Abstract:
The invention provides automatic machinery with the capability to communicate to an operator or technician or other machine user with a description of a machine condition, such as, for example, a machine problem, if the machine requires attention.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     This invention relates to communicating diagnostic information about machines and systems to an operator, technician or other user. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,494, to Aliens, et al., incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a method of automatic notification of diagnostic information concerning status and condition of a copy machine to selected remote devices. During operation of the copy machine, a controller continually scans and monitors appropriate memory locations for selected conditions, such as, for example, various jam and malfunction conditions or recorded cumulative numbers of such conditions. When a particular condition or threshold is reached as a result of machine control monitoring of the machine sensors and switches, or a coincidence of present machine conditions with stored reference or reporting conditions occurs, the copy machine will trigger an automatic transmission or notification to selected remote stations. Upon detecting any given condition, such as an out of paper condition, a predetermined fault condition, or an end of job, the machine automatically initiates a call to a pager using a modem, then sends one or more coded message to the pagers, including codes which represents the condition diagnosed. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,875 to Weinberger discloses a system for automatically and remotely monitoring the operational status of one or more copy machines to permit identifying copiers with operational problems to create service requests for those copy machines. Weinberger uses a central processing unit which is remotely located from the copiers in a separate computer. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In various exemplary embodiment of the systems and methods according to this invention, in which a single machine is used, a diagnostic machine condition signal is generated for a plurality of different conditions. Each different condition or category of conditions is transmitted to a user on a different frequency. The signals may be modulated to carry voice messages or codes for radio receivers and voice and/or written messages for pagers. 
     A machine user or technician can be provided with a transceiver in the form of a headset, with earphones, and possibly a microphone. In this manner, a user or technician can listen to a voice message. If the user is provided with a microphone, the user can send a voice message, or other control signal, back to the machine to cause a change in the condition detected or otherwise affect the machine such as, for example, to turn off the machine or a portion of the machine or have the machine run self-diagnostic tests. Alternatively, the user or technician can simply go to the machine and manually address the condition the machine apprised the user or technician of. In other exemplary embodiments, a wireless telephone may be used if the transmitter is fitted with an automatic dialing and message unit which plays a message to the user or technician after the user or technician answers the telephone, whether the telephone is wired or wireless. If a pager is used, then a message can be sent to the pager for viewing by the user or technician. 
     When plural machines are involved, each machine may be provided with a transceiver. Each machine&#39;s transceiver may operate at a different frequency or group or frequencies from the other machines to provide a method of identifying which machine&#39;s signal is being received by a user or technician. Additionally, each condition diagnosed and transmitted to a user or technician may additionally operate at a different frequency. The different condition frequencies will differ for each machine but will be within the unique range of frequencies transmitted by a particular machine. 
     In various other exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods according to this invention, a transmission frequency is selected to (1) select the status or identity of the recipient, such as, for example, an operator, a technician, or some other user, based on the type of attention needed by the machine, (2) the priority of, attention needed by the machine, (3) the location of an available attention provider, and/or (4) to reduce or avoid interference among transmission frequencies. 
     In various other exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods according to this invention, the machines are allowed to communicate with each other so that, for example, a machine closest to a machine user or technician may be used to transmit and/or display operational information from another machine. Alternatively, in various other exemplary embodiments, one or more machines are selected to receive diagnostic information signals from other machines and configured to more effectively or efficiently transmit that information to a user or technician. The one or more selected machines can also be configured to send signals to the other machines from which diagnostic information is received, for example, to turn the other machines off, place the other machines in a standby status, or to have the other machines perform self-maintenance procedures. 
     This invention is not limited to a wired connection between the machines and a user terminal and is not limited to using a wireless pager. For example, various exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods of this invention use cellular phones, modems, loud speakers, and/or alarms, as well as pagers and modems. 
     In various other exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods according to this invention, a machine user or technician is provided with a frequency scanner S to monitor all of the frequency transmission channels of the machines, so that the user or technician will almost immediately be aware of a diagnostic information signal being sent from one or more of the machines as well as the nature of the condition being diagnosed. However, where a single signal transceiving machine is used to communicate with the other machines and is the only machine which sends a signal to a machine user or technician, a scanner need not be used unless the single signal transceiving machine users more than one transmitting frequency. 
     These and other features and advantages of this invention are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods according to this invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Various exemplary embodiments of this invention will be detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of a system according to this invention, including a machine showing a plurality of sensors, a controller, a transmitter and a receiver, and a mobile transmitter and receiver; 
     FIG. 2 depicts a second exemplary embodiment of a system according to this invention, including a centralized multi-machine in which each machine communicates with a single transmitter and receiver; 
     FIG. 3 depicts a third exemplary embodiment of a system according to this invention, including a centralized multi-machine embodiment in which one machine contains a transmitter and receiver, and several slave machines; 
     FIG. 4 depicts a fourth exemplary embodiment of a system according to this invention, including a decentralized multi-machine embodiment in which each machine has a message encoder and signal transmitter and receiver; 
     FIG. 5 depicts a first exemplary embodiment of the receiver usable in the first-fourth exemplary embodiments of a system according to this invention, including a machine user using a mobile transmitter and receiver in the form of earphones; and 
     FIG. 6 depicts a second exemplary embodiment of the receiver usable in the first-fourth exemplary embodiments of a system according to this invention, including a machine user using a mobile receiver in the form of a visual pager usable to receive messages from a machine. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 shows a machine  100  such as, for example, a photo copy machine  100 , with a plurality of sensors  101 . The sensors  101  are connectable to a controller  102 . When the controller  102  receives a signal from a sensor  101 , the controller  102  generates a second signal based on the signal it received from that sensor  101 . The second signal generated by the controller can be in many forms, such as, for example, a voice message corresponding to the aspect or condition of the machine  100  which was sensed by that sensor  101 . 
     A message encoder  108  is provided with each machine  100  either as part of, or connectable to, the controller  102  to provide an encoded message, which indicates pertinent information, to the operator or technician, such as, for example, what aspect of the machine  100  has been sensed, what needs to be done to the machine  100  and the like. 
     A transmitter  120  or a transmitter-receiver  120  is connectable to the controller  102 . The transmitter or transceiver  120  receives the second signal generated by the controller  102  and encoded by the message encoder  108  and transmits the received second signal on a radio frequency or on some other electromagnetic frequency. FIG. 1 also shows a mobile receiver  130  or a mobile transmitter-receiver  130  which is located separately and apart from the machine  100 . The receiver or transceiver  130  may be of any size but, in various exemplary embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, is small enough to be easily carried or worn by a machine operator or technician. The transceiver  120  on each machine  100  may, for example, transmit at a different frequency from the transmitters on the other machines  100 , so that each machine  100  may be readily identified by the frequency of the signal transmitted to the operator or technician. Because each machine  100  may be configured to transmit at a different frequency or group of frequencies, an operator or technician may receive any one of many simultaneously generated signals the received signals distorting or interfering with each other. When a different set of transmission frequencies is used for each machine  100 , those different frequencies may be selected from or otherwise used to select the status or identity of the recipient, i.e., the operator, a technician or some other user, based on the type of attention needed by the machine  100 , the priority of needed attention, the location of an available attention provider, such as the operator or a technician, and/or to reduce or avoid interference between the transmission frequencies. 
     FIG. 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of a system according to this invention that uses a centralized transmission scheme. As shown in FIG. 2, the system includes a number of machines  100 - 1  through  100 - 5 , each of which is connected to a central transmitter or transceiver  120 . The exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2 uses the centralized transmitter or transceiver  120  to convey diagnostic machine condition signals, i.e., signals of the machines  100 - 1  to  100 - 5 , to the user or to a technician. The centralized transmitter or transceiver  120  eliminates the need to provide each machine  100 - 1  to  100 - 5  with its own transmitter or transceiver  120 , and reduces the cost implementing systems according to this invention. In various exemplary embodiments, the transmitter or transceiver  120  transmits at a number of different frequencies, where at least one frequency is associated with each of the machines  100 - 1  through  100 - 5 . Because a different transmission frequency is used for each machine  100 - 1  through  100 - 5 , a user or technician to whom the signals are transmitted can determine which machine  100 - 1  through  100 - 5  has sent a diagnosed condition signal based at least on the transmission frequency. The signal from each machine  100 - 1  to  100 - 5  and transmitted by the centralized transmitter or transceiver  120  can include information provided by the message encoder  108  not only about the diagnosed condition, but also about the location of the machine  100 , so an operator or technician can easily locate the machine  100  to attend to it. One other independent advantage of the centralized transmitter or transceiver  120  is that the centralized transmitter or transceiver  120  can be portable and can fit in locations in which an entire machine  100  could not fit. 
     FIG. 3 shows a third exemplary embodiment of a system according to this invention that also uses a centralized transmission scheme. In FIG. 3, one of the machines  150  and  160 - 163  is designated as a master machine  150 , while the other machines  160 - 163  are designated as slave machines  160 - 163 . In particular, only the master machine  150  includes a transmitter or transceiver  120 . The slave machines  160 - 163  transmit their diagnostic condition signals to the master machine  150 , which sends a signal to the operator or technician using the transmitter or transceiver  120 . The signal transmitted by the master machine  150  contains enough information to identify which of the master machine  150  or one of slave machines  160 - 163  generated the diagnostic condition signal. In various exemplary embodiments, this machine identification information is the specific frequency on which the signal was transmitted by the transmitter or transceiver  120  associated with the master machine  150 . 
     The slave machines  160 - 163  can be connected to the master machine  150  by hard wiring or wirelessly, i.e., by using electromagnetic radiation such as, for example, radio waves. In the case of wireless communication, each slave machine  160 - 163  and the master machine  150  has a separate transceiver by which these machines  150  and  160 - 163  communicate with each other. The master machine  150  not only sends information to a user or technician, but can also send a signal to any slave machine  160 - 163  to trigger an action, such as, for example, a shutdown routine, a circuit disconnect, or other action such as, for example, initiation of an alarm by that one of the slave machines  160 - 163 . 
     FIG. 4 shows a fourth exemplary embodiment of a system according to this invention that uses a decentralized scheme. As shown in FIG. 4, each machine  100  is provided with its own transmitter or transceiver  120 . In various exemplary embodiments, one independent advantage of using a separate transmitter or transceiver  120  includes redundancy, such that, if a single transmitter or transceiver  120  breaks down, it does not disable more than one machine from being able to transmit signals to the user&#39;s receiver or transceiver  130 . 
     In various exemplary embodiments of this invention, one advantage of the systems according to this invention is that the machine operator or a technician  300  can freely roam about the areas in which the machines  100  are located, while still remaining in touch with, or able to be notified of problems by, the machines  100 . That is, to be able to receive messages from the machine  100 , all the machine operator  300  has to do is use the receiver or transceiver  130 . The receiver or transceiver  130  can be portable. For example, the receiver or transceiver  130  can be a simple headset with a control system. In this case, the headset  310  has earphones  312  and can optionally have a microphone  314 . If the area(s) where the machines  100  are located are noisy, the headset  310  can be combined with ear protectors. 
     In various exemplary embodiments of this invention, another advantage of the systems according to this invention is that the machine operator  300  can be notified of diagnosed conditions even if the machines  100  are not visible to the operator  300 . 
     If the diagnosed conditions are transmitted over different frequencies, or if different frequency transmissions are used for different machines  100 , the user&#39;s transmitter or transceiver  130  can be provided with a transmitted frequency scanning system, like those used to scan police band or aircraft band frequencies, to readily locate a frequency over which a signal generated by one of the machines  100  is being transmitted. This allows the user  300  and/or the receiver or transceiver  130  to identify the diagnosed condition and/or the machine  100  which generated the signal in view of the one or more diagnosed conditions. 
     FIG. 5 shows a user  300  wearing an audio receiver or transceiver that implements the receiver or transceiver  130 . The audio receiver or transceiver  130  is incorporated into a headphone to allow the user to keep the user&#39;s hands free. The audio receiver or transceiver  130  may include the optional microphone  314  so that the user  300  can transmit a signal back to the controller  102  of the machine  100  that generated the received signal, so that that machine  100  can take some action with respect to the condition of that machine  100 . The received message can identify the problem or condition. Additionally, in various exemplary embodiments, the received message can include instructions to the user for responding to the problem or condition. 
     FIG. 6 shows a user  300  and a digital pager that implements the receiver or transceiver  130 . The digital pager  130  displays a message generated by a machine  100 , identifying the machine  100  that generated the message, the condition, and optionally, a suggested action to be taken by the user  300  with respect to the reported machine condition. The receiver or transceiver  130  can also be implemented using a wireless telephone which can play an audible message or display a written message, whether coded or uncoded. If a wireless telephone is used as the receiver or transceiver  130  by the user  300 , the transmitter or transceiver  120  would have to be able to communicate with the local wireless telephone service, and possibly with the message encoder  108 .