Data communication and transmission for information processing devices in a network

• US 10,642,557 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: Oikawa, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Allen H
• Application Number:
  US15/991,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20180349080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 358 115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1232 Transmitting printer device capabilities, e.g. upon request or periodically
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1273 Print job history, e.g. logging, accounting, tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1291 Pool of printer devices: self-managing printing devices in a network, e.g. without a server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00228 Image push arrangements, e.g. from an image reading device to a specific network destination push-based network services H04L67/55
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0032 where the still picture apparatus acts as the slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An information processing device is provided together with other information processing devices in a network and is capable of communicating with a server, and includes: a data communicator that transmits a predetermined kind of information about the respective other information processing devices to the server when the information processing device is in a first mode, and transmits the predetermined kind of information about the information processing device to a device functioning in the first mode when the information processing device is in a second mode; an acquisitor that acquires load information; a determiner that determines a smallest load device; a mode setter that performs a mode setting process to realize a state where in the device determined to be the smallest load device is in the first mode, and the other devices are in the second mode; and a mode notifier that notifies the other information processing devices of the state.

Claims

1. An information processing device that is provided together with a plurality of other information processing devices in a network and is capable of communicating with a server, the information processing device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory having instructions stored thereon, that when executed by the processor, cause the information processing device to;

transmit a predetermined kind of information about the respective other information processing devices to the server when the information processing device is in a first mode, and transmits the predetermined kind of information about the information processing device to a device functioning in the first mode among the other information processing devices when the information processing device is in a second mode;

acquire load information about a load of each of the other information processing devices;

determine a smallest load device that is the device having the smallest load among the other information processing devices and the information processing device, in accordance with the acquired load information and the load information about the information processing device;

perform a mode setting process to realize a state where the device determined to be the smallest load device is in the first mode, and the other devices are in the second mode, among the other information processing devices and the information processing device; and

notify the other information processing devices of the state,

wherein, when the information processing device is in the second mode in a first period, and the information processing device is put into the first mode in a second period later than the first period, the a data communicator transmits the predetermined kind of information about the information processing device and the predetermined kind of information about each of the other information processing devices to the server in the second period.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first mode is a master mode, and the second mode is a slave mode.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the server is provided outside the network.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, which has a function to execute a job.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the job is a job of performing image formation.

6. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the job is one of a job of reading and printing a document, a job of reading a document and transmitting the read document as image data to another device, and a job of receiving image data from another device and printing an image.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined kind of information includes at least one piece of hardware-related information and expendable-related information.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the load information is calculated in accordance with contents of a job being executed or scheduled to be executed.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein,

when the information processing device is in the first mode in a first period, and the information processing device remains in the first mode in a second period later than the first period, a data communicator transmits the predetermined kind of information about each of the other information processing devices to the server in the second period, and,

when the information processing device is in the first mode in the first period, and the information processing device is put into the second mode in the second period, the data communicator transmits the predetermined kind of information about the information processing device to a device newly put into the first mode among the other information processing devices in the second period.

10. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein, when the information processing device is in the first mode in the first period, and the information processing device is put into the second mode in the second period, a mode notifier sends data for identifying a device to be newly put into the first mode among the other information processing devices to devices other than the device newly put into the first mode before the second period.

11. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein the second period is a period that follows the first period.

12. The information processing device according to claim 10, further comprising

a storage that stores authentication information for logging in to the server,

wherein,

when the information processing device is in the first mode in the first period, and the information processing device is put into the second mode in the second period, the mode notifier transmits the authentication information to a device newly put into the first mode among the other information processing devices before the second period, and

a data communicator transmits the predetermined kind of information to the server after logging in to the server using the authentication information.

13. The information processing device according to claim 12, further comprising instructions to cause the information processing device to

delete the authentication information stored in the storage, after the authentication information is transmitted.

14. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the load information is calculated in accordance with a history of executed print jobs.

15. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein,

when the information processing device is in the first mode in the first period, an acquisitor acquires the load information about each of the other information processing devices in the first period, and

the information processing device further comprises instructions to

determine before the second period into which one of the first mode and the second mode the information processing device is to be put in the second period, in accordance with the load information received from each of the other information processing devices and the load information about the information processing device.

16. The information processing device according to claim 15, wherein, when the information processing device is put into the second mode in the second period, the data communicator transmits the load information about the information processing device to a device newly put into the first mode among the other information processing devices.

17. The information processing device according to claim 16, wherein

the acquisitor acquires the load information about each of the other information processing devices by issuing a request at a predetermined timing,

when the load indicated by the load information about the information processing device exceeds a predetermined magnitude, the data communicator transmits the load information about the information processing device to the device newly put into the first mode without waiting for a request from the device newly put into the first mode among the other information processing devices, and,

when the load indicated by the load information about the information processing device does not exceed the predetermined magnitude, the data communicator transmits the load information about the information processing device after the request is issued.

18. A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable program causing a computer to perform processing on the information processing device according to claim 1.

19. A mode setting method implemented in an information processing device that is provided together with a plurality of other information processing devices in a network and is capable of communicating with a server, the method comprising:

transmitting a predetermined kind of information about the respective other information processing devices to the server when the information processing device is in a first mode, and transmitting the predetermined kind of information about the information processing device to a device functioning in the first mode among the other information processing devices when the information processing device is in a second mode;

acquiring load information about a load of each of the other information processing devices;

determining a smallest load device that is the device having the smallest load among the other information processing devices and the information processing device, in accordance with the acquired load information and the load information about the information processing device;

performing a mode setting process to realize a state where the device determined to be the smallest load device is in the first mode, and the other devices are in the second mode, among the other information processing devices and the information processing device; and

notifying the other information processing devices of the state,

wherein, when the information processing device is in the second mode in a first period, and the information processing device is put into the first mode in a second period later than the first period, the a data communicator transmits the predetermined kind of information about the information processing device and the predetermined kind of information about each of the other information processing devices to the server in the second period.