Service control system and computer program

• US 20040059804A1
• Filed: 09/19/2002
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Goto, Yoshimitsu
• Granted Patent: US 7,249,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0266 using meta-data, objects or commands for formatting management information, e.g. using eXtensible markup language [XML]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

There is provided a service control system including a service side system and a customer side system including a service target machine, and the service side system includes a service client terminal which converts set data relative to the service target machine into XML data and edits it and a mail server which transmits to the customer side system an email concerning service setting including the set data, and remotely manages the service target machine by including a predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting.

Claims

1. A service control system comprising:

a customer side system including a service target machine; and

a service side system including a service client terminal which converts set data relative to the service target machine into XML data and edits the XML data, and a mail server which transmits an email concerning service setting including the set data to the customer side system,

wherein the service side system remotely manages the service target machine by including a predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting.

2. The service control system according to claim 1, wherein when the customer side system has a plurality of service target machines, the mail server of the service side system transmits an email to one service target machine which is a representative machine, and the representative machine transfers the email to other service target machines.

3. The service control system according to claim 1, wherein the service side system receives an order of a consumable supply selected by the customer side system by including an order item set command as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting, and receives an order of each consumable supply set by the customer side system by including a command to set an order receiver and orderer as the predetermined command.

4. The service control system according to claim 1, wherein the service side system receives registration of customer information of the service target machine by including a command to set device information as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting, acquires history information of conducted maintenance by including a command to acquire device maintenance history as the predetermined command, and acquires a log/list concerning the service target machine by including a command to acquire each log/list of the device as the predetermined command.

5. The service control system according to claim 1, wherein the service side system acquires a counter value of an operation which can be a target of charging by including a command to acquire each counter information as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting.

6. The service control system according to claim 1, wherein the service side system updates various programs of the service target machine by including a command to rewrite firmware or a command to rewrite an application software installed in the device as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting.

7. The service control system according to claim 1, wherein the service side system acquires a value of an adjustment code of the service target machine by including a command to read a value of each adjustment code as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting, and sets a value of the adjustment code of the service target machine to a new value by including a command to set a value of each adjustment code as the predetermined command.

8. The service control system according to claim 1, wherein the service side system acquires a result of testing each part of the device by including a test result command of the device as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting.

9. The service control system according to claim 1, wherein the service side system acquires information of all the service target machines by including a command to back up all information of the device as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting.

10. The service control system according to claim 1, wherein the service target machine converts a problem into an XML data format and transmits a first email to the service side system when the problem occurs, and reads data included in a second email and solves the problem based on the data upon receiving the second email returned from the service side system.

11. A computer program which controls a service side system, wherein the computer program converts set data relative to the service target machine into XML data and edits it by a service client terminal,

transmits to the customer side system, by a mail server, an email concerning service setting including the set data, and

remotely manages the service target machine by including a predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting.

12. The computer program on the service side according to claim 11, wherein the computer program receives an order of a consumable supply selected by the customer side system by including an order item set command as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting, and receives an order of each consumable supply set by the customer side system by including a command to set an order receiver and an orderer as the predetermined command.

13. The computer program of the service side system according to claim 11, wherein the computer program receives registration of customer information of the service target machine by including a command to set device information as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting, acquires history information of conducted maintenance by including a command to acquire a device maintenance history as the predetermined command, and acquires a log/list concerning the service target machine by including a command to acquire each log/list of the device as the predetermined command.

14. The computer program of the service side system according to claim 11, wherein the computer program acquires a counter value of an operation which can be a target of charging by including a command to acquire each counter information as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting.

15. The computer program of the service side system according to claim 11, wherein the computer program updates various programs of the service target machine by including a command to rewrite firmware as the predetermined command or a command to rewrite application software installed in the device in the email concerning the service setting.

16. The computer program of the service side system according to claim 11, wherein the computer program acquires a value of an adjustment code of the service target machine by including a command to read a value of each adjustment code as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting, and sets a value of the adjustment code of the service target machine to a new value by including a command to set a value of each adjustment code as the predetermined code.

17. The computer program of the service side system according to claim 11, the computer program acquires a result of testing each part of the service target machine by including a command of a test result of the device as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting.

18. The computer program of the service side system according to claim 11, wherein the computer program acquires information of all the service target machines by including a command to back up all information of the devices as the predetermined command in the email concerning the service setting.

19. A computer program which controls a customer side system, wherein the computer program converts a problem into an XML data format and transmits a first email to a service side system when the problem occurs, and

reads data included in a second email upon receiving the second email returned from the service side system,

thereby coping with the problem based on the data.