Image Form Apparatus Failure Source Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming apparatus systems struggle to accurately notify management servers of failures when new functions are added, leading to incorrect identification of failure sources and unnecessary service dispatches.
Innovation Solution
A management system that includes an image forming apparatus with a monitoring unit to detect added functions, transmit relevant information to a management server, and generate failure information to distinguish between local and external device failures, allowing the server to identify the correct source of issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the image forming apparatus notifies the management server of failures using a predetermined rule, then the notification process is simple, but the failure source cannot be accurately identified when new functions are added
Solution Approach 1:
The failure notification is segmented into multiple components: basic failure information, function usage information (indicating whether a network function was being used), and function identification information (identifying which specific function was being used). This segmentation allows the management server to accurately identify failure sources by analyzing the combination of these segments, rather than relying on a single undifferentiated notification.
Solution Approach 2:
The image forming apparatus preliminarily collects and prepares function usage information and function identification information before generating the failure notification. This preliminary action ensures that when a failure occurs, the notification already contains the necessary context about which functions were being used, enabling accurate failure source identification without complicating the actual notification process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the image forming apparatus uses functions provided by external servers, then the apparatus gains additional capabilities, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The management server acts as an intermediary between the image forming apparatus and the external function providing servers. It receives failure notifications from the apparatus, analyzes the function usage information, and determines whether to dispatch service personnel or notify the function providing server. This intermediary role simplifies the apparatus's burden while maintaining system complexity management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts its failure response based on the type of function being used. For functions provided by external servers, the system can dynamically route notifications to appropriate targets (service personnel or server administrators), allowing the system to handle diverse function types without requiring a completely different architecture for each case.
3Reliability
If the management server dispatches service personnel for all failures, then all issues are addressed, but unnecessary dispatches increase costs
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from the function usage information in failure notifications to make intelligent dispatch decisions. When the feedback indicates that a network function was being used, the system can determine whether to dispatch service personnel or notify the function providing server, optimizing resource allocation based on real-time operational context.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispatch decision parameter changes based on the function identification information provided in the failure notification. By analyzing which specific function was being used, the system adjusts the response strategy - dispatching service personnel for apparatus-related failures and notifying external servers for function-related failures, thereby reducing unnecessary dispatches while maintaining comprehensive coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus transmits, when a function which cooperates with a function providing apparatus is added, information on the added function to a management server, and changes a failure monitoring setting according to the returned monitoring condition. If a failure occurs, the image forming apparatus generates, if the failure is attributable to the function providing apparatus, failure information indicating that the failure is attributable to the function providing apparatus, and otherwise, the image forming apparatus generates failure information on the failure to transmit to the management server. Upon receiving the information on the added function from the image forming apparatus, the management server returns the monitoring condition corresponding to the added function to arrange for maintenance of the image forming apparatus. If the failure is attributable to the function providing apparatus, the management server does not arrange for maintenance of the image forming apparatus.