System for recording and remotely accessing operating data in a reproduction machine
First Claim
Patent Images
1. In an electrostatographic reproduction machine with plural operating components;
- control software including an operating system adapted to provide instructions for operating said components and an applications program for operating said components in response to said instructions, the combination of;
a) a dynamic memory for storing event data representing certain key machine operating events during operation of said machine;
b) a rigid disk for storing said control software, said disk including an event logger file for storing event data; and
c) data transfer means for periodically writing said event data from said dynamic memory to said event logger file on said disk during operation of said machine, said data transfer means overwriting at least some of the event data previously written to said event logger file whereby new event data is periodically written to said event logger file on said disk for storing;
said rigid disk including a crash logger file having a predetermined number of memory areas for storing blocks of crash data representing predetermined machine events on the occurrence of a software crash, said blocks of crash data including said event data in said dynamic memory;
said data transfer means writing a block of said crash data to said crash logger file in response to a software crash whereby to save said crash data for use in determining the causes of said crash;
said data transfer means writing each succeeding block of said crash data into the next successive one of said rigid disk memory areas, said data transfer means overwriting memory areas having previously stored blocks of said crash data starting with the first of said rigid disk memory areas in said crash logger file when the last one of said rigid disk memory areas has been written into;
each of said blocks of said crash data when written in said crash logger file by said data transfer means including crash identity data to identify each of said blocks of crash data in said crash logger file on erasure of said blocks of crash data;
said crash identify data being retained in said crash logger file on erasure of the block of crash data associated therewith.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
System for recording and remotely accessing certain operating data in an electrostatographic reproduction machine for use in analyzing machine faults and software crashes, with transfer of the data to a remote service site either by floppy disk or telecommunications line.
125 Citations
12 Claims
-
1. In an electrostatographic reproduction machine with plural operating components;
- control software including an operating system adapted to provide instructions for operating said components and an applications program for operating said components in response to said instructions, the combination of;
a) a dynamic memory for storing event data representing certain key machine operating events during operation of said machine; b) a rigid disk for storing said control software, said disk including an event logger file for storing event data; and c) data transfer means for periodically writing said event data from said dynamic memory to said event logger file on said disk during operation of said machine, said data transfer means overwriting at least some of the event data previously written to said event logger file whereby new event data is periodically written to said event logger file on said disk for storing; said rigid disk including a crash logger file having a predetermined number of memory areas for storing blocks of crash data representing predetermined machine events on the occurrence of a software crash, said blocks of crash data including said event data in said dynamic memory; said data transfer means writing a block of said crash data to said crash logger file in response to a software crash whereby to save said crash data for use in determining the causes of said crash; said data transfer means writing each succeeding block of said crash data into the next successive one of said rigid disk memory areas, said data transfer means overwriting memory areas having previously stored blocks of said crash data starting with the first of said rigid disk memory areas in said crash logger file when the last one of said rigid disk memory areas has been written into; each of said blocks of said crash data when written in said crash logger file by said data transfer means including crash identity data to identify each of said blocks of crash data in said crash logger file on erasure of said blocks of crash data; said crash identify data being retained in said crash logger file on erasure of the block of crash data associated therewith. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
- control software including an operating system adapted to provide instructions for operating said components and an applications program for operating said components in response to said instructions, the combination of;
-
2. A system for collecting and transmitting predetermined physical data of an electrostatographic reproduction machine to a remote site for analyzing machine operation, said machine having plural operating components, control software including operating system software for operating said components, and a hard disk providing memory for storing said control software, the combination of:
-
a) means for periodically collecting said physical data on said disk while said machine is operating; b) a communication channel coupling said machine to said remote site for transmission of said physical data from said hard disk to said remote site; c) data transfer means for transmitting at least some of said physical data from said over said communication channel to said remote site for use in analyzing machine operation; d) non-volatile memory means for permanently storing optimum operating parameters for said machine; e) comparison means for comparing said physical data on said hard disk with said optimum operating parameters for said machine; and f) control means for preventing transmission of said physical data from said hard disk to said remote site where comparison of said physical data on said hard disk and said optimum operating parameters by said comparison means indicates that machine operation is acceptable. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4)
-
-
5. A system for retaining crash data in the event of a software crash in an electrostatographic reproduction machine having plural operating components;
- and control software including an operating system to provide instructions for operating said components and an applications program for operating said components in response to said instructions, the combination of;
a) a rigid disk for storing said machine control software, said disk including a crash logger file; b) data transfer means for writing a preset block of crash data including crash block identifying means for identifying each of said blocks of crash data to said crash logger file on said disk in response to a software crash; c) said crash logger file having a limited number of memory areas for storing said blocks of crash data; d) said data transfer means writing each succeeding block of crash data into the next successive one of said memory areas in said crash logger file; e) where the last of said memory areas in said crash logger file is written into, said data transfer means overwriting the next succeeding block of said crash data into the first of said memory areas in said crash logger file thereby erasing said block of previously stored crash data in said first memory area except for the crash block identifying means for said previously stored block of crash data whereby to enable said previously stored block of crash data to be identified. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
- and control software including an operating system to provide instructions for operating said components and an applications program for operating said components in response to said instructions, the combination of;
-
8. A process for collecting event and software crash data from an electrostatographic reproduction machine, said machine having control software for operating said machine and rigid disk for storing said control software, comprising the steps of:
-
a) collecting event data representing preset key machine operating events by 1a) temporarily storing said event data in memory during operation of said machine, and 2a) periodically writing said stored event data from said memory to a first file on said rigid disk; b) reading said stored event data by 1b) accessing said first file on said rigid disk, 2b) transferring said event data from said first file on said rigid disk to a floppy disk, 3b) reading said event data from said floppy disk at a remote site, and 4b) displaying said event data for visual inspection at said remote site; c) collecting said crash data on a software crash by 1c) writing a predetermined block of said crash data including said event data to a second file on said rigid disk, 2c) writing crash block identifying data at the time said block of crash data is written to said second file, and 3c) repeating steps 1c and 2c for subsequent software crashes; and d) where said second file is filled, 1d) writing succeeding blocks of crash data over previous blocks of crash data written to said second file starting with the block of crash data first written to said second file, and 2d) retaining in said second file the crash block identifying data for each block of said crash data written over whereby to enable each block of crash data written over to be identified. - View Dependent Claims (9)
-
Specification