# US 6,112,035 A · Equipment control apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 6,112,035 A - Document ID: US6112035A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/934,727 - Filed: 1997-09-22 - Granted: 2000-08-29 - Earliest claimed: 1991-04-18 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Satoshi Kuroyanagi; Masanori Miyata; Hideki Adachi; Shinichi Nakamura; Naoyuki Ohki; Tokuharu Kaneko; Hiroshi Ozaki; Hisatsugu Tahara; Satoshi Kaneko; Taisei Fukada; Mitsuharu Takizawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6112035A ## CPC - G06F 11/0733: {in a data processing system embedded in an image processing device, e.g. printer, facsimile, scanner} - G03G 15/5079: {for maintenance} - G03G 21/1652: {Electrical connection means} - G06F 11/0748: {in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault (remote testing G06F11/2294)} - H04M 11/007: {with remote control systems (remote control in general G08C)} - G03G 15/55: {Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display} - G03G 2215/00109: Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host - G03G 2221/16: Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements and complete machine concepts - G03G 2221/1675: jam treatment - G03G 2221/1696: for auxiliary devices, e.g. add-on modules - G06F 11/2294: {by remote test} - G06F 11/30: Monitoring - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract An equipment controlling apparatus is composed of a counter for counting the operational number of the equipment, memories for storing data indicating the state of the equipment, a communication device for communicating on the stored data with a centralized control apparatus, which controls the communicated data intensively, and a controlling device for causing the stored data to be transmitted to the centralized control apparatus when the counter has counted a predetermined value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet; detecting means for detecting that a predetermined condition has occurred; transmitting means for transmitting, in response to said detecting means detecting that the predetermined condition has occurred, data relating to said image forming apparatus to a remote apparatus; and setting means for setting whether to make the transmission in response to said detecting means. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said setting means sets in response to an operation of an operation panel provided in said image forming apparatus. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said setting means sets in response to an indication of the remote apparatus. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is any one of an occurrence of an abnormality, an occurrence of jamming, and a lapse of a predetermined time period, in said image forming apparatus. ### Claim 5 An apparatus for transmitting data relating to an image forming apparatus, said apparatus comprising: detecting means for detecting that a predetermined condition has occurred in an image forming section where an image is formed on a sheet; transmitting means for transmitting, in response to said detecting means detecting that the predetermined condition has occurred, data relating to the image forming apparatus to a remote apparatus; and setting means for setting whether to make the transmission in response to said detecting means. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said setting means sets a condition in response to an operation of an operation panel provided in the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said setting means sets a condition in response to an indication of the remote apparatus. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said predetermined condition is any one of an occurrence of an abnormality, an occurrence of jamming, and a lapse of a predetermined time period, in said image forming apparatus. ### Claim 9 An image forming apparatus comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet fed from any of a plurality of feeding sections; memory means for storing a sheet feeding number for each of the plurality of feeding sections; and transmitting means for transmitting the sheet feeding number stored in said memory means to a remote apparatus. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) An image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said image forming means performs copying processing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) An image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said transmitting means transmits the data via a public line. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) An image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the remote apparatus is a host computer. ### Claim 13 An apparatus for transmitting data relating to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet fed from any of a plurality of feeding sections, said apparatus comprising: memory means for storing a sheet feeding number for each of the plurality of feeding sections; and transmitting means for transmitting the sheet feeding number stored in said memory means to a remote apparatus. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the image forming section performs copying processing. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said transmitting means transmits the data via a public line. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the remote apparatus is a host computer. ### Claim 17 An image forming apparatus comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet; detecting means for detecting that an expendable item in said image forming apparatus is replenished; and transmitting means for transmitting data relating to said image forming apparatus to a remote apparatus, in response to said detecting means detecting that the expendable item is replenished. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) An apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising second detecting means for detecting that replenishment of the expendable item is required, wherein said transmitting means starts the transmission in response to said second detecting means and said detecting means. ### Claim 19 An apparatus for transmitting data relating to an image forming apparatus, said apparatus comprising: detecting means for detecting that an expendable item in said image forming apparatus is replenished; and transmitting means for transmitting data relating to said image forming apparatus to a remote apparatus, in response to said detecting means detecting that the expendable item is replenished. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) An apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising second detecting means for detecting that replenishment of the expendable item is required, wherein said transmitting means starts the transmission in response to said second detecting means and said detecting means. ### Claim 21 An image forming apparatus comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet; detecting means for detecting that a predetermined condition has occurred; transmitting means for transmitting data relating to said image forming apparatus to a remote apparatus in response to said detecting means detecting that the predetermined condition has occurred; and controlling means for controlling whether to transmit the data by said transmitting means. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said controlling means sets a condition in response to an operation of an operation panel provided in said image forming apparatus. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said control means sets a condition in response to an indication of the remote apparatus. ### Claim 24 An apparatus for transmitting data relating to an image forming apparatus, said apparatus comprising: detecting means for detecting that a predetermined condition has occurred in an image forming section where an image is formed on a sheet; transmitting means for transmitting data relating to the image forming apparatus to a remote apparatus in response to said detecting means detecting that the predetermined condition has occurred; and control means for controlling whether to transmit the data by said transmitting means. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said control means sets a condition in response to an operation of an operation panel provided in the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said setting means sets a condition in response to an indication of the remote apparatus.