Network system, information processor and electronic apparatus

• US 20040049578A1
• Filed: 06/20/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Ohara, Kiyotaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,580,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 3/1212 achieving reduced delay between job submission and print start
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network

Abstract

In the present network system, a printer 10 periodically transmits an update request at different timings respectively to an apparatus management PC 30 and to a directory service 50 which are monitoring apparatuses for monitoring network apparatuses (such as the printer 10). Each of the monitoring apparatuses 30, 50 determines a state of the printer 10 based on the update request from the printer 10. Especially in the present system, if the apparatus management PC 30 determines that the update request from the printer 10 is not received, it notifies the directory service 50 by transmitting a delete request. As a result, early detection of disconnection of the printer 10 by the directory service 50 is possible without causing substantial increase in the network traffic.

Claims

1. A network system comprising a plurality of monitoring apparatuses for determining a state of a monitored apparatus based on monitored apparatus information received from the monitored apparatus via a network at a predetermined timing, wherein

at least one monitoring apparatus among the plurality of monitoring apparatuses is designed to transmit state information, indicating the state of the monitored apparatus, to another monitoring apparatus which receives the monitored apparatus information from the monitored apparatus at a different timing from the timing at which the at least one monitoring apparatus receives the monitored apparatus information, when the at least one monitoring apparatus detects a change in the state of the monitored apparatus, and wherein

the another monitoring apparatus which receives the state information is designed to determine the state of the monitored apparatus based on the monitored apparatus information and the state information.

2. The network system as set forth in claim 1 wherein

said monitoring apparatus which transmits said state information is designed to transmit the state information of said monitored apparatus when it does not receive said monitored apparatus information to be received at a predetermined timing from the monitored apparatus, and the monitoring apparatus which receives the state information is designed to determine that the monitored apparatus is disconnected from said network when it receives the state information or when it does not receive the monitored apparatus information to be received at a predetermined timing from the monitored apparatus.

3. The network system as set forth in claim 1 wherein

said monitored apparatus is designed to transmit destination apparatus information, indicating the monitoring apparatus to which said state information should be transmitted, to the monitoring apparatus to which the monitored apparatus transmits said monitored apparatus information and which transmits the state information, and the monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information is designed to transmit the state information to the monitoring apparatus indicated in the destination apparatus information received from the monitored apparatus.

4. The network system as set forth in claim 3 wherein

said monitored apparatus is designed to transmit information regarding a transmission form of said state information that should be transmitted from said monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information to said monitoring apparatus indicated in said destination apparatus information, to the monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information, and the monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information is designed to transmit the state information to the monitoring apparatus indicated in the destination apparatus information based on the transmission form.

5. The network system as set forth in claim 4 wherein

said monitored apparatus is a printer which receives printing instructions from a computer, said monitoring apparatus which transmits said state information is an apparatus management computer which monitors a state of the printer, and said monitoring apparatus indicated in said destination apparatus information is a directory service which transmits an address assigned to the printer on the network to the computer which transmits the printing instructions.

6. An information processor used as a monitoring apparatus in a network system comprising a plurality of monitoring apparatuses for determining a state of a monitored apparatus based on monitored apparatus information received from the monitored apparatus via the network at a predetermined timing, the information processor comprising:

a receiving device for receiving information via the network;

a detecting device for detecting a change in the state of the monitored apparatus based on the monitored apparatus information from the monitored apparatus received by the receiving device; and

a transmitting device for transmitting state information indicating the detected state of the monitored apparatus to another monitoring apparatus which receives the monitored apparatus information from the monitored apparatus at a different timing from the timing at which the information processor receives the monitored apparatus information, when the detecting device detects a change in the state of the monitored apparatus.

7. The information processor as set forth in claim 6 wherein

said monitored apparatus is designed to transmit information regarding a transmission form of said state information which should be transmitted from the information processor to said another monitoring apparatus, to the information processor which transmits the state information, and the information processor is designed to transmit the state information to the another monitoring apparatus based on the transmission form.

8. An information processor used as a monitoring apparatus in a network system comprising a plurality of monitoring apparatuses for determining a state of a monitored apparatus based on monitored apparatus information received from the monitored apparatus via a network at a predetermined timing, the information processor comprising:

a receiving device for receiving information via the network; and

a determining device for determining the state of the monitored apparatus based on the monitored apparatus information from the monitored apparatus received by the receiving device and on state information indicating the state of the monitored apparatus transmitted from another monitoring apparatus which receives the monitored apparatus information from the monitored apparatus at a different timing from the timing at which the information processor receives the monitored apparatus information.

9. An electronic apparatus used as a monitored apparatus in a network system comprising a plurality of monitoring apparatuses for determining a state of the monitored apparatus based on monitored apparatus information received from the monitored apparatus via the network at a predetermined timing, at least one monitoring apparatus, among the plurality of monitoring apparatuses, transmitting state information indicating the state of the monitored apparatus to another monitoring apparatus when the at least one monitoring apparatus detects a change in the state of the monitored apparatus, the another monitoring apparatus which receives the state information determining the state of the monitored apparatus based on the monitored apparatus information and the state information, the electronic device comprising:

a monitored apparatus information transmitting device for transmitting the monitored apparatus information at a different timing to the at least one monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information and to the another monitoring apparatus which receives the state information.

10. The electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 9 further comprising:

a destination apparatus information transmitting device for transmitting destination apparatus information, indicating the monitoring apparatus to which the state information should be transmitted, to the monitoring apparatus to which said monitored apparatus information transmitting device transmits said monitored apparatus information and which transmits the state information.

11. The electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein

the electronic apparatus is designed to transmit information regarding a transmission form of said state information transmitted from said monitoring apparatus which transmits said state information to said monitoring apparatus which receives the state information, to the monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information, and the monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information is designed to transmit the state information to the monitoring apparatus which receives the state information based on the transmission form.