Device information acquiring method, server apparatus and computer-readable storage medium

• US 20030131072A1
• Filed: 12/03/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 7,305,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1225 Software update, e.g. print driver, modules, plug-ins, fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1231 Device related settings, e.g. IP address, Name, Identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network

Abstract

A device information acquiring method acquires device information related to devices from a Web site provided by a server apparatus via one or a plurality of networks. The method checks an environment of a client terminal from which the Web site is accessed, including at least one device usable by the client terminal, and sends environment information indicative of the environment to the server apparatus. Then, the method downloads device information of the at least one device, from the server apparatus to the client terminal, by a server execution program executed by the server apparatus, based on the environment information received from the client terminal. The method then installs the downloaded device information in the client terminal.

Claims

1. A device information acquiring method for acquiring device information related to devices from a Web site provided by a server apparatus via one or a plurality of networks, comprising the steps of:

(a) checking an environment of a client terminal from which the Web site is accessed, including at least one device usable by the client terminal, and sending environment information indicative of the environment to the server apparatus;

(b) downloading device information of said at least one device, from the server apparatus to the client terminal, by a server execution program executed by the server apparatus, based on the environment information received from the client terminal; and

(c) installing the downloaded device information in the client terminal.

2. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step (a) includes:

receiving a client execution program downloaded from the server apparatus to the client terminal in response to a request from the client terminal;

checking the environment of the client terminal by executing the client execution program; and

sending the environment information from the client terminal to the server apparatus by executing the client execution program.

3. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said step (a) further includes:

displaying at the client terminal a list of the devices usable by the client terminal and provided by a device vendor managing the Web site; and

sending the environment information from the client terminal to the server apparatus in response to a selection of said at least one device in the list at the client terminal by executing the client execution program.

4. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said step (a) further includes:

checking existence of a data transfer program and a device driver for said at least one device in the client terminal, and creating a file of environment information including version information related to the existing data transfer program and the device driver existing in the client terminal; and

acquiring information included in the file and sending the acquired information of the file to the server apparatus.

5. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said step (a) further includes:

deleting the file when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the client terminal.

6. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the client execution program is selected from a group of programs consisting of Active X Control and Java Applet.

7. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said step (b) includes:

sending a list of most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program from the server apparatus to the client terminal and displaying the list if the information of the list received from the client terminal includes no most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program for said at least one device;

downloading the most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program for said at least one device from the server apparatus to the client terminal in response a download request made by a selection made from the list.

8. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said step (b) further includes:

downloading an installing tool for installing the most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program for said at least one device into the client terminal, from the server apparatus to the client terminal, together with the most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program, in response to the download request.

9. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said step (c) includes:

installing in the client terminal the most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program downloaded from the server apparatus, using the installing tool downloaded from the server apparatus.

10. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the devices are selected from a group consisting of printers, scanners and display units.

11. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server apparatus manages most recent versions of data transfer programs and device drivers for a plurality of different device models, with respect to a plurality of different operating systems usable by the client terminal.

12. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server execution program is selected from a group of programs consisting of Common Gateway Interface (CGI), Active Server Pages (ASP) and Java Servlet.

13. A server apparatus which manages device information related to devices used by client terminals and providing the device information requested from the client terminals via one or a plurality of networks, comprising:

a storage unit storing device information including most recent versions of data transfer programs and device drivers; and

downloading means for downloading the device information of at least one device usable by an arbitrary client terminal and stored in said storage unit, from the server apparatus to the arbitrary client terminal, by a server execution program executed by the server apparatus, based on environment information indicative of an environment of the arbitrary client terminal received from the arbitrary client terminal and including information with respect to said at least one device, so that the arbitrary client terminal installs the downloaded device information therein.

14. The server apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said downloading means includes:

means for sending a list of most recent versions of a device driver and a data transfer program read from said storage unit to the arbitrary client terminal, and displaying the list at the arbitrary client terminal if the device information received from the arbitrary client terminal includes no most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program for said at least one device; and

means for downloading the most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program for said at least one device to the arbitrary client terminal in response a download request made by a selection made from the list at the arbitrary client terminal.

15. The server apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein said downloading means further includes:

means for downloading an installing tool for installing the most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program for said at least one device into the arbitrary client terminal, together with the most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program, in response to the download request.

16. The server apparatus as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

means for downloading a client execution program to the arbitrary client terminal in response to a request from the arbitrary client terminal, said client execution program being executed by the client terminal to check and send the environment information to the server apparatus.

17. The server apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the client execution program is selected from a group of programs consisting of Active X Control and Java Applet.

18. The server apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the devices are selected from a group consisting of printers, scanners and display units.

19. The server apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said storage unit stores most recent versions of data transfer programs and device drivers for a plurality of different device models, with respect to a plurality of different operating systems usable by the client terminal.

20. The server apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the server execution program is selected from a group of programs consisting of Common Gateway Interface (CGI), Active Server Pages (ASP) and Java Servlet.

21. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a server computer to manage device information related to devices used by client terminals and provide the device information requested from the client terminals via one or a plurality of networks, said program comprising:

a managing procedure causing the server computer to manage information including most recent versions of data transfer programs and device drivers in a storage unit; and

a downloading procedure causing the server computer to download the device information of at least one device usable by an arbitrary client terminal and stored in the storage unit, from the server computer to the arbitrary client terminal, by a server execution program executed by the server computer, based on environment information indicative of an environment of the arbitrary client terminal received from the arbitrary client terminal and including information with respect to said at least one device, so that the arbitrary client terminal installs the downloaded device information therein.

22. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 21, wherein said downloading procedure includes:

a procedure causing the server computer to send a list of most recent versions of a device driver and a data transfer program read from the storage unit to the arbitrary client terminal, and display the list at the arbitrary client terminal if the device information received from the arbitrary client terminal includes no most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program for said at least one device; and

a procedure causing the server computer to download the most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program for said at least one device to the arbitrary client terminal in response a download request made by a selection made from the list at the arbitrary client terminal.

23. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 22, wherein said downloading procedure further includes;

a procedure causing the server computer to download an installing tool for installing the most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program for said at least one device into the arbitrary client terminal, together with the most recent versions of the device driver and the data transfer program, in response to the download request.

24. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 21, wherein said program further comprises:

a procedure causing the server computer to download a client execution program to the arbitrary client terminal in response to a request from the arbitrary client terminal, said client execution program being executed by the client terminal to check and send the environment information to the server computer.

25. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 24, wherein the client execution program is selected from a group of programs consisting of Active X Control and Java Applet.

26. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 21, wherein the devices are selected from a group consisting of printers, scanners and display units.

27. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 21, wherein said managing procedure causes the server computer to store in the storage unit most recent versions of data transfer programs and device drivers for a plurality of different device models, with respect to a plurality of different operating systems usable by the client terminal.

28. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 21, wherein the server execution program is selected from a group of programs consisting of Common Gateway Interface (CGI), Active Server Pages (ASP) and Java Servlet.

29. A device information acquiring method to be implemented on a computer, comprising:

downloading a client execution program from a server to a client terminal in response to a request from the client terminal;

displaying at the client terminal a first list of devices usable by the client terminal by the client execution program;

sending environment information of selected devices selected from the first list, said environment information including software information which includes software version information and operating system information of the client terminal to the server;

sending a second list of optimum software for the selected devices from the server for display at the client terminal, based on a software database of a plurality of device models;

downloading from the server selected optimum software information selected from the second list; and

installing the downloaded optimum software information in the client terminal by the client execution program.

30. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 29, further comprising:

deleting the first list after sending the environment information of selected devices.

31. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 29, further comprising:

deleting the second list after downloading the selected optimum software information.

32. The device information acquiring method as claimed in claim 29, further comprising:

deleting the client execution program after installing the downloaded optimum software information.