Method and system of remote diagnostic, control and information collection using multiple formats and multiple protocols with delegating protocol processor

• US 20020152302A1
• Filed: 02/14/2001
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery
• Granted Patent: US 7,047,293 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0091 Digital copier; digital 'photocopier' H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence

Abstract

A system, method and program product for diagnosing, controlling and collecting information from devices. Information regarding events of each one of a plurality of target applications executing in an application unit is collected and formatted into one of multiple data formats for transmission through one of multiple communication protocols at the request of each of the target applications, through an interface. The event information for a particular target application is formatted and transmitted according to a combination of a data format and communication protocol requested by the target application. The transmission of data representing the event information is handled in at least two levels of software classes, with at least one abstract software class having a declared virtual function and two or more software classes derived from the at least one abstract class and having definitions of the function for communicating the event information through specified communication protocols. The formatted data is transmitted through, e.g., e-mail or FTP to a predetermined destination or may be saved to local storage, e.g., a local disk. By sharing resources, code duplication is reduced or eliminated.

Claims

1. An object-oriented method of collecting information regarding a plurality of target applications in an application unit, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a first one of the plurality of target applications through an interface, by a monitoring device, a request to send first information regarding monitored usage of the first one of the plurality of target applications to a first predetermined destination through a first communication protocol using a first data format; and

sending, by a protocol processor, the first information to the first predetermined destination through the first communication protocol, wherein the protocol processor is configured to send data through a plurality of different communication protocols.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the first data format includes one of text format, binary format, comma separated format and eXtensible Markup Language (XML) format, and

the first communication protocol includes one of Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and local disk.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a second one of the plurality of target applications through the interface, by the monitoring device, a request to send second information regarding monitored usage of the second one of the plurality of target applications to a second predetermined destination through a second communication protocol using a second data format, wherein the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol; and

sending, by the protocol processor, the second information to the second predetermined destination through the second communication protocol.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first data format is different from the second data format.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of sending, by the protocol processor, the first information further comprises:

creating a first software class having a declared virtual function;

creating a second software class derived from the first software class having a first definition of the declared virtual function; and

executing the first definition.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of executing the first definition includes one of

saving the first information to a local disk,

sending the first information to the first predetermined destination through SMTP using a text mail body format,

sending the first information to the first predetermined destination through SMTP using Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME),

sending the first information to the first predetermined destination through FTP using a text file format, and

sending the first information to the first predetermined destination through FTP using a binary file format.

8. An object-oriented system for collecting information regarding a plurality of target applications in an application unit, the system comprising:

a monitoring device configured to receive from a first one of the plurality of target applications through an interface, a request to send first information regarding monitored usage of the first one of the plurality of target applications to a first predetermined destination through a first communication protocol using a first data format; and

a protocol processor configured to send data through a plurality of different communication protocols, wherein the protocol processor is configured to send the first information to the first predetermined destination through the first communication protocol.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein

the first data format includes one of text format, binary format, comma separated format and XML format, and

the first communication protocol includes one of SMTP, FTP and local disk.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein

the monitoring device is configured to receive from a second one of the plurality of target applications through the interface, a request to send second information regarding monitored usage of the second one of the plurality of target applications to a second predetermined destination through a second communication protocol using a second data format, wherein the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol, and

the protocol processor is configured to send the second information to the second predetermined destination through the second communication protocol.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the first data format is different from the second data format.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the protocol processor is configured to create a first software class having a declared virtual function, to create a second software class derived from the first software class having a first definition of the declared virtual function, and to execute the first definition.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the first definition includes instructions to perform one of the steps of

saving the first information to a local disk,

sending the first information to the first predetermined destination through SMTP using a text mail body format,

sending the first information to the first predetermined destination through SMTP using MIME,

sending the first information to the first predetermined destination through FTP using a text file format, and

sending the first information to the first predetermined destination through FTP using a binary file format.

16. The program product according to claim 15, wherein

the first data format includes one of text format, binary format, comma separated format and XML format, and

the first communication protocol includes one of SMTP, FTP and local disk.

17. The program product according to claim 15, wherein the program instructions cause the system to further perform the steps of:

receiving from a second one of the plurality of target applications through the interface, by the monitoring device, a request to send second information regarding monitored usage of the second one of the plurality of target applications to a second predetermined destination through a second communication protocol using a second data format, wherein the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol; and

sending, by the protocol processor, the second information to the second predetermined destination through the second communication protocol.

18. The program product according to claim 17, wherein the first data format is different from the second data format.

19. The program product according to claim 17, wherein the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol.

20. The program product according to claim 15, wherein the step of sending, by the protocol processor, the first information further comprises:

creating a first software class having a declared virtual function;

creating a second software class derived from the first software class having a first definition of the declared virtual function; and

executing the first definition.

21. The program product according to claim 20, wherein the step of executing the first definition includes one of

saving the first information to a local disk,

sending the first information to the first predetermined destination through SMTP using a text mail body format,

sending the first information to the first predetermined destination through SMTP using MIME,

sending the first information to the first predetermined destination through FTP using a text file format, and

sending the first information to the first predetermined destination through FTP using a binary file format.

15. A program product for collecting information regarding a plurality of target applications in an application unit, the program product comprising a computer readable medium embodying program instructions for causing an object-oriented system to perform the steps of:

receiving from a first one of the plurality of target applications through an interface, by a monitoring device, a request to send first information regarding monitored usage of the first one of the plurality of target applications to a first predetermined destination through a first communication protocol using a first data format; and

sending, by a protocol processor, the first information to the first predetermined destination through the first communication protocol, wherein the protocol processor is configured to send data through a plurality of different communication protocols.