Log collecting apparatus, image forming apparatus and computer-readable storage medium

• US 7,644,320 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2005
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawashima, Norimi
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman; Scott T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leibovich; Yair
• Application Number:
  US11/210,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20060048004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 714/26, 714/44, 714/46
• US Class Current: 714/46
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5075 Remote control machines, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/55 Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0733 in a data processing system embedded in an image processing device, e.g. printer, facsimile, scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0778 Dumping, i.e. gathering error/state information after a fault for later diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3202 of communication or activity log or report
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

A log collecting apparatus has a graphical user interface to allow an operator to select a target equipment that is a target of a log collection and logs that are to be collected, and a combination managing part. The combination managing part identifies related logs that are other than the logs selected on the user graphical interface and are related to the logs selected on the graphical user interface, and makes the related logs selectable on the graphical user interface.

Claims

1. A log collecting apparatus, comprising:

a graphical user interface configured to allow an operator to select, on a screen, target equipment that is a target of log collection and to select, on the screen, logs that are to be collected;

a storage unit configured to store the logs; and

a combination managing part configured to identify related logs other than the logs selected on the screen using the graphical user interface that are related to the logs selected on the screen using the graphical user interface, and to make the identified related logs selectable on the screen using the graphical user interface,

wherein the identified related logs include logs related to different programs running on the target equipment.

2. The log collecting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the combination managing part is configured to identify supported logs that are supported by the target equipment selected on the screen using the graphical user interface, and to make the supported logs selectable on the screen using the graphical user interface as collected logs.

3. The log collecting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the combination managing part is configured to identify supported logs that are supported by the target equipment that is selected on the screen using the graphical user interface and related logs other than the supported logs that are related to each of the supported logs, and to make the supported logs and the related logs selectable on the screen using the graphical user interface as collected logs.

4. The log collecting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the graphical user interface includes a fault type selecting part configured to allow the operator to select, on the screen, a fault type of the equipment, and

the combination managing part is configured to identify recommended logs depending on the selected fault type and to make the recommended logs selectable on the screen using the graphical user interface.

5. The log collecting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes a log collecting detail selecting part configured to allow the operator to select, on the screen, a number of logs to be collected, and further comprising:

a log collecting detail managing part configured to adjust the number of logs to be collected depending on the selected number of logs to be collected.

6. The log collecting apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the log collecting detail managing part is configured to analyze contents of the logs and to dynamically change a log collecting detail level depending on the contents of the logs, when an automatic log collecting detail level is selected on the screen.

7. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to function as:

a graphical user interface configured to allow an operator to select, on a screen, target equipment that is a target of log collection and to select, on the screen, logs that are to be collected; and

a combination managing part configured to identify related logs other than the logs selected on the screen using the graphical user interface that are related to the logs selected on the screen using the graphical user interface, and to make the identified related logs selectable on the screen using the graphical user interface,

wherein the identified related logs include logs related to different programs running on the target equipment.

8. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the program causes the computer to function as the combination managing part that identifies supported logs that are supported by the target equipment selected on the screen using the graphical user interface, and makes the supported logs selectable on the screen using the graphical user interface as collected logs.

9. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the program causes the computer to function as the combination managing part that identifies supported logs that are supported by the target equipment that is selected on the screen using the graphical user interface and related logs other than the supported logs that are related to each of the supported logs, and makes the supported logs and the related logs selectable on the screen using the graphical user interface as collected logs.

10. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the program causes the computer to function as the graphical user interface that includes a fault type selecting part configured to allow the operator to select, on the screen, a fault type of the equipment, and causes the computer to function as the combination managing part that identifies recommended logs depending on the selected fault type and makes the recommended logs selectable on the screen using the graphical user interface.

11. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the program causes the computer to function as the graphical user interface that includes a log collecting detail selecting part configured to allow the operator to select, on the screen, a number of logs to be collected, and the program further causes the computer to function as:

a log collecting detail managing part configured to adjust the number of logs to be collected depending on the selected number of logs to be collected.

12. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein the program causes the computer to function as the log collecting detail managing part that analyzes contents of the logs and dynamically changes a log collecting detail level depending on the contents of the logs, when an automatic log collecting detail level is selected on the screen.

13. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a process part configured to carry out a process related to image formation that forms an image on a recording medium;

a notifying part configured to identify supported logs supported by the image forming apparatus when an external request requesting the logs supported by the image forming apparatus is received from an external apparatus via a network, and to notify the identified supported logs to the external apparatus; and

a storage unit configured to store the identified logs,

wherein the identified logs include logs related to different programs running on the image forming apparatus.

14. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

a part configured to adjust a number of logs to be collected depending on a log collecting detail level that indicates the number of logs to be collected, when the log collecting detail level is received from the external apparatus.

15. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a part configured to analyze contents of logs and to dynamically change the log collecting detail level depending on the analyzed contents of the logs, when an automatic log collecting detail level is received.

16. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a process part configured to carry out a process related to image formation that forms an image on a recording medium;

a notifying part configured to identify supported logs supported by the image forming apparatus and related logs other than the supported logs that are related to each of the supported logs, when an external request requesting the logs supported by the image forming apparatus is received from an external apparatus via a network, and to notify the identified supported logs and the related logs to the external apparatus; and

a storage unit configured to store the identified supported logs,

wherein the identified related logs include logs related to different programs running on the image forming apparatus.

17. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

a part configured to adjust a number of logs to be collected depending on a log collecting detail level that indicates the number of logs to be collected, when the log collecting detail level is received from the external apparatus.

18. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a part configured to analyze contents of logs and to dynamically change the log collecting detail level depending on the analyzed contents of the logs, when an automatic log collecting detail level is received.