Patent ID: 7355730

Claim:
A system comprising a plurality of office machines and at least one servicing computer unit, wherein the particular office machine comprises an electronic control unit and a data communication interface, wherein internal data of the office machine may be read out and internal data of the office machine are settable via the data communication interface, wherein a computer unit is assigned to each of the office machines, which computer unit is capable of accessing internal data of the office machine and is designed to permit reading out of internal data of the particular office machine and setting of internal data of the office machine at least by data communication over a computer network, wherein the computer units assigned to the office machines and the servicing computer unit are in each case connected or connectable to a computer network and are designed such that the servicing computer unit can read out internal data of the office machine by data communication over the computer network and that internal data of the office machine can be set by the servicing computer unit by data communication over the computer network and/or internal operating software or firmware can be updated, wherein the servicing computer unit includes evaluation functionality for the automated evaluation of internal data which have been read out from the office machines and reporting functionality for the automated provision of report data and of reports based on the report data to a user interface on the basis of the data which have been read out and of the evaluation or evaluations performed, wherein at least one of the following evaluations proceeds automatically and corresponding report data are automatically provided: a) preparation of user statistics, b) preparation of cost evaluations, c) preparation of information about services provided broken down by the particular office machine and by the assigned cost centres, d) statistical evaluation of error messages and machine failures which occur, and e) analysis of office machine capacity utilisation, wherein the servicing computer unit includes notification functionality for the automated provision and optional dispatch of data relating to preventive and/or acute servicing operations on at least one of the office machines and/or of messages by data communication and/or telecommunication to at least one assigned communication device and/or at least one assigned further computer unit, and wherein the notification functionality is designed, as a function of the internal data which have been read out or of derived data based thereon, to select between two or more assigned communication devices and/or two or more assigned further computer units to which the data and/or messages relating to preventive and/or acute servicing operations on at least one of the office machines are to be provided or sent.