Adaptive device-initiated polling

• US 10,425,317 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PTC Inc.
• Original Assignee: PTC Inc.
• Inventors: Taylor, John Louis, Canosa, John Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Steven H
• Application Number:
  US15/613,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20170366438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5075 Remote control machines, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2221 to test input/output devices or peripheral units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/26 Functional testing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/103 with adaptive polling, i.e. dynamically adapting the polling rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0015 Control of image communication with the connected apparatus, e.g. signalling capability

Abstract

A method includes periodically sending a polling call to an enterprise system outside the firewall at a first polling rate during normal operating conditions, monitoring for a fault condition, periodically sending polling calls to the device outside the firewall at a second polling rate when a fault condition is detected, the second polling rate being higher than the first polling rate. The second polling rate is used as result of a fault condition. The method also includes sending a problem report with the polling calls when the fault condition is detected.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an electronic device; and

a processor to perform operations comprising;

monitoring operation of the electronic device;

detecting an operational condition of the electronic device based on the monitoring;

generating a polling call based on the operational condition;

sending the polling call over a computer network to a server;

receiving a polling schedule from the server in response to the polling call; and

polling the server based on the polling schedule for content relating to the electronic device;

wherein the electronic device and the processor are behind network security, the server is not behind the network security, and the polling call opens a window through the network security that enables the content to pass from the server to the processor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operational condition comprises a fault, the polling call comprises a fault message, and the content comprises a diagnostic command for initiating a diagnostic test of the electronic device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations comprise polling the server at a first rate prior to detecting the operational condition;

and

wherein polling based on the polling schedule is performed at a second rate, the second rate being greater than the first rate.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operational condition comprises a fault in the electronic device;

and

wherein polling based on the polling schedule is performed until the fault is corrected.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein, following correction of the fault, polling is performed at a rate that is less than a rate specified in the polling schedule.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein, following correction of the fault, polling ceases.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations comprise receiving the content from the server;

and

wherein the processor is embedded in the electronic device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the network security comprises at least one of a firewall, an Internet proxy, or a Network Address Translator (NAT).

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations comprise sending a report to the server, the report containing information about the operational condition of the electronic device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein polling the server comprises outputting polling calls to the server;

and

wherein the operations comprise outputting, to the server, one or more parameters of the electronic device that are based on monitoring operation of the electronic device.

11. A system comprising:

non-transitory machine-readable memory storing instructions that are executable; and

a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving a polling call from an embedded processor, the polling call being based on an operational condition of an electronic device monitored by the embedded processor;

outputting a polling schedule to the embedded processor based on the polling call;

receiving polling calls from the embedded processor at a rate specified in the polling schedule; and

outputting content to the embedded processor in response to the polling calls;

wherein the embedded processor is behind network security, the system is not behind the network security, and the polling call opens a window through the network security that enables the content to pass from the system to the embedded processor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operational condition comprises a fault, the polling call comprises a fault message, and the content comprises a diagnostic command for initiating a diagnostic test of the electronic device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations comprise receiving polling calls at a first rate prior to receiving the polling call;

and

wherein the polling calls received at the rate specified in the polling schedule are at a second rate, the second rate being greater than the first rate.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operational condition comprises a fault in the electronic device;

and

wherein the polling calls are received at the second rate until the fault is corrected.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein, following correction of the fault, polling calls are received at the first rate.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the operational condition comprises a fault in the electronic device;

and

wherein, following correction of the fault, no polling calls are received by the processor from the embedded processor.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the network security comprises at least one of a firewall, an Internet proxy, or a Network Address Translator (NAT).

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations comprise receiving a report from the embedded processor, the report containing information about the operational condition of the electronic device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations comprise receiving, from the embedded processor, one or more parameters of the electronic device that are based on monitoring operation of the electronic device.

20. Non-transitory machine-readable memory storing instructions that are executable by a processor to perform operations comprising:

monitoring operation of an electronic device;

detecting an operational condition of the electronic device based on the monitoring;

generating a polling call based on the operational condition;

sending the polling call over a computer network to a server;

receiving a polling schedule from the server in response to the polling call; and

polling the server based on the polling schedule for content relating to the electronic device;

wherein the electronic device and the processor are behind network security, the server is not behind the network security, and the polling call opens a window through the network security that enables the content to pass from the server to the processor.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable memory of claim 20, wherein the operational condition comprises a fault, the polling call comprises a fault message, and the content comprises a diagnostic command for initiating a diagnostic test of the electronic device.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable memory of claim 20, wherein the operations comprise polling the server at a first rate prior to detecting the operational condition;

and

wherein polling based on the polling schedule is performed at a second rate, the second rate being greater than the first rate.

23. Non-transitory machine-readable memory storing instructions that are executable by a system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a polling call from an embedded processor, the polling call being based on an operational condition of an electronic device monitored by the embedded processor;

outputting a polling schedule to the embedded processor based on the message;

receiving polling calls from the embedded processor at a rate specified in the polling schedule; and

outputting content to the embedded processor in response to the polling calls;

wherein the embedded processor is behind network security, the system is not behind the network security, and the polling call opens a window through the network security that enables the content to pass from the system to the embedded processor.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable memory of claim 23, wherein the operational condition comprises a fault, the polling call comprises a fault message, and the content comprises a diagnostic command for initiating a diagnostic test of the electronic device.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable memory of claim 23, wherein the operations comprise receiving polling calls at a first rate prior to receiving the polling call;

and

wherein the polling calls received at the rate specified in the polling schedule are at a second rate, the second rate being greater than the first rate.

26. A method performed by a processor, comprising:

monitoring operation of an electronic device;

detecting an operational condition of the electronic device based on the monitoring;

generating a polling call based on the operational condition;

sending the polling call over a computer network to a server;

receiving a polling schedule from the server in response to the polling call; and

polling the server based on the polling schedule for content relating to the electronic device;

wherein the electronic device and the processor are behind network security, the server is not behind the network security, and the polling call opens a window through the network security that enables the content to pass from the server to the processor.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the operational condition comprises a fault, the polling call comprises a fault message, and the content comprises a diagnostic command for initiating a diagnostic test of the electronic device.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the method further comprises polling the server at a first rate prior to detecting the operational condition;

and

wherein polling based on the polling schedule is performed at a second rate, the second rate being greater than the first rate.

29. A method performed by a system, comprising:

receiving a polling call from an embedded processor, the polling call being based on an operational condition of an electronic device monitored by the embedded processor;

outputting a polling schedule to the embedded processor based on the message;

receiving polling calls from the embedded processor at a rate specified in the polling schedule; and

outputting content to the embedded processor in response to the polling calls;

wherein the embedded processor is behind network security, the system is not behind the network security, and the polling call opens a window through the network security that enables the content to pass from the system to the embedded processor.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the operational condition comprises a fault, the polling call comprises a fault message, and the content comprises a diagnostic command for initiating a diagnostic test of the electronic device.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the method further comprises receiving polling calls at a first rate prior to receiving the polling call;

and

wherein the polling calls received at the rate specified in the polling schedule are at a second rate, the second rate being greater than the first rate.