Method to synchronize control panels of a production system

• US 10,346,123 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2016
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oce Printing Systems GmbH & Co KG (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Oce Printing Systems GmbH & Co KG (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Haas, Andreas, Keicher, Harald, Linkel, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Hieu T
• Application Number:
  US15/293,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20170109124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/38 Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1462 with means for detecting differences between the image stored in the host and the images displayed on the remote displays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/042 for monitor identification
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

In a method for synchronizing control panels of a production system (e.g., a printing system), a reference/relationship between respective control panels to be synchronized can be established using a reference table maintained at, for example, a main computer. A synchronized control panel can be synchronized with changes to a synchronizing control panel using the reference table.

Claims

1. A method for synchronization of multiple control panels of a production system, the method comprising:

executing a browser on one or more client computers connected via a data connection to a main computer of a control system of the production system, the main computer including a browser buffer for each active browser;

executing a control panel module library installed at the main computer to generate and provide a control panel for the production system, the control panel being transmitted as a markup language file from the main computer to the respective browser and executed in the browser to display the control panel, wherein the markup language file currently stored in the browser buffer is overwritten with a modified markup language file;

transmitting the markup language file from the main computer to one of the one or more client computers using a web user interface installed and executed at said main computer, the markup language file stored in the browser buffer being transmitted in segments to the respective browser associated with the browser buffer, wherein pauses are inserted between transmission of successive file segments to the respective browser, and file segments of markup language files are transmitted in the inserted pauses to at least one other browser as needed;

transmitting, from the main computer and using the web user interface, change information to a control panel of a respective client computer of the one or more client computers if the control panel of the respective client computer has changed, the change information describing a change to the respective client computer'"'"'s control panel of the multiple control panels;

maintaining a reference table at the main computer that includes one or more relationships established between the respective control panels to be synchronized;

upon transmission of the change information, checking, using the web user interface whether an additional control panel of the multiple control panels is to be synchronized with the control panel of the multiple control panels based on the reference table; and

if the additional control panel of the multiple control panels is to be synchronized, transmitting, using the web user interface, the respective change information to the additional control panel.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the browser that displays the control panel is executed at a corresponding client computer in a session that is an existing connection of the corresponding client computer with the main computer, and

the web user interface is configured to use a session ID to identify the respective control panel, the session ID being a unique identification designator for the respective session and being stored in the reference table.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the browser is configured to open multiple windows in which control panels may be displayed, each of the multiple windows being associated with a window ID that is an identification designator for the respective browser window, and

the web user interface being configured to use the window IDs to identify the respective control panel displayed in the browser window.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the relationship that is established in the reference table between the respective control panels to be synchronized is formed as a hierarchical relationship,

the method further comprises establishing one of the multiple control panels as a synchronizing control panel and establishing one or more other control panels of the multiple control panels as control panels synchronized with the synchronizing control panel, and

the web user interface is configured to exclusively change the one or more synchronized control panels given one or more changes to the synchronizing control panel.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the change information comprises a reference to a markup language file.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the main computer is configured to execute one or more predetermined actions based on an action request generated by one of the multiple control panels, and

the web user interface is configured to transmits change information to the one of the multiple control panel having generated and provided the action request based on a specification of the action request.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the web user interface is configured to:

assign one or more session tickets to a control panel of the multiple control panels according to predetermined rules, the one or more session tickets authorizing the assigned control panel to change one or more of the multiple control panels using a request of a control action for a portion of production system or the entire production system, and

upon receiving the request for the control action, check whether the requesting control panel possesses the session ticket authorized for execution of the control action, the web user interface only executing the control action if the session ticket is present.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the web user interface is configured to:

make adjustments to the synchronization of the control panels, the adjustments being requested by the multiple control panels using a request for a synchronization adjustment action, the web user interface executing only the requested synchronization adjustment actions from each of the synchronized control panels.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

given a change to a control panel of the multiple control panels, extracting, by the web user interface, an identification of control panels to be synchronized with one another, users of the corresponding control panels, one or more sessions of the corresponding control panels and/or windows of the corresponding control panels,

using, by the web user interface, the identification to identify the users of the control panels,

determining, by the web user interface, user rights associated with a respective user,

checking, by the web user interface using the determined user rights, whether the control panels may be synchronized with one another, and

transmitting, by the web user interface and based on the checking, change information to a synchronized control panel if the control panels may be synchronized.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

each control panel comprises one or more display objects that are respectively a self-contained element of the control panel and form a display of the control panel,

given a change to one of the multiple control panels or its display objects, extracting, by the web user interface, an identification of control panels to be synchronized with one another, users of the control panels to be synchronized, one or more sessions of the control panels to be synchronized, and/or windows of the control panels to be synchronized,

using, by the web user interface, the identification to identify the users of the control panels,

determining, by the web user interface, the user rights associated with a respective user,

checking, by the web user interface using the determined user rights, whether the respective display object may be synchronized between the control panels, and

transmitting, by the web user interface and based on the checking, change information regarding the respective display object to the synchronized control panel of the control panels may be synchronized.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

each control panel comprises one or more display objects that are respectively a self-contained element of the control panel and form a display of the control panel, and

given a change to a display object, transmitting, by the web user interface, change information that describes the change to the display object to synchronized control panels.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

each control panel comprises one or more display objects that are respectively a self-contained element of the control panel and form a display of the control panel, and

given a change to a display object, the changed display object is updated independently of other display objects of the display objects.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

each control panel comprises one or more display objects that are respectively a self-contained element of the control panel and that form a display the control panel, and

given a change to a display object, the changed display object is synchronized only after expiration of a predetermined wait period since a last synchronization of the control panel or of one of the display objects of the control panel.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined wait period is 0.1 seconds to 10 seconds.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the reference table comprises information identifying, for each control panel;

whether the browser displaying the control panel or a window of the browser displaying the control panel is displaying the control panel in a foreground, and/or

whether a focus marking the browser or a window of a browser as active is on the browser or the window of the browser, and

given a change to control panels, the web user interface transmits the change information only to the control panels that are shown in the foreground, have focus and/or receive focus.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the web user interface and the respective browser displaying the control panel are configured to communicate using web sockets, an additional web socket of one of the web sockets being coupled to the web user interface and to the browser such that a permanent data connection is formed between the web user interface and the respective browser.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the transmission of the change information via the web user interface comprises transmitting a push event to the corresponding browser, and

receipt of the push event induces the corresponding browser to request a prepared markup language file from the main computer and to execute the received prepared markup language file to display the control panel.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the production system is a printing system.

19. A control system for a production system, the control system comprising:

a main computer connected via a data connection with one or more client computers at which a browser is installed and executable, the main computer including a control panel module library is installed and executable on the main computer, wherein the control panel module library is configured to generate and provide a control panel for the production system, the control panel being transmitted as a markup language file from the main computer to the respective browser and executed in the browser to display the control panel,

wherein the control system is configured to perform the method according to claim 1.

20. A method for synchronization of multiple control panels of a production system, the method comprising:

executing a browser on one or more client computers connected via a data connection to a main computer of a control system of the production system;

executing a control panel module library installed at the main computer to generate and provide a control panel for the production system, the control panel being transmitted as a markup language file from the main computer to the respective browser and executed in the browser to display the control panel;

transmitting the markup language file from the main computer to one of the one or more client computers using a web user interface installed and executed at said main computer;

transmitting, from the main computer and using the web user interface, change information to a control panel of a respective client computer of the one or more client computers if the control panel of the respective client computer has changed, the change information describing a change to the respective client computer'"'"'s control panel of the multiple control panels;

maintaining a reference table at the main computer that includes one or more relationships established between the respective control panels to be synchronized;

upon transmission of the change information, checking, using the web user interface whether an additional control panel of the multiple control panels is to be synchronized with the control panel of the multiple control panels based on the reference table; and

if the additional control panel of the multiple control panels is to be synchronized, transmitting, using the web user interface, the respective change information to the additional control panel, wherein;

the reference table comprises information identifying, for each control panel;

whether the browser displaying the control panel or a window of the browser displaying the control panel is displaying the control panel in a foreground, and/or

whether a focus marking the browser or a window of a browser as active is on the browser or the window of the browser, and

given a change to control panels, the web user interface transmits the change information only to the control panels that are shown in the foreground, have focus and/or receive focus.

21. A method for synchronization of multiple control panels of a production system, the method comprising:

executing a browser on one or more client computers connected via a data connection to a main computer of a control system of the production system;

executing a control panel module library installed at the main computer to generate and provide a control panel for the production system, the control panel being transmitted as a markup language file from the main computer to the respective browser and executed in the browser to display the control panel;

transmitting the markup language file from the main computer to one of the one or more client computers using a web user interface installed and executed at said main computer;

transmitting, from the main computer and using the web user interface, change information to a control panel of a respective client computer of the one or more client computers if the control panel of the respective client computer has changed, the change information describing a change to the respective client computer'"'"'s control panel of the multiple control panels;

maintaining a reference table at the main computer that includes one or more relationships established between the respective control panels to be synchronized;

upon transmission of the change information, checking, using the web user interface whether an additional control panel of the multiple control panels is to be synchronized with the control panel of the multiple control panels based on the reference table; and

if the additional control panel of the multiple control panels is to be synchronized, transmitting, using the web user interface, the respective change information to the additional control panel, wherein;

each control panel comprises one or more display objects that are respectively a self-contained element of the control panel and that form a display the control panel, and

given a change to a display object, the changed display object is synchronized only after expiration of a predetermined wait period since a last synchronization of the control panel or of one of the display objects of the control panel, the predetermined wait period being 0.1 seconds to 10 seconds.