JP4745939B2 - Remote management system - Google Patents

Description

In the present invention, the central management device and the managed device can communicate with each other via a communication adapter, and the managed device such as an OA device (for example, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, or a printing machine) receives serviceman call information. The present invention relates to a remote management system that transmits to a central management device via a communication adapter .

As a remote management system, for example, as seen in Patent Document 1, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine installed in a user (customer) office or the like is connected to a communication adapter (data communication apparatus) and a communication line such as a public line. An image forming apparatus management system that can be connected to a central management apparatus installed in a service center or the like is generally known.
JP 2000-29354 A

  In such an image forming apparatus management system, the customer's image forming apparatus has a self-diagnosis function, and when an abnormality such as a failure occurs or a maintenance time or a replenishment time for consumables is reached, a message to that effect is given. The indicated SC (Service Man Call) information is transmitted to the central management apparatus via the communication adapter and the communication line. When the central management device receives SC information from the customer's image forming device, the information is used by a service person in charge of work such as abnormality repair, maintenance, or supply replenishment of the image forming device of the transmission source. The data is transmitted to a terminal device such as a mobile terminal (for example, a notebook personal computer) and displayed on the display screen.

The service person looks at the display contents of the display screen of the terminal device, goes to the customer where the image forming apparatus that is the transmission source of the SC information is installed, and performs repair, maintenance, or supply replenishment of the image forming apparatus. Do work.
On the other hand, in such an image forming apparatus remote management system, in recent years, when a plurality of image forming apparatuses are installed at a customer site, the cases of connecting them via a network such as a LAN (local area network) have increased. Each image forming apparatus is managed by a customer-side device manager.

However, in such a conventional image forming apparatus remote management system, the person in charge of device management consumes much labor as the number of image forming apparatuses connected to the network increases. In addition, there is no access restriction for the user who uses the image forming apparatus, and the safety of the device is not managed. As a result, unexpected failures and supply shortages may occur.
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to enable a remote management system to reduce the load of device management work on the customer side and to ensure safety by user management.

In the present invention, a central management device and a management target device such as an OA device can communicate with each other via a communication adapter, and the management target device transmits serviceman call information to the central management device via the communication adapter. In order to achieve the above object, the remote management system is characterized as follows.

The remote management system according to the invention of claim 1 is a storage means for storing, in the central management device, user authentication information of a special authority user corresponding to the serviceman call information received from the communication adapter; When an authentication request is received, the user authentication information in the user authentication request is checked against the user authentication information in the storage means, and if there is user authentication information that matches the storage means, the authentication is successful, and the matching user authentication information If there is no authentication, a user authentication unit that performs user authentication that determines that the authentication has failed, and a user authentication result transmission unit that transmits a result of user authentication by the user authentication unit to the communication adapter are provided. Storage means for storing user authentication information of a user who has authority to access the device; When the authentication request is received, the user authentication information in the user authentication request is compared with the user authentication information in the storage means, and if there is user authentication information that matches the storage means, the authentication is successful, and the matching user authentication information If there is no user authentication means for performing user authentication to determine that authentication has failed, user authentication result transmitting means for transmitting the result of user authentication by the user authentication means to the managed device, and user authentication information for inputting user authentication information An input unit, a user determination unit that determines a user who has performed an operation for inputting the user authentication information from the user authentication information input by the user authentication information input unit, and a user determined by the user determination unit If the user is a special authority user, a user authentication request including user authentication information input by the operation of the special authority user is issued. The user authentication result transmitting means for transmitting to the central management apparatus, and the user authentication result indicating the successful authentication from the central management apparatus in response to the user authentication request to the central management apparatus by the user authentication request transmitting means A user authentication information additional means for additionally writing user authentication information in the user authentication request to the storage means, and a user authentication information input means for inputting user authentication information to the management target device, and the user authentication. A user authentication request transmitting means for transmitting a user authentication request including user authentication information input by the information input means to the communication adapter, and the communication in response to the user authentication request to the communication adapter by the user authentication request transmitting means. When a user authentication result indicating successful authentication is received from the adapter, access to the function corresponding to the user authentication result is performed. And function access permission means for permitting the service.

A remote management system according to a second aspect of the present invention is the remote management system according to the first aspect , wherein the managed device and a manager device used by an administrator of the managed device can communicate with each other. When the user authentication result is received from the central management apparatus in response to the user authentication request to the central management apparatus by the user authentication request transmission means, the user authentication result is transmitted to the administrator. If the user who performed the operation for inputting the user authentication information received from the managed device is a special authority user as a result of user authentication by the user authentication means and the user authentication means, Means for transmitting the result of authentication to the manager device.

A remote management system according to a third aspect of the present invention provides the remote management system according to the first aspect , wherein when the user authentication result transmission means of the central management device is determined to be successful by the user authentication means, the authentication is performed. With the user authentication result indicating success, the management device information of the work object of the corresponding special authority user is transmitted to the communication adapter, and the user authentication information additional unit of the communication adapter is configured to transmit the user authentication request by the user authentication request transmission unit. When the management device information is received together with the user authentication result indicating the authentication success from the central management device in response to the user authentication request to the central management device, the user authentication information in the user authentication request and the management device information Are added to the storage means in association with each other.

According to the remote management system of the present invention, when user authentication information is input, the management target device transmits a user authentication request including the user authentication information to the communication adapter. When the communication adapter receives a user authentication request from the managed device, the communication adapter collates the user authentication information in the user authentication request with the user authentication information in the storage means (user authentication information of a user who has access authority to the managed device). If there is user authentication information that matches the storage means, authentication is successful, and if there is no matching user authentication information, user authentication is determined to be authentication failure, and the user authentication result is transmitted to the managed device. When the management target device receives a user authentication result indicating successful authentication from the communication adapter in response to a user authentication request to the communication adapter, the managed device permits access to a function corresponding to the user authentication result.
In this way, by managing the access authority for the user of the managed device at the customer site, the customer device administrator can reduce the load of the status management work of the managed device, and the managed device Since it is easy to grasp the usage status of the management target device, it is possible to optimally manage the supply of the management target device and improve the operation efficiency of the management target device. That is, it is possible to guarantee the safety by reducing the load of the device management work on the customer side and managing the user.
When the user authentication information is input, the communication adapter also determines the user who has performed an operation for inputting the user authentication information from the user authentication information, and if the user is a special authority user, the special authority user The user authentication request including the user authentication information input by the operation is transmitted to the central management apparatus. The central management unit stores the user authentication information of the special authority user corresponding to the serviceman call information received from the communication adapter, and when receiving the user authentication request from the communication adapter, the user authentication in the user authentication request The user authentication information is compared with the user authentication information in the storage means. If there is user authentication information that matches the storage means, authentication is successful, and if there is no matching user authentication information, user authentication is performed, and the result is communicated. Send to adapter. When the communication adapter receives a user authentication result indicating successful authentication from the central management apparatus in response to a user authentication request to the central management apparatus, it adds the user authentication information in the user authentication request to the storage means.
In this way, in the central management device, by performing user authentication of maintenance personnel who are special authority users, it becomes possible to detect unauthorized access of false maintenance personnel, and prevent unauthorized access of past personnel who have left work, This leads to stable operation of the managed device, and the device manager in charge of the customer can reduce the load of management work on the managed device.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an image forming apparatus management system which is a remote management system according to the present invention.
This image forming apparatus management system includes a center system 1 as a central management apparatus installed in a service center and a group of electronic devices installed in each customer (user side) A and B. .

The center system 1 includes a router 2, a plurality of servers 3 a and 3 b, and a network 4 such as a LAN for connecting them so that they can communicate with each other.
The electronic device group of the customer A includes a router 11, a communication adapter 12 that is communicably connected to the center system 1 via the router 11 and the Internet 5, a copier 13 that is a management target device, a printer 14, and the like. A network segment is constituted by the network 15 such as a LAN for connecting the image forming apparatus (OA device), the router 11, and the communication adapter 12 to each other so that they can communicate with each other.

  The electronic device group of customer B includes a communication adapter 21 that is communicably connected to the center system 1 via the public communication network 6 and the access point 7, a facsimile (FAX) device 22 that is a management target device, and a copying machine 23. , The printer 24, the communication adapter 21, the copier 23, and the network 24 such as a LAN for connecting the printer 24 so that they can communicate with each other, and the wired connection for connecting the communication adapter 21 and the facsimile apparatus 22 so that they can communicate with each other. A network segment is configured by the dedicated I / F 26.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the server 3a.
The server 3a includes a CPU 31, a real-time clock circuit 32, a ROM 33, a RAM 34, an external memory control unit 35, a network I / F unit 36, a hard disk device (hereinafter abbreviated as “HDD”) 37, and the like. Since the server 3b has the same configuration as the server 3a, the illustration and description of each part other than the network I / F unit 36 are omitted.

The CPU 31 is a central processing unit that performs overall control of the entire server 3 a by a control program in the ROM 33.
The real-time clock circuit 32 generates time information, and the CPU 31 can know the current time by reading it.
The ROM 33 is a read-only memory that stores various fixed data including a control program used by the CPU 31.
The RAM 34 is a readable / writable memory used as a work memory or the like used when the CPU 31 performs data processing.

The external memory control unit 35 performs interface control with the HDD 37.
The network I / F unit 36 performs interface control with other servers 3b and routers 2 connected to the network 4.
The HDD 37 is a storage unit that stores various information including user authentication information (user information and the like) and maintenance authority (access authority) of the latest special authority user (maintenance person) as a DB (database). The server 3a can be provided with a non-volatile memory to store various information.

Here, the CPU 31 of the servers 3a and 3b operates in accordance with the control program in the ROM 33. At this time, the RAM 34, the external memory control unit 35, the network I / F unit 36, etc. are used, so that various functions according to the present invention are achieved. Functions as a certain user authentication means and user authentication result transmission means can be realized.
Alternatively, the control program recorded on the inserted recording medium (disk such as a flexivir disk or an optical disk) is read by a disk device such as an internal or external flexiville disk device or an optical disk device, and the internal The various functions described above can also be realized by installing in the HDD or RAM and operating according to the control program.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the communication adapter 21 of FIG. Since the communication adapter 12 has the same configuration, its illustration and description are omitted. However, the communication adapter 12 is different from the communication adapter 21 in that it communicates with the router 11.
In the communication adapter 21, data from the public communication line network 6 is first input to the line switching circuit 41. Here, if the communication from the public communication line network 6 side is directed to the facsimile apparatus 22 connected to the communication adapter 21, the public communication line network 6 side is connected to the facsimile apparatus 22, and the communication from the center system 1 is performed. For communication, the public communication network 6 side is connected to the modem 42.

The network I / F unit 43 communicates with the image forming apparatus such as the copying machine 23.
These controls and processes are performed mainly by the CPU 44 in accordance with a control program (software including firmware) in the ROM 45.
The ROM 45 stores various fixed data including a control program used by the CPU 44.

The RAM 46 is a storage unit that stores various types of information including user authentication information (user information, access authority, etc.) of a user who has access authority to each management target device (image forming apparatus). A backup battery (battery) 47 is connected to the RAM 46.
The switch 48 is for selectively setting various modes.
The display unit 49 displays various information.
The communication adapter 21 performs a polling operation on each image forming apparatus connected to the communication adapter periodically and in the order of device addresses assigned thereto.

  Here, the CPU 44 of the communication adapters 21 and 12 operates in accordance with the control program in the ROM 45, and at that time, the network I / F unit 43, the RAM 46, the display unit 49, etc. are used, so that various functions according to the present invention are achieved. Functions as a certain user authentication means, user authentication result transmission means, user authentication information input means, user discrimination means, user authentication result transmission means, and user authentication information additional writing means can be realized.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system of the copying machines 13 and 23 of FIG.
The copying machines 13 and 23 are controlled based on a control program and data stored in the ROM 102 with the CPU 101 as the center. In addition, the RAM 103 (storage means) is used to store intermediate results of processing, various set values, device statuses, and the like.

The A / D converter 104 supplies the supply voltage to the exposure lamp, the light emission voltage and light reception voltage of the P sensor, the output of the potential sensor, the output of the ADS sensor, the output of the lamp light quantity sensor that detects the light quantity of the exposure lamp, and the photosensitive drum. It is used to input the output of a drum current sensor that detects the flowing current, the thermistor voltage in the fixing unit, and the like.
The optical system control unit 105 controls the exposure lamp.
The high-voltage power supply unit 106 supplies a high voltage to be applied to the charging charger, separation charger, transfer charger, and pre-transfer charger (PTC), and a developing bias voltage to be applied to the developing roller in the developing unit.

The motor control unit 107 controls the main motor that drives the photosensitive drum, each paper feed unit, the rollers of the transport unit, and the like.
The heater control unit 108 controls energization to the fixing heater that heats the fixing roller of the fixing unit, and maintains the surface temperature of the fixing roller within a predetermined range.
The sensor control unit 109 is used to vary the light reception gain of the lamp light quantity sensor, the light reception gain of the ADS sensor, the light reception gain of the P sensor, the light emission voltage of the LED of the P sensor, and the like.
The network I / F unit 110 is a unit that performs communication with the communication adapters 12 and 21.

The operation unit 111 is an operation / display panel having a display unit for displaying various types of information and a switch unit (operation keys) for inputting various types of information.
Here, the CPU 101 of the copiers 13 and 23 operates according to the control program in the ROM 102, and at this time, the RAM 103, the network I / F unit 110, the operation unit 111, and the like are used, so that various functions according to the present invention are achieved. Functions as certain user authentication information input means, user authentication request transmission means, and function access permission means can be realized.
Although the control system of the copying machines 13 and 23 has been described above, other image forming apparatuses such as the printers 14 and 24 also have a similar control system, and thus illustration and description thereof are omitted.

  Hereinafter, each control (embodiment) according to the present invention in the image forming apparatus management system configured as described above will be specifically described with reference to each of FIGS. For convenience of explanation, communication control between the communication adapter 21 installed in the customer B and the copying machine 23 and communication control between the communication adapter 21 and the server 3a of the center system 1 will be described. .

[First embodiment]
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of communication control between a management target device and a communication adapter during a user operation (an operation on the operation unit by a user).
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of communication control between the management target device and the communication adapter during a user operation.

In the case of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the communication adapters 12 and 21 are respectively installed at customers A and B that construct a network segment to which a plurality of managed devices are connected.
For example, the copying machine 23 that is a management target device installed at the customer B is required to perform user authentication from the operation unit 111 when operating, and can be operated after successful user authentication.
As described in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the user needs to perform user authentication when attempting to operate the copying machine 23 connected to the network segment.

When user information (user authentication information) is input from the operation unit 111 by a user operation, the CPU 101 (FIG. 4) of the copying machine 23 sends a user authentication request including the user information via the network 25 by encrypted communication using HTTPS. To the communication adapter 21.
When the CPU 44 (FIG. 3) of the communication adapter 21 receives (receives) a user authentication request by HTTPS communication from the copying machine 13, the user information in the user authentication request is collated with the user authentication information in the RAM 46.

  As a result of the collation, if the user authentication information that matches the user information in the received user authentication request is in the RAM 46, the authentication is successful (authentication OK), and if there is no matching user authentication information, the authentication failure (authentication NG). Perform user authentication to determine. If it is determined that the authentication is successful, authentication result information including the user authentication result (hereinafter also referred to simply as “authentication result”) and the access authority of the authenticated user is generated, and the copying machine is transmitted via the network 25 by HTTPS communication. 23. If it is determined that the authentication has failed, authentication result information including the authentication result is generated and transmitted to the copying machine 23 by HTTPS communication.

  When the CPU 101 of the copying machine 23 receives authentication result information from the communication adapter 21 in response to a user authentication request to the communication adapter 21, the authentication result in the authentication result information is displayed on the display unit of the operation unit 111. indicate. If the authentication result in the authentication result information indicates successful authentication, the access authority information of the authenticated user in the authentication result information is stored and held in the RAM 103, and access to the function corresponding to the access authority is performed. Only allow.

  In this way, by managing the access authority for each managed device at the customer site, the device manager at the customer site can reduce the load of the status management work of the managed device, and Since it becomes easy to grasp the usage status of the device, it is possible to optimally manage the supply of the management target device and improve the operation efficiency of the management target device.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a first example of communication control between the communication adapter and the center system at the time of maintenance person operation (operation of the card reader by the maintenance person).
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a first example of communication control between the communication adapter and the center system when a maintenance person operates.

In the case of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the communication adapters 12 and 21 are respectively installed at customers A and B that construct a network segment to which a plurality of managed devices are connected. Further, a card reader 51 (FIG. 7) is provided for user authentication.
As described in the flowchart of FIG. 8, in order to perform maintenance of the copying machine 23 connected to the network segment, a maintenance person (serviceman) dispatched from the outside uses the card reader 51 of the communication adapter 21. (If the communication adapter 21 has an operation unit, it may be used) User authentication is performed.

At this time, the card reader 51 reads and inputs user information recorded on a card (such as an IC card inserted into the card insertion slot or an IC card approaching the reading unit), and inputs the user information to the communication adapter 21. input.
When user information is input from the card reader 51, the CPU 44 of the communication adapter 21 determines a user who has performed an operation for inputting the user information, and the user is a maintenance person who is a special authority user. In this case, a user authentication request including user information input from the card reader 51 (user authentication information of the person in charge of maintenance) is transmitted to the center system 1 by encrypted communication using HTTPS.

When the CPU 31 of the server 3a of the center system 1 receives the user authentication request by HTTPS communication from the communication adapter 21, the user information in the user authentication request is converted into the user authentication information in the HDD 37 (DB) (the latest maintenance person in charge). User authentication information).
As a result of the verification, if the user authentication information that matches the user information in the received user authentication request is in the HDD 37, the authentication is successful (authentication OK), and if there is no matching user authentication information, the authentication failure (authentication NG). Perform user authentication to determine. If it is determined that the authentication is successful, authentication result information including the authentication result and maintenance authority is generated and transmitted to the communication adapter 21 by HTTPS communication. When it determines with authentication failure, the authentication result information containing the authentication result is produced | generated, and it transmits to the communication adapter 21 by HTTPS communication. The authentication result is stored in the HDD (DB) 37 as an authentication history.

When the CPU 44 of the communication adapter 21 receives authentication result information from the center system 1 in response to a user authentication request to the center system 1, the CPU 44 displays the authentication result in the authentication result information on the display unit 49. Further, if the authentication result in the authentication result information indicates that the authentication is successful, the authentication result information is temporarily stored in the RAM 46.
A maintenance person inputs information on the copier 23 (management target device) to be maintained by operating the screen of the display unit 49 of the communication adapter 21 (assuming that the touch panel is overlaid). 23 is designated as the access authority (maintenance authority in the authentication result information temporarily stored in the RAM 46).

Thereby, the CPU 44 of the communication adapter 21 associates the designated access authority with the user information of the person in charge of maintenance input from the card reader 51 (user information in the user authentication request transmitted to the center system 1), It is stored in the RAM 46 as user authentication information (added).
Thereafter, the maintenance person performs an operation for own user authentication on the copying machine 23 to be maintained, so that the communication control including the user authentication described above is performed between the copying machine 23 and the communication adapter 21. (Refer to the description of FIG. 6 etc. of the first embodiment) Maintenance work can be performed.

The maintenance authority (access authority) in the authentication result information received from the center system 1 and the user information of the person in charge of maintenance input from the card reader 51 are directly associated with each other and stored in the RAM 46 as user authentication information. it can.
In this way, by performing user authentication of maintenance personnel in the center system 1, it is possible to detect unauthorized access by fake maintenance personnel and prevent unauthorized access by past personnel who have left the job. This leads to operation, and the device manager in charge of the customer can reduce the load of management work on the managed device.

[Third embodiment]
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a second example of communication control between the communication adapter and the center system when a maintenance person operates.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a second example of communication control between the communication adapter and the center system when a maintenance person operates.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating another example of communication control between a management target device and a communication adapter when a maintenance person operates.

Also in the case of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the communication adapters 12 and 21 are respectively installed at customer customers A and B that construct a network segment to which a plurality of managed devices are connected. Further, a card reader 51 (FIG. 9) is provided for user authentication.
As described in the flowchart of FIG. 10, in order to perform maintenance of the copying machine 23 connected to the network segment, a maintenance person dispatched from outside uses the card reader 51 of the communication adapter 21 (communication adapter 21). If there is an operation unit, it may be used).

At this time, the card reader 51 reads and inputs user information recorded on a card (such as an IC card inserted into the card insertion slot or an IC card approaching the reading unit), and inputs the user information to the communication adapter 21. input. In addition, the administrator device (information terminal such as a mobile phone or a notebook personal computer) 52 used by the device manager in charge of the customer is notified by e-mail that the user authentication has been requested.
Thereafter, the CPU 44 of the communication adapter 21 performs control similar to the control described with reference to FIG. 8 of the second embodiment, and finally notifies that the maintenance person has logged in (user authentication has been successful) by e-mail. Notification is made to the manager device 52 used by the customer's device manager.
The CPU 31 of the server 3a of the center system 1 performs control similar to the control described with reference to FIG. 8 of the second embodiment.

Thereafter, the maintenance staff performs an operation for own user authentication on the copying machine 23 to be maintained, so that the communication control including the user authentication described above is performed between the copying machine 23 and the communication adapter 21 as shown in FIG. The maintenance work can be performed as described in the flowchart of FIG.
The flowchart of FIG. 11 is obtained by adding the following processing to the flowchart of FIG.
That is, when the CPU 44 of the communication adapter 21 transmits authentication result information including the access authority of the authenticated user to the copying machine 23, and the user authentication is the user authentication of the maintenance staff, the authentication result (user authentication (Including information on the requested management target device) by e-mail to the manager device 52 used by the customer device manager.

  As described above, in the communication adapter, the maintenance staff member notifies the administrator device 52 used by the customer's device management staff about the access to the communication adapter and the access to the management target equipment by the maintenance staff. Can reduce the load on the person in charge of device management by grasping the work history of

[Fourth embodiment]
FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a third example of communication control between the communication adapter and the center system at the time of maintenance personnel operation.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a third example of communication control between the communication adapter and the center system when a maintenance person operates.

In the case of the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the communication adapters 12 and 21 are respectively installed at customers A and B that construct a network segment to which a plurality of managed devices are connected. Further, a card reader 51 (FIG. 12) is provided for user authentication.
As described in the flowchart of FIG. 13, in order to perform maintenance of the copying machine 23 connected to the network segment, a maintenance person dispatched from the outside uses the card reader 51 of the communication adapter 21 (communication adapter 21). (If there is an operation unit, it may be used.) User authentication is performed (same as the description of FIG. 8 in the second embodiment).

When user information is input from the card reader 51, the CPU 44 of the communication adapter 21 determines a user who has performed an operation for inputting the user information, and the user is a maintenance person who is a special authority user. In this case, a user authentication request including user information input from the card reader 51 (user authentication information of the person in charge of maintenance) is transmitted to the center system 1 by encrypted communication using HTTPS.
When the CPU 31 of the server 3a of the center system 1 receives the user authentication request by HTTPS communication from the communication adapter 21, the user information in the user authentication request is converted into the user authentication information in the HDD 37 (DB) (the latest maintenance person in charge). User authentication information).

  As a result of the verification, if the user authentication information that matches the user information in the received user authentication request is in the HDD 37, the authentication is successful (authentication OK), and if there is no matching user authentication information, the authentication failure (authentication NG). Perform user authentication to determine. If it is determined that the authentication is successful, a maintenance target device list that is a list of managed device information of the maintenance work schedule (work target) of the maintenance staff is created, and the authentication result, maintenance authority, and maintenance target device list are created. Is generated and transmitted to the communication adapter 21 by HTTPS communication. When it determines with authentication failure, the authentication result information containing the authentication result is produced | generated, and it transmits to the communication adapter 21 by HTTPS communication. The authentication result is stored in the HDD (DB) 37 as an authentication history.

When the CPU 44 of the communication adapter 21 receives authentication result information from the center system 1 in response to a user authentication request to the center system 1, the CPU 44 displays the authentication result in the authentication result information on the display unit 49. Further, if the authentication result in the authentication result information indicates that the authentication is successful, the authentication result information is temporarily stored in the RAM 46.
A maintenance person inputs information on the copier 23 (management target device) to be maintained by operating the screen of the display unit 49 of the communication adapter 21 (assuming that the touch panel is overlaid). 23 is designated as the access authority (maintenance authority in the authentication result information temporarily stored in the RAM 46).

Thereby, the CPU 44 of the communication adapter 21 receives the designated access authority, the maintenance target device list, and the user information of the person in charge of maintenance input from the card reader 51 (user information in the user authentication request transmitted to the center system 1). Are stored in the RAM 46 as user authentication information (added).
Thereafter, the maintenance person performs an operation for own user authentication on the copying machine 23 to be maintained, so that the communication control including the user authentication described above is performed between the copying machine 23 and the communication adapter 21. (Refer to the description of FIG. 6 etc. of the first embodiment) Maintenance work can be performed.

The maintenance authority (access authority) in the authentication result information received from the center system 1, the maintenance target device list, and the user information of the person in charge of maintenance input from the card reader 51 are directly associated with each other in the RAM 46 as user authentication information. It can also be stored.
In this way, in the communication adapter, the maintenance target device list (managed device information) is notified from the center system by user authentication of the maintenance personnel, so that the operation efficiency of the managed devices can be improved by shortening the maintenance personnel's work time. In addition, the maintenance staff can also prevent mistakes that make mistakes in the managed devices.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to guarantee the safety by reducing the load of the device management work on the customer side and managing the user. Therefore, it is possible to provide a remote management system with improved customer-side business efficiency and safety.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus management system which is a remote management system according to the present invention. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the server 3a of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the communication adapter 21 of FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control system of the copying machines 13 and 23 of FIG. 1. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the communication control between the management object apparatus and communication adapter at the time of user operation.

It is a flowchart which shows an example of the communication control between the management object apparatus and communication adapter at the time of user operation. It is a figure for demonstrating the 1st example of the communication control between the communication adapter and center system at the time of a maintenance person's operation. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st example of communication control between the communication adapter and center system at the time of a maintenance person's operation. It is a figure for demonstrating the 2nd example of the communication control between the communication adapter and center system at the time of a maintenance person's operation. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd example of the communication control between the communication adapter and center system at the time of maintenance person operation.

It is a flowchart which shows the other example of communication control between the management object apparatus and communication adapter at the time of maintenance person operation. It is a figure for demonstrating the 3rd example of the communication control between the communication adapter and center system at the time of a maintenance person's operation. It is a flowchart which shows the 3rd example of the communication control between the communication adapter and center system at the time of maintenance person operation.

Explanation of symbols

1: Center system (central management device) 2, 11: Router 3a, 3b: Server 4, 15, 25: Network 5: Internet 6: Public communication network 7: Access point 12, 21: Communication adapter 13, 23: Copy Machines 14 and 24: Printer 22: Fax machine 26: Dedicated I / F
31, 44, 101: CPU 32: Real-time clock circuit 35: External memory control unit 36, 43, 110: Network I / F unit 37: Hard disk device 41: Line switching circuit 42: Modem 47: Battery 49: Display unit 51: Card reader 52: Administrator device 111: Operation unit

Claims (3)

In a remote management system in which a central management device and a managed device can communicate via a communication adapter, and the managed device transmits serviceman call information to the central management device via the communication adapter ,
In the central management device,
Storage means for storing user authentication information of a special authority user corresponding to the serviceman call information received from the communication adapter;
When a user authentication request is received from the communication adapter, the user authentication information in the user authentication request is checked against the user authentication information in the storage means, and if there is user authentication information that matches the storage means, the authentication is successful. User authentication means for performing user authentication to determine authentication failure if there is no matching user authentication information;
User authentication result transmission means for transmitting the result of user authentication by the user authentication means to the communication adapter;
In the communication adapter,
Storage means for storing user authentication information of a user who has access authority to the managed device;
When a user authentication request is received from the managed device, the user authentication information in the user authentication request is checked against the user authentication information in the storage means, and if there is user authentication information that matches the storage means, the authentication is successful. User authentication means for performing user authentication to determine that authentication fails if there is no matching user authentication information;
User authentication result transmission means for transmitting a result of user authentication by the user authentication means to the managed device ;
User authentication information input means for inputting user authentication information;
User discrimination means for discriminating a user who has performed an operation for inputting the user authentication information from the user authentication information input by the user authentication information input means;
User authentication result transmission means for transmitting a user authentication request including user authentication information input by an operation of the special authority user to the central management apparatus when the user determined by the user determination means is a special authority user When,
When a user authentication result indicating successful authentication is received from the central management apparatus in response to the user authentication request to the central management apparatus by the user authentication request transmitting means, user authentication information in the user authentication request is Providing user authentication information appending means for appending to the storage means ,
In the managed device,
User authentication information input means for inputting user authentication information;
User authentication request transmitting means for transmitting a user authentication request including user authentication information input by the user authentication information input means to the communication adapter;
When a user authentication result indicating successful authentication is received from the communication adapter in response to the user authentication request to the communication adapter by the user authentication request transmitting unit, access to a function corresponding to the user authentication result is permitted. And a function access permission means. The remote management system according to claim 1 , wherein
The management target device and a manager device used by a manager of the management target device can communicate with each other.
The user authentication result transmitting means of the communication adapter is
Means for transmitting the user authentication result to the administrator device when the user authentication result is received from the central management apparatus in response to the user authentication request to the central management apparatus by the user authentication request transmitting means; ,
As a result of user authentication by the user authentication means, when a user who has performed an operation for inputting user authentication information received from the managed device is a special authority user, the result of the user authentication is used for the administrator. A remote management system comprising means for transmitting to a device. The remote management system according to claim 1 , wherein
The user authentication result transmitting means of the central management device is:
When it is determined that the authentication is successful by the user authentication means, together with a user authentication result indicating the authentication success, means for transmitting the management device information of the work object of the corresponding special authority user to the communication adapter,
The user authentication information appending means of the communication adapter is
When the management device information is received from the central management device together with the user authentication result indicating the success of authentication in response to the user authentication request to the central management device by the user authentication request transmitting means, A remote management system, wherein user authentication information and the management device information are associated with each other and added to the storage means.

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