ORDER SUPPORTING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD FOR AN ORDER SUPPORTING APPARATUS, ORDER SUPPORTING SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20080126228A1
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Murata, Yoshiaki, Nakamura, Yutaka, Takahashi, Masato, Dan, Koji, Inoue, Yuuki, Nagai, Keiji, Takahashi, Fujio
• Granted Patent: US 8,954,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• 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 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

An order supporting apparatus connected to a monitoring apparatus over a network, the monitoring apparatus determining a supply status of devices in the network and sends supply shortage information regarding at least one of the devices determined to have a supply shortage to the order supporting apparatus. In particular, the order supporting apparatus includes a device information storage part that stores device information describing whether each device is monitored as a monitoring target, and maintenance contract information of each device, and a determination part that determines, based on the device information, whether each device is subject to the maintenance contract when the order supporting apparatus receives the supply shortage information. Further, the determination part deselects, in the device information, a device as the monitoring target when the device is determined to have a supply shortage by the monitoring apparatus.

Claims

1. An order supporting apparatus connected to a monitoring apparatus over a network, the monitoring apparatus configured to determine a supply status of a plurality of devices in the network and to send supply shortage information regarding at least one of the devices determined to have a supply shortage to the order supporting apparatus, the order supporting apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store device information describing whether each device is monitored as a monitoring target, and maintenance contract information of each device; and

a determination part configured to determine, based on the device information, whether each device is subject to the maintenance contract when the order supporting apparatus receives the supply shortage information,

wherein the determination part is configured to deselect, in the device information, a device as the monitoring target when the device is determined to have a supply shortage by the monitoring apparatus.

2. The order supporting apparatus claimed in claim 1, wherein the determination part is configured to determine whether each device that is a monitoring target is subject to the maintenance contract based on a device category that describes a kind of device attribute.

3. The order supporting apparatus claimed in claim 2, wherein the device information further includes one of a maintenance contract number and a contact address of a maintenance staff.

4. The order supporting apparatus claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

an e-mail creating part configured to create a maintenance information e-mail regarding the device subject to the maintenance contract wherein the e-mail describes the maintenance contract information and supply shortage information of the device determined to have the supply shortage by the monitoring apparatus.

5. The order supporting apparatus claimed in claim 4, wherein the maintenance information e-mail includes a destination address;

and

the e-mail creating unit is configured to send the maintenance information e-mail to a destination address.

6. An order supporting apparatus connected to a monitoring apparatus over a network, the monitoring apparatus configured to determine a supply status of a plurality of devices in the network and to send supply shortage information regarding at least one of the devices determined to have a supply shortage to the order supporting apparatus, the order supporting apparatus comprising:

device information storage means for storing device information describing whether each device is monitored as a monitoring target, and maintenance contract information of each device;

determination means for determining, based on the device information, whether each device is subject to the maintenance contract when the order supporting apparatus receives the supply shortage information,

wherein the determination means deselects, in the device information, a device as the monitoring target when the device is determined to have a supply shortage by the monitoring apparatus.

7. The order supporting apparatus claimed in claim 6, wherein the determination means further determines whether each device that is a monitoring target is subject to the maintenance contract based on a device category that describes a kind of device attribute.

8. The order supporting apparatus claimed in claim 7, wherein the device information further describes one of a maintenance contract number and a contact address of a maintenance staff.

9. The order supporting apparatus claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

e-mail creating means for creating a maintenance information e-mail regarding the device subject to the maintenance contract, wherein the e-mail describes the maintenance contract information and supply shortage information of the device determined to have the supply shortage by the monitoring apparatus.

10. The order supporting apparatus claimed in claim 9, wherein the maintenance information e-mail includes a destination address;

and

the e-mail creating means further sends the maintenance information e-mail to a destination address.

11. An order supporting system, comprising:

a monitoring apparatus configured to determine a supply status of a plurality of devices in a network and to send supply shortage information regarding at least one of the devices determined to have a supply shortage to an order supporting apparatus connected over the network; and

an order supporting apparatus including

a device information storage part configured to store device information describing whether each device is monitored as a monitoring target, and maintenance contract information of each device;

a determination part configured to determine, based on the device information, whether each device is subject to the maintenance contract when the order supporting apparatus receives the supply shortage information,

wherein the determination part deselects, in the device information, a device as the monitoring target when the device is determined to have a supply shortage by the monitoring apparatus.

12. A control method for an order supporting apparatus connected to a monitoring apparatus over a network, the monitoring apparatus configured to determine a supply status of a plurality of devices in the network and to send supply shortage information regarding at least one of the devices determined to have a supply shortage to the order supporting apparatus, the method comprising:

storing device information describing whether each device is monitored as a monitoring target, and maintenance contract information of each device;

determining, based on the device information, whether each device is subject to the maintenance contract when the order supporting apparatus receives the supply shortage information; and

deselecting, in the device information, a device as the monitoring target when the device is determined to have a supply shortage by the monitoring apparatus.

13. A computer readable storage medium that stores a computer program configured to cause a computer to perform a process, the process comprising:

storing device information describing whether each device is monitored as a monitoring target by a monitoring apparatus, and maintenance contract information of each device;

determining, based on the device information, whether each device is subject to the maintenance contract when the order supporting apparatus receives the supply shortage information; and

deselecting, in the device information, a device as the monitoring target when the device is determined to have a supply shortage by the monitoring apparatus.