Abstract: A server of a management system queues a schedule when an enqueue condition for queuing the schedule for transmitting counter information collected from an image forming apparatus is satisfied, and dequeues and executes the schedule when a dequeue condition for dequeuing the schedule is satisfied.

Abstract: A server of a management system transmits counter information collected from an image forming apparatus and a toner order request according to information regarding toner in the image forming apparatus. The server queues the toner order request when the request is failed, and dequeues the toner order request to execute the toner order request when a dequeue condition for dequeuing the toner order request is satisfied.

Abstract: A wrap server executes operates as an API call receiver module that receives a unified API call from each of the one or more external systems, an API call converter module that converts an API call received by the API call receiver module into an API call corresponding to the contract information on a basis of the contract table and a user name of the user as request-source information, the request-source information being an argument of an API call received by the API call receiver module, a converted API call module that calls a Web API supplied by the central system by using the API call converted by the API call converter module, and an information return module that returns information to an external system that called the wrap server, the information being returned by an API call from the converted API call module to the central system.

Abstract: Provided is a linking server that can easily link outputted data with another system. The linking server includes: a communication unit that is capable of communicating between a management server that collects one or more pieces of operating information from one or more image forming apparatus, and an external system that performs processing using the one or more pieces of operating information; a storage unit; an input/output unit that acquires the one or more pieces of operating information that is outputted from the management server, and stores that operating information in the storage unit; and a packaging unit that acquires the one or more pieces of operating information, generates compressed data by performing a compression process and a packaging process, and writes the generated compressed data back into the storage unit; wherein the input/output unit outputs the compressed data to the external system.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming system capable of dead/alive monitoring without adding a special apparatus. An information-transmitting unit of an image forming apparatus transmits management information. A management-information-acquiring unit of a front-end server acquires the management information from the image forming apparatus. An analyzing unit of a back-end server analyzes the management information acquired by the management-information-acquiring unit. An interval-instructing unit of the front-end server, at specified time intervals accumulates instructions for the analyzing unit. The dead/alive-monitoring unit counts the number of messages not acquired by the analyzing unit, and when the number of messages is equal to or greater than a specified threshold value, determines the analyzing unit is not operating.

Abstract: A wrap server executes operates as an API call receiver module that receives a unified API call from each of the one or more external systems, an API call converter module that converts an API call received by the API call receiver module into an API call corresponding to the contract information on a basis of the contract table and a user name of the user as request-source information, the request-source information being an argument of an API call received by the API call receiver module, a converted API call module that calls a Web API supplied by the central system by using the API call converted by the API call converter module, and an information return module that returns information to an external system that called the wrap server, the information being returned by an API call from the converted API call module to the central system.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming system capable of dead/alive monitoring without adding a special apparatus. An information-transmitting unit of an image forming apparatus transmits management information. A management-information-acquiring unit of a front-end server acquires the management information from the image forming apparatus. An analyzing unit of a back-end server analyzes the management information acquired by the management-information-acquiring unit. An interval-instructing unit of the front-end server, at specified time intervals accumulates instructions for the analyzing unit. The dead/alive-monitoring unit counts the number of messages not acquired by the analyzing unit, and when the number of messages is equal to or greater than a specified threshold value, determines the analyzing unit is not operating.

Abstract: Provided is a linking server that can easily link outputted data with another system. The linking server includes: a communication unit that is capable of communicating between a management server that collects one or more pieces of operating information from one or more image forming apparatus, and an external system that performs processing using the one or more pieces of operating information; a storage unit; an input/output unit that acquires the one or more pieces of operating information that is outputted from the management server, and stores that operating information in the storage unit; and a packaging unit that acquires the one or more pieces of operating information, generates compressed data by performing a compression process and a packaging process, and writes the generated compressed data back into the storage unit; wherein the input/output unit outputs the compressed data to the external system.

Abstract: A license management server manages a license to perform a service of remote maintenance related to one or more image forming apparatuses installed in a customer's site. The maintenance server includes a maintenance unit and a history management unit. If the license management server notified of expiration of an expiration date of the license defined by a contract, the maintenance unit stores history information acquired from the one or more image forming apparatuses corresponding to the expired license into a storage unit, and stops the service. If the license management server notified of grant of the license by a re-contract, the history management unit obtains the history information about the one or more image forming apparatuses corresponding to the granted license from the storage unit, and passes the obtained history information to the maintenance unit. By using the passed history information, the maintenance unit resumes the service.

Abstract: An image forming system includes a charging management server and a plurality of image forming apparatuses managed by the charging management server. The charging management server and the plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to a network. The charging management server uses a management database to obtain a model name of a target image forming apparatus, uses a model-release date table to obtain the release date of the target image forming apparatus, calculates a count of elapsed days since the release date to the present, and uses the count of elapsed days to obtain a discount rate in charging for the target image forming apparatus based on a discount rate table.

Abstract: An electricity storage device includes a case and two electrode terminal portions provided in a cover plate of the case. Each of the electrode terminal portions includes (a) a bolt-shaped electrode terminal that has a head portion and a threaded portion and is inserted into a corresponding terminal hole of the cover plate from the inner side of the case, (b) a ring-shaped first gasket between the electrode terminal and a circumferential portion of the corresponding terminal hole, (c) a nut that fixes the electrode terminal to the cover plate, (d) a washer between the nut and the cover plate, (e) a second gasket between the washer and the cover plate, and (f) a third gasket disposed between the head portion of the electrode terminal and the cover plate.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device including: forming a silicon layer on an upper face of a nitride semiconductor layer including a channel layer of a FET; thermally treating the nitride semiconductor layer in the process of forming the silicon layer or after the process of forming the silicon layer; and forming an insulating layer on an upper face of the silicon layer after the process of forming the silicon layer.

Abstract: A rectangular electricity storage device includes a prism-shaped electrode group with an upper surface, a lower surface, and four lateral surfaces, the electrode group including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; an electrolyte; a case with an opening portion, the ease housing the electrode group and the electrolyte; a cover plate covering the opening portion of the case; and an insulation sheet interposed between the electrode group and the case, and insulating the electrode group and the case from each other, wherein the insulation sheet is folded so as to surround the lower surface and the four lateral surfaces of the electrode group.

Abstract: A license management system includes an image forming apparatus and a license management server. The license management server includes a group management database, a license management database, a time zone information table, a group management unit, and a license management unit. The group management database stores information indicating an organization to which the license is assigned. The information relates to a group to which the image forming apparatus belongs. The license management database stores information on the license for the group. The time zone information table describes information on a working hour in a time zone where the group is present. When the one working hour ends, the license management unit that re-assigns the license from the group in the ended working hour to the group in another working hour based on the time zone information table, the license management database, and a current time.

Abstract: A device management system for managing a plurality of image forming apparatuses includes a management state determination section and a management state notification section. The management state determination section determines whether or not each of the image forming apparatuses is appropriately managed based on information from an application for managing the image forming apparatuses. The management state notification section sends to a specified address an inappropriate management notification indicating that a given one of the image forming apparatuses is not appropriately managed. The management state notification section sends out the inappropriate management notification when the management state determination section determines that a given one of the image forming apparatuses is not appropriately managed (S135, S140, and S144).

Abstract: In a license management server, a license management DB stores information about a license for performing remote maintenance on an image forming apparatus installed in an end customer site. A group management DB stores information about a group to which the image forming apparatus belongs. A table defines and describes the number of image forming apparatuses belonging to the group and a content of the license to be granted to the group so that the content of the license becomes advantageous to a user as the number of image forming apparatuses increases. The user registers the image forming apparatuses into the group. A group management unit counts the number of image forming apparatuses belonging to the group. A license management unit adjusts the content of the license on the basis of the number of image forming apparatuses counted.

Abstract: A license management server manages a license to perform a service of remote maintenance related to one or more image forming apparatuses installed in a customer's site. The maintenance server includes a maintenance unit and a history management unit. If the license management server notified of expiration of an expiration date of the license defined by a contract, the maintenance unit stores history information acquired from the one or more image forming apparatuses corresponding to the expired license into a storage unit, and stops the service. If the license management server notified of grant of the license by a re-contract, the history management unit obtains the history information about the one or more image forming apparatuses corresponding to the granted license from the storage unit, and passes the obtained history information to the maintenance unit. By using the passed history information, the maintenance unit resumes the service.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device including: forming a silicon layer on an upper face of a nitride semiconductor layer including a channel layer of a FET; thermally treating the nitride semiconductor layer in the process of forming the silicon layer or after the process of forming the silicon layer; and forming an insulating layer on an upper face of the silicon layer after the process of forming the silicon layer.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device including: forming a silicon layer on an upper face of a nitride semiconductor layer including a channel layer of a FET; thermally treating the nitride semiconductor layer in the process of forming the silicon layer or after the process of forming the silicon layer; and forming an insulating layer on an upper face of the silicon layer after the process of forming the silicon layer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a data storage unit, a plurality of data processing units, and an assignment unit. The data storage unit is configured to store data of pages onto a plurality of storage devices. The plurality of data processing units are configured to perform parallel processing on the data of the pages, wherein the data for each of the pages is assigned to one of the plurality of data processing units. The assignment unit is configured to assign the data of each of the pages to be processed by one of the plurality of data processing units, wherein the assignment of the data of each of the pages to one of the plurality of data processing units is determined by a transfer rate of each of the storage devices for the data of the pages stored on the plurality of storage devices.