PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

Abstract

To create, in a device managing system, a report with data obtained before an error occurs when an obtainment of the data from a device is unsuccessful at the time of a task operation for a reporting function.SOLUTION: A method includes: receiving a first specification for a cycle or a schedule, the kind of device information to be included in a file, and a file format; receiving a second specification for a device subjected to a reporting function among one or more image formation devices; obtaining, in accordance with the first specification, information from the device specified by the second specification; and outputting a file. The file includes, as the information on the device specified by the second specification, network information, communication date and time, a connection state, device information corresponding to the kind received by the first specification, and page count information not specified by the kind received by the first specification. When an obtainment of information in accordance with the first specification is unsuccessful, the file to be output includes information representing an error in the connection state and the page count information obtained last time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known device management systems or management devices for acquiring and managing data such as operation information of image forming devices (devices) such as printers or multifunction peripherals. From the viewpoints of an increase in the number of devices to be managed, cost reduction of management servers, and maintenance, the number of devices that can be managed by one management device is increasing.

[0003] In this device management system, it is common to create a profile, which is a template of the operations to be performed in advance, and then create tasks that specify the device based on that profile, thereby managing, configuring, or collecting information about the device.

[0004] This device management system may also have a reporting function that obtains and reports from each device the total number of printed pages, status, or lifespan information of supplies. Patent Document 1 devisees a technology that has a counting means that counts information related to device usage by affiliation based on information collected from the devices, with the aim of encouraging users to improve their cost consciousness. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-012245 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the above-mentioned reporting function, when data acquisition from a specific device fails during the operation of a set task, items such as the total number of printed pages for the device from which data acquisition failed are not recorded. As a result, there is a problem that a sufficient report on the selected device cannot be obtained.

[0007] Additionally, this device management system has the problem that it is not possible to identify the existence of devices for which information retrieval has failed from the task result screen, making it impossible to manage them appropriately.

[0008] Reasons for failure to obtain information include failure to communicate when obtaining operational information such as a counter for a report (due to the printer being turned off, a network error, etc.).

[0009] The present invention aims to make it easy for a user to grasp device information and connection status errors even when data acquisition from a device fails when executing a reporting function in a device management system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the object of the present invention, for example, a program according to an embodiment has the following arrangement: a connection unit that connects to an image forming apparatus, and an acquisition unit that acquires page count information from the connected image forming apparatus; a storing step of storing the page count information acquired by the acquiring means in a storage unit; a program for causing a computer to function as an output means for outputting page count information acquired by the acquisition means, the output means further outputting page count information acquired by the acquisition means from a first image forming apparatus which has been successfully connected via the connection means, and page count information acquired by the acquisition means from a second image forming apparatus which has been previously successfully connected via the connection means, and stored in the storage unit. The page count information and information that enables a user to identify that the connection to the first image forming apparatus has been successful but the connection to the second image forming apparatus has failed are output. Effect of the Invention

[0011] To facilitate a user to grasp device information and a connection status error even when data acquisition from a device fails when a reporting function is executed in a device management system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration including a management device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a management apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a management device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a device selection screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a task selection screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a profile selection screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a task execution result screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a profile setting screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a process of a management method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a process of a management method according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a process of a management method according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a file name determination process according to the third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of an output report according to the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a task execution result screen according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a profile setting screen according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0014] [Embodiment 1] The management device according to this embodiment is a management device that manages one or more image forming apparatuses (hereinafter, devices). The management device according to this embodiment acquires information from a specified device from among the one or more image forming apparatuses, and outputs a file including the acquired information. If the acquisition of information from a device fails, the management device according to this embodiment outputs a file including information that indicates the failure to acquire information and information that was previously acquired from the device.

[0015] [System Configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a device management system including a management device 1000 according to the present embodiment. The management device 1000 is a device that performs information processing, manages devices, and outputs reports related to the devices. In the example of FIG. 1, the management device 1000 is described as a server that manages two or more devices 2000. Although the function of the device 2000 is not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the device 2000 is an image forming device that prints from print data onto a recording medium using a known printing technology such as electrophotography or inkjet technology. The device 2000 may also be capable of reading a paper document via a scanner, copying it, or converting it into image data and sending it to another device by electronic mail (E-mail) or the like. In the present embodiment, the management device 1000 and the device 2000 are connected to each other via a communication line 3000.

[0016] [Hardware configuration] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a management device 1000 according to this embodiment. The management device 1000 includes a CPU 10, a ROM 11, and a RAM 12. The CPU 10 uses the RAM 12 as a work area to execute various programs such as an OS or device management software stored in the ROM 11 and a HDD 19. The management device 1000 also includes a disk controller (DKC) 18, a Disk Drive 20 capable of mounting a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, a magnetic tape, or an IC memory card, a video card (VC) 14, and a display device (CRT) 15. Each component included in the management device 1000 is connected via a system bus 13. The management device 1000 also performs data communication with devices on a communication line 3000 via a network interface board (NIC).

[0017] [Software configuration] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a management device 1000 according to this embodiment. The management device 1000 includes a user interface (UI) control unit 30, a device control unit 31, a report control unit 32, and a setting control unit 33. The functional configuration shown in Fig. 3 is realized by the device management software being executed by the CPU 10 on the RAM 12, ROM 11, and HDD 19 in Fig. 2. Note that the processing by each functional unit of the management device 1000 may be realized by a Web-based application, and the functions may be used by a user via a Web browser.

[0018] The UI control unit 30 controls the UI for performing each process performed by the management device 1000 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the UI control unit 30 has a device display unit 301, a task display unit 302, and a setting display unit 303, which are responsible for inputting and outputting information in the device control unit 31, the report control unit 32, and the setting control unit 33, respectively.

[0019] The device control unit 31 includes a device connection unit 311, a task management unit 312, a data management unit 313, a task storage unit 314, and a data storage unit 315. The device connection unit 311 has a function of searching for a device, acquiring information such as device information from the device, and executing settings in the device. The device connection unit 311 checks the connection with the device (device 2000) that is the target of reporting (target for outputting a report), collects device information for generating a report from the target of reporting, and stores the collected information in the data storage unit 315. In this embodiment, the device information acquired includes page count information, MIB information, and supply information, which will be described in detail later. In this embodiment, the device information also includes identification information such as the device name, product name, and IP address of the device for which the device search was performed.

[0020] In this embodiment, reporting is a process of acquiring and outputting reports such as page count information (total number of printed pages) by a device, status, or life information of a supply. Hereinafter, checking the connection with a device that is the subject of reporting in this manner will be referred to as device search. The device connection unit 311 can perform device search via a network using a known method such as SNMP, IP Broadcast, SLP / Multicast, and the method is not particularly limited. The device connection unit 311 can perform device search at any timing. The device connection unit 311 may also collect or change device information by referring to a database of device information such as a Management Information Base (MIB) via the communication line 3000. The MIB is a management information database used by a protocol such as SNMP, and is a known standard, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0021] The task management unit 312 issues an instruction to execute a task for outputting a report on the device that has been searched for, by referring to a task stored in the task storage unit 314 or the data storage unit 315, and stores the execution result of the task in the task storage unit 314. In this embodiment, the task is a process that is set based on a profile, which will be described later, and is executed when outputting a report on the device to be processed. The instruction to execute the task is sent to the device connection unit 311 or the report management unit 321.

[0022] The data management unit 313 checks whether there is device information previously acquired by a previously performed device search or status update for a device for which a device search has been performed. In this embodiment, the data management unit 313 can check whether previously acquired device information for a device for which a connection has not been confirmed by a device search (for which a connection error has occurred) is stored in the data storage unit 315. The report management unit 321 generates a report based on the device information acquired from the data management unit 313, and stores the report in the report storage unit 322.

[0023] The task storage unit 314 and the data storage unit 315 are recording media such as a database that runs on the HDD 19. In this embodiment, the task storage unit 314 stores a list of tasks, and the data storage unit 315 stores a list of devices, but the items stored are not limited to these, and any table data may be stored in either of them.

[0024] The setting display unit 303 acquires user input for setting a profile used for setting a task. The setting management unit 331 generates a profile used when outputting a report based on the user input to the setting display unit 303, and stores the profile in the setting storage unit 332. The profile will be described later with reference to Figs. 7 and 9.

[0025] [Device software configuration] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the device 2000 according to this embodiment. When a connection to the management device 1000 is confirmed by device search, the device 2000 generates device information used to generate a report and transmits the device information to the management device 1000 via the communication line 3000.

[0026] The device 2000 has an information control unit 40. In this embodiment, the information control unit 40 has a counter management unit 401, a counter storage unit 402, an MIB management unit 403, an MIB storage unit 404, a supply management unit 405, and a supply storage unit 406 to generate and manage device information. The counter management unit 401 records page count information, which is information on the number of pages printed by the device 2000, and stores it in the counter storage unit 402. The MIB management unit 403 records MIB information and stores it in the MIB storage unit 404. The supply management unit 405 records information indicating the status of supplies used in the output of the device, such as the remaining amount of toner in the device 2000 or the number of times the supplies have been replaced, and stores it in the supply storage unit 406. Note that the information recorded by each functional unit of the information control unit 40 is not particularly limited to these, and information desired by the user to be recorded in a report may be recorded. For example. The information control unit 40 may record information such as the number of paper jams or error history of the device 2000. In this embodiment, the following description will be given assuming that the report includes the network information, communication date and time, connection state, and device information of the device.

[0027] The task creation process performed by the management device 1000 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 5 to 9. Figures 5 to 9 show an example of a UI displayed by the management device 1000 according to this embodiment.

[0028] The management device 1000 performs device search on the network and checks the connection with the device to be reported. FIG. 5 is an example of a UI screen displayed after device search. In FIG. 5, the device display unit 301 displays the device information of each device together with the searched devices. When creating a task, the user selects a device to be the target of task creation from among the searched devices. The device display unit 301 displays reporting as a configurable task for the selected device. The configurable task is not limited to reporting, and a desired task such as device monitoring may be displayed according to the type and function of the device, and may be selected from among them. FIG. 6 shows an example of a configurable task displayed for the device to be the target of task creation.

[0029] In this embodiment, reporting is selected as the task. After the task is selected, the device display unit 301 displays a list of profiles, which are the settings of the template corresponding to the task. The profile according to this embodiment includes a schedule indicating the cycle for outputting the report, the type of device information to be included in the report, and information specifying the file name of the report to be output. The profile may also include information regarding the output of the report, such as a selection of a process for writing the report to a file or sending it as an e-mail. FIG. 7 is an example of a UI screen displaying a list of profiles. In the following description, the profile is assumed to be created in advance and stored in the setting storage unit 332, but is not particularly limited to this. For example, the user may be able to edit the settings when selecting a profile by pressing an edit button or the like, or may be able to create a new profile.

[0030] FIG. 9 is an example of a UI screen for creating a profile. The setting display unit 303 displays a UI screen for setting a profile. The setting display unit 303 may acquire information such as a profile name (task name) and a report schedule input by a user on the UI screen. In FIG. 9, a schedule is set to perform reporting at 17:00 every day as a setting for the profile name "Report 1", and a setting is input to write the report to a file with the file name "File 1". In addition, when the report to be output is sent as an e-mail, the user may be able to set the destination. In addition, the setting cycle of the schedule is not particularly limited, and may be selected from, for example, monthly, weekly, or daily. Furthermore, the schedule for outputting the report is not limited to a periodic setting, and the report may be output according to a schedule desired by the user, such as outputting according to a user operation.

[0031] When a profile is selected and an execute button as shown in FIG. 7 is pressed, the selected profile is set as a task. The task display unit 302 displays the task thus set. The task display unit 302 may also display the execution result of the set task. FIG. 8 shows an example of a UI screen displaying the set task. In FIG. 8, a task is set to perform reporting at 17:00 every day based on the profile "Report 1" created in the example of FIG. 9. In FIG. 8, the execution result of the set task is also displayed as a log.

[0032] As described above, the device information for which the report is to be produced is specified by the profile, but in this embodiment, the profile does not specify that page count information is to be output, and the page count information is then output in the report. In this way, the device connection unit 311 can include device information not specified by the profile in the contents of the report.

[0033] Furthermore, the task display unit 302 may display the execution result of a task having a specific status among the execution results of the set task. To this end, the task display unit 302 can acquire the progress of the set task and display the progress as the status of the execution result of the task. The status of the execution result of the task may be, for example, "Complete" indicating that the execution of the task is completed, or "Error" indicating that the execution of the task has failed. The user may specify "Complete" or "Error" as the status of the execution result of the task to be displayed by the task display unit 302, or may specify "All Statuses" to display both. In the example of FIG. 8, the status of report 1 is "Complete", and "All Statuses" is specified as the status of the execution result to be displayed, so that the output result of report 1 is displayed. Hereinafter, such information specifying the status of the execution result of the task is referred to as a task log display condition.

[0034] According to a series of settings as shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, it becomes possible to output a report on a selected device based on a task created for the device.

[0035] As described above, the management device 1000 according to this embodiment determines whether it is possible to connect to a device, and if it is not possible to connect to the device, outputs a report based on device information at a past time when it was possible to connect, together with information indicating the connection state. For this purpose, the device connection unit 311 determines whether it is possible to acquire device information from the device 2000 when executing a task. In this embodiment, the device connection unit 311 determines that it is not possible to acquire device information when it is not possible to connect to the device, for example, when the power supply of the device 2000 is turned off. When a report can be generated, the device connection unit 311 issues an instruction to execute the task as usual. On the other hand, when a report cannot be generated, the device connection unit 311 reacquires device information acquired at a past time from the device that is not possible to connect from the data storage unit 315, and generates a report based on the reacquired device information.

[0036] Hereinafter, the process performed by the management device 1000 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Note that each process shown in Fig. 10 is realized by the CPU 10 loading a control program from the HDD 19, the ROM 11, etc. into the RAM 12 and executing the program.

[0037] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the management device according to the present embodiment. The processing shown in steps S1001 to S1012 is processing performed on a device selected as a target of a task based on a task set by a series of settings as shown in the above-mentioned FIGS. 5 to 9. These processing are performed according to a schedule of a profile selected when setting the task. In step S1001, the report management unit 321 reads a profile set in advance from the setting storage unit 332. In addition, the report management unit 321 reads a set task and acquires the target device selected as a target of the task and the setting contents of the profile. In step S1002, the device connection unit 311 performs a device search for a device selected from among the target devices and connects to the device. In step S1003, the device connection unit 311 determines whether the connection in step S1002 has failed. If it has failed, the process proceeds to step S1005, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1004.

[0038] In step S1004, the device connection unit 311 obtains, from the device connected in step S1002, apparatus information used to generate a report, such as page count information, MIB information, or supply information. After step S1004, the process proceeds to step S1007.

[0039] In step S1005, the data management unit 313 determines whether or not there is previously acquired device information for the device that failed to connect in step S1002, through a previous device search or status update, etc. If there is previously acquired device information, the process proceeds to step S1006, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1007.

[0040] In step S1006, the report management unit 321 acquires previously acquired device information for the device that failed to connect in step S1002. In this embodiment, the report management unit 321 acquires previously acquired device information from the data storage unit 315 via the data management unit 313. After step S1006, the process proceeds to step S1007.

[0041] In step S1007, the report management unit 321 generates a report. If the connection is successful in step S1002, the report management unit 321 generates a report based on the device information acquired in step S1004. If the previously acquired device information is confirmed in step S1005, the report management unit 321 generates a report based on the past device information acquired in step S1006. If the report output in the past is not confirmed in step S1005, the report management unit 321 sets the status of the task execution result to "error" as a failure in task execution. The report management unit 321 may generate a report that includes the determination result in step S1003 as information.

[0042] In step S1008, the report management unit 321 determines whether or not all of the target devices have been selected in step S1002. If all of the target devices have been selected, the process proceeds to step S1010, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1009, where an update process for the target devices is performed, and the process returns to step S1002.

[0043] In step S1010, the report management unit 321 determines whether the report created in step S1007 is to be written to a file or sent by email, based on the settings of the profile acquired in step S1001. Processing for a report to be written to a file proceeds to step S1011, and processing for a report to be sent by email proceeds to step S1012.

[0044] In step S1011, the report management unit 321 writes the report to a file with a file name based on the settings of the profile acquired in step S1001, and ends the process. In step S1012, the report management unit 321 sends the report as an e-mail to a destination based on the settings of the profile acquired in step S1001, and ends the process.

[0045] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a file output by the processing of the management device 1000 when there is a device that cannot be connected. When creating a task, it is assumed that Device1 and Device2 are selected as devices via the UI shown in Fig. 5. In addition, the following explanation will be given assuming that Report 1 is selected as a profile for the two devices, and that in Report 1, reporting is performed every day at 17:00 and the report is written to a file with the file name "File 1".

[0046] In step S1001, the task settings are read, and in step S1002, a connection is first made to Device 1. A connection to Device 1 is normally established, and in step S1004, the device connection unit 311 acquires device information including the number of printed pages: 1034 from the page count information of Device 1. In step S1007, the report management unit 321 generates a report for Device 1, and because processing for Device 2 has not yet been performed, the process returns to step S1002.

[0047] Here, since the power supply of Device2 was off, connection to Device2 fails in the device search in step S1002. Since connection to Device2 was established the previous day, and device information was acquired by a status check, in step S1005 the data management unit 313 acquires device information acquired on the previous day for Device2. Here, the data management unit 313 acquires device information for Device2, including the number of printed pages: 2055. In step S1007 the report management unit 321 generates a report for Device2, and in step S1011 File 1 is generated based on these reports. In FIG. 14, information for Device1 was acquired on the day, and the number of printed pages acquired at that time is recorded as 1401 together with the update date and time. Also, information for Device2 was not acquired on the day, and the number of printed pages acquired on the previous day and a record of connection failure are recorded as 1402 together with the update date and time of the number of printed pages. The update date and time of the number of printed pages (device information) may be the start date and time of the task, the communication date and time when the device information was obtained, or the date and time when the report was generated and displayed.

[0048] According to this type of processing, when outputting a report, for connectable devices, a report based on data obtained as a result of the connection can be output, and for non-connectable devices, a report based on data obtained in the past can be output.

[0049] In addition, in this embodiment, the profile setting contents include the profile name and the report schedule. However, the profile settings are not particularly limited to these, and any setting items desired by the user may be provided. For example, when writing a report to a file, the setting display unit 303 may provide an item for specifying the file format (for example, CSV format or XML format) and obtain a user input. In step S1011, a file is output reflecting the contents thus input.

[0050] [Embodiment 2] The management device according to the second embodiment is a device management device that outputs a report on devices. From the viewpoint of making it easier to understand the connection state with the device that is the target of the reporting function, the management device according to this embodiment displays the presence or absence of devices for which information acquisition has failed, together with a log. For example, when there are devices for which acquisition of device information has failed (i.e., connection has failed), the management device according to this embodiment can display the number of such devices.

[0051] For the sake of explanation, the following description will be given assuming that the management device according to this embodiment displays the number of devices for which acquisition of device information has failed together with a log. The device management system including the management device according to this embodiment has a configuration basically similar to that in Figs. 1 to 3 in the first embodiment, and performs similar processing except for displaying the number of devices for which acquisition of device information has failed, so duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0052] In this embodiment, the task display unit 302 acquires information (task log information) of tasks that have been set as tasks and have already been executed from the task storage unit 314. The task log information includes information on the number of devices targeted in a device search for that task, and the number of devices for which acquisition of device information has failed in that device search. The task log information may also include information on whether report generation by that task has been completed or has failed (error).

[0053] The task display unit 302 displays the number of devices for which acquisition of device information has failed together with the task execution result based on the acquired task log information. Fig. 15 shows an example of a UI screen on which the task execution result for a registered task is displayed together with the number of devices for which acquisition of device information has failed. In the example of Fig. 15, the task display unit 302 displays the number 1 of devices for which acquisition of device information has failed in addition to the execution result of report 1 shown in Fig. 8.

[0054] Hereinafter, the process of displaying the number of devices for which the management device according to this embodiment failed to acquire device information will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Note that each process shown in Fig. 11 is realized by the CPU 10 loading a control program from the HDD 19, ROM 11, etc. into the RAM 12 and executing it.

[0055] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a display process of the execution result of a task performed by the task display unit 302 according to this embodiment. In step S1101, the task display unit 302 acquires the set task log display conditions. In the example of FIG. 15, the task log display conditions are specified as "all statuses" by the user. In step S1102, the task display unit 302 acquires task log information from the task storage unit 314.

[0056] In step S1103, the task display unit 302 determines whether the execution result of the task for which the task log information has been acquired satisfies the task log display condition acquired in step S1101. If it satisfies the condition, the process proceeds to step S1104, and if it does not, the execution result of the task is not displayed and the process proceeds to step S1108.

[0057] In step S1104, the task display unit 302 acquires information on the task name to be displayed, the status indicating the progress of the task, the start date and time of the task, and the number of target devices. In step S1105, the task display unit 302 determines whether or not there is a device among the target devices for which acquisition of device information has failed. If there is a device for which acquisition of device information has failed, the process proceeds to step S1106, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1107.

[0058] In step S1106, the task display unit 302 calculates the number of target devices for which acquisition of device information has failed based on the task log information acquired in step S1102, and proceeds to step S1107. In step S1107, the task display unit 302 displays the task execution result together with information on the number of devices for which acquisition of device information has failed if information has been acquired in step S1106.

[0059] In step S1108, the task display unit 302 determines whether the processes in steps S1102 to S1107 have been performed for all registered tasks. If the processes have been performed for all tasks, the process ends. If not, the task to be processed is updated, and the process returns to step S1102.

[0060] According to this process, the number of devices for which the report output has failed can be displayed, making it easier for the user to understand the device connection status of the reporting function.

[0061] [Embodiment 3] The management device according to the second embodiment is a device management device that outputs reports related to devices. The management device according to this embodiment variably sets the file name of the report to be output. The device management system including the management device according to this embodiment has a configuration basically similar to that of FIGS. 1 to 3 in the first embodiment, and performs similar processing except for outputting reports with variable file names, so duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0062] In this embodiment, when setting a profile, the setting display unit 303 variably sets the file name of the report to be output. The variable file name can be set to change depending on the timing of outputting the report, for example. In this embodiment, the variable file name is determined to indicate the generation time of the report, such as the year, month, day, minute, and second when the report was generated (for example, "20200303170000"), but is not particularly limited to this. For example, the setting display unit 303 may set the file name so as to output a report with a file name that combines a fixed prefix and a variable name, or may generate a file name with fixed digits based on a random number.

[0063] An example of a UI screen for setting a profile having such a variable file name is shown in Fig. 16. In the example shown in Fig. 16, the setting display unit 303 provides a frame for inputting a user selection of whether to make the file name fixed or variable when writing a report to a file, in addition to the profile setting screen shown in Fig. 9 of the first embodiment. When the setting display unit 303 acquires a user selection to make the file name variable, it can set the profile with the file name variable.

[0064] Hereinafter, the process of outputting a report with a variable file name performed by the management device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. Note that each process shown in Figures 12 and 13 is realized by the CPU 10 loading a control program from the HDD 19, ROM 11, etc. into the RAM 12 and executing it.

[0065] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of acquiring a user input related to profile settings, which is performed by the setting display unit 303 in this embodiment. In step S1201, the setting display unit 303 acquires information on a profile name and a schedule. In step S1202, the setting display unit 303 acquires a user selection of whether to write a report to a file or to send it as an e-mail. In step S1203, the setting display unit 303 determines whether or not a selection of writing a report to a file has been made in step S1202. If a selection of writing a report to a file has been made, the process proceeds to step S1205, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1204. In step S1204, the setting display unit 303 acquires an e-mail destination, and the process proceeds to step S1208.

[0066] In step S1205, the setting display unit 303 acquires a user selection of whether the file name to write the report is fixed or variable. In step S1206, the setting display unit 303 determines whether the user selection acquired in step S1205 is variable. If it is variable, the process proceeds to step S1208, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1207. In step S1207, the setting display unit 303 acquires a fixed file name, and the process proceeds to step S1208.

[0067] In step S 1208 , the setting display unit 303 saves the profile settings based on the acquired information, and stores them in the setting storage unit 332 via the setting management unit 331 .

[0068] The management device according to this embodiment uses the profile thus set to perform report output processing as shown in Fig. 10, as in embodiment 1. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing for writing a file name in step S1011, which is performed by the report management unit 321 according to this embodiment.

[0069] In step S1301, the report management unit 321 determines whether the file name written in step S1011 is variable. If the file name is variable, the process proceeds to step S1302, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1303.

[0070] In step S1302, the report management unit 321 determines a variable file name. In this embodiment, the variable file name is determined according to the year, month, day, minute, and second when the report is generated, as described above. In step S1303, the report management unit 321 obtains the fixed file name set in the profile. After step S1302 or step S1303, the process proceeds to step S1304.

[0071] In step S1304, the report management unit 321 acquires the data of the report generated in step S1007. In step S1305, the report management unit 321 writes the report acquired in step S1304 to a file with the file name determined in step S1302 or step S1303, and ends the process.

[0072] According to this process, reports on devices can be output with variable file names, which makes it easier to manage and save file names even when outputting reports periodically, improving operability.

[0073] (Other Examples) The device management system including the management device according to the present invention may be a system made up of multiple devices (such as a host computer, an interface device, a reader, or a printer), or may be a system made up of a single device (such as a copier or a facsimile machine).

[0074] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0075] The present invention also includes a case where an operating system (OS) running on a computer performs a part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code, and the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments are realized by the processing. Furthermore, the present invention also includes a case where the program code read from the storage medium is written to a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into a computer or a function expansion unit connected to a computer. In that case, a CPU provided in the function expansion card or function expansion unit performs a part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the written program code, and the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments are realized by the processing.

[0076] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 30: UI control unit, 31: device control unit, 32: report control unit, 33: setting control unit, 301: device display unit, 302: task display unit, 303: setting display unit, 311: device connection unit, 312: task management unit, 313: data management unit, 314: task storage unit, 315: data storage unit, 321: report management unit, 322: report storage unit, 331: setting management unit, 332: setting storage unit

Claims

1. A connection means for connecting to the image forming apparatus; an acquisition unit for acquiring page count information from the connected image forming apparatus; a storage unit for storing the page count information acquired by the acquisition unit in a storage unit; A program for causing a computer to function as an output unit that outputs the page count information acquired by the acquisition unit, The output means further comprises: page count information acquired by the acquisition means from the first image forming apparatus that has been successfully connected by the connection means; page count information acquired by the acquisition unit from the second image forming apparatus to which the connection by the connection unit has failed when the connection was previously successful and stored in the storage unit; and Information that allows a user to identify that a connection to the first image forming apparatus has been successful but a connection to the second image forming apparatus has failed. A program for outputting the following:

2. The program described in claim 1, characterized in that the output means outputs, as a file, page count information acquired by the acquisition means from a first image forming device to which a connection was successfully made via the connection means, page count information acquired by the acquisition means from a second image forming device to which a connection was unsuccessful when a connection was previously successful and stored in the storage unit, and information that can be identified by a user as indicating that a connection to the first image forming device was successful but a connection to the second image forming device was unsuccessful.

3. 3. The program according to claim 1, further causing the computer to function as a providing unit that provides a screen for designating a schedule for connecting to an image forming apparatus and acquiring page count information.

4. 4. The program according to claim 3, wherein the acquiring means acquires page count information from the image forming apparatus that has been connected based on a schedule specified via the screen.

5. The profile created in accordance with the specification on the screen includes information specifying the type of device information to be output as a report by the output means, 4. The program according to claim 3, wherein the acquiring means acquires the device information and the page count information from an image forming device that has been connected in accordance with the profile.

6. The program described in Claim 1, characterized in that the output means outputs as a report a file or e-mail containing the page count information and information that can be identified by a user as indicating that connection to the first image forming device was successful but connection to the second image forming device was unsuccessful.

7. A connection means for connecting to the image forming apparatus; an acquisition unit for acquiring page count information from the connected image forming apparatus; a storage unit for storing the page count information acquired by the acquisition unit in a storage unit; an output unit that outputs the page count information acquired by the acquisition unit, The output means further comprises: page count information acquired by the acquisition means from the first image forming apparatus that has been successfully connected by the connection means; page count information acquired by the acquisition unit from the second image forming apparatus to which the connection by the connection unit has failed when the connection was previously successful and stored in the storage unit; and 2. An information processing apparatus comprising: a display unit that displays a display image of the first image forming apparatus and a display unit that displays the first image forming apparatus;

8. The information processing device according to claim 7, characterized in that the output means outputs, as a file, page count information acquired by the acquisition means from a first image forming device to which a connection was successfully made via the connection means, page count information acquired by the acquisition means from a second image forming device to which a connection was unsuccessful when a connection was previously successful and stored in the storage unit, and information that can be identified by a user as indicating that a connection to the first image forming device was successful but a connection to the second image forming device was unsuccessful.

9. 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a providing unit for providing a screen for designating a schedule for connecting to the image forming apparatus and acquiring the page count information.

10. 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the acquiring unit acquires page count information from an image forming apparatus that has been connected based on a schedule specified via the screen.

11. The profile created in accordance with the designation on the screen includes information designating a type of device information to be output as a report by the output means, 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the acquiring unit acquires the device information and the page count information from an image forming apparatus that has been connected in accordance with the profile.

12. The information processing device described in Claim 7, characterized in that the output means outputs as a report a file or e-mail containing the page count information and information that can be identified by a user as indicating that connection to the first image forming device was successful but connection to the second image forming device was unsuccessful.

13. An information processing method in an information processing device, a connecting step of connecting to an image forming apparatus; an acquisition step of acquiring page count information from the connected image forming apparatus; a storing step of storing the page count information acquired by the acquiring step in a storage unit; an output step of outputting the page count information acquired in the acquisition step, In the output step, the page count information acquired in the acquiring step from the first image forming apparatus that has been successfully connected in the connecting step; page count information acquired in the acquisition step from the second image forming apparatus that failed to connect in the connection step when the second image forming apparatus previously succeeded in connecting and stored in the storage unit; and An information processing method, comprising: outputting information that enables a user to identify that a connection to the first image forming apparatus has been successful but a connection to the second image forming apparatus has failed.

Images