091] According to the information processing system (((2))), the remaining lifespan of a component can be determined by using cumulative value information indicating the usage status of the component.

[0092] According to the information processing system in (((3))), the remaining lifespan of a component can be determined by using information on the number of times a component has been used or the time it has been used.

[0093] According to the information processing system (((4))), the remaining lifespan of a component can be determined by using information on the date the component was first used.

[0094] According to the information processing system (((5))), the fact that parts within the unit have been repaired can be reflected in the remaining lifespan determination.

[0095] According to the information processing system of (((6))), management information can be obtained from a device equipped with the unit.

[0096] According to the information processing system in (((7))), management information can be obtained from terminals owned by maintenance personnel.

[0097] According to the program in (((8))), even if some of the parts in the unit have been repaired, it is possible to make an accurate determination as to whether the unit can be reused. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0098] 10 Management Server 11 Control Unit 11a processor 11b memory 11c storage section 12 Communication Interfaces 13. User Interface Device 14 Control bus 20 Image forming apparatus 21 Control Unit 21a Processor 21b Memory 21c storage section 22 Communication Interfaces 23 User Interface Device 24 Print Engines 25 Scanners 26 Control bus 30 Internet 50 Management information for the automatic duplex document feeder unit 51 Serial number of the automatic duplex document feeder unit 52 Information on determining the remaining lifespan of the automatic duplex document feeder unit 60. Management information for surface reading sensors 61 Surface reading sensor part number 62. Information for determining the remaining lifespan of a surface reading sensor. Management information for 70 and 70A back-side reading sensors 71 Part number for back-side reading sensor 72. Information to determine the remaining lifespan of the back-side reading sensor

Claims

1. Equipped with a processor, The aforementioned processor, For each unit that makes up the managed device, management information is acquired and recorded to manage the remaining lifespan of the unit. The aforementioned management information is Includes remaining lifespan determination information for determining the remaining lifespan of each component included in the unit. Information processing system.

2. The remaining lifespan determination information is a cumulative value indicating the usage history of the component. The information processing system according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned cumulative value is proportional to the number of times the part is used or the time the part is used. The information processing system according to claim 2.

4. The remaining lifespan determination information is information about the start date of use of the component. The information processing system according to claim 1.

5. When the aforementioned processor receives repairs to a component within a unit and obtains management information for the unit in which the component was repaired, it updates the remaining lifespan determination information for the repaired component. The information processing system according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned processor obtains management information of the unit whose components have been repaired from the device that houses the unit. The information processing system according to claim 5.

7. The processor obtains management information of the unit whose parts have been repaired from a terminal owned by the maintenance personnel of the device equipped with the unit. The information processing system according to claim 5.

8. The computer is instructed to perform the following steps to acquire and record management information for each unit that makes up the device under management, in order to manage the remaining lifespan of the unit. The aforementioned management information is Identification information for each component included in the unit, Includes remaining lifespan determination information for determining the remaining lifespan of each component included in the unit. program.

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