Method and system for remote diagnostic, control and information collection based on various communication modes for sending messages to users

• US 9,684,476 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2016
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Niro, Masaichi
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET D
• Application Number:
  US15/221,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20160335034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5079 for maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1219 with regard to consumables, e.g. ink, toner, paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1273 Print job history, e.g. logging, accounting, tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0323 Heads moving to and away from the reproducing medium, e.g. for pressure sensitive reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32021 according to the type of received information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0017 Notifying a communication result
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3202 of communication or activity log or report

Abstract

A method, system, and program product for communicating with machines and end users connected to a network. Information sent to or from the machines is transmitted using electronic mail or a via a direct connection. The electronic mail may be transmitted over the Internet to a service center or from a service center to a resource administrator, but also may remain within a local or wide area network for transmission between a machine and an end user or a resource administrator. E-mail messages may be transmitted from a computer which is attached to a device which is being monitored or controlled and include information regarding the status, usage or capabilities of the attached device. The device may send status messages and usage information of the device by an end user to either a resource administrator or to a service center on the Internet through a firewall.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring usage of an image output device, comprising:

receiving, from the image output device, a first message that includes resource usage information for a job, wherein the job was processed by the image output device for a registered user of the image output device;

obtaining, based on the received resource usage information for the registered user, a total resource usage of the registered user;

determining whether the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

transmitting a second message over a network to a destination, when it is determined in the determining step that the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds the predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving the resource usage information for the job, which includes a number of pages processed by the image output device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the determining step further comprises determining whether the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds a predetermined percentage of the predetermined threshold, and

the transmitting step further comprises transmitting the second message over the network to the destination, when it is determined in the determining step that the obtained total resource usage of the user exceeds the predetermined percentage of the predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step further comprises determining whether the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds any one of a plurality of the predetermined thresholds, each predetermined threshold corresponding to at least one action to be performed when the obtained total resource exceeds the predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step further comprises transmitting the second message over the network to apply an action corresponding to the predetermined threshold when the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds the predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the action is one of notification and prohibition.

7. An apparatus for monitoring usage of an image output device, comprising:

processing circuitry configured to receive, from the image output device, a first message that includes resource usage information for a job, wherein the job was processed by the image output device for a registered user of the image output device;

obtain, based on the received resource usage information for the registered user, a total resource usage of the registered user;

determine whether the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

transmit a second message over a network to a destination, when it is determined in the determining step that the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds the predetermined threshold.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive the resource usage information for the job, which includes a number of pages processed by the image output device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to

determine whether the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds a predetermined percentage of the predetermined threshold, and

transmit the second message over the network to the destination, when it is determined that the obtained total resource usage of the user exceeds the predetermined percentage of the predetermined threshold.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine whether the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds any one of a plurality of the predetermined thresholds, each predetermined threshold corresponding to at least one action to be performed when the obtained total resource exceeds the predetermined threshold.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to transmit the second message over the network to apply an action corresponding to the predetermined threshold when the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds the predetermined threshold.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to transmit the second message to apply the action, which is one of notification and prohibition.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform a method of monitoring usage of an image output device, the method comprising:

receiving, from the image output device, a first message that includes resource usage information for a job, wherein the job was processed by the image output device for a registered user of the image output device;

obtaining, based on the received resource usage information for the registered user, a total resource usage of the registered user;

determining whether the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

transmitting a second message over a network to a destination, when it is determined in the determining step that the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds the predetermined threshold.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving the resource usage information for the job, which includes a number of pages processed by the image output device.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein

the determining step further comprises determining whether the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds a predetermined percentage of the predetermined threshold, and

the transmitting step further comprises transmitting the second message over the network to the destination, when it is determined in the determining step that the obtained total resource usage of the user exceeds the predetermined percentage of the predetermined threshold.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the determining step further comprises determining whether the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds any one of a plurality of the predetermined thresholds, each predetermined threshold corresponding to at least one action to be performed when the obtained total resource exceeds the predetermined threshold.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the transmitting step further comprises transmitting the second message over the network to apply an action corresponding to the predetermined threshold when the obtained total resource usage of the registered user exceeds the predetermined threshold.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the action is one of notification and prohibition.