Method, device, system and program for outputting information regarding printing interruptions

Abstract

To provide a technique for supporting grasping the tendency of the occurrence of interruption processing for every interruption factor in print processing.SOLUTION: A method for outputting a plurality of pieces of information on interruption for every interruption factor in print processing includes the steps of: acquiring a log including pieces of information 351, 352, 353 on interruption from one or more image forming apparatuses; accumulating the plurality of pieces of acquired information 351, 352, 353 on interruption for every interruption factor 320; and outputting the plurality of pieces of information 351, 352, 353 on interruption accumulated for every interruption factor 320.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for outputting information related to a printing interruption, and more particularly to a technique for outputting information classified by cause of the printing interruption. [Background technology]

[0002] When producing printed materials using an image forming apparatus, the printing process may be interrupted due to various factors such as running out of paper, paper jams, etc. Conventionally, there has been known a technique for notifying a user of the interruption of the printing process when the interruption of the printing process occurs.

[0003] Regarding technology for notifying an interruption of printing processing, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2019-202450 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technology for notifying an operator of an error handling request when printing processing is interrupted. This technology "determines, when an error that causes printing to be interrupted occurs, a mobile terminal to be requested to handle the error is selected from among the mobile terminals owned by multiple operators as the operator, and a handling request is sent to the selected mobile terminal. An error occurrence notification is then sent to the remaining mobile terminals. Furthermore, if a rejection response is received from the operator who sent the handling request, another available operator is searched for and a handling request is sent to the selected mobile terminal" (see [Abstract]). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-202450 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] According to the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, an operator who receives an error handling notification may be able to handle individual interruptions of print processing. However, because the operator cannot obtain information on the causes of frequent interruptions of print processing, they are unable to take permanent action. Therefore, there is a need for a technology that can help operators understand the trends in interruption occurrences for each cause of print processing interruption.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-described background, and in one aspect, its purpose is to provide a technology for assisting in understanding the tendency of interrupted processing for each cause of interruption of printing processing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one embodiment, there is provided a method for outputting information about interruptions of a plurality of print processes for each interruption cause, the method including the steps of acquiring a log containing information about the interruptions from one or more image forming apparatuses, aggregating the acquired information about the interruptions for each interruption cause, and outputting the aggregated information about the interruptions for each interruption cause.

[0008] In one aspect, the information about the interruption includes the time the printing process was interrupted. In one aspect, the interruption time is the time from when the printing process is interrupted due to any of the interruption causes until the printing process is resumed.

[0009] In one aspect, the step of outputting information about the interruption for each interruption cause includes the step of outputting a cumulative total of interruption times in a certain period for each interruption cause.

[0010] In one aspect, the step of outputting information about the interruption for each interruption cause includes the step of outputting an average value of the interruption time for each interruption cause per fixed period.

[0011] In one aspect, the information about the interruption includes the number of interruptions of the printing process. In one aspect, the step of outputting information about the interruption for each interruption cause includes the step of outputting a cumulative total of the number of interruptions in a certain period for each interruption cause.

[0012] In one aspect, the step of outputting information about the interruption for each interruption cause includes the step of outputting an average value of the number of interruptions per fixed period for each interruption cause.

[0013] In one aspect, the step of outputting information about the interruption for each interruption cause includes the step of outputting information about the interruption that is compiled for each interruption cause over a fixed period of time.

[0014] In one aspect, the log includes identification information of the image forming device and / or identification information of an operator operating the image forming device. The step of outputting information related to the interruption for each interruption cause includes a step of outputting information related to the interruption for each interruption cause at each image forming device, or a step of outputting information related to the interruption for each interruption cause at each operator.

[0015] In one aspect, the step of outputting information about the interruption for each interruption cause includes the step of displaying the information about the interruption in a matrix based on the first element and the second element.

[0016] In one aspect, the step of outputting information related to the interruption includes highlighting information related to one or more interruptions that satisfy a predetermined condition, from among the pieces of information related to the interruptions displayed on the output screen.

[0017] In one aspect, the step of highlighting information regarding one or more interruptions that satisfy predetermined conditions among information regarding multiple interruptions displayed on the output screen includes a step of highlighting information regarding interruptions that have a value that exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0018] In one aspect, the step of highlighting information about one or more interruptions that meets predetermined conditions from among the information about multiple interruptions displayed on the output screen includes the step of highlighting information about interruptions that have a value up to a specified rank as a criterion for extracting interruption causes that cause the most interruptions from among the information about interruptions displayed on the output screen.

[0019] In one aspect, the step of highlighting information about interruptions that has a value up to the ranking among the information about interruptions displayed on the output screen includes a step of gradually changing the highlighting depending on the value or ranking of the information about the interruption.

[0020] According to another embodiment, there is provided a method for outputting a screen of information relating to interruptions of a plurality of print processes for each interruption cause, the method including the steps of analyzing logs collected from one or more image forming apparatuses and aggregating information relating to interruptions for each interruption cause, generating a screen layout for aggregating the aggregated information relating to interruptions for each of the one or more image forming apparatuses or for each operator operating the one or more image forming apparatuses, and outputting the screen.

[0021] In one aspect, generating a screen layout includes receiving a layout setting input from a user and generating a screen layout based on the setting input. The screen includes a display of information about interruptions aggregated by two or more of the following elements: one or more image forming devices; operators of the one or more image forming devices; and a period set by the user.

[0022] According to another embodiment, there is provided a program for causing a computer to execute any of the above methods.

[0023] Furthermore, according to another embodiment, there is provided an apparatus including a memory unit that stores the above-mentioned program, and one or more processors for executing the program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to one embodiment, it is possible to assist in grasping the tendency of interruption of printing processes for each interruption cause.

[0025] The above and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an example of a system 10 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an image forming apparatus 130 according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a diagram showing a first example of a screen displaying the results of compiling information on interruptions by cause of interruption output by the system 10. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a device 400 that can be used as the information processing device 100. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of the information processing device 100. [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram showing a second example of a screen displaying the results of compiling information on interruptions by cause of interruption output by the system 10. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram showing a third example of a screen displaying the results of compiling information on interruptions by cause of interruption output by the system 10. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a diagram showing a fourth example of a screen displaying the results of compiling information on interruptions by interruption cause output by the system 10. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram showing a fifth example of a screen displaying the results of compiling information on interruptions by cause of interruption output by the system 10. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing a sixth example of a screen showing the results of compiling information on interruptions by interruption cause output by the system 10. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a diagram showing a seventh example of a screen displaying the results of compiling information on interruptions by cause of interruption output by the system 10. FIG. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of internal processing of the information processing apparatus 100.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments of the technical idea according to the present disclosure will be described while referring to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

[0028] <A. Application Example> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system 10 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, an application example of the technology of the present disclosure will be described. As an example, the technology of the present disclosure can be provided as a system 10 that collects logs (mainly logs related to interruption of printing processing) of one or more image forming apparatuses.

[0029] The system 10 can, as an example, analyze the collected logs, aggregate information related to interruptions such as the interruption time or the number of interruptions of the printing process by interruption factor, and output, based on a plurality of conditions such as an image forming apparatus, an operator, and time (minutes / hours / days / weeks / months / years, etc.), a screen 300 (see FIG. 3) or the like in which the aggregation result of the interruption factors is represented in a matrix form. Further, the system 10 can highlight the aggregation result of the interruption factors that satisfy a specific condition. Details of the screen provided by the system 10 and the conditions for highlighting display will be described later. The system 10 can operate, for example, as a web application and distribute (output) the screen 300 or the like to the user's terminal.

[0030] In this specification, the “image forming apparatus” includes an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), a business printer, a production printer, a home printer, or any other apparatus having a printing function. The image forming apparatus can print an image on any medium other than paper. In the present disclosure, the printing process means a printing process on any medium such as paper, film, cloth, etc.

[0031] In this specification, an "operator" refers to a person who operates an image forming device, such as a large production printer used by a printing company. Typically, an operator logs in to an image forming device to use the image forming device. Therefore, an operator operating an image forming device can also be said to be an operator logged in to the image forming device.

[0032] In this specification, a "log" refers to any record generated by an image forming device. As an example, the log may be a log related to the interruption of a printing job. In this case, the log may include a timestamp, an identifier of the image forming device that generated the log, an identifier (login information) of the operator operating the image forming device, the cause of the interruption of the printing process, and information related to the interruption. Note that a log output by an image forming device that does not require a login for use may not include an operator identifier (login information).

[0033] In this specification, the term "interruption factor" encompasses any factor that interrupts the printing process of an image forming device. For example, interruption factors include any factor such as running out of paper, paper jams, a full tray, running out of toner, or running out of ink. In the following description, the image forming device will be described as printing paper, but application examples of the technology disclosed herein are not limited to image forming devices that print paper. The terms "paper," "paper," and "output" hereinafter may be replaced with any medium. A full tray refers to a state in which the output tray is filled with paper and the image forming device is unable to output any more paper.

[0034] In this specification, "information about interruptions" includes the number of interruptions of printing processes and the duration of interruptions (the period from when printing is interrupted to when the printing job is resumed). Hereinafter, the number of interruptions of printing processes and the duration of interruptions of printing processes will be simply referred to as the number of interruptions and the duration of interruptions. Information about interruptions can also refer to the cumulative number of interruptions over a certain period (minutes / hours / days / weeks / months / years, etc.), the average number of interruptions per period (minutes / hours / days / weeks / months / years, etc.), the cumulative duration of interruptions over a certain period (minutes / hours / days / weeks / months / years, etc.), and the average duration of interruptions per period (minutes / hours / days / weeks / months / years, etc.).

[0035] In this specification, the term "system" encompasses a configuration consisting of one or more devices, and a service, virtual machine, instance, container, etc. built on a cloud environment. Furthermore, the term "system" encompasses a combination of a configuration consisting of one or more devices, and a service, virtual machine, instance, container, etc. built on a cloud environment with an image forming device.

[0036] In this specification, the term "user" refers to any person who uses the system 10. The user includes an operator who operates the image forming device, a supervisor at the manufacturing site, an administrator of the system 10, a maintenance person for the image forming device, a person in charge of the company that manufactures the image forming device, and the like.

[0037] The configuration of system 10 will be described. System 10 mainly includes information processing device 100, log collection device 120, and image forming device 130. In one aspect, system 10 may include information processing device 100 and log collection device 120, but not image forming device 130. In this case, system 10 communicates with external image forming device 130. In another aspect, system 10 may include information processing device 100, but not log collection device 120 or image forming device 130. In this case, system 10 communicates with external log collection device 120 and / or image forming device 130.

[0038] Information processing device 100 analyzes logs of one or more image forming devices 130, generates a screen (such as screen 300) showing the results of compiling information about interruptions by cause of interruption, and distributes the generated screen. In one aspect, information processing device 100 may acquire logs of each image forming device 130 via log collection device 120. In another aspect, information processing device 100 may directly receive logs from each image forming device 130. Information processing device 100 includes a web application 101 and a log DB (Database) 102.

[0039] Web application 101 analyzes the logs stored in log DB 102 and transmits a screen showing the aggregated results of information about interruptions by cause of interruption generated from the analysis results to user terminal 140 or image forming device 130. By referring to the screen displayed on the display of terminal 140 or image forming device 130, the user can understand the main reason why the print process of image forming device 130 was interrupted.

[0040] Log DB 102 stores logs of one or more image forming apparatuses 130. Information processing apparatus 100 stores received logs in log DB 102. In one aspect, image forming apparatus 130 may include multiple DBs 102. In this case, each of the multiple DBs 102 may store logs of an individual image forming apparatus 130, or may store logs of image forming apparatuses 130 in any unit such as an office or a manufacturing site. In another aspect, image forming apparatus 130 may include a single DB 102. In this case, DB 102 stores logs of all image forming apparatuses 130.

[0041] Log collection device 120 receives logs from one or more image forming devices 130 and transfers the logs to information processing device 100. As an example, log collection device 120 may be placed in an office, a manufacturing site, or the like, and function as a gateway. In this case, log collection device 120 may transfer logs received via an internal company network to information processing device 100 via a public network.

[0042] The image forming device 130 is a device having any printing function, and periodically or when a failure occurs, transmits a log related to print interruption to the log collection device 120 or the information processing device 100. The log related to print interruption may include a timestamp, an identifier of the image forming device 130 that generated the log, an identifier (login information) of the operator operating the image forming device 130, the cause of the interruption of the print process, and information related to the interruption.

[0043] As described above, system 10 collects logs related to print interruptions from one or more image forming devices 130, generates a screen (such as screen 300) showing the results of compiling information related to interruptions by cause, and distributes the generated screen. By referring to the screen distributed by system 10, a user can understand the main causes of interruptions in the print processing of image forming device 130, and by considering measures to address frequent causes of interruptions, the user can permanently address the failure, reduce downtime (interruption time), and improve the productivity of printing operations.

[0044] 2 is a diagram showing an example of image forming apparatus 130 according to the present embodiment. Image forming apparatus 130 mainly includes a paper feed tray 210, an image forming section 220, a paper transport path 230, and a paper discharge tray 240.

[0045] The paper feed tray 210 stores paper for printing. If the paper stored in the paper feed tray 210 runs out during printing, the image forming device 130 interrupts the printing process. In this case, the interruption occurs because the paper has run out. When the image forming device 130 runs out of paper, it transmits a log including information about the interruption cause "out of paper" to the log collection device 120 or the information processing device 100.

[0046] Image forming unit 220 forms an image on paper. In one aspect, image forming unit 220 may be an image forming unit that uses toner. If toner runs out during printing, image forming device 130 interrupts the printing process. In this case, the interruption is caused by running out of toner. When image forming device 130 runs out of toner, it transmits a log including information about the interruption cause "out of toner" to log collection device 120 or information processing device 100. In another aspect, image forming unit 220 may be an image forming unit that uses ink. If ink runs out during printing, image forming device 130 interrupts the printing process. In this case, the interruption is caused by running out of ink. When image forming device 130 runs out of ink, it transmits a log including information about the interruption cause "out of ink" to log collection device 120 or information processing device 100.

[0047] The paper transport path 230 is a path along which paper (medium) used for printing is transported. The paper transport path 230 connects the paper feed tray 210 to the paper output tray 240. If paper jams on the paper transport path 230 during printing, the image forming device 130 interrupts the printing process. In this case, the cause of the interruption is the paper jam. When a paper jam occurs, the image forming device 130 transmits a log including information on the cause of the interruption, "paper jam," to the log collection device 120 or the information processing device 100.

[0048] The paper output tray 240 is a tray onto which printed paper is ejected. If the paper output tray 240 becomes filled with paper during printing and the image forming device 130 is unable to eject any more paper, the image forming device 130 suspends the printing process. In this case, the cause of suspension is a tray full condition. When a tray full condition occurs, the image forming device 130 transmits a log including information on the suspension cause "tray full" to the log collection device 120 or the information processing device 100.

[0049] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a screen displaying the results of tabulating information about interruptions by interruption cause output by the system 10. The system 10 acquires logs containing information about interruptions from each of one or more image forming apparatuses 130, categorizes and tabulates the acquired information about the interruptions by interruption cause, and outputs the information about interruptions categorized and tabulated by interruption cause, as shown in, for example, screen 300. Screen 300 displays information about failures tabulated by interruption cause for each image forming apparatus 130 in a matrix format, divided into days. The information about failures on screen 300 represents interruption times, and the unit 310 is "minutes." The system 10 may display information about failures tabulated by interruption cause by dividing the time period into any period (day, week, month, year, etc.). In one aspect, the information processing apparatus 100 may classify and tabulate the logs. In another aspect, the image forming apparatus 130 may classify the logs. In this case, the information processing apparatus 100 tabulates the classified logs. In another aspect, image forming apparatus 130 may perform part of a log aggregation process, such as aggregating logs for an arbitrary period (day, month, etc.).

[0050] The vertical axis 320 of the matrix shows a list of interruption factors for each image forming device 130. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the vertical axis 320 of the matrix includes the interruption factors for machine 1, "out of paper, tray full, paper jam, out of toner," and the interruption factors for machine 2, "out of paper, tray full, paper jam, out of toner." "Machine 1, Machine 2" are names of the image forming devices 130, and can be arbitrarily specified by the user. In one aspect, the system 10 may accept in advance input of the names of each image forming device 130 from the user via a settings screen. In this case, the system 10 manages the names of each image forming device 130 by linking them with the identifiers of each image forming device 130.

[0051] The horizontal axis 330 of the matrix indicates the period (days). In the example shown in Figure 3, the horizontal axis 330 of the matrix includes the items "3 / 6 (Sun)," "3 / 7 (Mon)," "3 / 8 (Tues)," "3 / 9 (Wed)," "3 / 10 (Thu)," "3 / 11 (Fri)," "3 / 6 (Sat)," and the total for one week (of interruption time).

[0052] The information about the faults shown on screen 300 will be explained using the first column 340 of the matrix as an example. Column 1 340 shows that a total of 151 minutes of printing interruptions occurred on machine 1 during the period 3 / 6 (Sun). Column 1 340 also shows that of the total 151 minutes of printing interruptions on machine 1, the interruption time caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" was 23 minutes, the interruption time caused by the interruption cause "tray full" was 128 minutes, the interruption time caused by the interruption cause "paper jam" was 0 minutes, and the interruption time caused by the interruption cause "out of toner" was 0 minutes.

[0053] Similarly, the first column 340 indicates that during the period "3 / 6 (Sun)", a total of "66 minutes" of print interruptions occurred on machine 2. Furthermore, the first column 340 indicates that of the total "66 minutes" of print interruptions on machine 2, the interruption time due to the interruption cause "out of paper" was "32 minutes", the interruption time due to the interruption cause "tray full" was "34 minutes", the interruption time due to the interruption cause "paper jam" was "0 minutes", and the interruption time due to the interruption cause "out of toner" was "0 minutes".

[0054] The system 10 may highlight information about interruptions that meets predetermined conditions among the information about interruptions displayed on the screen. In the example of screen 300, the interruption time of "144 minutes" (interruption information 351) caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" on machine 1 on "Friday, March 11" is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "141 minutes" (interruption information 352) caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" on machine 1 on "Wednesday, March 9" is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "128 minutes" (interruption information 53) caused by the interruption cause "tray full" on machine 1 on "Sunday, March 6" is highlighted.

[0055] In one aspect, the system 10 may determine that information about an interruption (interruption duration, interruption count) that exceeds a predetermined threshold satisfies a predetermined condition. Using the screen 300 as an example, the predetermined threshold may be, for example, 120 minutes. In another aspect, the system 10 may determine that information about all interruptions displayed on the screen, up to a predetermined rank (e.g., the top N ranks: N is a predetermined integer), satisfies the predetermined condition. Using the screen 300 as an example, for example, the top three pieces of information about interruptions (interruption information 351, 352, 353) are highlighted. The system 10 may also gradually change the degree of emphasis of the information about each interruption based on the value or rank of the information about each interruption, etc.

[0056] By referring to the delivered screen 300, etc., the user can understand the main cause of the interruption of the print process of the image forming device, and by considering measures to address the frequent causes of interruptions, the user can take permanent measures to address the problem, reduce downtime (interruption time), and improve the productivity of the printing business. Using screen 300 as an example, the user can understand that the main cause of printing interruptions is "out of paper, tray full." Based on this result, the user can consider permanent measures to address the problem, such as improving the workflow or developing an application to notify users of "out of paper, tray full" events.

[0057] As described above, the system 10 can also provide users with a summary of downtime. In printing operations, reducing downtime is extremely important for improving productivity. By analyzing the summary of downtime, users can identify bottlenecks in the printing process and take measures to improve the productivity of their printing operations.

[0058] In one aspect, system 10 may receive input from a user regarding display settings for a screen (screen 300, screens 600 to 1100, etc.) showing the results of compiling information about interruptions by interruption cause. In this case, system 10 may change the display of the screen showing the results of compiling information about interruptions by interruption cause based on the user's input.

[0059] As a first example, the system 10 may change the type and unit of information related to interruptions based on user input. More specifically, the system 10 may switch the information related to interruptions to either interruption duration or interruption count. The system 10 may also change the unit of the information related to interruptions, "interruption duration," to "seconds, minutes, hours," etc.

[0060] As a second example, the system 10 may change the period for which information about interruptions (number of interruptions, duration of interruptions) is collected based on a user input. Taking the screen 300 as an example, the system 10 may change the period on the horizontal axis 330 from "days" to any period such as "hours, weeks, months, or years."

[0061] As a third example, the system 10 may aggregate information related to interruptions for each image forming device 130 based on user input, or may aggregate information related to interruptions for all image forming devices 130 managed by the system 10, or may group the image forming devices 130 based on any criteria and aggregate information related to interruptions for each group. Taking screen 300 as an example, the system 10 may individually display the interruption time of "23 minutes" for the interruption cause "out of paper" for the image forming device 130 "machine 1" and the interruption time of "32 minutes" for the interruption cause "out of paper" for the image forming device 130 "machine 2." The system 10 may also display the total interruption time of "55 minutes (23 minutes + 32 minutes)" for the interruption cause "out of paper" for the image forming devices 130 "machines 1 and 2."

[0062] As a fourth example, the system 10 may aggregate information about interruptions for each image forming apparatus 130 or for each operator based on user input. By aggregating information about interruptions for each operator, the user can understand the tendency of each operator's work errors. Furthermore, as an example, the system 10 may calculate a cumulative total or average value of information about interruptions (interruption duration, number of interruptions) for a certain period (seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, etc.) based on user input. These cumulative totals and average values ​​may also be cumulative totals and average values ​​of information about interruptions for each interruption cause for each image forming apparatus 130. Alternatively, these cumulative totals and average values ​​may also be cumulative totals and average values ​​of information about interruptions for each interruption cause for each operator. For example, the system 10 may display, on screen 300, screens 600 to 1100, etc., a cumulative total of information about interruptions (interruption duration, number of interruptions) for a certain period or an average value of information about interruptions for each certain period.

[0063] As a fifth example, the system 10 may change each of the horizontal and vertical axes of the matrix to any element based on user input. For example, the system 10 may set the vertical axis of the matrix to "interruption factors per operator" and the horizontal axis to "duration." Alternatively, the system 10 may set the vertical axis of the matrix to "interruption factors per image forming device 130" and the horizontal axis to "duration." Alternatively, the system 10 may set the vertical axis of the matrix to "interruption factors per image forming device 130" and the horizontal axis to "operator." Furthermore, the system 10 may swap the elements on the vertical axis and the horizontal axis of the matrix in the above example. Furthermore, elements that can be set on each axis may include "image forming device," "operator," "duration (seconds / minutes / hours / days / weeks / months / years, etc.)," ​​"interruption factors," or combinations thereof. In other words, the system 10 may display information about interruptions in a matrix based on the first element (vertical axis) and the second element (horizontal axis).

[0064] As a sixth example, based on user input, system 10 may change the display format of the interruption information to any format other than a matrix, such as a pie chart, a bar graph, a line graph, etc. The display format of the interruption information may also be a combination of multiple formats.

[0065] As a seventh example, the system 10 may change the highlighted items based on user input. For example, the system 10 may highlight information about interruptions that satisfy a predetermined condition (information about the top N interruptions, information about interruptions that exceed a predetermined threshold, etc.) for each image forming apparatus 130.

[0066] Further, the system 10 may highlight information regarding interruptions that meet predetermined conditions (information regarding interruptions up to the upper N bits, information regarding interruptions exceeding a predetermined threshold, etc.) in units of a group of image forming apparatuses 130. Also, the system 10 may highlight information regarding interruptions that meet predetermined conditions (information regarding interruptions up to the upper N bits, information regarding interruptions exceeding a predetermined threshold, etc.) from the aggregated results of all the image forming apparatuses 130 managed by the system 10.

[0067] Further, the system 10 may highlight information regarding interruptions that meet predetermined conditions (information regarding interruptions up to the upper N bits, information regarding interruptions exceeding a predetermined threshold, etc.) in units of an operator. Also, the system 10 may highlight information regarding interruptions that meet predetermined conditions (information regarding interruptions up to the upper N bits, information regarding interruptions exceeding a predetermined threshold, etc.) in units of a group of operators (department to which they belong, etc.). Also, the system 10 may highlight information regarding interruptions that meet predetermined conditions (information regarding interruptions up to the upper N bits, information regarding interruptions exceeding a predetermined threshold, etc.) from the aggregated results of all the operators managed by the system 10.

[0068] <B. Hardware Configuration and Software Configuration> Next, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the hardware configuration and software configuration of the information processing apparatus 100, which is a main configuration of the system 10, will be described.

[0069] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a device 400 that can be used as information processing device 100. In one aspect, information processing device 100 may be realized by a combination of multiple devices 400 or some parts of devices 400. In another aspect, information processing device 100 may be a virtual machine, a container, or the like constructed on a data center (cloud environment) realized by a combination of multiple devices 400 or some parts of devices 400. In yet another aspect, log collection device 120 may also have the hardware configuration illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0070] The device 400 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1, a primary storage device 2, a secondary storage device 3, an external device interface 4, an input interface 5, an output interface 6, and a communication interface .

[0071] The CPU 1 can execute programs for realizing various functions of the device 400. The CPU 1 is configured, for example, by at least one integrated circuit. The integrated circuit may be configured, for example, by at least one central processing unit (CPU), at least one graphics processing unit (GPU), at least one field programmable gate array (FPGA), at least one application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a combination thereof.

[0072] The primary storage device 2 stores programs executed by the CPU 1 and data referenced by the CPU 1. In one aspect, the primary storage device 2 may be realized by a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or a static random access memory (SRAM), etc.

[0073] The secondary storage device 3 is a non-volatile memory and may store programs executed by the CPU 1 and data referenced by the CPU 1. In this case, the CPU 1 executes programs read from the secondary storage device 3 to the primary storage device 2 and references data read from the secondary storage device 3 to the primary storage device 2. In one aspect, the secondary storage device 3 may be realized by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a flash memory, or the like.

[0074] External device interface 4 can be connected to any external device such as a printer, a scanner, an external HDD, etc. In one aspect, external device interface 4 may be realized by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal or the like.

[0075] The input interface 5 can be connected to any input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, or a gamepad. In one aspect, the input interface 5 can be realized by a USB terminal, a PS / 2 terminal, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) module, or the like.

[0076] Output interface 6 can be connected to any output device such as a cathode ray tube display, a liquid crystal display, an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, etc. In one aspect, output interface 6 may be realized by a USB terminal, a D-sub terminal, a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) terminal, an HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) terminal, etc.

[0077] The communication interface 7 is connected to a wired or wireless network device. In one aspect, the communication interface 7 may be realized by a wired LAN (Local Area Network) port, a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark) module, or the like. In another aspect, the communication interface 7 may transmit and receive data using a communication protocol such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol), UDP (User Datagram Protocol), or the like.

[0078] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of information processing device 100. In one aspect, each functional block illustrated in FIG. 5 may be realized as software. In this case, CPU 1 may realize each functional block illustrated in FIG. 5 by executing a program loaded from secondary storage device 3 to primary storage device 2. Each functional block illustrated in FIG. 5 can also be considered to be a program module constituting web application 101.

[0079] The information processing device 100 includes, as main functional blocks, a log acquisition unit 501, a log analysis unit 502, an input unit 503, a UI (User Interface) generation unit 504, an output unit 505, and a storage unit 506. The storage unit 506 includes one or more log DBs 102.

[0080] The log acquisition unit 501 acquires logs from the log collection device 120 or the image forming device 130 and stores the logs in the log DB 102. Furthermore, the log acquisition unit 501 refers to the logs stored in the log DB 102 based on a request from another functional block, and outputs the acquired logs to the functional block that issued the request. In a certain aspect, the other functional block may have a function of referring to the logs stored in the log DB 102.

[0081] The log analysis unit 502 refers to the logs stored in the log DB 102 via the log acquisition unit 501 or directly. The log analysis unit 502 then analyzes the logs to generate a summary of information related to interruptions (number of interruptions, duration of interruption) for each interruption cause. For example, the log analysis unit 502 may generate a summary of the number of interruptions or duration of interruption of the print process for each interruption cause, such as "out of paper, full tray, paper jam, out of toner (ink)." The log analysis unit 502 may also separate the summary of information related to interruptions (number of interruptions, duration of interruption) for each interruption cause by image forming apparatus 130, by operator, or by period. The summary results calculated by the log analysis unit 502 are output to the UI generation unit 504.

[0082] The input unit 503 acquires various inputs from the user. As part of a web application, the input unit 503 may acquire various inputs from the user via a screen provided on the user's terminal 140. As an example, the various inputs from the user may include a request for a summary screen by interruption cause, a selection of classification or summary information (selection by image forming apparatus 130, by operator, or by period) for a screen (screen 300, screens 600 to 1100, etc.) showing the summary results of information related to interruptions by interruption cause, and a selection of the layout of the summary results screen (settings for horizontal axis elements, vertical axis elements, graph display, matrix display, highlighting, etc.). The information processing device 100 reflects the various inputs from the user in its internal processing.

[0083] The UI generation unit 504 generates various screens to be delivered to the user's terminal 140, the image forming apparatus 130, etc. The UI generation unit 504 may generate various setting screens for the system 10, a screen showing the results of compiling information on interruptions by cause of interruption, etc. In some aspects, the UI generation unit 504 may generate the screens using HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), Javascript (registered trademark), etc. The UI generation unit 504 outputs the generated screens to the output unit 505.

[0084] The output unit 505 transmits the screen generated by the UI generation unit 504 to the user's terminal 140 or the image forming apparatus 130. The user can refer to the distributed screen from the display of the terminal 140 or the display of the image forming apparatus 130.

[0085] The storage unit 506 is a storage area for logs and setting information of the system 10 and the like. In a certain aspect, the storage unit 506 may have a function as a DBMS (Database Management System). In another aspect, the storage unit 506 may be a storage area for storing any other form of data.

[0086] <C. Screen Example> Next, referring to FIGS. 6 to 11, variations of the screen of the aggregation result of the information on the interruptions according to the interruption factors provided by the system 10 will be described.

[0087] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second example of the screen of the aggregation result of the information on the interruptions according to the interruption factors output by the system 10. The screen 600 displays the information on the failures aggregated by interruption factor for each image forming apparatus 130 in a matrix form separated by day. The information on the failures in the screen 600 is the number of interruptions, and the unit 610 is "times". The vertical axis 620 of the matrix is the interruption factor for each image forming apparatus 130, and the horizontal axis 630 of the matrix is the period (day).

[0088] That is, unlike the screen 300 that displays the aggregation result of the "interruption time" by interruption factor for each image forming apparatus 130 separated by day, the screen 600 displays the aggregation result of the "number of interruptions" by interruption factor for each image forming apparatus 130 separated by day.

[0089] The information about the faults shown on screen 600 will be explained using the first column 640 of the matrix as an example. Column 640 shows that a total of 266 print interruptions occurred on machine 1 during the period 3 / 20 (Sun). Column 640 also shows that of the total number of print interruptions on machine 1, 266, the number of interruptions due to the interruption cause "out of paper" was 148, the number of interruptions due to the interruption cause "tray full" was 118, the number of interruptions due to the interruption cause "paper jam" was 0, and the number of interruptions due to the interruption cause "out of toner" was 0.

[0090] Similarly, the first column 640 indicates that during the period "3 / 20 (Sun)", a total of "69" print interruptions occurred on machine 2. Furthermore, the first column 640 indicates that of the total "69" print interruptions on machine 2, the number of interruptions due to the interruption cause "out of paper" was "34", the number of interruptions due to the interruption cause "tray full" was "35", the number of interruptions due to the interruption cause "paper jam" was "0", and the number of interruptions due to the interruption cause "out of toner" was "0".

[0091] Furthermore, the system 10 may highlight information about interruptions that meets predetermined conditions among the information about interruptions displayed on the screen. In the example of screen 600, the number of interruptions caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" on machine 1 on "Sunday, March 20th" (148 times) (information about interruptions 651) is highlighted. Also, the number of interruptions caused by the interruption cause "tray full" on machine 1 on "Monday, March 21st" (146 times) (information about interruptions 652) is highlighted. Also, the number of interruptions caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" on machine 1 on "Tuesday, March 22nd" (137 times) (information about interruptions 653) is highlighted.

[0092] By referring to the screen 600, the user can grasp the causes of frequent interruptions of print processing for each image forming apparatus 130.

[0093] 7 is a diagram showing a third example of a screen displaying the results of compiling information about interruptions by interruption cause output by the system 10. Screen 700 displays information about failures compiled by interruption cause for each image forming device 130 in a matrix format, separated into weekly units. The information about failures on screen 700 is the duration of the interruption, and the unit 710 is "minutes." The vertical axis 720 of the matrix represents the interruption cause for each image forming device 130, and the horizontal axis 730 of the matrix represents the period (weeks).

[0094] That is, unlike screen 300, which displays the aggregated results of interruption times for each interruption cause for each image forming device 130 in "day units," screen 700 displays the aggregated results of interruption times for each interruption cause for each image forming device 130 in "weekly units."

[0095] The information about the faults shown on screen 700 will be explained using the first column 740 of the matrix as an example. Column 1 740 shows that a total of 1,504 minutes of printing interruptions occurred on machine 1 during the period 2 / 27 to 3 / 5. Column 1 740 also shows that of the total 1,504 minutes of printing interruptions on machine 1, the interruption time caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" was 645 minutes, the interruption time caused by the interruption cause "tray full" was 529 minutes, the interruption time caused by the interruption cause "paper jam" was 330 minutes, and the interruption time caused by the interruption cause "out of toner" was 0 minutes.

[0096] Similarly, the first column 740 indicates that a total of "570 minutes" of printing interruptions occurred in machine 2 during the period "2 / 27 to 3 / 5." Furthermore, the first column 740 indicates that of the total "570 minutes" of printing interruptions in machine 2, the interruption time due to the interruption cause "out of paper" was "243 minutes," the interruption time due to the interruption cause "tray full" was "20 minutes," the interruption time due to the interruption cause "paper jam" was "237 minutes," and the interruption time due to the interruption cause "out of toner" was "70 minutes."

[0097] Furthermore, the system 10 may highlight information about interruptions that meets predetermined conditions among the information about interruptions displayed on the screen. In the example of the screen 700, the interruption time of "688 minutes" (information about interruptions 751) caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" in machine 1 from "3 / 27 to 4 / 2" is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "677 minutes" (information about interruptions 752) caused by the interruption cause "paper jam" in machine 2 from "3 / 27 to 4 / 2" is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "657 minutes" (information about interruptions 753) caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" in machine 1 from "3 / 20 to 3 / 26" is highlighted.

[0098] By referring to screen 700, the user can understand the causes of frequent interruptions to print processing for each image forming device 130 over a long span of time, such as one week. Furthermore, by comparing screen 600 and screen 700, for example, if the total interruption time for a specific image forming device 130 over a week is large and there is variation in the interruption time for that specific image forming device 130 on individual days, the user can infer the main cause of print interruptions, such as the proficiency of the operator who operates the image forming device 130 on a particular day of the week or the content of the job.

[0099] 8 is a diagram showing a fourth example of a screen showing the results of compiling information about interruptions by interruption cause output by the system 10. Screen 800 displays information about failures compiled by interruption cause for each operator in a matrix, separated into weekly units. The information about failures on screen 800 is interruption time, and the unit 810 is "minutes." The vertical axis 820 of the matrix is ​​the interruption cause for each operator, and the horizontal axis 830 of the matrix is ​​the period (weeks).

[0100] That is, unlike screen 700, which displays the aggregated results of interruption times by interruption cause for each "image forming device 130" in one-week units, screen 800 displays the aggregated results of interruption times by interruption cause for each "operator" in one-week units.

[0101] The information about the faults displayed on screen 800 will be explained using the first column 840 of the matrix as an example. Column 840 indicates that a total of 1,504 minutes of print interruptions occurred on the image forming device 130 operated by operator A during the period from 2 / 27 to 3 / 5. If operator A operated multiple image forming devices 130 during the period from 2 / 27 to 3 / 5, the total of 1,504 minutes indicates the total duration of interruptions that occurred on the multiple image forming devices 130 operated by operator A. Column 840 also indicates that, of the total duration of print interruptions of 1,504 minutes on the image forming device 130 operated by operator A, the duration of interruptions due to the interruption cause "out of paper" was 645 minutes, the duration of interruptions due to the interruption cause "tray full" was 529 minutes, the duration of interruptions due to the interruption cause "paper jam" was 330 minutes, and the duration of interruptions due to the interruption cause "out of toner" was 0 minutes.

[0102] Similarly, the first column 840 indicates that during the period "2 / 27 to 3 / 5," a total of "570 minutes" of print interruptions occurred at the image forming device 130 operated by operator B. Furthermore, the first column 840 indicates that, of the total "570 minutes" of print interruptions at the image forming device 130 operated by operator B, the interruption time due to the interruption cause "out of paper" was "243 minutes," the interruption time due to the interruption cause "tray full" was "20 minutes," the interruption time due to the interruption cause "paper jam" was "237 minutes," and the interruption time due to the interruption cause "out of toner" was "70 minutes."

[0103] Furthermore, the system 10 may highlight information about interruptions that meets predetermined conditions among the information about interruptions displayed on the screen. In the example of screen 800, the interruption time of "688 minutes" (information about interruptions 851) caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" in the image forming device 130 operated by operator A from "3 / 27 to 4 / 2" is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "677 times" (information about interruptions 852) caused by the interruption cause "paper jam" in the image forming device 130 operated by operator B from "3 / 27 to 4 / 2" is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "657 minutes" (information about interruptions 853) caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" in the image forming device 130 operated by operator A from "3 / 20 to 3 / 26" is highlighted.

[0104] By referring to screen 800, the user can understand the most frequent causes of interruptions to the print process for each operator. In other words, the user can understand the proficiency level of each operator, the types of interruptions to the print process that tend to occur, and other trends.

[0105] 9 is a diagram showing a fifth example of a screen displaying the results of compiling information about interruptions by interruption cause output by the system 10. Screen 900 displays information about failures compiled by interruption cause for each image forming device 130 in a matrix format, separated into weekly units and associated with the operators who used the image forming device 130. The information about failures on screen 900 is the duration of the interruption, and the unit 910 is "minutes." The vertical axis 920 of the matrix represents the cause of the interruption for each image forming device 130, and the horizontal axis 930 of the matrix represents the period (weeks) and the operator.

[0106] The information about the faults shown on screen 900 will be explained using the first column 940 of the matrix as an example. Column 1 940 shows that a total of 1,504 minutes of printing interruptions occurred on machine 1 when the user of machine 1 was "Operator A" during the period "2 / 27-3 / 5." Column 1 940 also shows that of the total printing interruption time of 1,504 minutes on machine 1, the interruption time due to the interruption cause "out of paper" was "645 minutes," the interruption time due to the interruption cause "tray full" was "529 minutes," the interruption time due to the interruption cause "paper jam" was "330 minutes," and the interruption time due to the interruption cause "out of toner" was "0 minutes."

[0107] Similarly, the first column 940 indicates that when the user of machine 2 was "operator B" during the period "2 / 27-3 / 5," a total of "1050 minutes" of print interruptions occurred on machine 2. Furthermore, the first column 940 indicates that, of the total "1050 minutes" of print interruptions on machine 2, the interruption time due to the interruption cause "out of paper" was "343 minutes," the interruption time due to the interruption cause "tray full" was "200 minutes," the interruption time due to the interruption cause "paper jam" was "437 minutes," and the interruption time due to the interruption cause "out of toner" was "70 minutes."

[0108] Furthermore, the system 10 may highlight information about interruptions that meets predetermined conditions among the information about interruptions displayed on the screen. In the example of screen 900, for machine 1, the interruption time of "688 minutes" (information about interruptions 951A) caused by the interruption cause "paper jam" for machine 1 during the period "3 / 27 to 4 / 2" and for user "Operator B" is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "657 times" (information about interruptions 952A) caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" for machine 1 during the period "3 / 20 to 3 / 26" and for user "Operator A" is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "645 minutes" (information about interruptions 953A) caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" for machine 1 during the period "2 / 27 to 3 / 5" and for user "Operator A" is highlighted.

[0109] Similarly, in the example of screen 900, for machine 2, the interruption time of "677 minutes" (interruption-related information 951B) caused by the interruption cause "paper jam" at machine 2 for the period "3 / 27 to 4 / 2" and user "Operator B" is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "660 times" (interruption-related information 952B) caused by the interruption cause "tray full" at machine 2 for the period "3 / 27 to 4 / 2" and user "Operator B" is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "640 minutes" (interruption-related information 953B) caused by the interruption cause "paper jam" at machine 2 for the period "3 / 6 to 3 / 12" and user "Operator B" is highlighted.

[0110] By referring to screen 900, the user can understand the compatibility between each image forming device 130 and each operator, etc. This allows the user to take measures such as having each operator concentrate on using an image forming device 130 that is a good fit for them, or having each operator practice operating an image forming device 130 that they are not good at.

[0111] 10 is a diagram showing a sixth example of a screen displaying the results of compiling information about interruptions by interruption cause output by the system 10. Screen 1000 displays information about failures compiled by interruption cause in a matrix format, separated by image forming apparatus. The information about failures on screen 1000 is the duration of interruption, and the unit 1010 is "minutes."

[0112] Screen 1000 displays the aggregated results of interruption times for each interruption cause detected within an arbitrary period (one month, one year, etc.) set by the user, separated by "units of image forming devices 130." The vertical axis 1020 of the matrix represents the interruption cause, and the horizontal axis 1030 of the matrix represents the image forming devices 130.

[0113] The information about the failures shown on screen 1000 will be explained using the first column 1040 of the matrix as an example. Column 1040 shows a summary of the interruption time by interruption cause that occurred on "machine 1" within a certain period. More specifically, column 1040 shows that on "machine 1," interruption time caused by interruption cause "out of paper" occurred for "611 minutes," interruption time caused by interruption cause "tray full" occurred for "404 minutes," no interruption time caused by interruption cause "paper jam" occurred ("0 minutes"), and no interruption time caused by interruption cause "out of toner" occurred ("0 minutes").

[0114] Furthermore, the system 10 may highlight information about interruptions that meets predetermined conditions among the information about interruptions displayed on the screen. In the example of screen 1000, the interruption time of "611 minutes" (interruption information 1051) caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" in "machine 1" is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "404 minutes" (interruption information 1052) caused by the interruption cause "tray full" in "machine 1" is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "400 minutes" (interruption information 1053) caused by the interruption cause "tray full" in "machine 5" is highlighted.

[0115] By referring to screen 1000, the user can grasp, for example, the occurrence status of print interruptions over a long period of time for each image forming apparatus 130. Then, the user can identify the image forming apparatus 130 that is causing problems (having many print interruptions).

[0116] 11 is a diagram showing a seventh example of a screen displaying the results of tabulating information about interruptions by cause of interruption output by the system 10. Screen 1100 displays information about failures tabulated by cause of interruption in a matrix format, separated by operator. For example, the column for "Operator A" shows the total interruption time by cause of interruption that occurred in all image forming devices 130 used by operator A during a certain period. The information about failures on screen 1100 is the interruption time, and the unit 1010 is "minutes."

[0117] Screen 1100 displays the aggregated results of interruption times for each interruption cause detected within an arbitrary period (one month, one year, etc.) set by the user, separated by "operator." The vertical axis 1120 of the matrix represents the interruption cause, and the horizontal axis 1130 of the matrix represents the operator.

[0118] The information about the faults displayed on screen 1100 will be explained using the first column 1140 of the matrix as an example. Column 1140 shows a summary of the interruption time, by interruption cause, that occurred during a certain period of time while "Operator A" was operating image forming device 130. More specifically, column 1140 shows that while Operator A was operating image forming device 130, the interruption time due to the interruption cause "out of paper" was "645 minutes," the interruption time due to the interruption cause "tray full" was "220 minutes," the interruption time due to the interruption cause "paper jam" was "100 minutes," and no interruption time due to the interruption cause "out of toner" occurred ("0 minutes").

[0119] Furthermore, the system 10 may highlight information about interruptions that meets predetermined conditions among the information about interruptions displayed on the screen. In the example of screen 1100, the interruption time of "1,365 minutes" (information about interruptions 1151) caused by the interruption cause "paper jam" that occurred when operator B was operating the image forming device 130 is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "800 minutes" (information about interruptions 1152) caused by the interruption cause "tray full" that occurred when operator C was operating the image forming device 130 is highlighted. Also, the interruption time of "645 minutes" (information about interruptions 1153) caused by the interruption cause "out of paper" that occurred when operator A was operating the image forming device 130 is highlighted.

[0120] By referring to screen 1100, the user can, for example, understand the long-term trends of each operator (what types of print processing interruptions are likely to occur). Based on this information, the user can take measures such as reviewing the operations of each operator.

[0121] <D.フローチャート> 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of internal processing of information processing device 100. The internal processing of information processing device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. In one aspect, CPU 1 may load a program for performing the processing of FIG. 12 from secondary storage device 3 into primary storage device 2 and execute the program. In another aspect, some or all of the processing may be realized as a combination of circuit elements configured to perform the processing.

[0122] In step S1210, information processing device 100 collects logs from one or more image forming devices 130. In one aspect, information processing device 100 may collect logs from image forming devices 130 via log collection device 120. In another aspect, information processing device 100 may collect logs directly from image forming devices 130.

[0123] In step S1220, information processing device 100 classifies and aggregates the collected logs by interruption cause (out of paper, tray full, paper jam, out of toner (ink), etc.). In one aspect, information processing device 100 may classify and aggregate the logs based on information indicating the interruption cause included in the logs (such as an identifier of the interruption cause).

[0124] In step S1230, the information processing device 100 compiles information about interruptions (interruption duration, number of occurrences, etc.) for each interruption cause.

[0125] In step S1240, information processing device 100 accepts a display-related operation from the user. Here, "display" refers to a screen (e.g., screen 300, screen 600-screen 1100) showing the results of compiling information related to interruptions. The user can configure the display items (e.g., elements on the vertical and horizontal axes of a matrix or graph) and layout (e.g., a matrix, graph) of the screen showing the results of compiling information related to interruptions. In another aspect, information processing device 100 may distribute a display-related configuration screen to user terminal 140. In this case, the user can input settings for the display items, layout, and the like of the screen showing the results of compiling information related to interruptions into the distributed configuration screen. The layout configuration may include, for example, a configuration for classifying, compiling, and displaying information related to interruptions based on two or more elements: one or more image forming apparatuses 130, operators of one or more image forming apparatuses 130, and a period set by the user. Information processing device 100 can generate a screen layout based on the configuration input. Note that the processing of this step may be performed at any timing, such as before step S1210.

[0126] In step S1250, information processing device 100 classifies, aggregates, and outputs information about interruptions for each interruption cause based on various conditions (such as the machine on which the interruption occurred, the operator in charge of the job, and the date). The various conditions may be used as the first element (vertical axis) and the second element (horizontal axis) of a matrix. In some aspects, the various conditions may include only the first element, or may include three or more elements (such as image forming device, operator, and period) like screen 900. Information processing device 100 may generate a screen based on the conditions. As an example, information processing device 100 outputs screen 300, screen 600 to screen 1100, etc. Information processing device 100 may deliver the generated screen to user terminal 140. In this case, screen 300, screen 600 to screen 1100, etc. are displayed on the display of terminal 140. In some aspects, information processing device 100 may accept input of various conditions used in this step in step S1240. As an example, information processing device 100 analyzes logs collected from one or more image forming devices 130 and aggregates information related to interruptions for each interruption cause included in the logs. Information processing device 100 then generates a layout for a screen (screen 1000, screen 1100, etc.) that classifies and aggregates the aggregated information related to interruptions for each one or more image forming devices or for each operator who operates one or more image forming devices.

[0127] In step S1260, information processing device 100 highlights the "interruption-related information" associated with the frequently occurring "interruption cause." This highlighting corresponds to the highlighting on screen 300, screens 600 to 1100, for example. In one aspect, information processing device 100 may highlight the "interruption-related information" by any means including making the "interruption-related information" bold, coloring it, changing the font, changing the character size, changing the background color, adding a ruled line, or a combination of these.

[0128] As described above, the system 10 according to the present embodiment collects logs from one or more image forming apparatuses 130, classifies and aggregates the logs, and calculates the aggregated results of information related to interruptions by interruption cause. Furthermore, the system 10 can output a screen that classifies or separates the aggregated results of information related to interruptions based on any condition (per image forming apparatus 130, per operator, per fixed period) or any combination of conditions.

[0129] The user can understand the main cause of the interruption of the print process of the image forming device by referring to the aggregated results of the information on interruptions provided by the system 10. Furthermore, the user can consider measures to remedy the frequent interruption factors based on the identified causes, thereby enabling a permanent response to the failure, reducing downtime (interruption time) and improving the productivity of the printing business.

[0130] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. Furthermore, the disclosures described in the embodiments and each modification are intended to be implemented, as far as possible, either alone or in combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0131] 1 CPU, 2 primary storage device, 3 secondary storage device, 4 external device interface, 5 input interface, 6 output interface, 7 communication interface, 10 system, 100 information processing device, 101 web application, 102 log DB, 120 log collection device, 130 image forming device, 140 terminal, 210 paper feed tray, 220 image forming unit, 230 paper transport path, 240 paper output tray, 300, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 screen, 310, 610, 710, 810, 1010 unit, 320, 720, 820, 920, 1020, 1120 vertical axis, 330, 730, 830, 930, 1030, 1130 Horizontal axis, 340,640,740,840,940,1040,1140 First column, 351,352,353,651,652,653,751,752,753,851,852,853,951A,951B,952A,952B,953A,953B,1051,1052,1053,1151,1152,1153 Information regarding interruption, 400 Device, 501 Log acquisition unit, 502 Log analysis unit, 503 Input unit, 504 UI ​​generation unit, 505 Output unit, 506 Memory unit.

Claims

1. A method in which an apparatus executes an output step of outputting, based on the log of an image forming apparatus, the interruption time or number of interruptions of the printing process of the image forming apparatus in a matrix format, with the first axis being the interruption cause and the second axis being the period, operator, or the image forming apparatus.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said outputting step outputs the interruption factor of said first axis for each of said image forming devices when said second axis is a period.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the output step outputs the interruption factor of the first axis for each operator when the second axis is a period.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the output step includes a display step of displaying on a screen.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the output step associates the operator who used the image forming device with the second axis.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising the step of accepting an input for the second axis selecting from a plurality of factors including the period, the operator, or the image forming device.

7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the display step highlights the interruption time or the interruption count that exceeds a predetermined threshold.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising the step of gradually changing the highlighting depending on the value exceeding the predetermined threshold.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the interruption factor includes at least one of out of paper, paper jam, tray full, out of toner, or out of ink.

10. An apparatus for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

11. A system comprising an apparatus for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and an image forming apparatus.

12. A program that causes an apparatus to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images