JPH10217580A - Image forming apparatus and maintaining method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus and a maintaining method therefor in which a measure for avoiding a trouble can be taken quickly by transmitting an electronic mail to a service station without using any telephone line. SOLUTION: In case of a critical failure of a laser printer 100 requiring a service call, an electronic mail for service call is read out from a second memory 105 prestored with an electronic mail for service call. The electronic mail for service call is added to an abnormality status data and an electronic mail is transmitted to a service station using the SMTP(simple mail transfer protocol) of a TCP/IP protocol in Ethernet.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and its maintenance method, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus connected to a network and its maintenance method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of networks, image forming apparatuses capable of being connected to a network have been put into practical use and spread. Considering the current state of the network world, an image forming apparatus that can be connected to a network is roughly 3
Can be divided into two environments. TCP / IP environment, Netware
Environment, AppleTalk environment. Among them, recently TCP /
Since the Internet connection using the TCP / IP protocol in the IP environment has rapidly spread, attention has been paid to a method of notifying a serious failure of the image forming apparatus using a network. Hereinafter, an e-mail notifying of a serious failure of the image forming apparatus using a network is referred to as a “service call”.

A conventional service call notification method using a communication line of an image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a method of notifying a service call using a communication line of a conventional image forming apparatus.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 501 denotes a personal computer;
Reference numeral 502 denotes a modem, and 503, an image forming apparatus.
The personal computer 501 and the image forming apparatus 503 are connected to EtherNet (hereinafter, referred to as “Ethernet”).
Connected to an ISDN line. In the following description, it is assumed that a telephone line is used.

First, when the image forming apparatus 503 detects a serious failure of itself, it transmits abnormal status data to the personal computer 501 via Ethernet. The abnormal status data is information indicating a serious failure that is notified when the image forming apparatus 503 detects a serious failure of itself.

[0006] Upon receiving the abnormal status data from the image forming apparatus 503, the personal computer 501 notifies the modem 502 of the telephone number for the service call, and tries to connect to a service station (not shown) using the telephone line. Thereafter, when the connection is confirmed, the personal computer 501 transmits a service call to the service station via the modem 502 using a telephone line.

[0007]

However, since the conventional image forming apparatus generally uses a telephone line, the service station uses the telephone line when the personal computer 501 sends a service call. In such a case, there is a problem that the connection cannot be established and the response is delayed in the case of a serious failure.

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of quickly taking measures to avoid problems by sending an electronic mail to a service station without using a telephone line. And a maintenance method thereof.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention can be connected to an external device via a network and a detecting means for detecting a failure of the image forming apparatus. A communication unit that communicates with the external device via the network when the detection unit detects a defect of the image forming apparatus.

[0010] According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, the detecting means can detect whether or not a failure of the image forming apparatus is a serious failure. I do.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the detecting means includes a first storage means for storing information on a defect of the image forming apparatus. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the second storage means for storing a communication destination with which the communication means communicates via the network. It is characterized by having.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the communication unit includes a communication unit using an electronic mail.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the communication unit controls the communication between the network and the image forming apparatus. It is characterized by having.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a maintenance method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: a detecting step of detecting a defect of the image forming apparatus; and, when detecting a defect of the image forming apparatus in the detecting step, through a network with the external device. Communication step of communicating.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the maintenance method for the image forming apparatus according to the seventh aspect, the detecting step detects whether or not the failure of the image forming apparatus is a serious failure. It is characterized by being able to.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus maintenance method according to the seventh aspect.
The detection step includes a first storage step of storing information on a defect of the image forming apparatus.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a maintenance method for an image forming apparatus, comprising:
10. The maintenance method for an image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the communication step includes a second storage step of storing a communication destination that communicates via the network.

The maintenance method of the image forming apparatus according to claim 11 is
11. The maintenance method for an image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the communication step includes a communication step by e-mail.

According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for maintaining an image forming apparatus, comprising:
12. The maintenance method for an image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the communication step includes a control step of controlling communication between the network and the image forming apparatus.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

It is assumed that the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is a laser printer 100.

The laser printer 100 includes a network interface 101, a controller 102,
The printer engine 103 is provided. The network interface 101 is connected to a printer engine 103 via a controller 102, and is also connected to Ethernet. A network interface (not shown) of the service station is also connected to the Ethernet. The network interface 101 and the controller 102 constitute communication means,
Further, the network interface 101 constitutes control means, and the controller 102 constitutes detection means.

The network interface 101 controls communication between the Ethernet and the laser printer 100,
The controller 102 is the network interface 1
01 and the printer engine 103, and rasterizes data obtained from the network interface 101 and develops it in an image memory (not shown).
Further, the controller 102 monitors whether or not the status of the laser printer 100 is abnormal, and transmits abnormal status data to the network interface 101 when there is an abnormality. Further, the controller 102
Is a first memory 104 serving as a first storage means for temporarily storing the abnormal status data,
And a second memory 105 as second storage means for storing a service call e-mail address. The printer engine 103 transfers the raster image developed in the image memory to the photosensitive drum, and transfers it to paper via toner.

Next, a process in which the laser printer 100 notifies the service station of abnormal status data will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process in which the laser printer 100 notifies the service station of abnormal status data.

First, in step S201, it is determined whether the status of the laser printer 100 is abnormal. It is the controller 102 that makes this determination.

If the status of the laser printer 100 is abnormal, the controller 102 determines whether or not the laser printer 100 has a serious failure requiring a service call (step S).
202).

In the case of a serious failure requiring a service call in step S202, the second memory 1 in which an e-mail address for the service call is stored in advance
The service call e-mail address is read out from the server 05 (step S203). Thereafter, an e-mail address for a service call is added to the abnormal status data, and an e-mail is transmitted to the service station using the Ethernet (step S204), and this processing ends.

In step S201, the laser printer 1
If the status of 00 is normal, step S2
No processing from 02 to step S204 is performed.
If the failure does not require a service call in step S202, the process returns to step S201.

In this processing, TCP /
Send e-mail using SMTP protocol of IP protocol. The TCP / IP protocol defines two mail standards for e-mail, one is the format of mail messages and the other is SMTP (SMTP), which is a detailed specification of the exchange of e-mail between two communication terminals. Simple Mai
l Transfer Protocol).

Next, communication processing performed between the laser printer 100 and the service station will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIGS. 3 and 4
5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication process performed between the laser printer 100 and a service station.

First, the laser printer 100 establishes a reliable stream connection to the service station which is a mail server (step S30).
1), 220 READY FOR MAI from service station
It is determined whether an L message (hereinafter, referred to as “220 message”) has been received (step S302). Upon receiving the 220 message in step S302, the laser printer 100 transmits a HELO command to the service station for the first time (step S303). Here, HE
The end of the line of the LO command is the end of the command.

Thereafter, the service station recognizes itself and responds to the HELO command to establish communication (step S304). As a result, the laser printer 100 can send one or more mail messages to the service station and terminate the connection to the service station. In addition, the laser printer 100 can transmit a request for changing the transmission role of the laser printer 100 to the reception role to the service station so that the laser printer 100 can receive a message transmitted from the service station. On the other hand, the service station must respond to each message received from the laser printer 100 for confirmation. The service station can also kill all connections or kill the current message transfer.

When the communication is established in step S304, the laser printer 100 transmits to the service station a MAIL command including an identifier for specifying the service station and a field including an address for reporting an error (step S305). The service station prepares a data structure to receive new mail. Thereafter, in step S306, the laser printer 100 determines whether or not a message (hereinafter, referred to as “250 message”) has been received from the service station indicating that everything is going well.

In step S306, the laser printer 100
Receives the 250 message, the laser printer 100 first recognizes that the transmission of the MAIL command to the service station was successful. Next, the laser printer 1
00 transmits an RCPT command for confirming that it is the recipient of the mail message transmitted from the service station (step S307). In step S308, the laser printer 100 determines whether a 250 message has been received from the service station. I do.

In step S308, the laser printer 100
Receives the 250 message, the laser printer 100 first transmits a DATA command, which is an advance notice of data transmission (step S309). In step 310, the laser printer 100 starts 354 Start from the service station.
It is determined whether or not a mail input message (hereinafter, referred to as “354 message”) has been received.

Thereafter, when the laser printer 100 receives the 354 message from the service station in step S310, the laser printer 100 transmits the failure status data to the service station for the first time (step S311). The laser printer 100 transmits a TURN command for reversing the roles of the transmitting side and the receiving side (step S31).
2) Rotate the Ethernet line. To rotate the Ethernet line means that the laser printer 100 is set to the receiving side and the service station is set to the transmitting side except when a QUIT command described later is transmitted.

Next, in step S313, the laser printer 100 determines whether or not a 250 message has been received from the service station, and upon receiving the 250 message, the laser printer 100 transmits a QUIT command indicating that communication has ended for the first time. (Step S314).

Next, in step S315, the laser printer 100 sends a message from the service station to the effect that communication is to be terminated (hereinafter referred to as "221").
Message)), and determines whether
One message is received and the laser printer 100
Terminates the TCP connection between the laser printer 100 and the service station (step S316), and terminates this processing.

In this embodiment, the Ethernet is used as the network and the TCP / IP protocol is used as the protocol, but the present invention is not limited to this.

In this embodiment, the laser printer 100 is used as an image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, if the laser printer 100 has a serious failure that requires a service call, the laser printer 100 stores the service call e-mail address in advance in the memory. Read out the e-mail address for the service call (step S2
03), add an e-mail address for service call to abnormal status data,
An e-mail is transmitted to the service station using the SMTP protocol of / IP protocol (step S20).
4) Therefore, by sending an e-mail to the service station without using a telephone line, it is possible to quickly take measures to avoid a problem.

[0043]

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, the detecting means for detecting a failure of the image forming apparatus can be connected to an external device via a network. Is provided with communication means for communicating with the external device via the network when detecting a defect in the image forming apparatus, so that a serious defect is detected in the image forming apparatus, and the detection result is notified by telephone. Even if this is not possible, sending an e-mail to the service station without using a telephone line can quickly take measures to avoid the problem.

According to the maintenance method for an image forming apparatus of the present invention, a detecting step of detecting a defect of the image forming apparatus, and connecting the external device to a network when detecting a defect of the image forming apparatus in the detecting step. Even if a serious problem is detected in the image forming apparatus and the detection result cannot be reported by telephone, an e-mail is sent to the service station without using a telephone line By doing so, trouble avoidance measures can be taken quickly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process in which a laser printer notifies a service station of abnormal status data.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating communication processing performed between the laser printer 100 and a service station.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication process performed between the laser printer 100 and a service station.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a service call notification method using a communication line of a conventional image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 laser printer 101 network interface 102 controller 103 printer engine 104 first memory 105 second memory

Claims (12)

[Claims] A detecting means for detecting a defect of the image forming apparatus, and a detecting means for detecting a defect of the image forming apparatus, wherein the detecting means detects a defect of the image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus, comprising: communication means for communicating via a network. 2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means can detect whether or not a malfunction of said image forming apparatus is a serious failure. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit includes a first storage unit that stores information on a defect of the image forming apparatus. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit includes a second storage unit that stores a communication destination that communicates via the network. 5. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein said communication means includes an electronic mail communication means.
An image forming apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit includes a control unit that controls communication between the network and the image forming apparatus. 7. A detecting step of detecting a defect of the image forming apparatus, and a communication step of communicating with the external device via a network when detecting a defect of the image forming apparatus in the detecting step. Maintenance method for the image forming apparatus. 8. The maintenance method for an image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein it is possible to detect whether the failure of the image forming apparatus is a serious failure in the detecting step. 9. The maintenance method according to claim 7, wherein the detecting step includes a first storing step of storing information on a defect of the image forming apparatus. 10. The maintenance method for an image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the communication step includes a second storage step of storing a communication destination that communicates via the network. . 11. The maintenance method according to claim 7, wherein the communication step includes a communication step by e-mail. 12. The maintenance of the image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the communication step includes a control step of controlling communication between the network and the image forming apparatus. Method.