This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-110842 filed Jun. 14, 2019.
The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, a management apparatus, an image forming system, and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-034638 discloses a printer with an evacuation information receiving function. When an earthquake early warning is received, the printer reads, from a memory, prestored map information indicating a shelter and automatically prints the map information. Thus, users may easily locate the shelter even if a power outage occurs in a while after the disaster.
Aspects of non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the following circumstances. If one image forming apparatus is unable to print evacuation information in the event of a disaster, users may desirably grasp information on other image forming apparatuses that are able to print the evacuation information in place of the one image forming apparatus.
Aspects of certain non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure address the above advantages and/or other advantages not described above. However, aspects of the non-limiting embodiments are not required to address the advantages described above, and aspects of the non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure may not address advantages described above.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising a memory that stores evacuation information for use in an event of a disaster, a printer that prints the evacuation information stored in the memory in the event of a disaster, and a display controller that performs, if the printer is unable to print the evacuation information, control to display information on an installation place of a different image forming apparatus that is able to print the evacuation information in place of the image forming apparatus.
An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein:
An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is described in detail with reference to the drawings.
As illustrated in
The image forming apparatus 10 is a so-called multifunction peripheral having a plurality of functions such as a printing function, a scanning function, a copying function, and a facsimile function.
In a normal mode of the image forming apparatus 10, users who come to a convenience store may use various functions such as the printing function by paying a fee by cash or electronic money.
The management server 20 is a management apparatus that manages information on, for example, installation places and installation place categories of the plurality of image forming apparatuses 10.
The image forming apparatus 10 has a function of printing, in the event of a disaster such as an earthquake, free evacuation information including information on a shelter around the installation place, a place where food will be supplied, and notice on the disaster. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 10 stores print information for evacuation information and, when the image forming apparatus 10 detects the occurrence of a disaster by receiving information indicating the occurrence of an earthquake, the image forming apparatus 10 proceeds to a disaster mode to print the evacuation information through a user's operation without billing the user.
If the image forming apparatus 10 proceeds to the disaster mode in response to detection of a disaster but lacks consumables such as toner or print paper, the image forming apparatus 10 is unable to print evacuation information.
In particular, in the disaster mode of the image forming apparatus 10, users may print evacuation information for free and therefore the expected number of printed copies is larger than usual. Thus, there is a strong possibility that the image forming apparatus 10 is unable to print the evacuation information due to lack of consumables.
This exemplary embodiment provides the following configuration so that, if one image forming apparatus is unable to print evacuation information in the event of a disaster, users may grasp information on other image forming apparatuses that are able to print the evacuation information in place of the one image forming apparatus.
As illustrated in
The print engine 17 prints an image on a recording medium such as print paper through charging, exposure, developing, transfer, fixing, and other steps.
The CPU 11 controls an operation of the image forming apparatus 10 by executing predetermined processing based on a control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13. In this exemplary embodiment, the CPU 11 reads and executes the control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13 but the program may be provided to the CPU 11 by being stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM.
As illustrated in
The display part 33 is controlled by the control part 35 to display various types of information for users. The operation input part 32 inputs information on various operations performed by users.
The image printing part 38 prints an image on a recording medium such as print paper based on control of the control part 35.
The control part 35 controls the image reading part 36, the image printing part 38, and the like based on operation information input by the operation input part 32 to execute printing processing, copying processing, and the like.
The billing part 31 bills a user when the user executes the printing processing or the copying processing. The data transmitting/receiving part 34 transmits data to and receives data from the management server 20.
The evacuation information storing part 37 stores evacuation information for use in the event of a disaster. The image forming apparatus 10 stores the evacuation information because the network 30 may be interrupted in the event of a disaster and no communication may be established with the management server 20.
In the event of a disaster, the control part 35 controls the image printing part 38 to print the evacuation information stored in the evacuation information storing part 37 on a recording medium such as print paper.
That is, the image printing part 38 is a printer that prints the evacuation information stored in the evacuation information storing part 37 in the event of a disaster.
If the image printing part 38 of one image forming apparatus is unable to print evacuation information due to lack of consumables or the like, the control part 35 controls the display part 33 to display information on installation places of other image forming apparatuses that are able to print the evacuation information in place of the one image forming apparatus.
The case where the image printing part 38 is unable to print the evacuation information due to lack of consumables or the like includes not only a case where the image forming apparatus lacks print paper or color materials such as toner but also a case where the image forming apparatus has jammed or malfunctioned mechanically.
The evacuation information storing part 37 stores not only evacuation information to be printed by its image forming apparatus, that is, evacuation information on an area where its image forming apparatus is installed, buts also evacuation information on other areas.
If the image printing part 38 is able to print evacuation information, the control part 35 displays information on other areas whose evacuation information is printable. If a user views the displayed information and gives an instruction to print evacuation information of a different area, the control part 35 controls the image printing part 38 to print the evacuation information of the different area.
As illustrated in
The CPU 21 controls an operation of the management server 20 by executing predetermined processing based on a control program stored in the memory 22 or the storage device 23. In this exemplary embodiment, the CPU 21 reads and executes the control program stored in the memory 22 or the storage device 23 but the program may be provided to the CPU 21 by being stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM.
As illustrated in
The evacuation information storing part 46 stores an evacuation information management table including basic information such as installation places, installation place categories, and dates of update related to the plurality of image forming apparatuses 10, and pieces of evacuation information to be stored in the plurality of image forming apparatuses 10.
The evacuation information management table illustrated in
The substitute apparatus refers to an alternative image forming apparatus configurated such that, if one image forming apparatus is unable to print evacuation information, the alternative image forming apparatus prints the evacuation information in place of the one image forming apparatus.
The original evacuation information holding apparatus refers to an image forming apparatus whose evacuation information is printable by a substitute apparatus. That is, the original evacuation information holding apparatus refers to an image forming apparatus whose evacuation information is held by a substitute apparatus.
The evacuation information management table includes dates of update of the basic information and dates of update of the disaster-related information.
In the evacuation information management table, no substitute image forming apparatus 10 is preset for a certain image forming apparatus 10. The substitute apparatus is determined by the substitute apparatus determining part 45 in a state in which only basic information is registered in the evacuation information management table.
The substitute apparatus determining part 45 determines, for each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses 10, a substitute image forming apparatus 10 that prints evacuation information in place of the image forming apparatus 10 when the image forming apparatus 10 is unable to print the evacuation information.
For example, the substitute apparatus determining part 45 determines a substitute image forming apparatus installed at a place within a range of a preset distance from a place where an image forming apparatus that is unable to print evacuation information is installed.
At this time, the substitute apparatus determining part 45 determines a substitute image forming apparatus whose installation place category is identical to the installation place category of the image forming apparatus that is unable to print evacuation information.
The reason why the substitute apparatus is determined so that the installation place category of the substitute apparatus is identical to the installation place category of the image forming apparatus in place of which the substitute apparatus prints evacuation information is that a substitute image forming apparatus having a different installation place category may be inaccessible in the event of an actual disaster. That is, if an image forming apparatus whose installation place category is “office” is selected as a substitute apparatus for an image forming apparatus whose installation place category is “convenience store” and if the office is closed or the image forming apparatus is installed at a place that is not accessible to unauthorized persons, they are not allowed to access the image forming apparatus and the substitute apparatus does not exert its function.
This exemplary embodiment is intended for image forming apparatuses installed in convenience stores accessible to anyone even in the event of a disaster. Therefore, an image forming apparatus whose installation place category is “convenience store” is selected as a substitute apparatus for an image forming apparatus whose installation place category is “convenience store”.
The evacuation information managing part 42 manages the plurality of image forming apparatuses 10 based on the evacuation information management table. Specifically, the evacuation information managing part 42 performs various types of management such as updating of the evacuation information management table when a new image forming apparatus 10 is installed or an installed image forming apparatus 10 has moved, and updating processing when printable evacuation information is changed. When the basic information or the disaster-related information is updated, the evacuation information managing part 42 rewrites information at a date when each information is updated.
For example, the evacuation information managing part 42 checks updated data every 24 hours and checks all the data every week. If the information in the evacuation information management table is updated, the evacuation information managing part 42 instructs the transmission information generating part 41 to generate transmission information.
The transmission information generating part 41 generates transmission information to be transmitted to each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses 10 based on the evacuation information management table. The transmission information includes information on a substitute apparatus determined by the substitute apparatus determining part 45, evacuation information printable by each image forming apparatus as a substitute apparatus, and evacuation information of an area where each image forming apparatus is installed.
The data transmitting/receiving part 43 transmits the transmission information generated by the transmission information generating part 41 to each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses 10. Further, the data transmitting/receiving part 43 transmits other information to and receives other information from the plurality of image forming apparatuses 10.
The data transmitting/receiving part 43 transmits, to a first image forming apparatus determined as a substitute apparatus for a second image forming apparatus, evacuation information of the second image forming apparatus together with evacuation information printable by the first image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus 10 that has received the two types of evacuation information stores, in the evacuation information storing part 37, evacuation information of an area where the image forming apparatus 10 is installed and pieces of evacuation information of other areas.
If the image printing part 38 of each image forming apparatus 10 is able to print evacuation information, the control part 35 controls the display part 33 to display, as information on other areas whose evacuation information is printable, information on installation places of image forming apparatuses for which the image forming apparatus 10 is set as a substitute apparatus.
The control part 44 of the management server 20 controls an overall operation of the management server 20 by controlling the operations of the transmission information generating part 41, the evacuation information managing part 42, the data transmitting/receiving part 43, the substitute apparatus determining part 45, and the evacuation information storing part 46.
Next, an operation of the image forming system of this exemplary embodiment is described in detail with reference to the drawings.
First, an operation for determining a substitute apparatus by the substitute apparatus determining part 45 of the management server 20 is described with reference to a flowchart of
In Step S101, the substitute apparatus determining part 45 first selects one image forming apparatus from the evacuation information management table illustrated in
In Step S102, if the installation place category of the selected image forming apparatus is “convenience store”, the substitute apparatus determining part 45 searches for a different image forming apparatus installed at a place categorized as “convenience store” and located within a range of a preset distance, for example, 5 km from a place where the selected image forming apparatus is installed.
In Step S103, the substitute apparatus determining part 45 registers a retrieved image forming apparatus in the evacuation information management table as a “substitute apparatus” for the selected image forming apparatus.
In Step S104, the substitute apparatus determining part 45 registers the selected image forming apparatus as an “original evacuation information holding apparatus” for the image forming apparatus registered as the “substitute apparatus”.
For example, if the substitute apparatus determining part 45 selects the image forming apparatus having the apparatus number “1”, image forming apparatuses having apparatus numbers “3”, “4”, and “10” are located within the range of 5 km from the place where the image forming apparatus having the apparatus number “1” is installed. In this case, the apparatus numbers “3”, “4”, and “10” are registered as apparatus numbers of “substitute apparatuses” for the image forming apparatus having the apparatus number “1”. Further, the apparatus number “1” is registered as an apparatus number of an “original evacuation information holding apparatus” for each of the image forming apparatuses having the apparatus numbers “3”, “4”, and “10”.
In the case described above, the substitute apparatus is determined based only on the installation place categories and the distance between the installation places. In actuality, the substitute apparatus for each image forming apparatus is determined based on various geographic conditions such as the number of surrounding convenience stores and the number of image forming apparatuses that may be set as substitute apparatuses.
Until determination is made, in Step S105, that all the image forming apparatuses have been processed, the substitute apparatus determining part 45 sequentially determines substitute apparatuses for all the image forming apparatuses by sequentially changing the apparatus number from “1”.
Next, an example of the transmission information to be generated by the transmission information generating part 41 is described with reference to
The transmission information generating part 41 first causes the transmission information to include, as basic information, printable evacuation information to be printed by the image forming apparatus having the apparatus number “1”. Then, the transmission information generating part 41 causes the transmission information to include, as supplementary information, information on original evacuation information holding apparatuses and substitute apparatuses.
Specifically, the transmission information generating part 41 first refers to the evacuation information management table illustrated in
The transmission information generating part 41 refers to the evacuation information management table illustrated in
The generated transmission information for the image forming apparatus having the apparatus number “1” is transmitted from the management server 20 to the image forming apparatus 10 having the apparatus number “1”.
Next, description is made of an example of display control to be performed by the image forming apparatus 10 that has received the transmission information illustrated in
The image forming apparatus 10 holds display control information illustrated in
In the display control information illustrated in
Referring to a flowchart of
In Step S201, the image forming apparatus 10 first determines whether the display mode is “disaster” or “normal”.
If the image forming apparatus 10 determines that the display mode is “normal” in Step S201, the image forming apparatus 10 displays a normal operation screen in Step S202.
If the image forming apparatus 10 determines that the display mode is “disaster” in Step S201, the image forming apparatus 10 determines whether the printability is “No” or “Yes” in Step S203.
If the image forming apparatus 10 determines that the printability is “Yes” in Step S203, the image forming apparatus 10 displays, in Step S204, an evacuation information print screen for a case where printing is available.
In Operation Screen Example 2 illustrated in
In Operation Screen Example 3 illustrated in
Specifically, a user wants to obtain evacuation information of a first area and uses an image forming apparatus installed in a convenience store of the first area but printing is unavailable in the image forming apparatus due to lack of paper or the like. In this case, the user may come to a convenience store of a second area where a substitute apparatus is installed by referring to its installation place information. Thus, the user may print the evacuation information of the first area.
If the image forming apparatus 10 determines that the printability is “No” in Step S203, the image forming apparatus 10 displays, in Step S205, an evacuation information print screen for a case where printing is unavailable.
Specifically, a user who has encountered the operation screen illustrated in
For example, as illustrated in
In the exemplary embodiment described above, the substitute apparatus is determined among the image forming apparatuses whose installation place categories are “convenience store”. The substitute apparatus may be determined among image forming apparatuses having various installation place categories.
The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and its practical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the disclosure for various embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the disclosure be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2019-110842 | Jun 2019 | JP | national |