Document input/output system, apparatus management server and method for setting information

1. A document input/output system comprising:

a document input/output apparatus connected to a network;

a management server which manages the document input/output apparatus and stores initial registration data of the document input/output apparatus; and a messaging server which communicates operating status information of the document input/output apparatus from the document input/output apparatus to the management server via the network,

wherein the initial registration data is stored in the management server prior to connection of the document input/output apparatus to the network and transmitted from the management server to the document input/output apparatus when the document input/output apparatus is installed at a user location and connected to the management server via the network, said document input/output apparatus storing the initial registration data that is received from the management server to complete an initial registration with the management server,

wherein the document input/output apparatus accesses the messaging server using the initial registration data to transmit the operating status information to the management server.

2. The document input/output system claimed in claim 1 , wherein the messaging server is an electronic mail server and the initial registration data includes user name and password data for sending and receiving electronic mail on the electronic mail server,

wherein the document input/output apparatus transmits the operating status information to the management server via an electronic mail message using the initial registration data that is received.

3. The document input/output system claimed in claim 2 further comprising a user computer, which is connected to the network,

wherein the document input/output apparatus transmits the operating status information to the management server via the electronic mail server, and the management server retrieves the operating status information from the electronic mail server and notifies the user computer of the operating status of the document input/output apparatus via the electronic mail server.

4. The document input/output system claimed in claim 3 , wherein the document input/output apparatus further includes a hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP) server which stores the operating status information of the document input/output apparatus and the user computer accesses the HTTP server to manage the document input/output apparatus using IP address data included in an electronic mail message from the management server which specifies an IP address of the document input/output apparatus.

5. The document input/output system claimed in claim 3 , wherein the management server notifies the user computer that the document input/output apparatus is low on an expendable item via the messaging server based upon the operating status information that is received from the document input/output apparatus.

6. The document input/output system claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein at least one of a completion of an initial setting procedure of the document input/output apparatus, a confirmation of a hardware state of the document input/output apparatus, an additional registration of any new apparatus, an installation of software in the document input/output apparatus, a notice of a replacement timing of expendables used by a printing function of the document input/output apparatus, and a notification of any hardware trouble in the document input/output apparatus, are communicated via the messaging server to at least one of said document input/output apparatus and said management server.

7. The document input/output system claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one other document input/output apparatus which is managed by the management server,

wherein at least part of management information which is sent to each document input/output apparatus from the management server is identical.

8. The document input/output system claimed in claim 7 , wherein the at least part of the management information that is identical comprises at least one of shortened dial number information and one-touch dial number information which is stored in the management server prior to connection of the document input/output apparatus to the network.

9. The document input/output system claimed in claim 1 , wherein

at least one of a completion of an initial setting procedure of the document input/output apparatus, a confirmation of a hardware state of the document input/output apparatus, an additional registration of any new apparatus, an installation of software in the document input/output apparatus, a notice of a replacement timing of expendables used by a printing function of the document input/output apparatus, and a notification of any hardware trouble in the document input/output apparatus, are communicated via a display on at least one of said document input/output apparatus and said management server.

10. The document input/output system claimed in claim 1 , wherein the initial registration data further includes connection information which is entered in the management server prior to connection of the document input apparatus to the network as part of combined information from a connection and sales contract for said document input/output apparatus.

11. The method claimed in claim 1 , wherein the initial registration data includes connection information which is entered in the management server prior to connection of the document input/output apparatus to the network as part of combined information from a connection and sales contract for said document input/output apparatus.

12. The document input/output system claimed in claim 1 , wherein the initial registration data includes network address information of the messaging server which identifies the messaging server among a plurality of devices connected to the network,

wherein the document input/output apparatus uses the address information to transmit the operating status information to the messaging server at a network address specified by the network address information.

13. The document input/output system claimed in claim 1 , wherein the messaging server is connected to the network at a location remote to the document input/output apparatus.

14. A method for setting information in a document input/output system comprising at least a document input/output apparatus connected to a network, a management server which manages the document input/output apparatus, and a messaging server which communicates operating status information of the document input/output apparatus to the messaging server via the network, the method comprising:

storing, in the management server, initial registration data of the document input/output apparatus prior to connection of the document input/output apparatus to the network;

transmitting, from the management server, the initial registration data to the document input/output apparatus when the document input/output apparatus is installed at a user location and connected to the management server via the network;

storing, in the document input/output apparatus, the initial registration data that is received from the management server to complete an initial registration with the management server; and

accessing, by the document input/output apparatus, the messaging server using the initial registration data to transmit the operating status information to the management server.

15. The method claimed in claim 14 , wherein the messaging server is an electronic mail server and the initial registration data includes user name and password data for sending and receiving electronic mail on the electronic mail server,

wherein the document input/output apparatus transmits the operating status information to the management server via an electronic mail message using the initial registration data that is received.

16. The method claimed in claim 15 , wherein the document input/output apparatus transmits the operating status information to the management server via the electronic mail server, and the management server retrieves the operating status information from the electronic mail server and notifies a user computer, which is connected to the network, of the operating status of the document input/output apparatus via the electronic mail server.

17. The method claimed in claim 16 , further comprising:

storing the operating status information in a hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP) server included in the document input/output apparatus; and

accessing, by the user computer, the HTTP server to manage the document input/output apparatus using IP address data included in an electronic mail message from the management server which specifies an IP address of the document input/output apparatus.

18. The method claimed in claim 14 , further comprising:

communicating at least one of a completion of an initial setting procedure of the document input/output apparatus, a confirmation of a hardware state of the document input/output apparatus, an additional registration of any new apparatus, an installation of software in the document input/output apparatus, a notice of a replacement timing of expendables used by said document input/output apparatus, and a notification of any hardware trouble, via the messaging server to at least one of said document input/output apparatus and said management server.

19. The method claimed in claim 14 , wherein at least one other document input/output apparatus is managed by the management server and at least part of management information which is sent to each document input/output apparatus is identical.

20. The method claimed in claim 19 , wherein the at least part of the management that is identical comprises at least one of shortened dial number information and one-touch dial number information which is stored in the management server prior to connection of the document input/output apparatus to the network.

21. The method claimed in claim 14 , wherein the management server notifies the user computer that the document input/output apparatus is low on an expendable item based on the operating status information that is received from the document input/output apparatus.

22. The method claimed in claim 14 , further comprising displaying at least one of a completion of an initial setting procedure of the document input/output apparatus, a confirmation of a hardware state of the document input/output apparatus, an additional registration of any new apparatus, an installation of software in the document input/output apparatus, a notice of a replacement timing of expendables used by a printing function of the document input/output apparatus, and a notification of any hardware trouble in the document input/output apparatus on a display in at least one of said document input/output apparatus and said management server.

23. The method claimed in claim 14 , wherein the initial registration data includes network address information of the messaging server which identifies the messaging server among a plurality of devices connected to the network,

wherein the document input/output apparatus uses the address information to transmit the operating status information to the messaging server at a network address specified by the network address information.

24. The method claimed in claim 14 , wherein the messaging server is connected to the network at a location remote to the document input/output apparatus.