Business device, information device, business device information management system, business device information management method, and business device information management program

• US 20040230692A1
• Filed: 02/24/2004
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabuhsiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasano, Jun, Tachiyama, Osamu, Kohari, Tsuneo
• Application Number:
  US10/784,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20040230692A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

An MFP, e.g. a printer or a scanner, allows a PC on the Internet to easily acquire MIB information from the MFP. An MFP and a PC are connected via the Internet through a firewall. When the MFP accesses the PC by using HTTP to thereby open a firewall, the PC transmits an OID request command to the MFP as tag information in XML. On the basis of the received OID request command, the MFP extracts equipment information (e.g. counter information) corresponding to the tag information from MIB indicating the equipment status of the MFP, prepares OID by describing the equipment information in XML, and transmits the OID to the PC. Thus, the PC can acquire equipment information (e.g. counter information) concerning the MFP on the basis of the received OID.

Claims

1. A business device capable of transmitting and receiving OID (Order Information Data) indicating individual equipment status in MIB (Management Information Base) information indicating device status of said business device through an Internet to and from an information device connected to said Internet,

wherein when said OID is transmitted and received between said business device and said information device, a communication protocol that can be handled on said Internet is used, and said OID is described as tag information in a language compatible with said communication protocol.

2. A business device according to claim 1, wherein said communication protocol is either one of HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) and FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and said language is XML (Extensible Markup Language).

3. A business device according to claim 1, comprising:

an MIB information storage section that stores MIB information indicating device status of said business device;

an HTTP data processing section that extracts OID corresponding to an OID request command from said information device from said MIB information storage section, processes said OID into a form that can be communicated via HTTP, and describes said OID as tag information in XML; and

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) that transmits the OID processed by said HTTP data processing section via a standard protocol used on the Internet.

4. A business device capable of transmitting and receiving OID (Order Information Data) indicating individual equipment status in MIB (Management Information Base) information indicating device status of said business device to and from a first information device connected to an Internet and a second information device connected to an intranet, said business device comprising:

an MIB information storage section that stores MIB information indicating device status of said business device;

a communication route judging section that judges whether a communication route is the intranet or the Internet;

an SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) data processing section that extracts, when the communication route is said intranet, OID corresponding to an OID request command from said second information device from said MID information and processes said OID into a form that can be communicated via SNMP;

an HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) data processing section that extracts, when the communication route is said Internet, OID corresponding to an OID request command from said first information device from said MIB information, processes said OID into a form that can be communicated via HTTP, and describes said OID as tag information in XML ((Extensible Markup Language); and

a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) that transmits the OID processed by said SNMP data processing section or said HTTP data processing section via a standard protocol used on the Internet.

5. A business device according to claim 4, wherein said HTTP data processing section includes:

an OID detection section that detects said OID communicated via said Internet and sends said OID to an MIB processing section; and

an XML data preparation section that describes the OID obtained from said MIB processing section as tag information in XML.

6. An information device that transmits an OID (Order Information Data) request command to a business device to request transmission of OID indicating individual equipment status in MIB (Management Information Base) information indicating device status of said business device,

wherein when said information device is connected to an Internet, HTTP is used as a communication protocol for communication between said business device and said information device, and

said information device transmits said OID request command to said business device as tag information in XML (Extensible Markup Language),

so that said business device transmits OID indicating equipment status thereof as XML data to said information device on a basis of said tag information in XML.

7. A business device information management system including an information device and a business device, said information device transmitting an OID (Order Information Data) request command to said business device to request transmission of OID indicating individual equipment status in MIB (Management Information Base) information indicating device status of said business device, said business device transmitting OID corresponding to said OID request command to said information device,

wherein when said information device is connected to an Internet, HTTP is used as a communication protocol for communication between said business device and said information device,

said information device transmits said OID request command to said business device as tag information in XML (Extensible Markup Language), and

said business device transmits OID indicating equipment status thereof as XML data to said information device on a basis of said tag information in XML.

8. A business device information management method wherein OID (Order Information Data) indicating individual equipment status in MIB (Management Information Base) information indicating device status of a business device is transmitted to an information device connected to an Internet to perform information management of said business device, said method comprising:

a step in which said business device accesses said information device via a communication protocol using HTTP (Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol);

a step in which said information device transmits an OID request command to said business device as tag information in XML (Extensible Markup Language) in response to the access from said business device;

a step in which said business device describes OID corresponding to said OID request command in XML and transmits said OID to said information device; and

a step in which said information device acquires equipment status of said business device on a basis of the received OID.

9. An information management program for a business device capable of transmitting and receiving OID (Order Information Data) indicating individual equipment status in MIB (Management Information Base) information indicating device status of said business device through an Internet to and from an information device connected to said Internet, said program instructing a computer to execute the steps of:

processing an OID request command from said information device;

extracting OID corresponding to the OID request command from an MIB information storage section and describing said OID as tag information in XML (Extensible Markup Language); and

transmitting the OID described as tag information in XML via a standard protocol used on the Internet.