Patent ID: 7716318
Filing Date: 2010-05-11
Classification: G03G,H04N

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus monitoring system comprising a monitoring host, a plurality of monitoring apparatuses, at least one image forming apparatus that sends predetermined information and searches at least one monitoring apparatus from said plurality of monitoring apparatuses, and a communication line, wherein the monitoring apparatus searched out collects the predetermined information and transmits same to said monitoring host, and said monitoring host, said monitoring apparatuses and said image forming apparatus are connected to one another via said communication line, for performing communications therebetween, wherein said image forming apparatus comprises: a status determining device that determines whether or not said image forming apparatus is registered in the image forming apparatus monitoring system; an information display device that displays a registration status of said image forming apparatus; a monitoring apparatus searching device operable when said image forming apparatus is determined not to be registered by said status determining device, to search the at least one monitoring apparatus that is to monitor said image forming apparatus; a monitoring apparatus information acquiring device that acquires monitoring apparatus information from the at least one monitoring apparatus searched by said monitoring apparatus searching device; a monitoring apparatus determining device that selects the at least one monitoring apparatus that is to monitor, based on the acquired monitoring apparatus information; a first monitor request information transmitting device that transmits monitor request information to the at least one monitoring apparatus selected by said monitoring apparatus determining device; a first monitor request result receiving device that receives a result of a monitor request from the at least one monitoring apparatus; and a registration completion information storing device operable when the received result of the monitor request is a monitoring start notification, to store registration completion information in a storage area thereof; wherein said monitoring apparatus comprises: a monitoring apparatus information transmitting device that transmits the monitoring apparatus information to said image forming apparatus in response to the search by said monitoring apparatus searching device; a monitor request information receiving device that receives the monitor request information from said image forming apparatus; a second monitor request information transmitting device that transmits the received monitor request information to said monitoring host; a second monitor request result receiving device that receives the result of the monitor request from said monitoring host; a monitor request result transmitting device that transmits the result of the monitor request received from said monitoring host to said image forming apparatus; and a monitoring starting device operable when determining from the result of the monitor request that registration of the at least one monitoring apparatus in the monitoring host is completed, to start monitoring said image forming apparatus.