Facsimile device having self-diagnostic function and maintenance and control method thereof

A system including a facsimile unit of a user for sending information through a telephone line by a sending device and a facsimile unit of a maintenance and control station communicable with the facsimile unit of the user through the telephone line, for automatically communicating maintenance information from the facsimile unit of the user,

• said facsimile unit of the user including detecting means for detecting problems which hinder adequate operation of the facsimile unit of the user, trouble determining means for determining, when said detecting means detects occurrence of a problem, whether or not the problem can be handled by the user, and
• control means for controlling said sending device, in response to said trouble determining means determining that the problem cannot be handled by the user, to automatically send contents of the problem as communication information to said facsimile unit of said maintenance and control station in accordance with a request-to-send signal automatically sent from said maintenance and control station,
• said facsimile unit of said maintenance and control station including
• receiving means for receiving the communication information sent from said facsimile unit of said user, and
• printing means for converting the communication information received by said receiving means into character information, and printing the converted information.

A maintenance and control method of a facsimile device employing a facsimile unit of a user for sending information through a telephone line by a sending device and a facsimile unit of a maintenance and control station communicable with said facsimile unit of said user through the telephone line for automatically communicating maintenance information from the facsimile unit of said user, said method comprising the steps of:

• detecting problems which hinder adequate operation of the facsimile unit of the user;
• determining, when a problem has been detected, whether or not the detected problem can be handled by the user;
• converting the detected problem into communication information when it has been determined that the detected problem cannot be handled by the user;
• sending the communication information to said facsimile unit of said maintenance and control station in accordance with a request-to-send signal automatically sent from the maintenance and control station;
• receiving the communication information sent to the facsimile unit of the maintenance and control station;
• and
• converting said received communication information into character information outputting the character information so as to automatically receive information, at the maintenance and control station, concerning problems of the facsimile unit of the user.