Equipment control unit

• US 5,894,416 A
• Filed: 02/17/1995
• Issued: 04/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kuroyanagi, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Elmore, Reba I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland, Steven R.
• Application Number:
  US08/391,839
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 364/132, 364/138, 364/479, 364/130, 364/131, 364/479.01-479.09, 364/479.11, 364/479.14, 364/184, 340/825.31, 340/825.34, 340/825.35, 355/200, 355/202, 355/206, 355/209, 355/308, 358/404, 358/406, 358/434-440, 358/444, 358/468, 379/93, 379/95, 379/100, 379/106, 379/102.02, 399/8, 399/1, 399/11, 399/81
• US Class Current: 700/9
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5075 Remote control machines, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23304 Download program from host

Abstract

An equipment control unit is composed of storage means for storing a control data for controlling an equipment, control means for controlling the equipment based on the control data stored in the storage means, and communication means for communicating with a centralized control system for making the centralized control for a plurality of equipments. The control means rewrites the control data stored in the storage means with a received control data when it receives the control data from the centralized control system.

Claims

1. An equipment control unit for controlling a local apparatus, said equipment control unit comprising:

storage means for storing control data for controlling a local operation of the local apparatus;

control means connected to said storage means for controlling the local apparatus in accordance with the control data stored in said storage means;

communication means connected to said storage means and said control means for communicating with a remote centralized control system that performs centralized control for the local apparatus and a plurality of other corresponding apparatus; and

rewrite means for permitting the rewrite of the control data, said rewrite means comprising a reset circuit connected to a power supply circuit of said control means providing a control voltage, said reset circuit resetting said control means with a threshold voltage of the control voltage arising when power for said control means is turned on so that the rewrite of said storage means is permitted,

wherein, when said rewrite means permits rewrite of the control data, said control means rewrites the control data stored in said storage means with received corresponding control data when said communication means receives the corresponding control data from said centralized control system.

2. An equipment control unit for controlling a local apparatus, said equipment control unit comprising:

communication means for communicating with a remote centralized control system that performs centralized control for the local apparatus and a plurality of other corresponding apparatus;

storage means connected to said communication means for storing control data for controlling a local operation of the local apparatus and operation of said communication means;

control means connected to said communication means and said storage means for controlling the communication means in accordance with the control data stored in said storage means; and

rewrite means for permitting the rewrite of the control data, said rewrite means comprising a reset circuit connected to a power supply circuit of said control means providing a control voltage thereto, said reset circuit resetting said control means with a threshold voltage of the control voltage arising when power for said control means is turned on so that the rewrite of said storage means is permitted,

wherein, when said rewrite means permits rewrite of the control data, said control means rewrites the control data stored in said storage means with received corresponding control data when said communication means receives the corresponding control data from said centralized control system.

3. A method for controlling a local apparatus using an equipment control unit, comprising the steps of:

storing control data for controlling a local operation of the local apparatus;

controlling the local apparatus in accordance with the control data using a control means in the equipment control unit;

performing communication between the equipment control unit and a remote centralized control system that performs centralized control for the local apparatus and a plurality of other corresponding apparatus; and

permitting rewrite of the stored control data with corresponding control data received from the remote centralized control system during said performing communication step by resetting the control means with a threshold voltage of a control voltage arising when power for the control means is turned on to permit rewrite of the stored control data.

4. A method for controlling a local apparatus using an equipment control unit, comprising the steps of:

performing communication, using a communication means, between an equipment control unit and a remote centralized control system that performs centralized control for the local apparatus and a plurality of other corresponding apparatus;

storing control data for controlling a local operation of the local apparatus and operation of the communication means;

controlling the communication means in accordance with control data stored in said storing step using a control means; and

permitting the rewrite of the stored control data with corresponding control data received from the centralized control system during the performing communication step by providing a control voltage to the control means by a power supply circuit and resetting the control means with a threshold voltage of the control voltage arising when the power for the control means is turned on so that the rewrite of the storage means is permitted.

5. A communication apparatus for transmitting data including control data inputted from a local apparatus to a host computer, said communication apparatus comprising:

communication means for making data communication with the host computer;

storage means for storing data;

control means for controlling said communication means in accordance with the data stored in said storage means;

generating means for generating an initialization signal;

initializing means for initializing a specific area in said storage means in response to the initialization signal generated by said generating means; and

permission and inhibition means for permitting storing of the data to said storage means by the host computer in response to the generation of the initialization signal by said generating means, and for inhibiting storing of the data after the storing of the data has once been performed unless the initialization signal is newly generated by said generating means.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the local apparatus is an image forming apparatus that forms images on a sheet.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is a copying machine.

8. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the data is a calling number of the host computer.

9. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the data is a password.

10. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the data is an ID of the local apparatus.

11. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the initialization signal is a reset pulse.

12. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said generating means generates the initialization signal when a power source of said communication apparatus is turned on.

13. An image forming apparatus for forming images on a sheet and transmitting data including control data thereof, said image forming apparatus comprising:

communication means for making communication of data with a host computer;

storage means for storing data;

control means for controlling said communication means in accordance with the data stored in said storage means;

generating means for generating an initialization signal;

initializing means for initializing a specific area in said storage means in response to the initialization signal generated by said generating means; and

permission and inhibition means for permitting storing of the data to said storage means by the host computer in response to the generation of the initialization signal by said generating means, and for inhibiting storing of the data after the storing of the data has once been performed unless the initialization signal is newly generated by said generating means.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said image forming apparatus is a copying machine.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the data is a calling number of the host computer.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the data is a password.

17. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the data is an ID of said image forming apparatus.

18. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the initialization signal is a reset pulse.

19. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said generating means generates the initialization signal when a power source is turned on.

20. A communication method for communicating data including control data between a local apparatus and a host computer, said method comprising the steps of:

controlling data communication in accordance with data stored in a storage means;

initializing a specific area in said storage means in response to a generation of an initialization signal; and

permitting storing of the data to the storage means by the host computer in response to the generation of the initialization signal, and inhibiting storing of the data after the storing of the data has once been performed unless the initialization signal is newly generated.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the local apparatus is an image forming apparatus that forms images on a sheet.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the image forming apparatus is a copying machine.

23. A method according to claim 20, wherein the data is a calling number of the host computer.

24. A method according to claim 20, wherein the data is a password.

25. A method according to claim 20, wherein the data is an ID of the local apparatus.

26. A method according to claim 20, wherein the initialization signal is a reset pulse.

27. A method according to claim 20, wherein the initialization signal is generated when a power source is turned on.