Patent ID: 7237019

Claim:
A message notification apparatus comprising: a condition setting unit which receives message-type information defining at least two types of messages of which an operator is to be notified of reception, and notification-manner information defining two or more manners in which said operator is to be notified of reception of each of the types of messages, each of said manners having operator location information that includes a condition related to possible locations of said operator; a condition storing unit which stores said message-type information and said notification-manner information; a message comparing unit which receives a message output from a monitored system, and compares the received message with said one or more types of messages based on said message-type information; a notification-manner determining unit which determines at least one manner in which said operator is to be notified of the reception of the message, based on said notification-manner information, as well as on the condition indicated in said operator location information indicating where said operator is currently visiting, when said message is identified as one of said types of messages; and a notification unit which notifies said operator of reception of said message in the at least one manner determined by said notification-manner determining unit, wherein said operator location information indicates whether or not said operator is present at said message notification apparatus, and further wherein when said operator location information indicates that said operator is present at said message notification apparatus, said operator is notified of reception of said message in each of said manners in which a present mode has been pre-selected, and when said operator location information indicates that said operator is not present at said message notification apparatus, said operator is notified of reception of said message in each of said manners in which an absent mode has been pre-selected, wherein said manners having said present mode pre-selected are all different from said manners having said absent mode pre-selected.