Apparatus, method, and system for detecting a state of an apparatus

• US 20060294252A1
• Filed: 06/14/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Shimizu, Hitoshi, Satoh, Osamu, Nakazato, Yasushi, Oku, Takenori, Shoji, Hisashi, Hoshino, Seiji, Sawada, Masaichi, Tsukude, Noboru
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

An apparatus, method, system, computer program, and product, each capable of detecting a state of an apparatus. The apparatus includes a plurality of devices. When at least one of the plurality of devices is determined to be in a first state, a second state of at least one of the plurality of devices is determined. When a state of the apparatus is determined to be in the first state, the second state of another apparatus is determined.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a state of an apparatus including a plurality of devices, the method comprising:

first obtaining first information of a first selected device, the first selected device being at least one of the plurality of devices of the apparatus;

first determining whether the first selected device is in a first state based on the first information to generate a first determination result;

second obtaining second information of a second selected device when the first determination result indicates that the first selected device is in the first state, the second selected device being at least one of the plurality of devices, which is not determined to be in the first state in the first determining; and

second determining whether the second selected device is in a second state based on the second information to generate a second determination result.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting at least one of the first determination result and the second determination result.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

outputting notice information, which corresponds to the first determination result or the second determination result.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first determining comprises comparing the first information with a first threshold value;

and

wherein the second determining comprises comparing the second information with a second threshold value, which is set to a higher criteria than the first threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second information corresponds to future information obtained from the first information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information corresponds to first abnormality information indicating the difference between current state data and first normal state data, and wherein the second information corresponds to second abnormality information indicating the difference between the current state data and second normal state data, with the second normal state data being set to a higher criteria than the first normal state data.

21. A computer readable medium storing computer instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

7. A method for detecting a state of at least one of a plurality of apparatuses connected via a network, the method comprising:

first obtaining first information of a first selected apparatus, the first selected apparatus being at least one of the plurality of apparatuses;

first determining whether the first selected apparatus is in a first state based on the first information to generate a first determination result;

second obtaining second information of a second selected apparatus when a result of the first determining indicates that the first selected apparatus is in the first state, the second selected apparatus being at least one of the plurality of apparatuses, which is located in a region where the first selected device is located; and

second determining whether the second selected device is in a second state based on the second information to generate a second determination result.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

outputting notice information, which corresponds to at least one of the first determination result and the second determination result.

22. A computer readable medium storing computer instructions for performing the method of claim 7.

9. A state detecting apparatus, comprising:

means for obtaining first information of a first selected device, the first selected device being a plurality of elements of the state detecting apparatus;

means for generating a first determination result indicating whether the first selected device is in a first state, by comparing the first information with a first threshold value;

means for outputting the first determination result;

means for obtaining second information of the first selected device; and

means for outputting the second information.

10. A state detecting apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of image forming devices;

a plurality of sensors configured to obtain various information of at least one of the plurality of image forming devices; and

a controller configured to determine whether at least one of the plurality of image forming devices is in a first state by comparing at least one of the various information with a first threshold value to generate a first determination result, and to determine whether the at least one of the plurality of image forming devices is in a second state by comparing at least one of the various information with a second threshold value to generate a second determination result when the first determination result indicates that the at least one of the plurality of image forming devices is in the first state.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first threshold value and the second threshold value is obtained from an external device.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

an input device configured to set at least one of the first threshold value and the second threshold value; and

an output device configured to output notice information corresponding to at least one of the first determination result and the second determination result.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a network interface configured to send at least one of the various information, the first determination result, and the second determination result to a network.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second threshold value is set according to a notification sent from an external apparatus via the network.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to identify whether one or more external apparatuses are connected to the apparatus via a local network, when the network interface receives notification from the network.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to determine, when the connected one or more external apparatuses are identified, whether at least one of the connected one or more external apparatuses is in the second state.

17. A system for detecting a state of an apparatus, comprising:

a first apparatus, including a plurality of devices, and configured to obtain various information regarding the plurality of devices and to determine whether at least one of the plurality of devices is in a first state using at least one of the various information to generate a first determination result; and

a second apparatus configured to obtain, when the second apparatus is connected to the first apparatus via a network, at least one of the various information from the first apparatus and to determine whether at the least one of the plurality of devices of the first apparatus is in a second state by comparing the at least one of the various information with a threshold value to generate a second determination result.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first apparatus is further configured to send notification to the second apparatus via the network when the first determination result indicates that the at least one of the plurality of devices is in the first state.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second apparatus is further configured to change the threshold value when the notification is received from the first apparatus.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

an output apparatus configured to output, when the output apparatus is connected to at least one of the first apparatus and the second apparatus via the network, at least one of the first determination result and the second determination result.