IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND SERVER SUBSTRATE

• Main Author: ISHIDA NORIYUKI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 15.12.2016
• Subjects: CINEMATOGRAPHY; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; LINING MACHINES; MAGNETOGRAPHY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHYSICS; PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION; PRINTING; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS; STAMPS; TRANSPORTING; TYPEWRITERS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress an installation cost for a server to enable collection and transmission to the outside of information on image forming apparatuses without the need to ensure an installation space for the server.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus comprises: a connection part for extension for attaching a substrate; a server substrate that is attached to the connection part for extension, and communicates with a management server provided on the outside via a port for external communication; a communication control part that includes a port for internal communication for connecting to a local network, and communicates with collection target equipment that is connected to the local network and from which information is collected; and a control part that causes the communication control part to collect predetermined equipment information from the collection target equipment, and causes the server substrate to transmit the collected equipment information to the management server.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4 【課題】サーバーの設置コストを抑え、サーバーの設置スペースを確保しなくても各画像形成装置の情報収集と外部への送信を行えるようにする。【解決手段】画像形成装置は、基板を取り付けるための増設用接続部と、増設用接続部に取り付けられ、外部通信用ポートを介して外部に設けられた管理サーバーと通信を行うサーバー基板と、ローカルなネットワークに接続するための内部通信用ポートを含み、ローカルなネットワークに接続された情報収集の対象とする収集対象機器と通信を行う通信制御部と、収集対象機器から予め定められた機器情報を通信制御部に収集させ、収集した機器情報を管理サーバーに向けて、サーバー基板に送信させる制御部と、を含む。【選択図】図４