Maintenance system for image processing device, image processing device, maintenance information display method for image processing device, storage medium, and computer data signal

• US 20070067681A1
• Filed: 09/19/2006
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tajima, Yukio, Takada, Makoto, Kirihara, Kazuko, Hikawa, Yuji, Suzuki, Takahiko, Yagi, Hiroshi, Kamiya, Satoshi, Yoshimura, Tomokazu
• Application Number:
  US11/523,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00464 using browsers, i.e. interfaces based on mark-up languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

There is provided a maintenance system including a maintenance server that provides maintenance information and an image processing device that has at least one of copy, print, facsimile and scan functions and which, upon detection of a maintenance event upon which a maintenance process to be carried out with respect to the image processing device, accesses the maintenance server, acquires from the maintenance server maintenance information indicating a maintenance process corresponding to the detected maintenance event, and displays the acquired maintenance information on a display.

Claims

1. A maintenance system, comprising:

a maintenance server that provides maintenance information; and

an image processing device that has at least one of copy, print, facsimile and scan functions and which, upon detection of a maintenance event upon which a maintenance process to be carried out with respect to the image processing device, accesses the maintenance server, acquires from the maintenance server maintenance information indicating a maintenance process corresponding to the detected maintenance event, and displays the acquired maintenance information on a display.

2. The maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein, upon detection as the maintenance event occurrence of a failure to the image processing device, the image processing device acquires from the maintenance server maintenance information indicating a process to be carried out to cope with the failure and displays the acquired maintenance information.

3. The maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein, upon detection as the maintenance event of consumption of consumables used by the image processing device, the image processing device acquires maintenance information indicating a process to be carried out to prepare or exchange the consumables from the maintenance server and displays the acquired maintenance information.

4. The maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein, upon detection as the maintenance event of shift to a maintenance mode, the image processing device acquires maintenance information indicating a maintenance process to be carried out in the maintenance mode from the maintenance server and displays the acquired maintenance information.

5. The maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein the image processing device has a web browser function, the maintenance server has a web server function, and upon detection of the maintenance event, the image processing device obtains or creates a URL which contains an address of the maintenance server and a string corresponding to the detected maintenance event, accesses the maintenance server on the basis of the URL, acquires a web page corresponding to the URL from the maintenance server, and displays the acquired web page.

6. The maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance server is connected to a plurality of image processing devices, and the maintenance server collects information concerning a failure or consumption of consumables from the plurality of image processing devices, gathers statistics concerning the failure or service lives of the consumables on the basis of the collected information, and causes each of the image processing devices to display information on the basis of a result of the statistics.

7. The maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein, when acquiring the maintenance information from the maintenance server, the image processing device downloads and executes, upon necessity, at least one of a test program, a test pattern, and firmware from the maintenance server.

8. The maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein, when accessing the maintenance server, the image processing device sends a parameter concerning the image processing device to the maintenance server, and the maintenance server sends maintenance information corresponding to the received parameter to the image processing device.

9. The maintenance system according to claim 8, wherein the parameter concerning the image processing device includes at least one of a model name, a region code, a serial number, a firmware version, a meter value for monochrome printing, a meter value for color printing, a set value of an operation parameter, and output values of a variety of sensors.

10. An image processing device that has at least one of copy, print, facsimile and scan functions, comprising:

a maintenance event detector that detects a maintenance event upon which a maintenance process ought to be carried out with respect to the image processing device;

an address holder that holds an address on a network, of a maintenance server to be accessed when the maintenance event is detected; and

a maintenance information acquirer that accesses, upon detection of the maintenance event by the maintenance event detector, a maintenance server specified by the address held in the address holder, acquires maintenance information indicating a maintenance process corresponding to the maintenance event detected from the maintenance server, and displays the maintenance information on a display.

11. The image processing device according to claim 10, wherein upon detection as the maintenance event of a failure occurring the image processing device, maintenance information indicating a process to be carried out to cope with the failure is acquired from the maintenance server and displayed.

12. A method for displaying maintenance information in an image processing device that has at least one of copy, print, facsimile and scan functions, comprising:

detecting a maintenance event upon which a maintenance process to be carried out with respect to the image processing device;

upon detection of the maintenance event, accessing the maintenance server;

acquiring from the maintenance server maintenance information indicating a maintenance process corresponding to the detected maintenance event; and

displaying the acquired maintenance information on a display.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising, upon detection as the maintenance event of a failure occurring in the image processing device, acquiring maintenance information indicating a process to be carried out to cope with the failure from the maintenance server and displaying the acquired maintenance information on the display.

14. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for displaying maintenance information in an image processing device that has at least one of copy, print, facsimile and scan functions, the process comprising:

detecting a maintenance event upon which a maintenance process to be carried out with respect to the image processing device;

upon detection of the maintenance event, accessing the maintenance server;

acquiring from the maintenance server maintenance information indicating a maintenance process corresponding to the detected maintenance event; and

displaying the maintenance information acquired on a display.

15. The medium according to claim 14, the process further comprising, upon detection as the maintenance event of a failure occurring in the image processing device, acquiring maintenance information indicating a process to be carried out to cope with the failure from the maintenance server and displaying the acquired maintenance information.

16. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for enabling a computer to perform a process for displaying maintenance information on an image processing device that has at least one of copy, print, facsimile and scan functions, comprising:

detecting a maintenance event upon which a maintenance process to be carried out with respect to the image processing device;

upon detection of the maintenance event, accessing the maintenance server;

acquiring from the maintenance server maintenance information indicating a maintenance process corresponding to the detected maintenance event; and

displaying the acquired maintenance information on a display.

17. The signal according to claim 16, the process further comprising

upon detection as the maintenance event of a failure occurring in the image processing device, acquiring maintenance information indicating a process to be carried out to cope with the failure from the maintenance server and displaying the acquired maintenance information.