Office machine that can be remote-maintenanced via a computer network and a management or/and support or/and report or/and information system comprising a plurality of office machines

• US 20040100650A1
• Filed: 09/17/2003
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Germany Imaging Systems GmbH (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Germany Imaging Systems GmbH (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Landau, Dirk, Antziopoulos, Philipp
• Granted Patent: US 7,355,730 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5079 for maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002

Abstract

The invention relates to an office machine that comprises an electronic control unit and a data communication interface, wherein internal data of the office machine can be read via the data communication interface and internal data of the office machine can be input. According to the invention, the office machine (10) is associated with a computer unit (20) that is or can be connected to a computer network (24) and that can access internal data of the office machine. Said computer unit is further adapted to allow read-out of internal data of the office machine via the computer network or/and input of internal data of the office machine via the computer network.

Claims

1. A system comprising a plurality of office machines (10, 12, 14, 16, 18) and at least one servicing computer unit (26), wherein the particular office machine comprises an electronic control unit and a data communication interface, wherein internal data of the office machine may be read out and internal data of the office machine are settable via the data communication interface, wherein a computer unit (20) is assigned to each of the office machines (10), which computer unit is capable of accessing internal data of the office machine and is designed to permit reading out of internal data of the particular office machine and setting of internal data of the office machine at least by data communication over a computer network, wherein the computer units (20) assigned to the office machines and the servicing computer unit (26) are in each case connected or connectable to a computer network (24) and are designed such that the servicing computer unit (26) can read out internal data of the office machine by data communication over the computer network and that internal data of the office machine can be set by the servicing computer unit (26) by data communication over the computer network and/or internal operating software or firmware can be updated,

and wherein the servicing computer unit (226a) comprises evaluation functionality for the automated evaluation of internal data which have been read out from the office machines and reporting functionality for the automated provision of report data and of reports based on the report data to a user interface on the basis of the data which have been read out and of the evaluation or evaluations performed, wherein at least one of the following evaluations proceeds automatically and corresponding report data are automatically provided:

preparation of user statistics,

preparation of cost evaluations,

preparation of information about services provided broken down by the particular office machine and by the assigned cost centres,

statistical evaluation of error messages and machine failures which occur,

analysis of office machine capacity utilisation, and wherein the servicing computer unit (226a) comprises notification functionality for the automated provision and optional dispatch of data relating to preventive and/or acute servicing operations on at least one of the office machines and/or of messages by data communication and/or telecommunication to at least one assigned communication device and/or at least one assigned further computer unit.

2. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that the particular computer unit (20) is designed to query internal data of the office machine (10) in accordance with a predetermined query scheme and/or to transfer report data based on the queried data to an assigned data communication address in accordance with a predetermined reporting scheme.

3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the particular computer unit (20) comprises web server functionality or is configured or configurable as a web server.

4. A system according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the computer network includes the Internet (24) and/or an intranet.

5. A system according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the computer network includes a LAN (22) or WAN.

6. A system according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the particular electronic control unit constitutes the computer unit and the data communication interface takes the form of a computer network data communication interface or that the computer unit (20) has its own computer network data communication interface.

7. A system according to claim 6, characterised in that the particular computer unit (20) is connected or connectable to the data communication interface of the office machine (10).

8. A system according to claim 7, characterised in that the data communication interface of the particular office machine comprises a serial interface and/or a parallel interface and/or an Ethernet interface.

9. A system according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the particular office machine takes the form of a copier (10) and/or printer and/or fax machine and/or scanner or, in the case of a multifunction device, has corresponding functionalities.

10. A system according to claim 9, characterised in that concerning the particular office machine at least some of the following internal data may be read out over the computer network (24):

serial number of the device and/or at least one internal component of the device,

counter reading of a total counter assigned to all paper sources and/or duplicating units of the device,

at least one counter reading of a servicing counter and/or accounts counter and/or at least one other counter, optionally at least one counter reading assigned to an individual paper source of the device and/or at least one counter reading assigned to an individual duplicating unit of the device,

error messages and/or other status data

configuration data

operating software or firmware version.

11. A system according to claim 9 or 10, characterised in that at least configuration data of the particular device are settable and/or at least one counter is resettable over the computer network (24).

12. A system according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterised in that internal operating software or firmware of the particular office machine can be updated over the computer network (24).

13. A system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the data communication for reading out or setting the internal data can be initiated over the computer network (24) by an assigned, optionally external servicing computer unit (26).

14. A system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the servicing computer unit (226a) is in communication with computer units (20, 20′

, 20″

) which are assigned to a first group (210;

210a) of office machines (10, 10′

, 10″

) and that the servicing computer unit (226a) is in communication over a second computer network with computer units (20, 20′

, 20″

) which are assigned to at least one further group (210b, 210c) of office machines.

15. A system according to claim 14, characterised in that the first computer network includes a LAN, WAN or intranet.

16. A system according to claim 14 or 15, characterised in that the second computer network includes the Internet.

17. A system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the assigned further computer unit is assigned to a computer-aided servicing management and/or support and/or reporting system comprising:

a first computer system (126) including the further computer unit, which computer system keeps master data relating to customers and/or machines (10) potentially requiring servicing, for example office machines such as copiers, printers, scanners and fax machines or multifunction devices comprising corresponding functionalities, in a database and into which query data relating to servicing queries can be input;

at least one mobile second computer system (102) which comprises a data communication interface for receiving servicing task data from the first computer system (126) by data communication, in particular by wireless data communication, and for sending report data relating to servicing tasks which have been completed and/or are under way and/or to follow-up servicing tasks and optionally spare parts order data to the first computer system (26) by data communication, in particular by wireless data communication;

wherein, on the basis of the master data and the query data, the first computer system (126) automatically generates servicing task data and transfers the latter to the second computer system (102), optionally initiated by the latter, by data communication and/or wherein the second computer system (102) automatically transfers report data to the first computer system (126) by data communication.

18. A system according to claim 17, characterised in that the notification functionality is designed, as a function of the internal data which have been read out, to input query data relating to servicing queries into the first computer system by means of the further computer unit.

19. A system according to claim 17 or 18, characterised in that the reporting functionality is designed to send report data to the first computer system by means of the further computer unit.

20. An overall system comprising the system according to one of claims 17 to 19 and the computer-aided servicing management and/or support and/or reporting system assigned thereto and mentioned in claim 17.

21. An overall system comprising two or more systems according to one of claims 17 to 19 and a common computer-aided servicing management and/or support and/or reporting system assigned thereto as mentioned in claim 17.

22. An overall system comprising two or more systems according to claim 20 or 21 and a common computer-aided information system assigned thereto comprising at least one computer system which keeps information data relating to office machine models and the servicing thereof in a database for retrieval by and/or for sending to a particular servicing management and/or support and/or reporting system by data communication, and/or which has a functionality for receiving and storing in a database and optionally evaluating report data transferred from the servicing management and/or support and/or reporting system by data communication.

23. A system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the notification functionality is designed, as a function of the internal data which have been read out or of derived data based thereon, to select between two or more assigned communication devices and/or two or more assigned further computer units to which the data and/or messages relating to preventive and/or acute servicing operations on at least one of the office machines are to be provided or sent.

24. A system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the servicing computer unit has a broadcast and/or search functionality which, over the computer network, recognises the assigned office machines by means of the particular assigned computer unit.

25. A system according to claim 24, characterised in that the broadcast and/or search functionality responds to recognition of a particular newly assigned office machine and reads out a predetermined data record of internal data from said office machine over the computer network and processes and/or stores it in a predetermined manner.

26. A method for supporting and/or remotely servicing and/or managing a plurality of office machines and/or for providing information relating to at least one of the office machines, characterised by reading out of internal data of at least one of the office machines and/or setting of internal data of at least one of the office machines by wireless data communication and/or by data communication over a computer network and/or by data communication over a modem connection, and by the use of a system according to one of the preceding claims.