Administrating apparatus for administrating a status of an image forming apparatus

• US 5,561,501 A
• Filed: 12/23/1994
• Issued: 10/01/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Honma, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendegrass, Joan H.
• Application Number:
  US08/363,032
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 355/201, 355/202, 355/204, 355/308, 355/311, 355/209, 377/8, 377/13, 377/15, 377/16
• US Class Current: 399/78
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5066 by using information from an external support, e.g. magnetic card
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5079 for maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/02 Counting the number of copies; Billing
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00092 the support being an IC card

Abstract

An administrating apparatus for administrating an image forming apparatus comprises a first receiving unit for receiving the status information of the image forming apparatus in the serial communication, a second receiving unit for receiving a pulse signal in accordance with the operation of the image forming apparatus, and a count unit for counting for each status indicated by the status information received in accordance with the pulse signal received. The administrating apparatus for administrating the image forming apparatus for each status can be provided with a simple construction.

Claims

1. An administrating apparatus for administrating an image forming apparatus, comprising:

first receiving means for receiving status information of said image forming apparatus, said first receiving means receiving updated status information in accordance with changes in a status of said image forming apparatus;

second receiving means for receiving a pulse signal in accordance with operation of said image forming apparatus; and

count means for counting in accordance with the status information received by said first receiving means and the pulse signal received by said second receiving means, said count means counting for each status indicated by the status information.

2. An administrating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting means for transmitting a count result of said count means to a computer apparatus.

3. An administrating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the status information contains a size a sheet on which said image forming apparatus forms an image.

4. An administrating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the status information includes a mode of said image forming apparatus.

5. An administrating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pulse signal is output singly every time said image forming apparatus operates once.

6. An administrating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first receiving means receives a serial communication.

7. An administrating apparatus for administrating an image forming apparatus, comprising:

first receiving means for receiving status information of said image forming apparatus;

second receiving means for receiving a pulse signal in accordance with the operation of said image forming apparatus; and

count means for counting in accordance with the status information received by said first receiving means and the pulse signal received by said second receiving means,

said first receiving means receiving only updated status information every time the status of said image forming apparatus is changed.

8. An administrating method for administrating an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of:

receiving status information of the image forming apparatus, said receiving step including receiving updated status information in accordance with changes in a status of the image forming apparatus;

receiving a pulse signal in accordance with operation of the image forming apparatus; and

counting in accordance with the status information received and the pulse signal received, said counting step including counting for each status indicated by the status information.

9. An administrating method according to claim 8, further comprising transmitting a count result to a computer apparatus.

10. An administrating method according to claim 8, wherein the status information contains a size of a sheet on which the image forming apparatus forms an image.

11. An administrating method according to claim 8, wherein the status information includes a mode of the image forming apparatus.

12. An administrating method according to claim 8, wherein said status information receiving step includes receiving status information every time the status of the image forming apparatus is changed.

13. An administrating method according to claim 8, wherein the pulse signal is output singly every time the image forming apparatus operates once.

14. An administrating method according to claim 8, wherein the status information receiving step includes receiving a serial communication.

15. An administrating method for administrating an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of:

receiving the status information of said image forming apparatus;

receiving a pulse signal in accordance with the operation of said image forming apparatus; and

counting in accordance with the status information received and the pulse signal received,

said status information receiving step including receiving only updated status information every time the status of said image forming apparatus is changed.

16. An administrating method for administrating an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of:

receiving status information of the image forming apparatus and operation number information of the image forming apparatus for each status;

storing accumulating total information of the operation number for each status of the image forming apparatus; and

updating the accumulating total information stored in accordance with the status information and the operation number information at said receiving step.

17. An administrating method according to claim 16, further including sending the accumulating total information stored to a computer apparatus.

18. An administrating method according to claim 16, wherein the status information contains a size of a sheet on which the image forming apparatus forms an image.

19. An administrating method according to claim 16, wherein the status information includes a mode of the image forming apparatus.

20. An administrating method according to claim 16, wherein said receiving step includes receiving a serial communication.