US 2004/0168109 A1 · Efficient remote management of devices by accurately removing abnormal condition reports

Abstract

The remote management is efficient for maintaining the condition of a plurality of devices. When the communication device in the remote device transmits the information on a detected abnormal condition to a management device, the management device stores and manages the abnormal condition information until the abnormal condition is processed at the management device location to resolve the corresponding problem. To solve the problem, an operator at the management device site often gets involved in the process. Unfortunately, the operator wastes his or her effort to solve the problem that has been already resolved by the user. One exemplary situation of the above described case is that the user resets certain reported problem in an image forming machine such as a copier by temporarily switching off the copier. The remote management takes care of the above self corrected situations by accurately keeping track of the reported problems base upon the abnormal condition report, the power activation report, the abnormal condition removal report and first and second predetermined amounts of time for specifying the receipt timing of some reports.

Claims44

Dependent claims

A method of communicating, comprising the steps of:

detecting one of a predetermined set of abnormal conditions at a plurality of managed devices;
transmitting abnormal condition information on the detected abnormal condition from the managed device to the management device;
receiving the abnormal condition information at the management device to store and manage the received abnormal condition information;
detecting removal of the previously detected abnormal condition from a corresponding one of the managed devices, the corresponding managed device defining an originating managed device;
transmitting from the managed device to the management device an abnormal condition removal call corresponding to the previously detected abnormal condition;
receiving the abnormal condition removal call at the management device;
and
deleting a corresponding one of the abnormal condition information stored at the management device based upon the received abnormal condition removal call.

5 more elements

A management apparatus for remotely managing a plurality of predetermined managed apparatuses over a computer network, each of the managed apparatuses including an abnormal condition reporting unit for reporting to the management apparatus abnormal condition information on an abnormal condition that is detected in the managed apparatus and a abnormal condition removal reporting unit for reporting to the management apparatus abnormal condition removal information if the detected abnormal condition has been removed in the managed apparatus, a corresponding one of the managed apparatus that is transmitting the abnormal condition removal information defining an originating managed apparatus, comprising:

a communication unit for communicating with the managed apparatuses for receiving the abnormal condition information and the abnormal condition removal information;
an abnormal condition information management unit connected to said communication unit for storing and managing the abnormal condition information that is received from the managed apparatuses;
and
an abnormal condition removal determination unit connected to said abnormal condition information management unit and said communication unit for determining whether or not the abnormal condition has been removed from the managed apparatus based upon the abnormal condition removal information.

1 more element

A remote management system for managing devices over a computer network, comprising:

a plurality of predetermined managed apparatuses, each of the managed apparatuses further comprising:
a first communication unit for communicating with devices;
a detection unit for detecting an abnormal condition within the managed apparatus;
an abnormal condition reporting unit connected to said first communication unit for reporting abnormal condition information on the detected abnormal condition;
and
a abnormal condition removal reporting unit connected to said first communication unit for reporting abnormal condition removal information if the detected abnormal condition has been removed in the managed apparatus, a corresponding one of the managed apparatus that is transmitting the abnormal condition removal information defining an originating managed apparatus;
a management apparatus comprising:
a second communication unit for communicating with the managed apparatuses for receiving the abnormal condition information and the abnormal condition removal information;
an abnormal condition information management unit connected to said second communication unit for storing and managing the abnormal condition information that is received from the managed apparatuses;
and
an abnormal condition removal determination unit connected to said abnormal condition information management unit and said second communication unit for determining whether or not the abnormal condition has been removed from the managed apparatus based upon the abnormal condition removal information.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Efficient remote management of devices by accurately removing abnormal condition reports

Life of this patent

Efficient remote management of devices by accurately removing abnormal condition reports

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims44