Device model agent

• US 20040111315A1
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sharma, Naveen, Fillion, Claude S., Lorenzo, Arturo M., Thieret, Tracy E., Cavanaugh, Michael F., Kehoe, Michael P., Furst, Michael R., Huang, Weixia, St. Jacques, Robert J., Daniels, Marc D., Austin, John C., McCorkindale, Mary C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The Device Model Agent (DMA), the device side technology module in Device Centric Services (DCS) system, is the main focus of this invention. DMA is a thin, efficient applications/services execution environment. DMA provides an embedded services platform for enabling system management applications and services. This allows a flexible, extensible, dynamic services management module allowing networked services to be designed, added, and managed within the system without modifications to devices, DCS system, or DMA itself. While this invention specifically describes the integration of benefits from DMA into document system devices, the concepts are equally applicable in other domains. The DMA runtime environment is a thin software interface layer that resides on a document system device between the Java runtime environment and embedded web server.

Claims

1. A device model agent (DMA) provision method comprising:

providing a core device model;

providing at least one interface to an operating system of a device; and

providing a service environment in which services for the device can run.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a service manager.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an object manager.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a user interface with which a user controls the DMA.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the user interface is provided by a service manager.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a service environment comprises:

running a service environment in a host application on a server;

providing the service environment with contact information of the device for which a service is to run; and

providing a communications medium through which the service environment can communicate with the device, the communications medium and a protocol being compatible with the device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a core device model comprises:

running a core device model for the device in a host application on a server;

providing the core device model with contact information of the device for which the core device model runs; and

providing a communications medium through which the core device model can communicate with the device, the communications medium and a protocol being compatible with the device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a core device model comprises:

providing an add-on component, running a core device model for the device in the add-on component;

and connecting the add-on component to the device for which the core device model runs.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a service environment comprises running a service environment on the add-on component.

10. In a device including an operating system, a network connection, a device runtime environment, and a web server running in the device runtime environment, a device services provision method comprising:

providing a device model agent in the device runtime environment;

providing in the device model agent a services environment;

providing at least one service that can run in the services environment, the at least one service creating a services layer when running;

providing in the device model agent a core device model;

providing in the core device model a service manager performing a service management method comprising;

loading the at least one service;

unloading the at least one service; and

managing the at least one service; and

providing in the device model agent a device interface in communication with at least one API of the device operating system.

11. In a device model agent (DMA) comprising at least one device interface, a service environment, and a core device model including a service manager, a DMA operation method comprising:

booting the DMA;

starting the service manager;

loading core services with the service manager; and

checking with a service supplier;

receiving service configuration;

interpreting and processing service configuration parameters;

loading and starting subscribed services; and

initiating a loop in the service manager comprising;

checking with a service supplier;

receiving service configuration;

interpreting and processing service configuration parameters;

loading and starting newly subscribed services;

stopping and unloading newly unsubscribe services; and

monitoring services.

12. In a device model agent (DMA) comprising at least one device interface, a service environment, and a core device model including a service manager, a DMA operation method comprising:

providing a user interface;

presenting a user with a list of available services;

allowing the user to select a service;

allowing the user to customize a service; and

ordering a service.