Equipment control apparatus having means to communicate with a centralized control apparatus

An equipment controlling apparatus comprising:

• storage means for storing data indicating a state of an equipment;
• communication means for communicating with a centralized control apparatus for controlling said data intensively;
• and
• controlling means for executing controls so that communication is performed with a second telephone number when the communication cannot be performed with a first telephone number,
• wherein when said communication is performed with the first telephone number after communication has been attempted for a predetermined number of times, said controlling means does not perform communication with the first telephone number thereafter.

An equipment controlling method comprising the steps of:

• storing data indicating a state of an equipment;
• inputting a first telephone number and a second telephone number;
• storing the inputted first telephone number and the inputted second telephone number;
• communicating with a centralized control apparatus for controlling said data intensively;
• and
• executing controls so that communication is performed with the stored second telephone number when the communication cannot be performed with the stored first telephone number.

An equipment controlling method comprising the steps of:

• storing data indicating a state of an equipment;
• communicating with a centralized control apparatus for controlling said data intensively;
• and
• executing controls so that communication is performed with a second telephone number when the communication cannot be performed with a first telephone number,
• wherein when communication is performed with the first telephone number after communication has been attempted for a predetermined number of times, said controlling has been attempted for a predetermined number of times, communication is not performed with the first telephone number in said executing step thereafter.

A method of controlling communication between an equipment and a centralized control apparatus located at a position apart from said equipment through a communication line, said method comprising the steps of:

• storing data indicative of a state of the equipment;
• communicating said data with said centralized control apparatus;
• and
• initiating communication of the stored data to said centralized control apparatus in response to a request for transmission of said data received from one of said equipment and said centralized control apparatus,
• wherein communication of the stored data to said centralized control apparatus is initiated after an operation of said equipment is terminated, when the request for the transmission of said data is received during the operation of said equipment.

A method of controlling communication between equipment and a centralized control apparatus located at a position apart from said equipment through a communication line, said method comprising the steps of:

• storing data indicative of a state of the equipment;
• communicating said data with said centralized control apparatus;
• detecting a frequency of abnormality occurrences in said equipment;
• and
• initiating communication of the stored data to said centralized control apparatus at time intervals of a predetermined period,
• wherein, in the initiating step, the time intervals for initiating communication of said data are modified in accordance with detection results of said detecting step.

An equipment controlling method comprising the steps of:

• storing common data indicating a state of an equipment, which are common to different kinds of equipment, and specific data indicating the state of the equipment, which are not common and cannot be used by the different kinds of equipment from said equipment;
• communicating with a centralized control apparatus which controls said common data and said specific data intensively through a communication line;
• and
• discriminating said common data and said specific data and causing them to be transmitted to said centralized control apparatus through the communication line.

An equipment controlling method comprising the steps of:

• storing data indicating a state of an equipment;
• communicating with a first and second centralized control apparatus for controlling said data intensively through a communication line;
• and
• executing controls so that when no communication is possible with said first centralized control apparatus, communication is performed with said second centralized control apparatus.

An equipment controlling method of controlling communication between an image formation apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium and an external apparatus located at a position apart from an equipment controlling apparatus and said image formation apparatus through a communication line, said method comprising the steps of:

• storing data indicative of a state of the image formation apparatus;
• communicating with the external apparatus;
• and
• instructing transmission of the stored data to said external apparatus,
• wherein said data comprise a date and time of a defective feeding of the recording medium, a total counting value of image formations at the time of the defective feeding, and a kind of the defective feeding.

An equipment controlling method of controlling communication between an image formation apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium and an external apparatus located at a position apart from an equipment controlling apparatus and said image formation apparatus through a communication line, said method comprising the steps of:

• storing data indicative of a state of the image formation apparatus;
• communicating with the external apparatus;
• and
• instructing transmission of the stored data to said external apparatus,
• wherein said data comprise a date and time of abnormal control of image formation, a total counting value of image formations at the time of the abnormal control, and a kind of the abnormal control.

An equipment controlling method of controlling communication between an image forming apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium and an external apparatus located at a position apart from an equipment controlling apparatus and said image formation apparatus through a communication line, said method comprising the steps of:

• storing data indicative of a state of the image formation apparatus;
• communicating with the external apparatus;
• and
• instructing transmission of the stored data to said external apparatus when a counter value equals a predetermined value,
• wherein said data comprise a date and time of transmission of the stored data to said external apparatus in said communicating step.

A method of controlling communication between an equipment and a centralized control apparatus located at a position apart from the equipment through a communication line, said method comprising the steps of:

• communicating data indicative of a state of the equipment with the centralized control apparatus;
• and
• detecting a frequency of abnormality occurrences in said equipment;
• and
• initiating communication of the data in said communicating step to the centralized control apparatus, communication of the data being initiated in accordance with detection results of the detecting means, in said initiating step.

A method of controlling communication between an equipment and a centralized control apparatus located at a position apart from the equipment through a communication line, said method comprising the steps of:

• communicating data indicative of a state of the equipment with the centralized control apparatus;
• and
• detecting a frequency of abnormality occurrences in said equipment;
• and
• initiating communication of the data in said communicating step to the centralized control apparatus in accordance with a predetermined condition, said predetermined condition being modified in accordance with detection results of said detecting step, in the initiating step.

A method of controlling communication between an image formation apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium and a centralized control apparatus located at a position apart from the equipment through a communication line, said method comprising the steps of:

• communicating data indicative of a state of the image formation apparatus with the centralized control apparatus;
• and
• initiating communication of the data in said communicating step to said centralized control apparatus,
• wherein the data comprise a total count value of image formation operations at the time of a control abnormality in the image formation apparatus in combination with a type of the control abnormality.