A method to diagnosis an electro-mechanical part on an image forming device comprises: determining an incident count for a first time interval for the electro-mechanical part; determining if the incident count for the first time interval exceeds a first threshold level; marking the incident count as a high rate if the incident count exceeds the first threshold level; marking the incident count as a low rate if the incident count is more than 0 but equal to or less than the first threshold level; marking the incident count as a zero rate if the incident count is equal to 0; monitoring the electro-mechanical part for a second time interval, wherein the second time interval is a plurality of first time intervals; cumulating a number of first time intervals with the low rate during the second time intervals; and marking the electro-mechanical part as needing to be one of repaired or serviced when the number of first time intervals with the low rate during the second time intervals exceeds a second threshold level.

Provided is a device for monitoring printer-related data on USB cables. The USB-compatible device comprises a first USB connector, a second USB connector, a processor, and a non-volatile memory. The device stores printer-related data, reports stored printer-related data to a server, and removes the stored printer-related data from the non-volatile memory.

An electronic device communicable with a server system via a network, includes circuitry to: transmit information on the electronic device to the server system; store in a memory information on a display component corresponding to the information on the electronic device that is acquired from the server system; read the information on the display component stored in the memory at a predetermined timing; display the display component that is read on a display; in response to selection of the display component, acquire information associated with the display component from the server system; and display the acquired information on the display.

A printer capable of performing communication with a server via a firewall over a printer network includes a roll paper printing mechanism configured to perform printing on roll paper, a cut-form paper printing mechanism configured to perform printing on cut-form paper, and a processor configured to transmit, to the server, at least pairs of address information for the printer and status information for the printer, receive instruction information having been transmitted by the server, and execute processing based on the instruction information, and the processor causes transmission timing points for the transmission of the pairs to the server to differ for each of kinds of the status information.

A disclosed example is a server residing on a first network. The server has an observer. The observer receives observational data from a media processing device residing on a second network via a first persistent connection between the media processing device and the server. The observer provides, via the first persistent connection, a configuration file to the media processing device that defines a type of the observational data to be collected by the media processing device. The observer is prevented from communicating an operational instruction to the media processing device. The operational instruction is to control media processing hardware of the media processing device.

Embodiments of the present invention provide for a method, system, and computer program for increasing the success of a facsimile transmission. In an embodiment of the invention, the method includes monitoring an incoming facsimile number transmitting a fax image by a carrier and on the condition that a threshold failure rate is met or exceeded for the carrier transmitting the fax image on the incoming facsimile number, adjusting the carrier to a new carrier.

A method to diagnosis an electro-mechanical part on an image forming device comprises: determining an incident count for a first time interval for the electro-mechanical part; determining if the incident count for the first time interval exceeds a first threshold level; marking the incident count as a high rate if the incident count exceeds the first threshold level; marking the incident count as a low rate if the incident count is more than 0 but equal to or less than the first threshold level; marking the incident count as a zero rate if the incident count is equal to 0; monitoring the electro-mechanical part for a second time interval, wherein the second time interval is a plurality of first time intervals; cumulating a number of first time intervals with the low rate during the second time intervals; and marking the electro-mechanical part as needing to be one of repaired or serviced when the number of first time intervals with the low rate during the second time intervals exceeds a second threshold level.

Provided are an image forming apparatus including multiple feed trays and a non-transitory recording medium. One or more hardware processors of the image forming apparatus determine, for each print product to be printed, whether the amount of sheets contained at the beginning of printing the each print product in a feed tray being used for printing, is not less than the necessary amount of sheets for printing the each print product, and cause a print engine to print the print products. In printing the print products, the one or more hardware processors, when determining that the amount of sheets in the feed tray being used for printing, determined for a next print product, which is to be printed next to a print product currently being printed, is less than the necessary amount of sheets for the next print product, cause the print engine to suspend printing the next print product.

An image forming device to which an external device is detachably attached, including an interface that is able to attach to the external device, a storage that stores multi-tier architecture software, and a computer that executes the multi-tier architecture software. The multi-tier architecture software includes a lower layer that includes an operating system that manages the external device, an upper layer that includes an application program that accesses the external device via the lower layer, and an intervening abstraction layer that hides implementation of the lower layer from the upper layer. The upper layer includes an access control program that is able to save path information to access the external device to the storage, and relays access from the application program to the external device by accessing the lower layer without going through the abstraction layer and accessing the external device using the path information.

Provided is an inter-shaft distance measuring device for measuring a distance between two shafts or an amount of a change in the distance that includes: measuring elements that are respectively in contact with peripheral surfaces of the two shafts at a time of measurement and that are used as measurement references; a moving mechanism that includes an elastic member and that holds the measuring elements to move the measuring elements relatively and adds a force in opposite directions separating the measuring elements by an elastic force of the elastic member; and a measurer that measures the change in the distance between the measuring elements. In a state at the time of the measurement, the measuring elements between the two shafts add a pressing force by the moving mechanism respectively to the two shafts in directions widening the distance, and the state at the time of the measurement is maintainable.