System for reporting status of and offering service to an image communication terminal

• US 20020097444A1
• Filed: 12/14/2001
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Shibata, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,180,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/402
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00007 relating to particular apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00037 Detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state H04N1/00031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0005 in service, i.e. during normal operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00079 remotely
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002

Abstract

A system for reporting status of and offering service to an image communication terminal is provided. The system includes an image communication terminal, a manager personal computer connected to the image communication terminal via a network, and a service center connected to the image communication terminal via the network. The image communication terminal includes a registering part for registering an e-mail address of the manager, an e-mail address of the service center and identification information of the image communication terminal, an e-mail controlling part for exchanging e-mails via the network and a status detecting part for detecting statuses of the image communication terminal.

Claims

1. A system for reporting status of and offering service to an image communication terminal, said system comprising:

an image communication terminal;

a manager personal computer connected to said image communication terminal via a network; and

a service center connected to said image communication terminal via said network;

said image communication terminal including a registering part for registering an e-mail address of said manager, an e-mail address of said service center and identification information of said image communication terminal;

an e-mail controlling part for exchanging e-mails via said network; and

a status detecting part for detecting statuses of said image communication terminal,

wherein said service center receives and registers said identification information and said e-mail address of said manager from said image communication terminal; and

when statuses of said image communication terminal detected by said status detecting part are sent from said image communication terminal to said service center by said mail controlling part using an e-mail, various information corresponding to said statuses are informed to said manager through a WEB (World Wide Web) site of said service center.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said various information from said service center is informed to said manager using an e-mail with a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a homepage of said manager.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said status detecting part includes consumables detecting part for detecting shortage status of the consumables for resources of said image communication terminal and transmitting part for sending consumables shortage information, said e-mail address of the manager and said identification information of said image communication terminal are sent to said service center in case there is a shortage of the consumables, and

upon reception of said various information sent from said transmitting part, said service center sends an e-mail to said manager, said e-mail including a URL of a homepage which enables introduction and ordering of consumables from the WEB-site.

4. The system as claimed in claimed in claim 3, wherein said service center includes type-of-consumables information for each of said image communication terminal and comprises:

introducing means for introducing consumables for the image communication terminal installed at the user location, ordering means for the user to order consumables on the homepage and informing means for informing time and date of delivery of consumables on the homepage.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said status detecting part includes maintenance/failure detecting part for detecting necessity of maintenance or failure status of said image communication terminal and transmitting part for sending maintenance/failure information, said e-mail address of the manager and said identification information of said image communication terminal are sent to said service center, and

upon detection of a state where maintenance or repair is necessary, said service center sends an e-mail about said various information to said manager, said manager is informed of information corresponding to said maintenance/failure status information from a WEB-site of said service center.

6. The system as claimed in claimed in claim 5, wherein said service center includes failure information or maintenance information for each of said image communication terminal and comprises:

introducing means for introducing information including information indicating time and date when the service-person is available and information related to new-product guide information.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image communication terminal sends an e-mail informing completion of replenishment of said consumables or completion of maintenance/repair of the resource, and upon reception of said e-mail, said service center deletes the message informed by said manager from the homepage.