Information processing device and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus and a program in which necessity of re-authorization by an administrator user can be eliminated when a maintenance worker performs maintenance work with reboot for an information processing apparatus requiring operation authority.SOLUTION: A processor of an information processing apparatus gives operation authority of maintenance work that is previously applied for an own apparatus following an input received from an administrator user to a maintenance worker, releases operation authority when the maintenance work which is previously applied finishes after returning from reboot, and continues a state in which the operation authority is given when the maintenance work which is previously applied does not finish.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes that when performing maintenance work on a maintenance target device, an operator obtains temporary access rights to the maintenance target device after receiving approval from an administrator.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When a maintenance worker performs maintenance work on an information processing apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral, the worker may perform the work after obtaining operation authority for the information processing apparatus by receiving approval from an administrator user. In such a case, usually, since the maintenance work involves restarting the information processing apparatus, the maintenance worker must obtain re-approval from the administrator user and receive the operation authority for the information processing apparatus after the restart. However, if re-approval is required every time there is a restart, it will be troublesome for the administrator user and the maintenance worker each time.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing apparatus and a program that can eliminate the need for re-approval by an administrator user when a maintenance worker performs maintenance work involving restarting on an information processing apparatus that requires operation authority.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing device in the first aspect of this disclosure includes a processor, which, in accordance with input received from an administrator user, grants a maintenance worker the authority to perform pre-approved maintenance work on the device, and after recovery from a restart, revokes the authority if the pre-approved maintenance work has been completed, or continues to grant the authority if the pre-approved maintenance work has not been completed.

[0007] The information processing device in the second aspect of the present disclosure, in the information processing device in the first aspect, when the processor grants operation privileges to a maintenance worker, acquires information on the work procedure for performing the requested maintenance work, acquires operation history information that records the operations performed by the maintenance worker up to that point after returning from a restart, compares the acquired operation history information with the information on the work procedure for the maintenance work being performed by the maintenance worker, and if the previously requested maintenance work has been completed, releases the operation privileges, and if the previously requested maintenance work has not been completed, continues to grant operation privileges.

[0008] An information processing device in a third aspect of the present disclosure further comprises a memory in an information processing device in a second aspect, the memory storing information on the work procedure of maintenance work for each type of maintenance work, and the processor acquires from the information on the work procedure stored in the memory information corresponding to the type of maintenance work for which an administrator user has been granted operational authority to the maintenance worker.

[0009] In the fourth aspect of this disclosure, the information processing device, in the second or third aspect, includes information about the work procedure and information about the operation history, which includes information about the state of the device.

[0010] In the fifth aspect of this disclosure, in the information processing device of any one of the first to fourth aspects, the processor releases the operational authority if the maintenance worker is not performing the work properly.

[0011] In the sixth aspect of this disclosure, the information processing apparatus, in the fifth aspect, has a processor that releases the operation privileges if there is no progress in maintenance work and the device has been restarted more than a predetermined number of times.

[0012] The information processing apparatus of the seventh aspect of this disclosure, in the information processing apparatus of the fifth aspect, has a processor that performs an authentication process for a maintenance worker each time the device is restarted, and if the authentication process fails, it revokes the operation privileges.

[0013] The information processing apparatus of the eighth aspect of this disclosure, in the information processing apparatus of the fifth aspect, the processor, after returning from a restart, will revoke the operation privileges if a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation privileges were granted, even if the maintenance work that was requested in advance has not been completed.

[0014] The program of the ninth aspect of this disclosure causes the computer to perform the following steps: grant the maintenance worker the authority to perform pre-approved maintenance work on the device in accordance with input received from an administrator user; and, after returning from a restart, revoke the authority if the pre-approved maintenance work has been completed, or continue to grant the authority if the pre-approved maintenance work has not been completed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the information processing device of the first aspect of this disclosure, when a maintenance worker performs maintenance work involving a restart on an information processing device that requires operational privileges, it is possible to eliminate the need for re-approval by an administrator user.

[0016] According to the information processing device of the second aspect of this disclosure, it is possible to determine whether maintenance work has been completed based on the operation history information of the maintenance worker.

[0017] According to the information processing device of the third aspect of this disclosure, it is possible to facilitate the input of work information by an administrator user or maintenance worker.

[0018] According to the information processing apparatus of the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to determine whether the maintenance work has ended not only based on the operation content by the maintenance worker but also based on the change in the state of the apparatus itself.

[0019] According to the information processing apparatus of the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent unauthorized use of the information processing apparatus.

[0020] According to the information processing apparatus of the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent the operation authority from remaining indefinitely.

[0021] According to the information processing apparatus of the seventh aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent unauthorized operations by persons other than the maintenance worker to whom the operation authority has been granted.

[0022] According to the information processing apparatus of the eighth aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent the operation authority from remaining indefinitely.

[0023] According to the program of the ninth aspect of the present disclosure, when a maintenance worker performs a maintenance operation involving restart on an information processing apparatus that requires an operation authority, it is possible to eliminate the need for re - approval by the administrator user.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing the system configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of a work procedure management table managed in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of an operation log managed in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]This is a flowchart illustrating the process for approving and revoking approval of maintenance work for maintenance workers in an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0025] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments for carrying out the technology of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an image forming system according to one embodiment.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, the image forming system of this embodiment consists of an image forming apparatus 10 and a terminal device 20 that are interconnected by a network 30.

[0027] The terminal device 20 generates print data and transmits the generated print data to the image forming apparatus 10 via the network 30. The terminal device 20 also transmits instructions to the image forming apparatus 10 to approve or revoke maintenance work for the maintenance worker of the image forming apparatus 10, based on instructions input from the administrator user.

[0028] The image forming apparatus 10 receives print data transmitted from the terminal device 20 and outputs an image on paper corresponding to the print data. The image forming apparatus 10 is a so-called multifunction device that has multiple functions such as printing, scanning, copying, and facsimile. The image forming apparatus 10 also approves or revokes maintenance work to the maintenance worker of the image forming apparatus 10 based on instructions for approval or revocation of maintenance work received from the terminal device 20. The image forming apparatus 10 is an example of an information processing device in the technology of this disclosure.

[0029] Next, Figure 2 shows the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 in the data processing system of this embodiment.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, RAM (Random Access Memory) 12, a storage device 13 such as a hard disk drive, a communication interface (IF) 14, a user interface (UI) device 15 including a touch panel or liquid crystal display and a keyboard, a scanner 16, and a print engine 17. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 18.

[0031] The communication interface 14 transmits and receives data to and from external devices via the network 30. The user interface device 15 receives instruction input from the user. The scanner 16 reads the original document loaded into the image forming apparatus 10 as image data. The print engine 17 prints the image onto a recording medium such as printing paper through processes such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing.

[0032] The CPU 11 is a processor that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 by executing predetermined processes based on a control program stored in the RAM 12 or storage device 13. In this embodiment, the CPU 11 is described as reading and executing a control program stored in the RAM 12 or storage device 13, but it is not limited to this. This control program may be provided in the form of a computer-readable recording medium. For example, this program may be provided in the form of a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory) or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM recorded on an optical disc, or in the form of a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or memory card recorded on a semiconductor memory. Alternatively, this control program may be obtained from an external device via a communication line connected to the communication interface 14.

[0033] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 realized by the execution of the control program described above.

[0034] As shown in Figure 3, the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment includes an authentication unit 31, an operation input unit 32, a display unit 33, a data transmission / reception unit 34, a control unit 35, a storage unit 36, an image reading unit 37, and an image output unit 38.

[0035] The authentication unit 31 performs authentication processing for users who intend to use the image forming apparatus 10. The operation input unit 32 inputs information on various operations performed by the user. The display unit 33 is controlled by the control unit 35 and displays various information to the user. The data transmission / reception unit 34 transmits and receives data with external devices such as the terminal device 20.

[0036] The control unit 35 controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 10, and based on user instructions, it controls the image reading unit 37 to read the original image, the image output unit 38 to output print data, and so on.

[0037] The memory unit 36 ​​stores data such as the control program, a work procedure management table that manages information on the work procedures for each type of maintenance work, and an operation log that is operation history information. The work procedure management table and the operation log will be described in detail later. The memory unit 36 ​​is an example of memory in the technology of this disclosure.

[0038] The image reading unit 37 reads the original image from the loaded original based on the control unit 35. The image output unit 38 outputs the image onto a recording medium such as printing paper based on the control unit 35.

[0039] In the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment, when a maintenance worker performs maintenance work on their own device, they must obtain approval from the administrator user and be granted the authority to perform maintenance work on their own device before performing the maintenance work. The processing of the control unit 35 when approving or revoking approval for maintenance work on a maintenance worker in the image forming apparatus 10 will be described below.

[0040] The control unit 35, in accordance with the input received from the administrator user, grants the maintenance worker the authority to perform pre-approved maintenance work on its own device. After the device returns from a restart, if the pre-approved maintenance work has been completed, it revokes the authority; if the pre-approved maintenance work has not been completed, it continues to grant the authority.

[0041] In the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the control unit 35 may, when granting operation authority to a maintenance worker, acquire information on the work procedure for executing the requested maintenance work, acquire operation history information that records the operations performed by the maintenance worker up to that point after recovery from a restart, compare the acquired operation history information with the work procedure information of the maintenance work currently being performed by the maintenance worker, and if the previously requested maintenance work has been completed, release the operation authority, or if the previously requested maintenance work has not been completed, continue to grant operation authority.

[0042] Furthermore, the control unit 35 acquires information on work procedures from the work procedure information stored in the memory unit 36, according to the type of maintenance work for which the administrator user has been granted operational authority to the maintenance worker.

[0043] Furthermore, the work procedure information and operation logs may include system data, which is information about the status of the device itself.

[0044] The processing in the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described in detail below. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a work procedure management table managed in the image forming apparatus 10, and Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation log managed in the image forming apparatus 10.

[0045] In the image forming apparatus 10, a work procedure management table, as shown in Figure 4, is pre-stored in the storage unit 36. In the work procedure management table, information such as "work procedure" and "update data item" is managed for each maintenance work item.

[0046] A "work procedure" is information that manages the operations performed in each item of maintenance work, arranged in the order of operation. Note that in the work procedure management table in Figure 4, operations from the third onwards are omitted. For example, in toner replacement maintenance, the first step is to install a new toner cartridge, and the second step is to make a copy to check the condition of the new toner. Here, toner refers to the toner cartridge into which the toner is loaded. Similarly, in drum replacement maintenance, the first step is to install a new drum, and the second step is to perform operation X to check the condition of the new drum. Here, drum refers to the drum cartridge containing the photoconductor drum. Furthermore, in image quality adjustment maintenance, the first step is to print a correction chart, and the second step is to perform image quality adjustment based on the correction chart.

[0047] "Update data items" are data items of system data whose content is updated by each operation during maintenance work, and are managed in association with each operation. Here, system data includes not only data related to the operation of the image forming apparatus 10, such as programs and setting parameters, but also resource data related to consumables such as toner, drums, and paper. Note that in the work procedure management table in Figure 4, system data from the third item onward is omitted.

[0048] For example, during toner replacement maintenance, when a new toner cartridge is installed as the first operation, the toner data is updated in the image forming apparatus 10. Here, toner data includes, for example, the serial number of the toner cartridge and the remaining toner amount. When a copy is made as the second operation, the system data is not updated.

[0049] Furthermore, during drum replacement maintenance, when the first operation involves installing a new drum, the drum data is updated in the image forming apparatus 10. Here, drum data refers to data such as the serial number and usage time of the drum cartridge. When the second operation, operation X, is performed, the system data X is updated.

[0050] Furthermore, during image quality adjustment maintenance, when the first operation is printing a correction chart, the system data is not updated. When the second operation is image quality correction, the system data Y is updated.

[0051] When a maintenance worker performs maintenance work on the image forming apparatus 10, they submit a request for the maintenance work and receive approval from the administrator user of the image forming apparatus 10. The administrator user sends an approval instruction for the requested maintenance work to the image forming apparatus 10 via the terminal device 20. The approval instruction sent from the terminal device 20 includes the maintenance worker's information and information about the requested maintenance work. When a maintenance worker performs maintenance work on the image forming apparatus 10, they log in to the image forming apparatus 10.

[0052] The control unit 35, in accordance with the approval instructions received from the administrator user, refers to the work procedure management table stored in the memory unit 36 ​​and obtains information on the work procedure and update data items for the requested item. The control unit 35 also grants the maintenance worker the authority to perform the maintenance work for the requested item.

[0053] Furthermore, granting maintenance operator operational authority in the control unit 35 means at least allowing the execution of software-based operations performed during maintenance work. For example, hardware operations such as toner and drum installation may or may not be managed by the control unit 35.

[0054] When the control unit 35 manages the operation of the hardware, for example, a key that can be unlocked and locked by software may be provided on the housing of the image forming apparatus 10. This allows the control unit 35 to unlock the key when maintenance work is approved, allowing maintenance workers to physically operate the hardware inside the image forming apparatus 10. Conversely, when the approval for maintenance work is revoked, the control unit 35 can lock the key, preventing maintenance workers from physically operating the hardware inside the image forming apparatus 10.

[0055] Furthermore, when the control unit 35 grants the maintenance worker the authority to perform maintenance work, it starts recording an operation log and stores the operation log in the storage unit 36. As shown in Figure 5, the operation log is information that records the operations performed by the maintenance worker and the changes made to the system data in chronological order. Once the recording of the operation log has started, it continues to record until the maintenance work is completed, even if the image forming apparatus 10 is restarted or the maintenance worker logs in again.

[0056] Depending on the nature of the maintenance work or the condition of the image forming apparatus 10, it may be necessary to restart the image forming apparatus 10 during maintenance.

[0057] After the image forming apparatus 10 has returned from restart, the control unit 35 refers to the operation log stored in the storage unit 36, compares the operation log with the work procedure information and the update data item information, and determines whether the maintenance work that was requested in advance has been completed.

[0058] For example, if toner replacement is requested as a maintenance item, as shown in Figure 4, the toner replacement procedure is as follows: first, a new toner is installed; and second, a copy is made to check the condition of the new toner.

[0059] The control unit 35 refers to the operation log and determines whether toner loading and copying operations have been performed, and whether the corresponding system data has been updated.

[0060] The example operation log shown in Figure 5 illustrates an example of an operation log when toner replacement is performed. This operation log shows that the toner installation and copying operations were performed in that order, and that the toner data was updated when the toner was installed. In this way, if the contents of the operation log match all the information of the work procedure and the information of the updated data items, it can be determined that the requested maintenance work has been completed.

[0061] Furthermore, the determination of whether maintenance work has been completed may include not only whether the system data has been updated, but also whether the updated content is appropriate. For example, when toner is installed, the toner data is updated, but if the updated toner data does not show a toner level of 100%, it may be considered that new toner has not been installed, and the maintenance work may be determined to be incomplete.

[0062] If the requested maintenance work has been completed, the control unit 35 revokes the administrator user's approval and removes the operational privileges granted to the maintenance worker. If the requested maintenance work has not been completed, the control unit 35 maintains the administrator user's approval status and continues to grant operational privileges to the maintenance worker.

[0063] By adopting this configuration, even if the image forming apparatus 10 is restarted in the middle of maintenance work, re-approval by the administrator user is not required.

[0064] Furthermore, the control unit 35 may revoke operating privileges if the maintenance worker is not performing the work properly. This configuration prevents the image forming apparatus 10 from being used beyond the scope approved by the administrator user.

[0065] In this case, the control unit 35 may revoke the operation privileges if there is no progress in the maintenance work and the device has been restarted more than a predetermined number of times. For determining the progress of the maintenance work, for example, the control unit may refer to the operation log and determine that there is no progress in the maintenance work if no new operation logs have been recorded.

[0066] Furthermore, the control unit 35 may perform an authentication process for the maintenance worker each time the device is restarted, and if the authentication process fails, it may revoke the operating privileges. This authentication process is not limited to the usual authentication process using a user ID and password previously assigned to the maintenance worker; it may also be set by an approved maintenance worker setting a one-time password known only to them, and then enforce identity verification after the restart.

[0067] Furthermore, the control unit 35 may also revoke the operation privileges if, after recovering from a restart, the previously requested maintenance work has not been completed, and a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation privileges were granted.

[0068] Next, the process flow for approving and revoking maintenance work for maintenance workers in the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6.

[0069] In step S11, when the control unit 35 receives an approval instruction from the administrator user via the terminal device 20, it refers to the work procedure management table stored in the storage unit 36 ​​and obtains information on the work procedure for the requested item and information on the updated data item.

[0070] Next, in step S12, when the control unit 35 detects a login from a maintenance worker approved by the administrator user, in step S13 it determines whether or not an operation log is being recorded.

[0071] If it is determined in step S13 that the operation log is not being recorded, the control unit 35 starts recording the operation log in step S14 and proceeds to step S15. If it is determined in step S13 that the operation log is being recorded, the control unit 35 proceeds directly to step S15.

[0072] As described above, if the maintenance worker's work is not performed correctly, the administrator user's approval status may be revoked. Therefore, in step S15, the control unit 35 determines whether or not the administrator user's approval status is active.

[0073] In step S15, if it is determined that the administrator user has not given approval, the control unit 35 terminates the process and prevents operations by maintenance workers from being accepted.

[0074] If it is determined in step S15 that the administrator user has approved the operation, the control unit 35 grants the maintenance worker the authority to operate the approved maintenance work item in step S16.

[0075] In this state, the maintenance worker can perform the maintenance tasks requested by the administrator user on the image forming apparatus 10. Depending on the content of the maintenance work or the state of the image forming apparatus 10, it may be necessary to restart the image forming apparatus 10 during the maintenance work. Also, the maintenance worker may log out of the image forming apparatus 10 during the maintenance work.

[0076] In step S17, the control unit 35 detects that the maintenance worker has logged out or that the image forming apparatus 10 has been restarted, and in step S18, it determines whether the maintenance work has been completed. If the image forming apparatus 10 has been restarted, the processing in step S18 is performed after the system has recovered from the restart. Here, the determination of whether the maintenance work has been completed is made by comparing the operation log stored in the storage unit 36 ​​with the work procedure information and the update data item information, as described above.

[0077] If it is determined in step S18 that the maintenance work is not yet completed, the control unit 35 transitions to the state immediately before step S12 and waits until the maintenance worker logs in again.

[0078] If it is determined in step S18 that the maintenance work has been completed, the control unit 35 in step S19 revokes the administrator user's approval and revokes the operation privileges granted to the maintenance worker. Then, in step S20, the control unit 35 terminates the recording of the operation log and ends the series of processes.

[0079] [Differentiation] Although an image forming system according to one embodiment of the technology of this disclosure has been described above, the technology of this disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate.

[0080] In each of the embodiments described above, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0081] Furthermore, the processor operations in each of the above embodiments may not be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located in physically separate locations working together. Also, the order of the processor operations is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0082] Furthermore, although the above embodiment was described using the application of the present disclosure technology to an image forming apparatus, the present disclosure technology is not limited to this and can be applied to various information processing devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 10 Image forming apparatus 11 CPU 12 RAM 13 Storage device 14. Communication Interface 15. User Interface Device 16 Scanners 17 Print Engine 18 Control bus 20 Terminal devices 30 Networks 31. Authentication Department 32 Operation Input Section 33 Display section 34 Data transmission / reception unit 35 Control Unit 36 Memory section 37 Image reading unit 38 Image output section

Claims

1. Equipped with a processor, The aforementioned processor, Based on input received from the administrator user, the system grants the maintenance worker the operational authority for pre-approved maintenance work on the device. After restarting, if the previously requested maintenance work has been completed, the operational privileges will be revoked; if the previously requested maintenance work has not been completed, the operational privileges will remain granted. Furthermore, even if the previously requested maintenance work has not been completed after the device has resumed from a restart, if it is determined that the previously requested maintenance work on the device has not been performed as requested, the operating privileges will be revoked. Information processing device.

2. The aforementioned processor, When granting operational authority to a maintenance worker, information on the work procedure for performing the requested maintenance work is obtained. After the system has resumed operation from a restart, the maintenance worker retrieves operation history information that records the operations performed up to that point. The acquired operation history information is compared with the information on the work procedures of the maintenance work being performed by the maintenance worker. If the previously requested maintenance work has been completed, the operation privileges are revoked; if the previously requested maintenance work has not been completed, the operation privileges are retained. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. With even more memory, The memory stores information on the work procedures for each type of maintenance work. The processor retrieves from the work procedure information stored in the memory information information corresponding to the type of maintenance work for which the administrator user has been granted operational authority to the maintenance worker. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned work procedure information and the aforementioned operation history information include information regarding the status of the device itself. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The aforementioned processor, If maintenance work does not progress and the device is restarted more than the number of times predetermined, the operating privileges will be revoked. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The aforementioned processor, Each time the device is restarted, an authentication process is performed for the maintenance worker, and if the authentication process fails, the operation privileges are revoked. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. The aforementioned processor, Even if the pre-approved maintenance work has not been completed after the system has resumed from a restart, the operational privileges will be revoked if a predetermined time has elapsed since the privileges were granted. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

8. The steps include granting the maintenance worker the authority to perform pre-approved maintenance work on the device, based on input received from the administrator user, and After restarting, if the previously requested maintenance work has been completed, the operational privileges are revoked; if the previously requested maintenance work has not been completed, the operational privileges are retained. Even if the previously requested maintenance work has not been completed after the system has resumed from a restart, if it is determined that the previously requested maintenance work on the device has not been performed as requested, the operation privileges are revoked. A program that causes a computer to execute something.

Images