JP2010004270A - Apparatus and method for managing print device, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve problems wherein (1) when a certain specified counter region of an external file is secured to some extent and the external file is changed, information of a previously acquired counter type is lost, or (2) it is difficult to previously prepare a user interface for displaying counter information because an optional extended counter type can be specified, when specifying the counter type in the external file to acquire the counter information (the extended counter) other than a basic counter in acquiring a print counter. <P>SOLUTION: In regards to the extended counter specified by the external file, counter type information and the counter information are stored in pairs. The extended counter specified by the external file is not displayed on the user interface, and is output to a file. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an expansion method for acquiring a print count of a target device in a device management system.

  Conventionally, in a printing apparatus management system that collects counters, the number of printed sheets is acquired and managed for the purpose of suppressing the upper limit of printing.

For example, there is one that holds the total number of prints for each department of the user when printing is performed, and prints the total number of prints of the department on a printed output. (See Patent Document 1)
JP 2007-008001 A

  There are hundreds of types of print counters held by the target device, and which counter information is acquired differs depending on the operation mode.

  Even if a user interface capable of specifying the type of counter to be acquired is prepared in the device management system, it is not easy to prepare a UI for specifying all counters.

  On the other hand, for basic counters, a means that can be specified from the user interface is prepared. For other extended counter acquisition specifications, it is conceivable to prepare means for specifying the counter type in an external file. There is a problem like this.

  First, when a counter storage area that can be specified in an external file is prepared, the counter value specified and acquired in the external file for a certain period of time becomes unknown when the external file specified counter is changed. There is a problem of becoming.

  In addition, any counter type may be specified using an external file, so it is difficult to prepare a user interface for displaying the counter value in anticipation of the counter type specified in advance. There is a problem that there is.

  In the present invention, an expansion counter designation means for obtaining in an external file is prepared, and the basic counter value holds only the counter value. For the extension counter, means for storing counter information and the counter value in pairs is provided. prepare. The basic counter is displayed on the UI, but the extended counter value acquisition information specified in the external file is not displayed on the UI, and the counter information is output only to the file to be exported.

  Even when the specified counter type of the external file is changed after the operation, it is possible to maintain the consistency between the information of the previous counter type and the information of the counter value. In addition, even when any extension counter type is specified, it is possible to acquire information of the externally specified extension counter without affecting the UI.

  Next, details of the present invention will be described in accordance with the description of the embodiments.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, the basic configuration of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1-101 represents a communication physical medium, and communication packets are transmitted between the server PC in FIG. 1-102 and the target device in FIG. 1-103. FIG. 1-102 represents a server PC in which a device management system is installed. FIG. 1-103 represents a printing multifunction peripheral (MFP) that is a management target by the device management system on the server PC in FIG. 1-102, and is a printing device that holds information relating to the number of output copies such as copying and printing.

  FIG. 1-104 shows a single function printer (SFP) to be managed by the device management system on the server PC in FIG. 1-102, and is a printing device that holds information relating to the number of printed output sheets. Here, in order to simplify the description, the target device is assumed to be two printing devices, but many target devices may exist.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing main hardware modules of each device in FIG. The function of the hardware module of each device will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, 201 is a network medium. The network medium is a physical line constituting a network between devices.

  The hardware modules constituting the server PC include a network board 202, a CPU board 203, a video interface (Video IF) 204, an I / O interface 205, and a DISK interface (HD IF) 206. Further, a CRT 207, a keyboard 208, a mouse 209, and a hard disk drive (HD) 210 connected thereto. In the hard disk drive 210, a plurality of hard disk units are connected in parallel, and high-speed data transfer and high reliability are ensured. In this hard disk unit 210, a database may be constructed according to the nature of software running on the server PC.

  Next, the hardware modules of the printing devices shown in FIGS. 1-103 and 104 will be described. In the figure, the MFP of FIG. 1-103 is configured by FIG. 2-221 to FIG. Hereinafter, the configuration includes a network board 221 corresponding to peripheral devices, a function composite type copying machine controller board (controller board) 222, a modem 223, a scanner unit 224, a scanner controller 225, an operation panel controller 226, and an operation panel 227. Also, a hard disk controller (HD controller) 228, a hard disk (HD) 229, a print engine (engine) 230, an option controller 231, and an option IF 232 are provided.

  Similarly, the hardware module of FIG. 1-104 SFP device is configured by FIG. 2-212 to FIG. 2-220. Hereinafter, the configuration includes a network board 212 corresponding to peripheral devices, a printer function controller board (printer controller) 213, a print engine (engine) 214, an operation panel controller 215, and an operation panel 216. And a hard disk controller (HD controller) 217, a hard disk (HD) 218, an option controller 219, and an option IF 220.

  FIG. 3 is a software module configuration diagram of the device management system in the server PC of FIG. 1-102.

  FIG. 3-301 shows a device management application program. This management application program is a device management system that acquires counter information and the like of managed devices.

  FIG. 3-302 is a device management unit that manages information related to the printing device to be managed.

  FIG. 3-303 is an acquisition counter management unit that manages the type of counter to be acquired.

  FIG. 3-304 is a counter designation file management unit that acquires and manages information of an external file that designates the extension counter type.

  FIG. 3-305 is a counter data acquisition unit that acquires designated counter information from the target device to be managed.

  FIG. 3-306 is an acquisition counter file output unit that outputs the acquired counter information to a file. FIG. 3-307 is an acquisition counter display unit that displays the acquired counter information on the UI.

  FIG. 3-308 shows a library group provided by the OS, and can be used as a framework function when building an application program. FIG. 3-309 represents the operating system. FIG. 3-310 represents driver software for controlling the hardware. This includes printer drivers used for printing. FIGS. 3-311 and 3-312 represent software components for controlling physical media such as a hard disk and a network board, respectively. It is assumed that device management software operates on the server PC in FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a user interface for selecting a basic counter. With respect to the basic counter types, as can be seen from this figure, predetermined types of counters are defined, and a user interface for selecting these counters is provided. Accordingly, in the example of this figure, the screen layout is designed so that six types of counters can be selected, and it is not easy to dynamically add counter types or change the layout. In FIG. 4-401, control of a check box for designating a selection state of a counter type for collecting counter values is laid out, and a counter type can be selected from what is displayed. Note that the counter type that must be acquired can be selected in advance and displayed in gray so that the state cannot be changed. FIG. 4-402 is an area for displaying a counter number of a selectable counter type and a simplified meaning of the counter. The counter number and the meaning of the counter here are merely examples, and a user using the device management system may display useful information when selecting the counter.

  Next, FIG. 5 shows an example of the basic counter storage table. This table is prepared at the time of system installation in an external storage area represented by HD in FIG. 2-210 accessible by the device management system, and is an area for storing basic counter information acquired from the target device by the device management system. is there. A basic counter storage area is defined in advance in the table, and it is possible to store counter values of all the counter types selected in FIG. Further, the table structure is capable of storing information for each target device selected at the time of counter acquisition. FIG. 5-501 is an area for managing information unique to the target device. Specific management information is an area in which device-specific information such as the name of the management target machine and the MAC address is stored. FIG. 5-502 is an area for storing the counter value related to the basic counter acquired from the managed machine.

  Next, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a file in which an extended counter type that cannot be specified from the user interface of FIG. 4 is specified by an external file. Here, a description example using a markup description language such as XML is shown as an example, but description using any file format is possible. The description file is stored in an external storage area typified by HD in FIG. 2-210 that can be accessed by the device management system, and the device management system is referred to when the counter acquisition task is executed from the target device.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the extended counter storage table. This table is prepared at the time of system installation in an external storage area represented by HD in FIG. 2-210 accessible by the device management system, and is an area for storing extended counter information acquired from the target device by the device management system. is there. 7-701 is an area for storing the extended counter number acquired in the target device Dev1, and the counter number described in the file defining the extended counter shown in FIG. Sometimes read and reflected. FIG. 7-702 is an area in which the counter value corresponding to the extended counter number in FIG. 7-701 is stored in the target device Dev1. These counter type number and counter value information are paired, and are continuously stored for the number of target machines in the counter acquisition task. 7-703 is an area for storing a device name, a MAC address, and the like, which are information unique to the counter acquisition target machine. FIG. 7-704 is an area for collectively managing counter numbers and counter values related to the extended designation counter of the managed machine.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface that displays a basic counter. FIG. 8-801 is an area for displaying the unique information of the managed machine corresponding to FIG. 5-501. FIG. 8-802 is an area for displaying a basic counter acquisition value corresponding to FIG. FIG. 8-803 is a button for designating output of the acquired counter value to a file. By pressing this button, an acquisition counter as shown in FIG. 9 can be output to the file.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the information of the acquired counter is output to a file by pressing the button of FIG. 8-803. FIG. 9-901 is an example in which unique information related to the counter acquisition management target machine managed by FIGS. 5-501 and 7-703 is output as a file. FIG. 9-902 shows an example in which the acquisition counter value of the basic counter stored in FIG. FIG. 9-903 shows an example in which the counter number and the counter value related to the extension counter acquired from the management target machine stored in FIG. 7-704 are output to a file.

  Next, a detailed processing flow of the counter value information acquisition processing in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In S1001, the information of the target device selected as the target device of the counter acquisition task in the device management application in FIG. The information to be acquired is information for specifying the number of target devices and individual devices. Information for identifying individual devices includes information such as device names, IP addresses for allowing the server PC to communicate with FIGS. 1-103 and 104, and MAC addresses. An example of the acquired target device information is shown in FIG.

  In S1002, information on the basic counter selected as an acquisition target is acquired using the user interface illustrated in FIG. An example of a table for managing the acquired basic counter selection state is shown in FIG. In this example, information indicating the selected state is associated with the counter number, and management is performed by setting the state checked in the user interface of FIG. 4 to 1 and the state not checked to 0.

  In step S1003, the presence / absence of an external designated file for determining the presence / absence of an external file defining the extended designation counter shown in FIG. As a result of the confirmation, if the extended designation counter is designated, the process proceeds to S1004, and if not designated, the process proceeds to S1006.

  In S1004, the information acquired from the extension designation counter definition file in FIG. 6 is stored in the extension counter type management table shown in FIG.

  In step S1005, a flag indicating that the extended counter is designated is set and used for determining whether or not the extended counter is designated in the subsequent processing.

  In S1006, information on all counters is acquired from the target device currently being processed, and stored in a temporary area for reference in subsequent processing.

  In S1007, the basic counter selection state of FIG. 12 acquired in S1002 is referred to, and the counter values of the counter types selected from all the acquired counters are stored in the basic counter storage table shown in FIG.

  In S1008, the extension counter designation flag set in S1005 is referred to. If the flag is on, the process proceeds to S1009, and if the flag is off, the process proceeds to S1010.

  In S1009, the information on all counter values acquired in S1005 is referred to, and it is further confirmed whether or not a counter type that matches the extended counter type management table of FIG. 13 acquired in S1004 is included. If the counter value obtained as a result of the confirmation is included in the counter value acquired in S1005, information is stored in the extended designation counter storage table of FIG. 7 as a pair of counter number and counter value, and the process proceeds to S1010.

  In S1010, it is determined whether or not the above processing has been performed for all devices included in the target device information acquired in S1001. As a result of the determination, if not performed for all devices, the above-described processing is repeated from S1006, and if the above-described processing is performed for all devices, the processing of this counter acquisition task ends.

  Next, the processing flow at the time of displaying the acquired counter value and outputting the file will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the device management application, a user operation for displaying the counter information collected by the counter information acquisition task is executed. For example, when display of counter information or the like is selected from the menu, the process moves to S1401, and preparations for executing the subsequent steps are made. An example of a screen to be displayed in the subsequent processing is as shown in FIG. 8, and information on the target device in FIG. 8-801 and information on the basic counter in FIG. 8-802 are displayed.

  The counter information display request by the user is selected in units of counter acquisition tasks, the target device is different for each task, and the selected counter type may be different for each task. Such association information takes the form shown in FIG.

  First, FIG. 15-1 is an area in which information such as a task name for identifying a counter acquisition task and a task execution date / time is managed.

  FIG. 5-1502 stores pointer information to a table storing information of a selected device that is a target device for each counter acquisition task. The entity of the table pointed to by the pointer is the target device information table in the counter acquisition task shown in FIG.

FIG. 51503 stores pointer information to a table in which basic counter information acquired for each counter acquisition task is stored. The entity of the table pointed to by the pointer is the basic counter storage table shown in FIG.
51504 stores pointer information to a table storing information on the extended counter acquired for each counter acquisition task. The entity of the table pointed to by the pointer is the extended designation counter storage table shown in FIG.

  In step S1402, information about a target device necessary for displaying the portion in FIG. 8-801 is acquired. Specifically, referring to the information for specifying the target device of the basic counter in FIG. 5-501, the detailed information of the target device is acquired from the table in FIG. 11, and can be referred to in the subsequent steps as shown in FIG. Stored in a storage area such as a RAM.

  In S1403, information on the counter value of the basic counter is acquired from the basic counter storage table shown in FIG. 5, and stored in a storage area such as the RAM shown in FIG.

  In step S1404, using the information acquired in steps S1402 and S1403 described above, the target device information and the basic counter value are displayed on the screen as shown in FIG.

  In S1405, it is determined whether or not the Export button for instructing to output the information of the acquired counter shown in FIG. 8-801 to a file has been pressed. If not, the process proceeds to S1406.

  In S1408, since the file output of the counter information is instructed by the user, the target device information and the basic counter information acquired in S1402 and S1403 are output to the designated file, and the process advances to S1409. Before executing the file output process in this step, it is assumed that the information such as the name and folder of the file to be output has been confirmed by a user interface such as a dialog box for specifying a general file. To do.

  In step S1409, based on the target device information acquired in step S1402, the area in FIG. 7-703 is referred to, and counter number and counter value information regarding the extended counter in FIG. 7-704 is acquired. Proceed to

  In step S1410, the extended counter value and extended counter number information acquired in step S1409 are written to the output file determined in step S1408, and the process advances to step S1404. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the file output in S1408 to S1410 is displayed. The file format is a CSV file format, which is an example of display by MS-Excel.

  If the Export button is not pressed in S1405, the process proceeds to S1406, and it is determined whether or not the screen display in FIG. 8 needs to be updated. If the display needs to be updated, the process proceeds to S1404, and the above steps are repeated. If the display update is not necessary, the process proceeds to S1407.

  In S1407, it is determined whether or not the screen display of FIG. 8 is finished. If the display is not finished, the process returns to S1405, the above process is repeated, and if the display is finished, the process of this flow is finished.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of a print output device management system in which the present invention operates. FIG. It is a figure showing hardware constitutions. It is a figure showing the module structure of the device management system in server PC. It is a figure showing the example of the user interface which performs selection of a basic counter. It is a figure showing the example of a basic counter storage table. It is a figure showing the example of the file structure which defines an extended designation | designated counter. It is a figure showing the example of an extended designation | designated counter storage table. It is a figure showing the example of the user interface which displays the acquired basic counter. It is a figure showing the example at the time of carrying out the file output of the acquired counter. It is a figure showing the detailed process flow of the counter value information acquisition process in a present Example. It is a figure showing the example of the target device information management table in a counter acquisition task. It is a figure showing the example of the table which manages the selection state of a basic counter. It is a figure showing the example of the table which manages an expansion counter kind. It is a figure showing the processing flow at the time of the display of the acquired counter value, and file output. It is a figure showing the example of a counter acquisition task execution result correlation information table.

Claims (16)

  In a printing apparatus management method for obtaining counter information of the number of printed sheets from a printing apparatus connected to the network, a process of obtaining counter information of a predefined basic counter and information of an extended counter other than the basic counter are obtained. And a step of storing the basic counter and the extended counter in different storage areas, a step of displaying the acquired counter information, and a step of outputting the acquired counter information to a file, Printing apparatus management method.   The printing apparatus management method according to claim 1, wherein the step of acquiring the counter information of the basic counter includes a step of selecting from counter types listed by a user interface.   2. The step of acquiring information on an extension counter other than the basic counter includes a step of acquiring information on the extension counter by reading an external file that defines the acquisition information on the extension counter. Printing device management method.   2. The printing apparatus management according to claim 1, wherein the step of storing the basic counter and the extension counter in different storage areas includes the step of storing only information on the counter value in the basic counter storage area. Method.   2. The step of storing the basic counter and the extended counter in different storage areas includes the step of storing the counter type information and counter value information in the extended counter storage area. Printing device management method.   The printing apparatus management method according to claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the acquired counter information includes a step of displaying information on a print output apparatus and a basic counter.   The printing apparatus management method according to claim 1, wherein the step of outputting the acquired counter information to a file includes a step of outputting information of the print output apparatus, the basic counter, and the extension counter to a file.   In a printing apparatus management apparatus that obtains counter information of the number of printed sheets from a printing apparatus connected to the network, means for obtaining counter information of a predefined basic counter and information on an extended counter other than the basic counter are obtained. And means for storing the basic counter and the extended counter in different storage areas, means for displaying the acquired counter information, and means for outputting the acquired counter information to a file, Printing device management device.   9. The printing apparatus management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the means for acquiring the counter information of the basic counter has means for selecting from counter types listed by a user interface.   9. The means for acquiring information on an extension counter other than the basic counter has means for acquiring information on the extension counter by reading an external file that defines the acquisition information on the extension counter. Printing device management device.   9. The printing apparatus management according to claim 8, wherein the means for storing the basic counter and the extended counter in different storage areas has means for storing only information on the counter value in the basic counter storage area. apparatus.   9. The means for storing the basic counter and the extended counter in different storage areas respectively, wherein the extended counter has means for storing counter type information and counter value information in the extended counter storage area. Printer management device.   9. The printing apparatus management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the means for displaying the acquired counter information includes means for displaying information on a print output apparatus and a basic counter.   9. The printing apparatus management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the means for outputting the acquired counter information to a file has means for outputting information of the print output apparatus, the basic counter, and the extension counter to a file.   A computer-readable control program for controlling the printing apparatus management method according to claim 1.   A storage medium in which the control program according to claim 15 is recorded in a computer-readable form.

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