Peripheral devices, systems for providing job operations for a plurality of host devices, and peripheral device monitoring methods

• US 20040064547A1
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Guillemin, Gustavo
• Granted Patent: US 7,447,764 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports

Abstract

Peripheral devices, systems for providing job operations for a plurality of host devices, and peripheral device monitoring methods are described. According to one embodiment, a peripheral device monitoring method includes interfacing a plurality of different host devices with a peripheral device at a plurality of different moments in time, receiving, by the peripheral device, a plurality of job requests from the host devices, receiving, by the peripheral device, a plurality of identifiers from the host devices, performing, by the peripheral device, a plurality of job operations in response to the job requests, and communicating, by the peripheral device, a plurality of messages regarding the job operations and the identifiers to a monitoring device.

Claims

1. A peripheral device configured to perform job operations with respect to a plurality of host devices, the peripheral device comprising:

communications circuitry adapted to couple with a plurality of different host devices at a plurality of different moments in time, to receive a plurality of different identifiers of the respective host devices, and to receive a plurality of job requests to initiate performing of job operations with respect to the host devices, wherein the communications circuitry is further adapted to couple with a monitoring device;

a job operator configured to perform the job operations; and

processing circuitry configured to monitor the performing of the job operations with respect to the host devices using the job operator, to formulate a plurality of messages relative to the performing the job operations using the job operator, to associate the identifiers with the respective messages corresponding to the respective host devices, and to control the communications circuitry to communicate the identifiers and the respective messages to the monitoring device for preparation of a plurality of reports to indicate information associated with the performing the job operations and communication of the reports to a plurality of entities associated with respective ones of the host devices.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the identifiers comprise network addresses of the host devices.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to include the identifiers within the messages.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to implement the performing the job operations responsive to a verification of the host devices.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to communicate a plurality of job estimations to the respective host devices responsive to the received job requests.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the communications circuitry to communicate the messages directly to the monitoring device.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the communications circuitry to communicate the identifiers and the messages to the monitoring device for preparation of the reports comprising invoices for the performing the operations.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the communications circuitry to communicate one of the identifiers and one of the messages for a respective one of the host devices after the performing the job operation for the one host device.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the communications circuitry to communicate one of the identifiers and one of the messages for a respective one of the host devices responsive to completion of the performing the job operation for the one host device.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the job operator comprises a print engine of the peripheral device, wherein the job requests comprise print jobs, and wherein the print jobs include the identifiers.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the communications circuitry comprises a plurality of interfaces.

12. A peripheral device comprising:

communication means for coupling with a plurality of different host devices at a plurality of different moments in time, to receive a plurality of different identifiers of the respective host devices, and to receive a plurality of job requests, wherein the communication means further comprises means for coupling with a monitoring device;

job operator means for performing a plurality of job operations with respect to the host devices responsive to the job requests; and

processing means for monitoring the job operator means, for formulating a plurality of messages relative to the performing of the job operations, for associating the identifiers with the respective messages corresponding to the respective host devices, and for controlling the communication means to communicate the identifiers and the messages to the monitoring device for preparation of a plurality of reports to indicate usage information associated with the performing the job operations and communication of the reports to a plurality of entities associated with respective ones of the host devices.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the identifiers comprise network addresses of the host devices.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein the peripheral device comprises a printer, and the communication means is configured to receive the identifiers comprising network addresses of the host devices within headers of the job requests comprising print jobs.

15. The device of claim 12 wherein the processing means is configured to implement the performing the job operations responsive to a verification of the host devices.

16. The device of claim 12 wherein the processing means is configured to control the communication means to communicate a plurality of job estimations to the respective host devices responsive to the received job requests, and the job operator means is configured to perform the job operations responsive to acceptance of the job estimations.

17. The device of claim 12 wherein the processing means is configured to control the communication means to communicate one of the identifiers and one of the messages for a respective one of the host devices responsive to completion of the performing the job operation for the one host device.

18. The device of claim 12 wherein the communication means comprises a plurality of interfaces.

19. A system for providing job operations to a plurality of host devices comprising:

a plurality of peripheral devices individually configured to couple with a plurality of host devices at a plurality of different moments in time, to receive a plurality of identifiers of the respective host devices, to perform job operations with respect to the host devices, and to communicate a plurality of messages regarding the performing the job operations and identifying the host devices; and

a monitoring device coupled with the peripheral devices and configured to receive the messages regarding the performing the job operations and identifying the host devices, to associate the messages with a plurality of entities associated with respective ones of the host devices, and to communicate a plurality of respective reports regarding the performing the job operations with respect to the host devices.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the identifiers comprise network addresses of the host devices.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the monitoring device is configured to communicate the reports comprising billing information to the entities associated with the host devices.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the monitoring device is configured to communicate the reports to the entities using the identifiers comprising network addresses of the host devices.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein at least one of the monitoring device and the peripheral devices is configured to verify the host devices prior to the performing the job operations with respect to the host devices.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein the peripheral devices are configured to communicate job estimations to the host devices, to receive acceptances of the job estimations, and to perform the job operations with respect to the host devices responsive to the acceptances.

25. The system of claim 19 wherein the peripheral devices are configured to communicate the messages after the performing the operations.

26. The system of claim 19 wherein the peripheral devices are configured to communicate the messages responsive to the completion of the performing the operations.

27. The system of claim 19 wherein the peripheral devices comprise printers.

28. A peripheral device monitoring method comprising:

interfacing a plurality of different host devices with a peripheral device at a plurality of different moments in time;

receiving, by the peripheral device, a plurality of job requests from the host devices;

receiving, by the peripheral device, a plurality of identifiers from the host devices;

performing, by the peripheral device, a plurality of job operations in response to the job requests; and

communicating, by the peripheral device, a plurality of messages regarding the job operations and the identifiers to a monitoring device.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the identifiers comprise network addresses of the host devices.

30. The method of claim 28 further comprising associating, by the monitoring device, the messages with a plurality of entities of the respective host devices.

31. The method of claim 28 further comprising associating, by the monitoring device, job usage information associated with the job operations with a plurality of entities of the host devices.

32. The method of claim 28 further comprising communicating reports regarding the performing to a plurality of entities associated with the host devices using the monitoring device.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the communicating the reports comprises addressing the reports using the identifiers.

34. The method of claim 28 further comprising verifying the host devices prior to the performing.

35. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

providing job estimations for the performing the job operations to the host devices; and

receiving acceptances of the job estimations from the host devices, and wherein the performing is responsive to the receiving the acceptances.

36. The method of claim 28 wherein the communicating comprises communicating after the performing.

37. The method of claim 28 wherein the communicating comprises communicating one of the messages for one of the host devices responsive to completion of the performing the job operation with respect to the one host device.

38. The method of claim 28 wherein the performing comprises printing a plurality of print jobs.