Information processing method for managing equipment, equipment managing program, recording medium storing equipment managing program, and equipment managing method

• US 20020091821A1
• Filed: 11/15/2001
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kawashima, Makoto, Nakamura, Shinichi, Hara, Hiroyuki, Hirose, Junichi, Ohmori, Kazushi, Katayama, Kojiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,287,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0733 in a data processing system embedded in an image processing device, e.g. printer, facsimile, scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

A remote site managing system for centrally managing computers and peripheral devices of a customer, is provided. In the event that there is trouble with equipment in the office to be serviced, and a customer in the office notifies the maintenance service company of the trouble by telephone (i.e., a center call), the remote site managing system deals with the trouble in an appropriate manner, and dispatches maintenance (either dispatching service personnel or commissioning the maintenance to another service company) in a smooth manner.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus which is connected to a first local managing apparatus which is connected to an apparatus of a first type via a local network and manages the apparatus of said first type and a second local managing apparatus which is connected to an apparatus of a second type via the local network and manages the apparatus of said second type, comprising:

judging means for judging whether any trouble which has occurred is trouble in the apparatus of the first type or the apparatus of the second type; and

diagnosis control means which causes one of the first local managing apparatus and the second local managing apparatus, or both the first and second local managing apparatuses, to perform diagnosis, based on a judgment result provided by said judging means.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said diagnosis control means issues a diagnosis request to one of the first local managing apparatus and the second local managing apparatus, or both the first and second local managing apparatuses.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display control means for displaying a list of apparatuses connected to the local network on a display unit.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising first notifying means for notifying a service person to go and perform a recovery operation in the event that trouble is not determined by the first local managing apparatus or the second local managing apparatus.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said first notifying means transmits information to a portable terminal carried by the service person regarding a location to which to go to perform the recovery operation.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising report generating means for generating report information indicating contents of the trouble in a case where the trouble is determined by the first local managing apparatus or the second local managing apparatus.

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising notifying means for performing notification of a commissioning recovery operation to another company, in a case where the trouble cannot be recovered from without external help.

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus of the first type is peripheral devices, and the apparatus of the second type is computer devices.

9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus of the first type is at least one of printers, photocopiers, or scanners.

10. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus of the second type is at least one of personal computers, server computers, or network devices.

11. A managing program which is executed on an information processing apparatus which is connected to a first local managing apparatus which is connected to equipment of a first type via a local network and manages the equipment of the first type, and a second local managing apparatus which is connected to equipment of a second type via a local network and manages the equipment of the second type, said program causing a computer to execute the following steps:

a judging step of judging whether any trouble which has occurred is trouble in the equipment of the first type or the equipment of the second type; and

a diagnosis control step, execution of which causes one or the other of the first local managing apparatus and the second local managing apparatus, or both the first and second local managing apparatuses, to perform diagnosis, based on a judgment result obtained in said judging step.

12. An equipment managing program according to claim 11, wherein a diagnosis request is issued to one or the other of the first local managing apparatus and the second local managing apparatus, or both the first and second local managing apparatuses, in said diagnosis control step.

13. An equipment managing program according to claim 11, which further causes a computer to execute a display control step for displaying a list of equipment connected to the local network on a display unit.

14. An equipment managing program according to claim 11, which further causes a computer to execute a first notifying step, of notifying a service person to go and perform a recovery operation in a case where trouble is not determined by the first local managing apparatus or the second local managing apparatus.

15. An equipment managing program according to claim 14, wherein information is transmitted to a portable terminal carried by the service person regarding a location for which said service person is to go to perform the recovery operation, in said first notifying step.

16. An equipment managing program according to claim 11, which further causes a computer to execute a report generating step, of generating report information indicating the contents of the trouble in a case where trouble is determined by the first local managing apparatus or the second local managing apparatus.

17. An equipment managing program according to claim 11, which further causes a computer to execute a notifying step, of performing notification of a commissioning recovery operation to another company, in a case where the trouble cannot be recovered from without external help.

18. An equipment managing program according to Claim 11, wherein the equipment of the first type is peripheral devices, and the equipment of the second type is computer devices.

19. An equipment managing program according to claim 18, wherein the equipment of the first type is at least one of printers, photocopiers, or scanners.

20. An equipment managing program according to claim 18, wherein the equipment of the second type is at least one of personal computers, server computers, or network devices.

21. A computer-readable recording medium storing an equipment managing program which is executed on an information processing apparatus which is connected to a first local managing apparatus which is connected to equipment of a first type via a local network and manages the equipment of the first type, and a second local managing apparatus which is connected to equipment of a second type via a local network and manages the equipment of the second type, said equipment managing program causing a computer to execute the following steps:

a judging step, of judging whether any trouble which has occurred is trouble in the equipment of the first type or the equipment of the second type; and

a diagnosis control step, execution of which causes one or the other of the first local managing apparatus and the second local managing apparatus, or both the first and second local managing apparatuses, to perform diagnosis, based on a judgment result obtained in said judging step.

22. A recording medium according to claim 21, wherein a diagnosis request is issued to one or the other of the first local managing apparatus and the second local managing apparatus, or the said first and second local managing apparatuses, in said diagnosis control step.

23. A recording medium according to claim 21, wherein said equipment managing program further causes a computer to execute a display control step, of displaying a list of equipment connected to the local network on a display unit.

24. A recording medium according to claim 21, wherein said equipment managing program further causes a computer to execute a first notifying step, of notifying a service person to go and perform a recovery operation in a case where trouble is not determined by the first local managing apparatus or the second local managing apparatus.

25. A recording medium according to claim 24, wherein information is transmitted to a portable terminal carried by the service person regarding a location for which said service person is to go to perform the recovery operation, in said first notifying step.

26. A recording medium according to claim 21, wherein said equipment managing program further causes a computer to execute a report generating step, of generating report information indicating contents of the trouble in a case where trouble is determined by the first local managing apparatus or the second local managing apparatus.

27. A recording medium according to claim 21, wherein said equipment managing program further causes a computer to execute a notifying step, of performing notification of a commissioning recovery operation to another company, in a case where the trouble cannot be recovered from without external help.

28. A recording medium according to claim 21, wherein the equipment of the first type is peripheral devices, and the equipment of the second type is computer devices.

29. A recording medium according to claim 28, wherein the equipment of the first type is at least one of printers, photocopiers, or scanners.

30. A recording medium according to claim 28, wherein the equipment of the second type is at least one of personal computers, server computers, or network devices.

31. An equipment managing method which is executed on a system configured of a first local managing apparatus which is connected to equipment of a first type via a local network and manages the equipment of the first type, a second local managing apparatus which is connected to equipment of a second type via a local network and manages the equipment of the second type, and a center server which is connected to the first local managing apparatus and the second local managing apparatus, said method comprising:

a judging step, of judging whether any trouble which has occurred is trouble in the equipment of the first type or the equipment of the second type; and

a diagnosis control step, execution of which causes one or the other of the first local managing apparatus and the second local managing apparatus, or both the first and second local managing apparatuses, to perform diagnosis, based on a judgment result obtained in said judging step.

32. An equipment managing method according to claim 31, wherein a diagnosis request is issued to one or the other of the first local managing apparatus and the second local managing apparatus, or both the first and second local managing apparatuses, in said diagnosis control step.

33. An equipment managing method according to claim 31, further comprising a display control step, of displaying a list of equipment connected to the local network on a display unit.

34. An equipment managing method according to claim 31, further comprising a first notifying step, of notifying service person to go and perform a recovery operation in a case where trouble is not determined by the first local managing apparatus or the second local managing apparatus.

35. An equipment managing method according to claim 34, wherein information is transmitted to a portable terminal carried by the service person regarding a location for which said service person is to go to perform the recovery operation, in said first notifying step.

36. An equipment managing method according to claim 31, further comprising a report generating step, of generating report information indicating contents of the trouble in a case where trouble is determined by the first local managing apparatus or the second local managing apparatus.

37. An equipment managing method according to claim 31, further comprising a notifying step, of performing notification of a commissioning recovery operation to another company, in a case where the trouble cannot be recovered from without external help.

38. An equipment managing method according to claim 31, wherein the equipment of the first type is peripheral devices, and the equipment of the second type is computer devices.

39. An equipment managing method according to claim 38, wherein the equipment of the first type is at least one of printers, photocopiers, or scanners.

40. An equipment managing method according to claim 38, wherein the equipment of the second type is at least one of personal computers, server computers, or network devices.