Remote diagnosis system and method

Details Remote diagnosis system and method Remote diagnosis system and method

1998-12-07

2002-07-02

Beausoleil, Robert (Department: 2184)

Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery

Data processing system error or fault handling

Reliability and availability

C713S168000, C399S009000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06415392

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to remote diagnosis systems and methods for supervising a plurality of image-forming apparatuses each located at a user side remote from a control center and which are connected with the control center via a public communication network, a data communication adapter, a wired or a wireless interface, etc. In particular, the present invention relates to remote diagnosis systems and methods which can suppress increasing a number of operators who operate a computer at a control center.
2. Discussion of the Background
A background remote diagnosis system generally supervises a plurality of image-forming apparatuses such as OA machines (Office Automation machines) each located at a user side, such as a business office, from a control center. In a background remote diagnosis system, data, for example of a total amount of consumable items, are collected from the plurality of image-forming apparatuses and are used, for example, to maintain the image-forming apparatuses.
As a maintenance, the background remote diagnosis system automatically dials, for example based on a self-recognition of its operational condition, the control center to inform the control center of any problem created in an image forming apparatus or the like. Further, a communication from the control center to each of the image-forming apparatuses is generally executed using the remote diagnosis system. This communication can send data related to a repair or an adjustment of parts to the image-forming apparatuses.
Further, a total copy count, data of which are stored in a copy counter employed in the image-forming apparatus (and which data is generally confirmed by directly calling on a user by a service person, or the like, or by making a telephone call thereto), can be automatically collected using the remote diagnosis system. This data can be used to calculate, for example, a monthly maintenance fee based on the total copy count in accordance with a maintenance contract exchanged between the user and an image-forming apparatus supplier.
Further, in such a background remote diagnosis system, an order of consumable items, such as toner, copy sheets, and so on, can be sent to the control center, and an inquiry thereto about a fatigue of an image, generation of an unusual sound, an operation know-how, and so on, can be generally made by the user using a telephone line.
The background remote diagnosis system is explained in more detail referring to
FIGS. 9 and 10
.
FIG. 9
illustrates using a block chart a central computer sub-system
80
that constitutes a part of a background central computer system. The central computer sub-system
80
includes a plurality of user request-receiving computers
82
each operated by an operator and each having a hard disk
83
therein, and a plurality of operator telephones
81
each used by the operator.
The central computer sub-system
80
further includes a plurality of request-dealing computers
84
each operated by a staff and each provided corresponding to a kind of image forming apparatus, a plurality of telephones
85
each used by a staff, and a network
86
, such as a LAN (local Area Network), that connects the user request-receiving computers
82
with the request-dealing computers
84
.
A receipt of a user request and a request-dealing operation executed by the central computer sub-system
80
are each illustrated in
FIG. 10
using a flow chart. The central-computer-sub system
80
accepts user requests via telephones
81
in steps S
21
, S
23
, S
25
, S
27
from different devices. The operator may hear a user's name, a model of the image-forming apparatus, contents of a request, a telephone number of a user, and so on. Then, in steps S
22
, S
24
, S
26
, S
26
, the operator inputs such data as user request data into his or her user request-receiving computer
82
through a keyboard or the like to store the user data in a request receiving database (hereinafter referred to as a DB) installed in the hard disk (hereinafter referred to as HDD)
83
.
The operator then determines in step S
29
a prescribed staff having a request-dealing computer
84
who is in charge of dealing with a request from a prescribed model of an image-forming apparatus, and then communicates the data thereto so that the request is dealt by the staff. The operator then inputs the user request data and data indicating a recipient of the user request data to store both the data in the request-receiving database of the HDD
83
. For example, if a model that has called up the telephone
81
to make a request is a copier, i.e. YES in step S
21
, the operator inputs data in step S
22
indicating the copier and data indicating a request-dealing computer
84
which may handle the request from the copier are input into the request-receiving database of HDD
83
.
The user request-receiving computer
82
then sends both the data to the prescribed request-dealing computer
84
determined by the operator through the network
86
in step S
29
. The prescribed request-dealing computer
84
displays contents of the data on a display thereof so that the contents are confirmed by the staff when the data is received from one of the user request-receiving computers
82
. The staff then deals with the request, for example, by having a service person call on the user to repair or to maintain the image-forming apparatus or by making a telephone call to give advice to the user after he or she has confirmed the contents of the requests of the user.
However, in such a background remote diagnosis system, an operator is required for each of the user request-receiving computers
82
. Further, since the operator of the request-receiving computer
82
has to determine which staff is suitable to deal with a request and to send data of the request based on his or her determination thereof, a load on the operator and an operation time for the operator increases, thereby resulting in a non-quick response.
Further, the more request calls from users, the more frequent the chance of operational mistakes. This is because when the number of request calls increases, the number of request-receiving computers
82
is required to correspondingly increase, and accordingly the number of operators must also increase. Further, if the number of kinds of image-forming apparatuses to be supervised increases, a request data distribution work of the operators may become more complex. Moreover, an amount of work for the operators cannot be even dispersed, and thereby the jobs may be concentrated on a prescribed operator or operators. Further, it is basically an issue for a user that requests cannot be dealt in the priority order.
Further, the background remote diagnosis system generally functions as described below.
First, image-forming apparatuses automatically make self-calls to send data related to a problem created in the image-forming apparatus to the central computer sub-system
80
through a communication
4
, e.g. a wired or wireless interface, a communication adapter, and a public communication network, when the problem is created therein. Second, the central computer sub-system
80
displays contents of the problem data on a display when received in an order of arrival thereof.
In such a background remote diagnosis system, since a problem such as a paper jam created in any of the image-forming apparatuses is informed to a central computer and contents thereof are displayed on the display of the central computer sub-system
80
, an operator working at the central computer sub-system
80
may judge that the image-forming apparatus having the problem can be reset to cause the image forming apparatus to return to its initial state (hereinafter referred to as a RESET VALID status).
If the image-forming apparatus that has the problem is in the RESET VALID status, the staff makes a telephone call to the user of the image-forming apparatus to ask the user to reset a status of the image-forming apparatus to address the problem by turning its reset switch to return the ima

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