Image forming apparatus and image forming system

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus that can satisfactorily perform maintenance of the apparatus.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus performs execution determination as to whether to execute maintenance related control, and comprises information acquisition means such as a communication unit 42 that acquires external information from an external device such as a server 60. A control unit 40 performs the execution determination as to whether to execute the maintenance related control based on the external information acquired from the communication unit 42 via a network 50 and internal information on the apparatus stored in a non-volatile storage such as a flash memory.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming system. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an image forming apparatus that determines whether or not to carry out maintenance-related control based on apparatus information.

[0003] Patent document 1 describes an image forming device in which control is performed to display on an operation display unit that it is time to replace developer as a maintenance-related control related to the maintenance of the device, based on the number of printing operations as device information. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there is a risk that maintenance of the device cannot be performed properly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus that performs a determination as to whether or not to perform maintenance-related control, the image forming apparatus includes an information acquisition unit that acquires external information from an external device, and the determination as to whether or not to perform maintenance-related control is performed based on the external information and internal information of the apparatus. The maintenance-related control that is determined to be performed is automatically performed, and a preventive maintenance-related control corresponding to a cause having a high probability of occurrence of the malfunction is extracted from among a plurality of preventive maintenance-related controls for preventing the malfunction based on the external information, and the extracted preventive maintenance-related control is set as a maintenance-related control that performs an implementation determination as to whether or not to implement the preventive maintenance-related control. It is characterized by the above. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, maintenance of the device can be performed satisfactorily. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system to which the present invention is applied. [Diagram 2]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an imaging unit. [Figure 4] 2 is a block diagram showing a control unit provided in the image forming apparatus and various devices electrically connected thereto. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an initial home screen displayed on a touch panel. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen for a copy function. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen on which a maintenance icon is displayed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] An embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described below. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming system 100 to which the present invention is applied. 1, in an image forming system 100, a plurality of image forming apparatuses 1 are connected to a server 60 as an information providing apparatus via a network communication network 50 such as the Internet. The server 60 is also connected to a terminal 70 of a call center via the network communication network 50 such as the Internet.

[0009] The server 60 receives from each image forming device 1 the device identification number, operating information such as the number of printed pages and frequency of use, information about the device's operating environment such as temperature and humidity, location information such as the area where the device is installed, defect information, and so on, and stores it in a non-volatile storage device such as a HDD. The server 60 analyzes the frequency and circumstances of occurrence of a malfunction based on the information received from each image forming device stored in the non-volatile storage device, and transmits the analysis information to each image forming device. The server 60 also transmits instruction information, such as an instruction to update settings, to each image forming device 1.

[0010] Each image forming apparatus 1 sets maintenance-related control for carrying out a determination on the basis of analysis information received from the server 60 as described below. The maintenance-related control here refers to control related to maintenance of the apparatus, and includes the following controls: adjustment control of apparatus parameters, maintenance operation control for preventing malfunctions, display control on the operation display unit to prompt the user to perform maintenance such as replacing parts, and service call control to a service company. Furthermore, each image forming apparatus 1 sets a maintenance icon for determining whether or not to display it on the operation display screen, based on the analysis information received from the server 60.

[0011] The call center terminal 70 transmits to the server 60 the defect information from the user received by the call center and the identification number of the image forming device used by the user. The server 60 selects a maintenance-related control corresponding to the defect information from the user based on the defect information received from the call center terminal 70. Next, the server 60 transmits maintenance instruction information, etc. to the image forming device corresponding to the identification number received from the call center terminal 70, instructing the image forming device to add the selected maintenance-related control to the maintenance-related control for determining whether or not to perform maintenance.

[0012] Next, the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. This image forming apparatus 1 is equipped, from the top of its main body, with an automatic document feeder 3 and a document reading unit 4. Below the document reading unit 4, there is a stack unit 5 for stacking recording paper P as a recording medium on which an image has been formed. Below the stack unit 5, there are arranged an image forming unit 2 for forming an image based on the document image read by the document reading unit 4, and a paper feeding unit 6 for feeding recording paper P to the image forming unit 2.

[0013] The automatic document feeder 3 separates the documents one by one from the document stack and automatically feeds them onto the contact glass of the document reading unit 4, and the document fed onto the contact glass is read by the document reading unit 4.

[0014] The image forming unit 2 includes an intermediate transfer belt 17 that is stretched around a plurality of support rollers and moves on its surface in a counterclockwise direction in the drawing. Imaging units 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K that form toner images of the respective colors of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K) are arranged in parallel on the lower stretched surface of the intermediate transfer belt 17. Each imaging unit 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K includes a photoconductor 11Y, 11C, 11M, and 11K on which a toner image of each color is formed. Around the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M, and 11K, a charging device, a developing device 13Y, 13C, 13M, and 13K, a photoconductor cleaning device, and the like are arranged.

[0015] Primary transfer rollers 14Y, 14C, 14M, and 14K are provided so as to contact the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 17 at positions facing the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M, and 11K. A secondary transfer roller 18 is disposed so as to contact the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 17 downstream of the primary transfer rollers 14Y, 14C, 14M, and 14K in the surface movement direction of the intermediate transfer belt 17. A belt cleaning device is disposed so as to contact the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 17 downstream of the secondary transfer roller 18. A fixing device 20 is disposed above the secondary transfer roller 18.

[0016] An optical writing unit 19 for irradiating laser light onto each of the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M, and 11K is disposed below each of the imaging units 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K. A toner supply device 28 is provided above the intermediate transfer belt 17. Four toner cartridges (toner containers) corresponding to each color (yellow, cyan, magenta, and black) are detachably (replaceably) installed in the toner supply device 28. The portion of the toner supply device 28 other than the toner cartridges is a toner transport device that transports toner discharged from the toner cartridges to the developing devices 13Y, 13C, 13M, and 13K.

[0017] The paper feed section 6 includes a paper feed cassette 7 that stores a plurality of stacked sheets of recording paper P, and a paper feed roller 8 that feeds the uppermost sheet of recording paper P from the plurality of stacked sheets of recording paper P toward the image forming section 2.

[0018] Further, on the front side of the document reading unit 4, an operation display unit 30 including a touch panel as a display unit, various key buttons, and the like is disposed.

[0019] The image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described. In each imaging unit 10, a toner image of each color is formed. As each photoconductor 11 rotates, the surface of the photoconductor 11 is first uniformly charged by a charging device. Next, the optical writing unit 19 irradiates each photoconductor 11 with laser light based on image information data obtained by separating the image data of the original document read by the original document reading unit 4 into individual colors, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image. After that, each developing device 13 attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image to make it visible, thereby forming a toner image of each color on each photoconductor 11.

[0020] The color toner images on the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M, and 11K are transferred in sequence onto the intermediate transfer belt 17 by primary transfer rollers 14Y, 14C, 14M, and 14K to form a superimposed color toner image. After the toner images are transferred, the surfaces of the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M, and 11K are cleaned by photoconductor cleaning devices 15Y, 15C, 15M, and 15K to remove residual toner and prepare for next image formation.

[0021] Meanwhile, in the paper feed section 6, the recording paper P stored in the paper feed cassette 7 is separated one by one and sent toward the image forming section 2 by the paper feed roller 8, and is stopped by abutting against the registration roller 9. Then, in accordance with the timing of the toner image formation in the image forming section 2, the recording paper P stopped by abutting against the registration roller 9 is sent to the secondary transfer section between the intermediate transfer belt 17 and the secondary transfer roller 18. In the secondary transfer section, the superimposed color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 17 is transferred onto the supplied recording paper P. The recording paper P onto which the toner image has been transferred is discharged to the stack section 5 after the toner image has been fixed by the fixing device 20. Meanwhile, the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 17 after the toner image transfer is cleaned by a belt cleaning device to remove residual toner, in preparation for another image formation.

[0022] In this embodiment, each imaging unit 10 is in the form of a process cartridge in which the photoconductor 11, charging device, developing device 13, and photoconductor cleaning device are supported on a common support and are integrally configured to be detachable from the printer body. By configuring the process cartridge in this manner, it is possible to improve maintainability.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the imaging unit 10. As shown in FIG. The four imaging units 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K have almost the same structure except for the color of toner used in the image creation process, so the alphabetical symbols (Y, M, C, and K) for the process cartridges, developing devices, and toner supply units will be omitted.

[0024] 3, the imaging unit 10 takes the form of a process cartridge, with the photoconductor 11 as an image carrier and the following devices housed together in a case: a charging device 12 (charging roller) that charges the photoconductor 11, a developing device 13 that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor 11, a photoconductor cleaning device 15 that collects untransferred toner on the photoconductor 11, and a lubricant supplying device 16 that supplies lubricant onto the photoconductor 11.

[0025] The charging device 12 is disposed so as to face the surface of the photoconductor 11, and is mainly composed of a charging roller to which a charging voltage is applied.

[0026] The developing device 13 includes a developing roller 13a as a developer carrier that carries the developer on its surface. The developing device 13 also includes an agitating screw 13b2 that agitates and transports the developer contained in the developer container, and a supply screw 13b1 that supplies and transports the agitated developer to the developing roller 13a. The developing device 13 also includes a developing blade 13c that faces the developing roller 23a and regulates the developer on the surface of the developing roller. The developing device 13 transports the developer contained in the developer container while agitating it with the agitating screw 13b2, and transports the agitated developer while supplying it to the developing roller 13a with the supply screw 13b1. The developing roller 13a supplies toner to the surface of the photoconductor 11 to visualize the electrostatic latent image.

[0027] The photoreceptor cleaning device 15 as a cleaning device is equipped with a cleaning blade 15a. The cleaning blade 15a is made of one or two layers of an elastic material such as urethane rubber, and cleans the surface of the photoreceptor 11 by bringing the tip edge portion located on the photoreceptor 11 side into contact with the surface of the photoreceptor 11. The residual toner and other deposits on the photoreceptor 11 removed by the cleaning blade 15a fall into the photoreceptor cleaning device 15 and are transported to a waste toner collection container by a transport coil 15b provided within the photoreceptor cleaning device 15.

[0028] The lubricant supplying device 16, which is a lubricant supplying means, has a blade-shaped member 16d, a solid lubricant 16b, a lubricant supplying roller 16a that is in sliding contact with the photoconductor 11 and the solid lubricant 16b, and a holding member 16c that holds the solid lubricant 16b. The lubricant supplying device 16 also has a case 16f that houses the holding member 16c together with the solid lubricant 16b, and a pressure mechanism 160 that pressurizes the solid lubricant 16b toward the lubricant supplying roller 16a together with the holding member 16c.

[0029] The case 16f is substantially box-shaped and contains the holding member 16c together with the solid lubricant 16b so that the solid lubricant 16b can move in the direction in which it presses against the lubricant supply roller 16a (without impeding the movement). The gap between the case 16f and the solid lubricant 16b and the holding member 16c is set relatively small within a range that does not impede the movement of the solid lubricant 16b and the holding member 16c in the pressing direction (the direction in which the solid lubricant 16b presses against the lubricant supply roller 16a). By setting the gap between the case 16f and the solid lubricant 16b and the holding member 16c small, it is possible to some extent to prevent the solid lubricant 16b from being inclined and pressed against the lubricant supply roller 16a.

[0030] The lubricant supply roller 16a is driven to rotate by a drive motor so as to rub against the rotating photoreceptor 11 with a linear speed difference. The lubricant supply roller 16a is also disposed so as to be in sliding contact with the solid lubricant 16b and the photoreceptor 11. The lubricant supply roller 16a scrapes off the lubricant from the solid lubricant 16b as it rotates, transports the scraped off lubricant to a position of sliding contact with the photoreceptor 11, and then applies (supplies) the lubricant onto the photoreceptor 11.

[0031] When the solid lubricant 16b is applied to the surface of the photoreceptor 11 via the lubricant supply roller 16a, the surface of the photoreceptor 11 is coated with the powdered lubricant, but in this state the lubricating properties are not sufficient. Therefore, the blade-shaped member 16d (thinning blade) functions as a member for uniformly distributing the lubricant.

[0032] The blade-like member 16d forms a film of the lubricant on the photoreceptor 11, allowing the lubricant to fully exert its lubricity. At this time, the finer the powdered lubricant applied by the lubricant supply roller 16a, the more the blade-like member 16d can thin the lubricant on the photoreceptor 11 to a molecular film level, and the thinner the lubricant supplied onto the photoreceptor 11 by the lubricant supply roller 16a can be.

[0033] A pressure mechanism is disposed behind the solid lubricant 16b to eliminate uneven contact between the lubricant supply roller 16a and the solid lubricant 16b, and holds the solid lubricant 16b while applying pressure (bias) toward the lubricant supply roller 16a.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control unit 40 disposed in the image forming apparatus 1 and various devices electrically connected thereto. The control unit 40 includes a CPU, RAM, ROM, flash memory, etc. Each device of the image forming apparatus, such as the operation display unit 30, the above-mentioned photoconductor cleaning device 15, the charging device 12, the photoconductor driving unit 11a, the intermediate transfer belt driving unit 17a, etc., is connected to the control unit 40. In addition, a reading and transporting control unit 41, a communication unit 42, etc. are also connected to the control unit 40. The reading and transporting control unit 41 controls each device of the automatic document feeder 3 and each device of the document reading unit 4, and is disposed in the main body of the document reading unit 4.

[0035] The communication unit 42 as an information acquisition means is configured to be connectable to an external device by wired means such as a LAN cable or USB, or wireless means such as wireless LAN, BLUETOOTH (registered trademark), etc. Through these connections, information is transmitted and received between the external device, such as a server 60 (see FIG. 1) of a service company with which the device has a maintenance contract, via a network communication network 50 such as the Internet or an intranet.

[0036] The external information acquired by the communication unit 42 includes information on the installation environment, such as weather information for the area where the image forming apparatus 1 is installed, and information on business days and holidays of the company where the image forming apparatus is installed. This installation environment information can be acquired via a company intranet or the Internet. This installation environment information is used for determining whether or not to perform maintenance-related control, which will be described later.

[0037] Furthermore, the external information acquired by the communication unit 42 includes information provided by a server 60 of a service company with which the image forming apparatus has a maintenance contract. The information provided by the service company's server 60 includes information on malfunctions occurring in the image forming apparatus and maintenance-related control for preventing or resolving such malfunctions. As will be described later, the information provided by the service company's server 60 is used for setting maintenance-related control performed by the implementation determination in the implementation determination of the maintenance-related control.

[0038] Furthermore, the communication unit 42 transmits to the server 60 the identification number of the image forming apparatus, operation information such as the number of printed sheets, information on the environment in which the apparatus is used such as temperature and humidity, defect information, and frequency of use of the apparatus, as internal information of the apparatus. In addition to the number of printed sheets, a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory of the control unit 40 stores operation information as internal information of the apparatus, such as the number of times each of the developing devices 13Y, M, C, and K has been used, the number of times each of the photoconductors 11Y, M, C, and K has been used, and the number of times the paper feed roller 8 has been used, for example. This internal information is transmitted to the server 60 as operation information. The defect information includes "black streaks," "white streaks," "image stains," etc. The frequency of use is the number of sheets used per day, etc.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an initial home screen displayed on touch panel 31 serving as a display unit of operation display unit 30. As shown in FIG. 5, touch panel 31 is made of liquid crystal or organic electroluminescence (EL) and is color or monochrome. The home screen, which is the initial operation screen at the highest level and is displayed when the device is turned on or when the device returns from standby mode, displays icons for switching to operation screens for operating functions of the image forming device, such as "copy," "fax," and "printer."

[0040] FIG. 6 is an example of an operation screen for the copy function. When the user presses the “Copy” icon shown in FIG. 5, the screen displayed on the touch panel 31 transitions from the home screen of FIG. 5 to the operation screen for the copy function shown in FIG. 6.

[0041] Even if the same defect occurs in an image forming device, the causes of the defect may differ depending on influencing factors such as the environment in which the device is used, the number of printed pages, the frequency of use, etc. Table 1 below is an example showing the relationship between the cause of the defect "black streaks" and the influencing factors.

[0042] [Table 1]

[0043] As can be seen from Table 1, causes of "black streaks" include dirt on the charging roller, improper cleaning of the photoconductor cleaning device 15 ("improper photoconductor cleaning"), and improper cleaning of the belt cleaning device ("improper belt cleaning"). In addition, foreign matter entering the developing device 13, scratches on the photoconductor 11, and scratches on the intermediate transfer belt 17 can also cause "black streaks." Although not shown in Table 1, in an image forming apparatus that includes the document reading unit 4, like this image forming apparatus, foreign matter entering the document reading unit 4 and dirt on the contact glass of the document reading unit 4 can also cause "black streaks."

[0044] As shown in Table 1, charging roller dirt is affected by seasonal factors (temperature and humidity), the number of pages printed, and frequency of use. Poor photoconductor cleaning and belt cleaning are affected by seasonal factors and the number of pages printed, not frequency of use. Foreign matter in the developing device, scratches on the photoconductor, and intermediate transfer belt are affected by factors different from those shown in Table 1.

[0045] For example, in a low-temperature, low-humidity environment, when the number of printed sheets is large and the frequency of use is high, dirt on the charging roller is highly likely to be the cause of the black streak. Conversely, in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment, when the number of printed sheets is not large and the frequency of use is low, dirt on the charging roller is highly likely to be the cause of the black streak. In this way, the causes of the black streak can be narrowed down to a certain extent by the influencing factors, and by identifying the influencing factors, appropriate maintenance can be performed to address the cause of the black streak. The influencing factors can be identified from information about the device, such as the device's operating environment and device operation information. Therefore, for example, when the device is used in a low-temperature, low-humidity environment and the number of printed sheets is large, maintenance-related control for the dirt on the charging roller, maintenance-related control for the photoconductor cleaning failure, and maintenance-related control for the belt cleaning failure are executed. In this way, the occurrence of the black streak can be suppressed by executing appropriate maintenance-related control according to the device's operating environment and operating status.

[0046] [Table 2]

[0047] The above Table 2 is an example showing the relationship between the causes of "image stains" as a defect and the influencing factors. As shown in Table 2, the causes of "image stains" include stains on the charging roller, a decrease in the amount of toner charge, toner scattering, scratches on the photoconductor, and scratches on the intermediate transfer belt.

[0048] Contamination of the charging roller and reduction in toner charge are influenced by seasonal factors (temperature and humidity), the number of pages printed, and frequency of use. Toner scattering is influenced by the number of pages printed, and as mentioned above, scratches on the photoconductor and intermediate transfer belt are influenced by factors other than seasonal factors (temperature and humidity), the number of pages printed, and frequency of use.

[0049] For example, in a low-temperature, low-humidity environment, when the number of printed sheets is large and the frequency of use is high, dirt on the charging roller is highly likely to be the cause of image dirt. Conversely, in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment, when the number of printed sheets is large and the frequency of use is low, dirt on the charging roller is highly likely to be the cause of image dirt. In this way, the causes of image dirt can also be narrowed down to a certain extent by the influencing factors, and by identifying the influencing factors, appropriate maintenance-related control corresponding to the cause of image dirt can be performed. Therefore, for example, when the environment in which the device is used is low temperature and low humidity, the number of printed sheets is large and the frequency of use is high, maintenance-related control for dirt on the charging roller and maintenance-related control for toner scattering are performed. When the environment in which the device is used is high temperature and high humidity, the number of printed sheets is large and the frequency of use is low, maintenance-related control for toner charge reduction and maintenance-related control for toner scattering are performed. In this way, the occurrence of image dirt can be suppressed by performing appropriate maintenance-related control according to the environment in which the device is used and the operating status.

[0050] The following describes how to calculate the occurrence risk S, which is a numerical representation of the risk of a malfunction occurring, for determining whether or not maintenance-related control should be performed. As described with reference to Tables 1 and 2, the probability of occurrence of a defect varies depending on the influencing factors. Therefore, the image forming apparatus obtains information on the influencing factors and calculates the occurrence risk S based on the obtained information on the influencing factors.

[0051] [Table 3]

[0052] Table 3 above shows the coefficients used to calculate the occurrence risk S for "contamination of the charging roller," which is one of the causes of the occurrence of "black streaks" and "image stains." This image forming apparatus calculates the occurrence risk S using the base numbers (X1 to X5) and factor coefficients (α1 to α5) shown in Table 3, and the following (Formula 1). If the calculated occurrence risk S exceeds a threshold value, it is determined that there is a risk of defects such as "black streaks" and "image stains" occurring due to "contamination of the charging roller," and maintenance is performed for the "contamination of the charging roller." S=α1×X1+α2×X2+α3×X3+α4×X4+α5×X5 (Formula 1)

[0053] The base number Xn shown in Table 3 is a coefficient determined according to the cause of occurrence. For example, as explained using Tables 1 and 2, defects (black streaks and image stains) caused by dirt on the charging roller are likely to occur in a low-temperature, low-humidity environment, when the number of printed sheets is large, and when the frequency of use is high. Therefore, the base numbers X1, X3, and X4, which have a high probability of occurrence of defects caused by dirt on the charging roller, are set to high values, and X2 and X5, which have a low probability of occurrence, are set to low values. Also, for example, image stains caused by "toner charge reduction" are likely to occur in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment, when the number of printed sheets is large, and when the frequency of use is low, as shown in Table 2. Therefore, for "toner charge reduction," the base numbers X2, X3, and X5 are set to high values, and X1 and X4, which have a low probability of occurrence, are set to low values.

[0054] The factor coefficient αn is a value determined based on the usage environment and operation information of the device, and in this embodiment, information such as the usage environment and operation information of the device is acquired based on the internal information of the device and the external information acquired by the communication unit 42. For example, if the usage environment of the device is a low-humidity and low-temperature environment, the value of α1 is high, and if it is high-temperature and high-humidity, the value of α2 is high.

[0055] The values ​​of the factor coefficients α1 and α2 are determined based on, for example, external information such as weather information for the area where the image forming apparatus is installed and business hours information for the company where the image forming apparatus is installed. For example, the temperature and humidity during the company's business hours are predicted from the weather information and the business hours information for the company, and the values ​​of the factor coefficients α1 and α2 are determined. The weather information and business hours information for the company, which are external information, can be acquired from an external device such as an Internet server or an in-house server by the communication unit 42. In this way, by using external information such as the weather information for the area and the business hours information for the company, the operating environment during the operation of the apparatus can be predicted, and the values ​​of the factor coefficients α1 and α2 that are appropriate for the actual situation of the apparatus can be determined.

[0056] The factor coefficient α3 is determined based on the number of printed sheets stored as internal information in a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory of the image forming apparatus, and the greater the number of printed sheets, the higher the value is set.

[0057] The factor coefficients α4 and α5 are determined based on, for example, the average number of printed sheets per day. When the average number of printed sheets per day is high, the value of α4 is set high and the value of α5 is set low, and when the average number of printed sheets per day is low, the value of α4 is set low and the value of α5 is set high. The average number of printed sheets per day is stored in a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory of the image forming apparatus.

[0058] The average number of printed sheets per day is calculated, for example, as follows. Information on the business days or holidays of the company in which the image forming apparatus is installed is obtained as external information from an internal server, which is an external device, by the communication unit 42. The apparatus also stores the number of printed sheets per day as internal information in a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory, and calculates the average number of printed sheets per day on business days in a predetermined period based on this number of printed sheets per day and the business days of the company. In this way, by using external information such as the business days and holidays of the company, the number of printed sheets on days when the apparatus is not in use can be excluded, and the operating information of the apparatus can be grasped in more detail.

[0059] In this way, the image forming apparatus determines the value of the factor coefficient αn based on the external information acquired by the communication unit 42 and the internal information stored in the non-volatile storage device of the apparatus to calculate the occurrence risk S. This makes it possible to calculate the occurrence risk S in accordance with the usage environment and operating status of the apparatus, as compared to a case where the occurrence risk S is calculated using only the internal information, and allows for better maintenance of the apparatus.

[0060] The determination as to whether or not to perform maintenance-related control is automatically performed at an appropriate timing, for example, first thing in the morning. Also, based on information on business days or holidays of the company in which the image forming apparatus is installed, transmitted from an internal server, which is an external device, by the communication unit 42, the determination as to whether or not to perform maintenance-related control is not performed when the company is closed.

[0061] It is also preferable that the values ​​of the base numbers X1 to X5 can be changed by a change instruction from the service company's server 60 (see FIG. 1). For example, when it is found from defect information collected by the service company that the impact of the number of prints on black streaks caused by dirt on the charging roller is greater than the initial setting, the service company's server 60 transmits an instruction to change the base number X3 to each image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus that receives the change instruction for the base number X3 from the server 60 at the communication unit 42 changes the value of X3. In this way, the values ​​of the base numbers X1 to X5 can be changed based on external information, so that the occurrence risk S can be calculated according to the actual situation of the apparatus, and the maintenance of the apparatus can be performed well.

[0062] For example, the above-mentioned risk of occurrence S is not calculated for causes of black streaks that are influenced by factors other than those shown in Table 3, such as foreign matter entering the developing device, scratches on the photoconductor, and scratches on the intermediate transfer belt.

[0063] [Table 4]

[0064] [Table 5]

[0065] The above Table 4 is a table showing an example of maintenance-related control for each cause of black streaks, and Table 5 is a table showing an example of maintenance-related control for each cause of image stains.

[0066] As shown in Tables 4 and 5, there are two types of maintenance-related control for the causes of malfunctions: "maintenance-related control for preventing malfunctions" (hereinafter referred to as "preventive maintenance-related control") and "maintenance-related control at the time of occurrence" (hereinafter referred to as "occurrence maintenance-related control"). Preventive maintenance-related control is control that is calculated as the occurrence risk S, and is automatically performed by the device when the occurrence risk S is equal to or greater than a threshold. Occurrence maintenance-related control is control that is performed by the user operating the operation display unit 30 to recover from a malfunction that has occurred.

[0067] For example, when the calculated risk S of occurrence of a malfunction caused by dirt on the charging roller is equal to or higher than a threshold value and maintenance is determined to be necessary, the control unit 40 executes maintenance-related control to increase the charging applied voltage by 15 V. Also, when the risk S of occurrence of a malfunction caused by photoconductor cleaning is equal to or higher than a threshold value and maintenance is determined to be necessary, the control unit 40 executes maintenance-related control to perform a photoconductor reverse rotation operation every 100 sheets printed.

[0068] In this way, the image forming apparatus 1 calculates the occurrence risk S, and automatically executes maintenance-related control when the calculated occurrence risk S is equal to or greater than a threshold value. This makes it possible to perform maintenance-related control at an appropriate timing when a malfunction is likely to occur, thereby preventing the malfunction from occurring. Note that the "maintenance-related control for prevention" shown in Tables 4 and 5 is not limited to maintenance operations such as "increasing the charging roller applied voltage by 15V" and "reversing the photoconductor". For example, when the mechanism of the cause of the malfunction is deterioration of the photoconductor, display control may be performed as the "maintenance-related control for prevention" to display a message on the operation display unit urging the user to replace the photoconductor.

[0069] When the user operates the operation display unit 30 to execute the maintenance mode, first, among the occurrence maintenance related controls, the occurrence maintenance related control for performing the defect recovery operation is executed. For example, in Table 4, the occurrence maintenance related controls for performing the defect recovery operation include "30V increase in the charging application voltage" and "reverse rotation of the photoconductor every 30 sheets". In addition, there is "belt reverse rotation every 30 sheets" which drives the intermediate transfer belt in reverse rotation, and "30 seconds of idling operation" which rotates the developing roller of the developing device at a specified timing such as first thing in the morning. These maintenance related controls are executed when the "black streak occurrence" maintenance icon 32b shown in FIG. 7 is pressed.

[0070] In addition, in Table 5, occurrence maintenance-related controls for performing a defect recovery operation are "increase of charging application voltage by 30 V" and "agitate developing device for 60 seconds" which rotates the conveying screw of the developing device to agitate the toner in the developing device before the start of image formation operation. These maintenance-related controls are implemented when the "image stain occurrence" maintenance icon 32a shown in FIG. 7 is pressed.

[0071] Also, the occurrence risk S of the cause corresponding to the maintenance-related control that performs the fault recovery operation may be calculated, and the maintenance-related control that performs the fault recovery operation for which the occurrence risk S exceeds a threshold may be executed. When the user operates the operation display unit 30 to execute the maintenance mode, a message such as "User maintenance in progress" is displayed on the operation display unit 30, and other operations are temporarily suspended or prohibited.

[0072] After the user operates the operation display unit 30 to perform a maintenance-related control for performing a malfunction recovery operation, a sample image is printed, and a question for confirming whether the malfunction has been resolved or not and an answer icon for inputting an answer to the question are displayed on the operation display unit 30. When the answer icon indicating that the malfunction has not been resolved is pressed, it is highly likely that the cause of the malfunction is one that cannot be recovered by performing the maintenance-related control for performing the malfunction recovery operation. For example, when the malfunction is a "black streak", the cause of the malfunction is wear of the cleaning blade, scratches on the photoconductor, scratches on the intermediate transfer belt, etc. Therefore, at this time, as the occurrence maintenance-related control, a display is displayed on the operation display unit 30 to prompt a serviceman to call or a display to prompt a part replacement. At this time, information on the parts that need to be replaced may be transmitted to the server 60 of the service company by the communication unit 42. For example, when the malfunction is a "black streak", a message is transmitted to the server 60 to the effect that the photoconductor, the belt cleaning device, or the cleaning blade of the photoconductor cleaning device, and the intermediate transfer belt may need to be replaced. This allows the service person to prepare the parts based on the information received by the server 60, visit the user's location, and replace the parts on the spot to resolve the problem.

[0073] In addition, the occurrence risk of a malfunction may be calculated, and for malfunctions with a high occurrence risk, maintenance icons 32a and 32b may be automatically displayed on the home screen as shown in FIG. 7. The occurrence risk of a malfunction is calculated in the same manner as the calculation of the occurrence risk S of the cause of malfunction shown in Equation (1) and Table 3. That is, the base number X1 of low temperature and low humidity and factor coefficient α1, the base number X2 of high temperature and high humidity and factor coefficient α2, the base number X3 of the number of printed sheets and factor coefficient α3, the base number X4 of the case of high frequency of use and factor coefficient α4, and the base number X5 of the case of high frequency of use and factor coefficient α5 are used. The value of each factor coefficient is determined based on the local weather information as external information acquired using the communication unit 42 as described above, and the number of printed sheets information stored in the device as internal information, and the occurrence risk of a malfunction is calculated using the above (Equation 1). When the calculated occurrence risk of a malfunction exceeds a threshold, the occurrence risk of a malfunction is high, so a maintenance icon corresponding to the malfunction is automatically displayed on the home screen.

[0074] When a malfunction occurs, the above-mentioned multiple maintenance-related controls are executed by pressing a maintenance icon displayed on the home screen. In this way, by displaying the maintenance icon on the home screen at the highest level, when a malfunction occurs, multiple maintenance-related controls corresponding to the malfunction can be executed by a single operation of pressing a maintenance icon corresponding to the malfunction. This enables a quick recovery when a malfunction occurs. In addition, the user can easily execute maintenance-related controls for the malfunction himself, reducing service technician calls, reducing the cost of dispatching a service technician, and shortening the downtime of the device.

[0075] In addition, when the calculated risk of a malfunction is low and there is no risk of the malfunction occurring, the maintenance icon corresponding to that malfunction is not displayed on the home screen. This prevents the maintenance icon from being inadvertently pressed and the maintenance mode from being executed when there is no risk of the malfunction occurring. In addition, the home screen is prevented from becoming overflowing with icons, and the user can easily find the implementation icon on the home screen.

[0076] In addition, in this embodiment, the device can automatically display a maintenance icon on the home screen based on the installation environment of the device and the usage status of the device, thereby providing a more convenient image forming device.

[0077] It is preferable that the position of the maintenance icon can be freely set to any page position on the operation screen by the user. Also, if the display screen of the operation display unit is small or does not exist, the maintenance icon may be displayed on the display screen of a device such as a PC on which the printer driver is installed.

[0078] Defects that can occur in the device include not only "image stains" and "black streaks," but also a wide variety of other defects, such as "white streaks," "white spots," and "black spots," and the causes of these defects are also diverse. Therefore, calculating the occurrence risk S for "preventive maintenance-related control" that corresponds to all causes of all defects and making a decision to implement it would place a large burden on the control unit 40 and would be unrealistic. In addition, calculating the occurrence risk for all defects for the maintenance icons displayed on the home screen and making a display decision as to whether or not to display the maintenance icons on the home screen would also place a large burden on the control unit 40.

[0079] Therefore, in this embodiment, information on the probability of malfunction (Table 6 below) in image forming devices of the same model as this image forming device operating in the market and information on the probability of malfunction for each cause (Tables 7 and 8) are obtained as external information from the server 60. Then, from this information, preventive maintenance-related control is set to calculate the occurrence risk S and perform the implementation judgment. Also, a maintenance icon is set to calculate the occurrence risk and perform the display judgment.

[0080] [Table 6]

[0081] [Table 7]

[0082] [Table 8]

[0083] First, a description will be given of settings for preventive maintenance-related control for calculating the occurrence risk S and determining whether to perform the maintenance, based on Tables 6 to 8 received from the server. First, the control unit 40 extracts preventive maintenance-related controls corresponding to the causes of malfunctions whose malfunction occurrence probability exceeds a threshold shown in Table 6 received from the server 60. For example, when the threshold is 0.1%, in the example shown in Table 6, preventive maintenance-related controls for each of the causes of malfunctions, "paper jams," "black streaks," and "image stains," are extracted.

[0084] Next, the control unit 40 sets preventive maintenance-related controls for which execution is determined according to the occurrence probability for each cause of the defect in Tables 7 and 8. For example, when a preventive maintenance-related control for "black streaks" is extracted from Table 6, a preventive maintenance-related control corresponding to the cause of the defect whose occurrence probability exceeds a threshold is selected. When the threshold is 20%, for "black streaks", a preventive maintenance-related control corresponding to "contamination of the charging roller" (increasing the charging applied voltage by 15 V) and a preventive maintenance-related control corresponding to "poor cleaning of the photoconductor" (reverse rotation of the photoconductor every 100 sheets) are selected (see Tables 4 and 7). For "image contamination" shown in Table 8, a preventive maintenance-related control corresponding to "contamination of the charging roller" shown in Table 5 (increasing the charging applied voltage by 15 V) and a preventive maintenance-related control corresponding to "reduction in toner charge amount" (agitating the developing device for 15 seconds) are selected. Then, the image forming apparatus performs an execution determination for the selected preventive-maintenance related control at a predetermined timing as described above. That is, the image forming apparatus calculates an occurrence risk S for the cause of occurrence of the malfunction corresponding to the selected preventive-maintenance related control, and performs the execution determination based on whether the calculated occurrence risk S exceeds a threshold value.

[0085] The information shown in Tables 6 to 8 is periodically transmitted from the server 60, and when the image forming apparatus 1 receives the information shown in Tables 6 to 8 from the server 60, it updates the preventive maintenance-related control for which the maintenance execution determination is performed. For example, if the received information indicates that the probability of occurrence of "black streaks" caused by "poor photoconductor cleaning" falls below a threshold, the preventive maintenance-related control corresponding to "poor photoconductor cleaning" is deleted from the maintenance-related control for which the maintenance execution determination is performed. On the other hand, for example, if the probability of occurrence of "poor belt cleaning" increases and exceeds a threshold, the preventive maintenance-related control corresponding to "poor belt cleaning" is added to the maintenance-related control for which the maintenance execution determination is performed.

[0086] In this way, the present device performs execution determination only for preventive maintenance-related control corresponding to causes of malfunctions with a high probability of occurrence, based on external information from server 60, which is an external device, as shown in Tables 6 to 8. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in the load on the device compared to a case in which execution determination is performed for preventive maintenance-related control for all causes of all malfunctions. Also, by performing execution determination for preventive maintenance-related control corresponding to causes of malfunctions with a high probability of occurrence, it is possible to appropriately perform preventive maintenance. Furthermore, by determining whether preventive maintenance should be performed by the image forming apparatus, appropriate preventive maintenance can be performed at an appropriate time.

[0087] Also, the server 60 may instruct the setting of preventive maintenance-related control for which the implementation determination is performed. In this case, the server sets the preventive maintenance-related control for which the implementation determination is performed based on Tables 6 to 8. Then, the server 60 transmits instruction information instructing the setting of the preventive maintenance-related control for which the implementation determination is performed to the image forming device. The image forming device 1 sets the preventive maintenance-related control for which the implementation determination is performed based on the instruction information received from the server 60. Even with this type of control, it is possible to suppress an increase in the load on the device and perform appropriate preventive maintenance at an appropriate time.

[0088] Furthermore, the server 60 may set maintenance-related controls for which implementation judgment is performed based on device information acquired from each image forming device. As shown in Table 1, black streaks caused by "charging roller dirt" occur in a low-temperature, low-humidity environment. Therefore, in an image forming device installed in a warm region, the probability of black streaks caused by "charging roller dirt" occurring is low. Therefore, the server 60 judges whether the image forming device is installed in a warm region or not based on the installation region information acquired from each image forming device. Then, for an image forming device installed in a warm region, the server 60 transmits instruction information instructing the image forming device to delete preventive maintenance-related controls corresponding to "charging roller dirt" from the implementation judgment. Based on the instruction information received from the server 60, the image forming device 1 deletes preventive maintenance-related controls corresponding to "charging roller dirt" from the implementation judgment. This reduces the number of preventive maintenance-related controls for which implementation judgment is performed, and reduces the burden on the device. In this example, it is deleted, but an instruction may be issued to the image forming device to add a predetermined preventive maintenance-related control based on the device information acquired from each image forming device.

[0089] By instructing settings for preventive maintenance control for each image forming apparatus, it is possible to determine whether or not preventive maintenance control is to be performed, and to determine whether or not the preventive maintenance control is to be performed, based on the environment and conditions in which the apparatus is used.

[0090] In addition, the server 60 preferably issues an instruction to add or delete preventive maintenance-related controls for which implementation is judged based on the number of printed sheets or the number of printed sheets per day as operation information periodically received from the image forming apparatus. For example, the server 60 issues an instruction to an image forming apparatus for which the number of printed sheets exceeds a specified value to add preventive maintenance-related controls for which deterioration over time is the cause of the malfunction. Based on the instruction, the image forming apparatus adds preventive maintenance-related controls for which deterioration over time is the cause of the malfunction to the preventive maintenance-related controls for which implementation is judged. Then, when it is judged that maintenance is necessary for the preventive maintenance-related controls for which deterioration over time is the cause of the malfunction, a display is displayed to encourage, for example, the replacement of parts as preventive maintenance.

[0091] Also, for example, when the operation information received from the device indicates that the number of printed sheets exceeds a specified number, the server 60 instructs the image forming device to delete preventive maintenance-related controls corresponding to problems occurring during initial use from preventive maintenance-related controls for which implementation is determined. Based on the instruction, the image forming device deletes preventive maintenance-related controls corresponding to problems occurring during initial use from preventive maintenance-related controls for which implementation is determined.

[0092] In this way, by instructing the addition or deletion of preventive maintenance-related controls that determine whether to implement them based on the device's operating information, it is possible to implement optimal preventive maintenance according to the device's condition, thereby suppressing the occurrence of malfunctions.

[0093] Next, the setting of the maintenance icon that determines whether or not to display it on the home screen based on the information in Table 6 received from the server will be described. The control unit 40 makes a display determination for the maintenance icons that implement occurrence maintenance-related control corresponding to defects whose defect occurrence probability exceeds a threshold shown in Table 6 received from the server 60. For example, when the threshold is 0.1%, in the example shown in Table 6, a display determination is made for the maintenance icon corresponding to "paper jam", the maintenance icon corresponding to "black streaks", and the maintenance icon corresponding to "image stains". On the other hand, a display determination is not made for the maintenance icon corresponding to "white streaks", the maintenance icon corresponding to "white holes", and the maintenance icon corresponding to "black spots".

[0094] The information shown in Table 6 is periodically transmitted from the server 60 as described above. When the image forming apparatus receives the information shown in Table 6 from the server, it updates the maintenance icon for which display determination is performed. For example, if the information received from the server indicates that the occurrence probability of "image stains" has decreased and is below a threshold, display determination is not performed for the maintenance icon for performing occurrence-related control for maintenance corresponding to "image stains." On the other hand, for example, if the occurrence probability of "white streaks" has increased and exceeded a threshold, display determination is performed for the maintenance icon for performing occurrence-related control for maintenance corresponding to "white streaks."

[0095] In this way, by setting the maintenance icon that determines whether to display it based on the information shown in Table 6 received from the external device, which is the server, it is possible to add the maintenance icon to the home screen at the appropriate time while minimizing the increase in the load on the device.

[0096] In the above description, the image forming device determines which maintenance icon to display based on the information on the probability of defect occurrence in the market shown in Table 6, which is received from the server 60. However, the server 60 may determine which maintenance icon to display.

[0097] When the server 60 determines which maintenance icon is to be displayed, the server 60 transmits instruction information to the image forming device as to which maintenance icon the icon display determination is to be performed for. The image forming device performs display determination for the instructed maintenance icon based on the instruction information received from the server 60. Even with this type of control, it is possible to add a maintenance icon to the home screen at an appropriate timing while suppressing an increase in the load on the device.

[0098] Furthermore, if the service company's analysis reveals that there is a malfunction whose occurrence probability is below a threshold but whose occurrence probability is rising sharply, an instruction may be given to perform icon display determination for a maintenance icon that implements occurrence-related control corresponding to the malfunction. Based on the instruction from the server, the image forming device performs display determination for a maintenance icon that implements occurrence-related control corresponding to the malfunction whose occurrence probability is rising sharply.

[0099] Also, the server 60 may instruct the maintenance icon for which the display determination is performed based on the device information received from the image forming device. As a result of analyzing the information stored in the server 60, for example, the service company may find that "image stains" hardly occur in image forming devices installed in cold regions. In this case, the server 60 transmits the following instruction information to the image forming devices that are determined to be installed in cold regions based on the information on the installation region as the device information acquired from each image forming device. That is, the instruction information instructs not to perform display determination for the maintenance icon that performs occurrence-related control corresponding to "image stains". As a result, for image forming devices installed in cold regions, display determination is not performed for the maintenance icon that performs occurrence-related control corresponding to "image stains". This can reduce the load on the device.

[0100] In this way, by issuing instructions regarding the maintenance icons to be displayed from the server 60, which is an external device, it is possible to always display the maintenance icons on the home screen at appropriate times while minimizing the increase in the load on the device.

[0101] In addition, when the occurrence probability of a cause that cannot be recovered from by a malfunction recovery operation as a maintenance-related control, such as "photoconductor scratch" or "transfer belt scratch" shown in Table 7 or Table 8 received from the server, exceeds a threshold, it is preferable to add a maintenance icon to the home screen.

[0102] Also, for example, when a user reports a defect of "white spots" to the call center, the call center terminal 70 in FIG. 1 transmits to the server 60 the identification information of the image forming apparatus and information indicating that a "white spot" has occurred as defect information. The server 60 determines whether to display a maintenance icon for implementing occurrence-related control corresponding to the "white spots" on the image forming apparatus. Also, the server 60 determines whether to implement preventive maintenance-related control corresponding to the cause of the occurrence of the "white spots". This allows appropriate maintenance to be implemented for each individual apparatus.

[0103] The above description is merely an example, and each of the following aspects provides unique effects. (Aspect 1) In an image forming device that makes a determination as to whether or not to implement maintenance-related control based on device information, an information acquisition means such as a communication unit 42 that acquires external information from an external device such as a server 60 is provided, and a determination as to whether or not to implement maintenance-related control is made based on the external information and internal information of the device. In the first aspect, by determining whether or not to implement maintenance-related control using not only the internal information of the device but also external information from an external device such as the server 60, for example, it is possible to determine whether or not to implement maintenance-related control by adding information other than internal information from an external device such as a server as external information. This allows for better maintenance of the device than when the implementation of maintenance-related control is determined using only internal information. In addition, it is possible to determine which maintenance-related control should be prioritized based on external information from an external device, such as the occurrence of malfunctions in the same model of image forming apparatus, etc. This makes it possible to select which maintenance-related control to perform the implementation judgment from among multiple maintenance-related controls, and also reduces the load on the apparatus compared to when the implementation judgment is performed for all maintenance-related controls that the apparatus has.

[0104] (Aspect 2) In the first aspect, maintenance-related control, such as preventive maintenance-related control, which is determined to be performed based on the device information, is performed automatically. According to this, as described in the embodiment, maintenance can be performed at an appropriate timing when a malfunction is likely to occur.

[0105] (Aspect 3) In the first or second aspect, a maintenance-related control for which execution determination is to be performed is set among a plurality of maintenance-related controls based on external information. This can reduce the load on the device compared to when a determination is made as to whether or not all maintenance-related controls in the device are performed, as described in the embodiment.

[0106] (Aspect 4) In any one of the aspects 1 to 3, the operation and display unit 30 is provided, and a maintenance icon for performing maintenance of the device is automatically displayed on the operation and display unit 30. According to this, as described in the embodiment, when a malfunction occurs, the user can press the maintenance icon displayed on the operation display unit 30 to carry out maintenance for the malfunction.

[0107] (Aspect 5) In the fourth aspect, a maintenance icon is automatically displayed on the operation display unit 30 based on external information and internal information. According to this, as described in the embodiment, it is possible to display on the operation display unit 30 a maintenance icon for performing maintenance corresponding to a malfunction that is highly likely to occur.

[0108] (Aspect 6) In the fifth aspect, a maintenance icon among a plurality of maintenance icons is set for determining whether or not to automatically display the maintenance icon on the operation display unit 30 based on external information. This reduces the load on the device compared to when a determination is made as to whether or not to display all of the maintenance icons, as described in the embodiment.

[0109] (Aspect 7) In any of aspects 4 to 6, a plurality of maintenance operations are performed by operating the maintenance icon. According to this, as described in the embodiment, the user can press the maintenance icon to satisfactorily resolve the occurring malfunction.

[0110] (Aspect 8) In any of the first to seventh aspects, the information acquisition means such as the communication unit 42 acquires external information via a network. This makes it possible to obtain information from an external device such as a server 60 via a network such as the Internet.

[0111] (Aspect 9) In an image forming system 100 including an image forming apparatus 1 that determines whether or not to perform maintenance on the apparatus based on apparatus information, and an information providing apparatus such as a server 60 that provides information to the image forming apparatus 1, an image forming apparatus according to any one of aspects 1 to 8 was used as the image forming apparatus. This makes it possible to carry out optimal maintenance according to the usage status of the image forming apparatus, the installation environment of the image forming apparatus, and the like.

[0112] (Aspect 10) In aspect 9, an information providing device such as server 60 transmits setting information for maintenance-related control to image forming device 1 that determines whether or not to perform maintenance based on defect information reported by a user of the image forming device to a call center, etc., and the image forming device 1 sets the maintenance-related control that determines whether or not to perform maintenance based on the setting information received from the information providing device. This makes it possible to carry out appropriate maintenance for each image forming apparatus.

[0113] (Aspect 11) In aspect 9 or 10, an information providing device such as server 60 receives device information such as installation area information from image forming device 1, and transmits setting information for maintenance-related control to the image forming device for determining whether or not to perform maintenance based on the received device information, and the image forming device sets the maintenance-related control for determining whether or not to perform maintenance based on the setting information received from the information providing device. According to this, as described in the embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not to perform maintenance with respect to maintenance-related control, such as optimal preventive maintenance-related control according to the usage environment and usage conditions of the image forming apparatus. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 1: Image forming device 30: Operation display section 31: Touch panel 32a: Maintenance icon 32b: Maintenance icon 40: Control section 42: Communications Department 50: Network communication network 60: Server 70: Call center terminal 100: Image forming system S: Risk of occurrence [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0115] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-113339 A

Claims

1. In an image forming apparatus that determines whether or not to perform maintenance-related control, An information acquisition means for acquiring external information from an external device, A determination as to whether or not to carry out maintenance-related control is made based on the external information and the internal information of the device, and the maintenance-related control that is determined to be carried out is automatically carried out; An image forming apparatus characterized in that, based on the external information, a preventive maintenance-related control corresponding to a cause of a malfunction that has a high probability of occurrence is extracted from among a plurality of preventive maintenance-related controls for preventing malfunctions, and the extracted preventive maintenance-related control is set as a maintenance-related control that determines whether or not to implement the preventive maintenance-related control.

2. In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, Equipped with an operation display unit, The image forming apparatus further comprises a maintenance icon for executing the maintenance-related control, the maintenance icon being automatically displayed on the operation display unit.

3. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, an operation display unit that automatically displays a maintenance icon based on the external information and the internal information;

4. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, The image forming apparatus further comprises: a control unit for controlling a display unit to display a maintenance icon on the operation display unit;

5. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, An image forming apparatus, characterized in that a plurality of maintenance-related controls are executed by operating the maintenance icon.

6. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, The image forming apparatus according to the present invention, wherein the information acquiring means acquires the external information via a network.

7. an image forming apparatus that determines whether or not to perform maintenance on the apparatus based on the apparatus information; an information providing device for providing information to the image forming apparatus, 7. An image forming system comprising the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 as the image forming apparatus.

8. 8. The image forming system according to claim 7, The information providing device, based on defect information reported by a user of the image forming device, transmitting setting information for a maintenance-related control for carrying out a determination on the implementation of the maintenance to the image forming apparatus; The image forming system according to the present invention is characterized in that the image forming apparatus sets maintenance-related control for determining whether or not maintenance is to be performed based on setting information received from an information providing apparatus.

9. 9. The image forming system according to claim 7, the information providing device receives device information from the image forming device, and transmits, to the image forming device, setting information for maintenance-related control for determining whether or not maintenance is to be performed based on the received device information; The image forming system according to the present invention is characterized in that the image forming apparatus performs settings for maintenance-related control for determining whether or not maintenance is to be performed, based on setting information received from an information providing apparatus.

Images