REMOTE MONITORING SYSTEM, AN AUTOMATIC SETTING APPARATUS FOR SETTING A NEAR-END VALUE FOR MANAGING A CONSUMPTION COMPONENT UTILIZED IN THE REMOTE MONITORING SYSTEM, AND A RECORDING MEDIUM HAVING AN AUTOMATIC SETTING PROGRAM RECORDED THEREON AND READABLE BY A COMPUTER

• US 6,532,435 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2000
• Issued: 03/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Aoshika, Masashi, Sano, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESTA, ELIAS
• Application Number:
  US09/487,497
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 702/188, 705/16, 705/21, 705/73, 709/222, 709/224, 709/223, 709/227, 709/245, 709/250, 370/254
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A remote monitoring system includes an object apparatus and a monitoring apparatus monitoring a current state of the object apparatus over a communications network. The object apparatus includes a state information reporting unit reporting information about the current state of the object apparatus, and a test data generating unit generating test data and controlling the state information reporting unit to output the test data to the monitoring apparatus via the communications network. The monitoring apparatus includes a test data returning unit returning the test data back to the object apparatus via the communications network so that the test data generating unit of the object apparatus compares the returned test data with the test data generated by the test generating unit to discriminate whether the state information reporting unit is in condition for normal reporting.

Claims

1. A remote monitoring system, comprising:

an object apparatus to be monitored; and

a monitoring apparatus, installed remotely from said object apparatus in said remote monitoring system, monitoring a current state of said object apparatus over a communications network;

said object apparatus comprising

a state information reporting unit reporting information about the current state of said object apparatus via the communications network, and

a test data generating unit, responsive to a start-up of said object apparatus when said object apparatus is introduced into or moved within said remote monitoring system, generating test data and controlling said state information reporting unit to output the test data to said monitoring apparatus via the communications network;

said monitoring apparatus comprising

a test data returning unit returning the test data back to said object apparatus via the communications network so that said test data generating unit of said object apparatus compares the returned test data with the test data from said test generating unit to discriminate whether said state information reporting unit is in condition for normal reporting when the return test data is same as the test data from said test generating unit.

2. The remote monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the test data generated by said test data generating unit comprises inherent information of said object apparatus and location information about a location where introduction, movement or removal of said object apparatus has taken place, said location information being attached to the test data before the test data is output to said monitoring apparatus.

3. The remote monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein said monitoring apparatus further comprises

an extracting unit extracting said inherent information and said location information out of the test data received from said object apparatus via the communications network as introduction information, movement information, or removal information of said object apparatus;

a location information storage section storing said introduction information, said movement information, or said removal information extracted by said extracting unit; and

a location information managing unit managing said introduction information, said movement information, or said removal information stored in said location information storage section.

4. The remote monitoring system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a relaying apparatus relaying the test data from said object apparatus to the communications network, said relaying apparatus comprising

a location information attaching unit attaching said location information to the test data before the test data is forwarded via the communications network to said monitoring apparatus.

5. The remote monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said object apparatus further comprises

an operation unit inputting a start instruction to start up said test data generating unit and inherent information of said object apparatus when said object apparatus is introduced or moved.

6. The remote monitoring system according to claim 5, wherein said operation unit of said object apparatus has a discrimination notifying function notifying an operator of said object apparatus of a result of discrimination from said test data generating unit as to whether said state information reporting unit is in condition for normal reporting.

7. The remote monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein said location information managing unit of said monitoring apparatus comprises

a display section displaying a state of installation of said object apparatus based on said introduction information, said movement information, or said removal information, as a location management screen.

8. The remote monitoring system according to claim 7, wherein said location information managing unit of said monitoring apparatus comprises

a location change updating unit dynamically updating said location management screen displayed on said display section in accordance with said introduction information, said movement information, or said removal information.

9. The remote monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein said location information managing unit of said monitoring apparatus comprises

a pooled information display unit displaying, in addition to said location management screen, a pooled information screen showing said introduction information, said movement information, or said removal information of said object apparatus, to notify an operator of said monitoring apparatus that the introduction, movement, or removal of said object apparatus has taken place, before said location management screen is updated in accordance with said introduction information, said movement information, or said removal information by said location change updating unit.

10. The remote monitoring system according to claim 9, wherein said location change updating unit updates said location management screen of said display section in accordance with said introduction information, said movement information, or said removal information as selected or designated on said pooled information screen.

11. The remote monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein said location change updating unit displays, in said location management screen, a state of installation of said object apparatus, which is related with said introduction information, said movement information or said removal information, in a fashion other than that in which the state of installation of said object apparatus has currently been displayed in said location management screen, before updating of said location management screen in accordance with said introduction information, said movement information and said removal information is executed.

12. The remote monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein if said introduction information, movement information, or removal information have the same inherent information as that of said object apparatus, which is contained in said introduction information, said movement information or said removal information before said location management screen is updated and stored in said location information storing unit, said location change updating unit

judges that said object apparatus having said inherent information has been moved, and

deletes the display of the original location of said object apparatus on said location management screen to update said location management screen with respect to a state of movement of said object apparatus.

13. The remote monitoring system according to claim 12, wherein said location change updating unit displays, on said location management screen, a schedule to remove said object apparatus from its original location of movement, before deleting on said location management screen the display relating to said object apparatus at the original location of movement.

14. The remote monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said object apparatus is a point of sales (POS) terminal.

15. The remote monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein said object apparatus is a point of sales (POS) terminal installed in each of a plurality of stores, and said relaying apparatus plays as a store server installed in each of said plurality of stores,

said store server being operable to add to the test data store information relating to the location of introduction, movement, or removal of said object apparatus.

16. A remote monitoring system, comprising:

an object apparatus generating test data to the monitoring apparatus via a communications network; and

a monitoring apparatus monitoring a current state of the object apparatus over the communications network by returning the test data back to the object apparatus via the communications network so that the object apparatus compares the returned test data with the test data from the object apparatus to determine whether the object apparatus is in condition for normal reporting when the returned test data is unchanged from the test data from the object apparatus.

17. The remote monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the object apparatus comprises

a state information reporting unit outputting information about the current state of the object apparatus via the communications network, and

a test data generating unit, responsive to a start-up of the object apparatus when the object apparatus is introduced into or moved within the remote monitoring system, generating the test data and controlling the state information reporting unit.

18. The remote monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the monitoring apparatus comprises

a test data returning unit returning the test data back to the object apparatus via the communications network so that the test data generating unit of the object apparatus performs the comparison of the returned test data with the test data from the object apparatus to discriminate whether the state information reporting unit is in condition for the normal reporting.

19. The remote monitoring system according to claim 18, wherein the test data generated by the test data generating unit comprises inherent information of the object apparatus and location information about a location where introduction, movement or removal of the object apparatus has taken place, the location information being attached to the test data before the test data is output to the monitoring apparatus.

20. The remote monitoring system according to claim 19, wherein the monitoring apparatus further comprises

an extracting unit extracting the inherent information and the location information out of the test data received from the object apparatus via the communications network as introduction information, movement information, or removal information of the object apparatus;

a location information storage section storing the introduction information, the movement information, or the removal information extracted by the extracting unit; and

a location information managing unit managing the introduction information, the movement information, or the removal information stored in the location information storage section.

21. The remote monitoring system according to claim 20, wherein the monitoring apparatus comprises

a display section displaying a state of installation of the object apparatus based on the introduction information, the movement information, or the removal information, as a location management screen.

22. The remote monitoring system according to claim 21, wherein the location information managing unit of the monitoring apparatus comprises

a location change updating unit dynamically updating the location management screen displayed on the display section in accordance with the introduction information, the movement information, or the removal information.

23. The remote monitoring system according to claim 22, wherein the location change updating unit displays, on the location management screen, a schedule to remove the object apparatus from an original location of movement of the object apparatus, before deleting on the location management screen the display relating to the object apparatus at the original location of movement.