Information processing system, information processing method, and computer program product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9942421-B2
Application number	US-201715412164-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2017
Priority date	Feb 5, 2016
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

An information processing system includes a determining unit configured to determine, based on use amounts, for predetermined respective periods, of a device, whether a period during which a use amount of the device increases is present; a deciding unit configured to determine whether maintenance work is to be performed on the device in a case where the determining unit determines that the period during which the use amount of the device increases is present and to decide details of the maintenance work; and an outputting unit configured to output the details of the maintenance work. The deciding unit decides the details of the maintenance work including at least one of a check item name that is in accordance with the device and a replacement component name that is in accordance with a predicted use amount of the device in the period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing system including at least one information processing apparatus, the information processing system comprising:
a memory; and
a processor that is coupled to the memory and that is configured to
determine, based on use amounts, for predetermined respective past periods, of a device, whether a period during which a use amount of the device increased is present among the past periods;
determine whether maintenance work is to be performed on the device upon determining that the period during which the use amount of the device increased is present and to decide details of the maintenance work based on a result determined;
output the details of the maintenance work when the details of the maintenance work for the device are decided;
predict, based on the use amounts for the respective past periods, a future use amount of the device for a future busy period; and
report the details of the maintenance work to an electronic apparatus, used by a workman who performs the maintenance work for the device, to display the details of the maintenance work,

wherein the processor decides the details of the maintenance work including at least one of a check item name that is in accordance with the device and a replacement component name of a component of the device that is in accordance with a predicted future use amount of the device in the future busy period.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the period during which the use amount of the device increased is present based on the use amounts for respective past months of the device.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the use amounts are print volumes of the device.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor determines whether the maintenance work is to be performed on the device based on a check condition, which represents a condition of a case of requiring a predetermined check, and device information, which represents operating status of the device, and
wherein, in a case where the device information satisfies the check condition, the processor decides the details of the maintenance work including the check item name corresponding to the predetermined check.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor determines, for each component included in the device, whether the maintenance work is to be performed on the device based on a maximum use amount of the component and the predicted future use amount of the device in the future busy period, and
wherein, in a case where the predicted use amount exceeds the maximum use amount, the processor decides the details of the maintenance work including the replacement component name corresponding to the component.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein, when the details of the maintenance work for the device are decided, the outputting unit reports the details of the maintenance work to the electronic apparatus that the workman, who performs the maintenance work for the device, uses.

7. The information processing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor determines, for each device, whether the period during which the use amount of the device increased is present, and
wherein the processor determines, for each device, whether the maintenance work is to be performed on the device when the processor determines that the period during which the use amount of the device increased is present and decides, for each device, the details of the maintenance work based on the result determined.

8. The information processing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the component of the device is to be replaced based on the future use amount and a remaining amount of the component, and
wherein, when the future use amount exceeds the remaining amount, the processor is configured to determined that the component is to be replaced.

9. The information processing system according to claim 8 ,
wherein, when the processor determines that the component is to be replaced, the processor is configured to display, on the electronic apparatus, a screen including the replacement component name of the component to be replaced.

10. The information processing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to calculate an average of the use amounts for the predetermined respective past periods, and
wherein the use amount of the busy period, during which the use amount of the device increased, is larger than the average by a predetermined amount or more.

11. An information processing method executed by a computer including a memory and a processor coupled to the memory, the information processing method comprising:
determining, based on use amounts, for predetermined respective past periods, of a device, whether a period during which an use amount of the device increased is present among the past periods;
determining whether maintenance work is to be performed on the device upon determining that the period during which the use amount of the device increased is present;
deciding details of the maintenance work based on a result determined;
outputting the details of the maintenance when the details of the maintenance work for the device are decided;
predicting, based on the use amounts for the respective past periods, a future use amount of the device for a future busy period; and
reporting the details of the maintenance work to an electronic apparatus, used by a workman who performs the maintenance work for the device, to display the details of the maintenance work,
wherein the details of the maintenance work includes at least one of a check item name that is in accordance with the device and a replacement component name of a component of the device that is in accordance with a predicted future use amount of the device in the future busy period are decided.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer including a memory and a processor coupled to the memory to execute a process, the process comprising:
determining, based on use amounts, for predetermined respective past periods, of a device, whether a period during which an use amount of the device increased is present among the past periods;
determining whether maintenance work is to be performed on the device upon determining that the period during which the use amount of the device increased is present and deciding details of the maintenance work based on a result determined; and
outputting the details of the maintenance when the details of the maintenance work for the device are decided;
predicting, based on the use amounts for the respective past periods, a future use amount of the device for a future busy period; and
reporting the details of the maintenance work to an electronic apparatus, used by a workman who performs the maintenance work for the device, to display the details of the maintenance work,
wherein the details of the maintenance work includes at least one of a check item name that is in accordance with the device and a replacement component name of a component of the device that is in accordance with a predicted future use amount of the device in the future busy period.

Assignees

• Hayashi Shunsuke
• Oku Takenori
• Mizuno Satoshi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hayashi Shunsuke
• Oku Takenori
• Mizuno Satoshi

Classifications

• H04N1/00344 Primary

  with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus (monitoring H04N1/00002) · CPC title

• H04N1/00323

  with a measuring, monitoring or signaling apparatus, e.g. for transmitting measured information to a central location · CPC title

• H04N1/00832

  Recording use, e.g. counting number of pages copied · CPC title

• H04N2201/0094

  Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception · CPC title

• G06Q10/06311

  Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group · CPC title