Control appartus of copying machine with improved communication function for centralized control

• US 5,491,535 A
• Filed: 01/28/1994
• Issued: 02/13/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Maekawa, Kazunobu, Hirata, Sumiaki, Nagata, Kenzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Grimley, A. T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ramirez, Nestor R.
• Application Number:
  US08/188,121
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 355/202, 355/203, 355/204, 355/205, 355/206, 355/207, 355/208, 379/100, 379/92, 379/106, 379/107, 379/104
• US Class Current: 399/8
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5079 for maintenance

Abstract

A copying machine control system in accordance with the present invention includes a control terminal collecting data about a copying machine and a centralized control unit collecting data from the control terminal. The centralized control unit includes a first timer device for counting the present time, and a transmitting device for transmitting the present time counted by the first timer device as the present time data. The control terminal includes a first receiving device for receiving the data from the copying machine, a second timer device for counting the present time, a communication device for communicating with the centralized control unit on the basis of the data received by the first receiving device when the present time counted by the second timer device comes to a predetermined time, a second receiving device for receiving the present time data from the transmitting device of the centralized control unit, and a correcting device for correcting the present time counted by the second timer device on the basis of the present time data received by the second receiving device.

Claims

1. A control apparatus collecting data related to a copying machine and communicating with a centralized control unit on the basis of the collected data, comprising:

communication means for calling said centralized control unit;

first control means for operating said communication means when a predetermined transmission condition is satisfied, said predetermined transmission condition including one with high priority and one with low priority;

determining means for determining that connection with said centralized control unit can not be made in spite of activation of said communication means;

differentiating means for differentiating priority of said predetermined transmission condition;

setting means for setting a retransmission time in response to outputs of said determination means and differentiating means, said setting means, when the priority of the predetermined transmission condition is low, setting a retransmission time in transmission permitting time periods excluding transmission forbidding time periods which are provided at predetermined time intervals, each of said transmission forbidding time periods being longer than a time period required for communication with said centralized control unit;

timer means for counting the present time; and

second control means for operating said communication means again when the counted present time comes to the retransmission time.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transmission condition with low priority is satisfied when the counted present time comes to a predetermined time set in advance.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said high priority transmission condition is satisfied when a trouble occurs.

4. A controlling apparatus collecting data related to a copying machine and communicating with a centralized control unit on the basis of the collected data, comprising:

communication means for calling said centralized control unit when a predetermined transmission condition is satisfied, said predetermined transmission condition including one with high priority and one with low priority;

timer means for counting the present time;

determining means for determining whether the counted present time is in a first time period in which activation of said communication means is permitted when the priority of said transmission condition is high, or the counted present time is in a second time period in which activation of said communication means is permitted when the priority of said predetermined transmission condition is low;

differentiating means for differentiating the priority of said predetermined transmission condition; and

controlling means for activating the communication means in response to outputs of said determining means and differentiating means.

5. The controlling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said predetermined transmission condition with low priority is satisfied when the counted present time comes to a predetermined time set in advance.

6. The controlling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said predetermined transmission condition with high priority is satisfied when a trouble occurs.

7. The controlling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said first time period and second time period alternately exist.

8. The controlling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said first time period and said second time period exist for every predetermined time, respectively.

9. The controlling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the lengths of said first time period and second time period are longer than times required for communication for one time between said controlling apparatus and said centralized control unit, respectively.

10. A controlling apparatus collecting data related to a copying machine and communicating with a centralized control unit on the basis of the collected data, comprising:

communication means for calling said centralized control unit;

first control means for activating said communication means when a predetermined transmission condition is satisfied, said predetermined transmission condition including one with high priority and one with low priority;

determining means for determining that connection with said centralized control unit can not be made in spite of activation of said communication means;

differentiating means for differentiating the priority of said predetermined transmission condition;

setting means for setting a retransmission time in response to outputs of said determining means and differentiating means, said setting means setting a retransmission time in a predetermined permittable condition according to the priority of the predetermined transmission condition;

timer means for counting the present time;

second controlling means for operating said communication means again when the counted present time comes to the retransmission time;

counting means for counting the number of times of retransmission of the communication means by said second controlling means;

deciding means for deciding that said counted number of times of retransmission exceeds a predetermined number of times; and

third controlling means for changing said predetermined permittable condition in response to an output of said deciding means.

11. The controlling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said transmission condition with low priority is satisfied when the counted present time comes to a predetermined time set in advance.

12. The controlling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said transmission condition with high priority is satisfied when a trouble occurs.

13. The controlling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said setting means sets a retransmission time on the basis of a random number.

14. A controlling apparatus collecting data related to a copying machine and communicating with a centralized control unit on the basis of the collected data, comprising:

communication means for calling said centralized control unit;

detecting means for detecting that a condition of said copying machine is abnormal on the basis of the data from said copying machine;

counting means for counting the number of copies made after the condition of said copying machine is detected to be abnormal by said detecting means;

first deciding means for deciding that a counted value of said counting means attains a predetermined value;

timer means for counting the present time;

second deciding means for deciding that the counted present time comes to a predetermined time; and

controlling means for controlling said communication means to call the centralized control unit in response to outputs from any one of the first and second deciding means.

15. A copying machine controlling system including a control terminal for collecting data related to a copying machine and a centralized control unit for collecting the data from said control terminal, wherein

said control terminal comprises;

communication means for calling said centralized control unit,

timer means for counting a present time,

storing means for storing a predetermined time Specified by said centralized control unit,

first control means for operating said communication means when the counted present time comes to the predetermined time stored in said storing means,

determining means for determining that connection with said centralized control unit can not be made in spite of activation of said communication means,

setting means for setting a retransmission time in response to an output of said determining means,

second control means for operating said communication means again when the counted present time comes to the retransmission time,

counting means for counting the number of times of retransmission of said communication means by said second control means, and

first transmitting means for transmitting said counted number of times of retransmission to said centralized control unit, and

said centralized control unit comprises;

receiving means for receiving the number of times of retransmission transmitted from said first transmitting means of said control terminal,

specifying means for specifying a next predetermined time for communication of the control terminal with the centralized control unit, said next predetermined time being specified based on the number of times of retransmission received by said receiving means, and second transmitting means for transmitting said specified next predetermined time to said control terminal.

16. The copying machine controlling system according to claim 15, wherein said specifying means of said centralized control unit judges whether or not the number of times of retransmission exceeds a predetermined threshold value and specifies a next predetermined time changed from the present predetermined time when the number of times of retransmission exceeds the predetermined threshold value.

17. The copying machine controlling system according to claim 15, wherein said first control means of said control terminal sets a transmission flag which represents a condition to communicate with said centralized control unit when the counted present time comes to the predetermined time, and resets the transmission flag only when connection with said centralized control unit is made.

18. The copying machine controlling system according to claim 15, wherein said control terminal comprises:

clearing means for clearing the number of times of retransmission counted by said counting means after said first transmission means transmits said counted number of times of retransmission.

19. A copying machine control system including a plurality of control terminals collecting data about each of a plurality of copying machines, and a centralized control unit for collecting the data from said control terminals, wherein

said each control terminal comprises;

first timer means for counting a present time,

communication means for calling said centralized control unit, and

first storing means for storing a predetermined time specified by said centralized control unit,

control means for operating said communication means when the counted present time comes to the predetermined time stored in said first storing means, and

counting means for counting a number of times said communication means attempts to call said centralized control unit, wherein said control means provides said counted number of times to said communication means for transmission to said centralized control unit, and

said centralized control unit comprises;

second timer means for counting the present time,

detecting means for detecting if a control terminal does not make communication when the counted present time comes to the specified predetermined time,

changing means for changing the predetermined time stored in said storing means for the control terminal detected by said detecting means based, at least in part, on said counted number of times, and

transmitting means for transmitting the changed predetermined time to the corresponding control terminal.

20. A copying machine control system including a plurality of control terminals collecting data about a plurality of copying machines, respectively, and a centralized control unit for collecting the data from said control terminals, wherein

said each control terminal comprises;

first timer means for counting a present time,

communication means for calling said centralized control unit,

first storing means for storing a predetermined time specified by said centralized control unit,

control means for operating said communication means when the present time comes to the predetermined time stored in the storing means, and

counting means for counting a number of times said communication means attempts to call said centralized control unit, wherein said control means provides said counted number of times to said communication means for transmission to said centralized control unit, and

said centralized control unit comprises;

second timer means for counting the present time,

second storing means for storing a predetermined time specified for each control terminal,

detecting means for detecting if a control terminal fails to communicate with the centralized control unit when the counted present time comes to the specified predetermined time,

calculating means for calculating the frequency of detected failures for each control terminal,

changing means for changing the predetermined time stored in said second storing means for each of the control terminals based on one of the corresponding frequency calculated by the calculating means and the counted number of time, and

transmitting means for transmitting the changed predetermined time to each control terminal.

21. The copying machine control system according to claim 20, wherein said changing means of said centralized control unit changes a predetermined time specified for a corresponding control terminal into a different time period when the frequency calculated by said calculating means at the specified predetermined time is higher than a predetermined value.

22. A centralized control unit for collecting data from a plurality of control terminals each collecting data of each of a plurality of copying machines, comprising:

timer means for counting a present time;

storing means for storing a predetermined time at which each of the control terminals should make communication to said centralized control unit;

receiving means for receiving a counted number of retransmission attempts by a control terminal;

detecting means for detecting if said control terminal fails to communicate with the centralized control unit when the counted present time comes to a predetermined time;

calculating means for calculating for each control terminal the frequency of detected failures;

changing means for changing the predetermined time stored in said storing means for each of the control terminals according to one of said calculated frequency and said counted number of time; and

transmitting means for transmitting the changed predetermined time to each control terminal.