Device model agent

• US 20050004974A1
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Majandro LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• 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 7,647,392 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• 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) comprising:

at least one device API through which the agent communicates with a device;

a core device model including at least one CIM provider; and

a service environment.

2. The DMA of claim 1 wherein the core device model comprises a service manager.

3. The DMA of claim 2 wherein the service manager loads services into the service environment.

4. The DMA of claim 2 wherein the service manager maintains a list of services installed in the DMA.

5. The DMA of claim 2 wherein the service manager controls lifecycles of at least one service installed in the DMA.

6. The DMA of claim 1 wherein the core device model comprises an object manager.

7. The DMA of claim 1 wherein the core device model agent comprises an event manager.

8. The DMA of claim 1 wherein the service environment is a Java virtual machine.

9. The DMA of claim 1 wherein the Java virtual machine is J2ME.

10. In a device comprising an operating system and a web server, a device model agent (DMA) in communication with the operating system and the web server and running at least one service, the DMA comprising:

a service environment in which the at least one service runs, the service environment facilitating communication between the at least one service and other parts of the DMA, the service environment further facilitating communication between the at least one service and the web server;

a core device model including a service manager in communication with and managing the at least one service; and

a device API in communication with the core device model and aspects of the operating system of the device.

11. The DMA of claim 10 wherein the at least one service communicates with a service supplier via the web server.

12. The DMA of claim 11 wehrein the at least one service communicates with a server of the service supplier to deliver information about the device.

13. The DMA of claim 11 wehrein the at least one service communicates with a server of the service supplier to request an additional service.

14. The DMA of claim 10 wherein the at least one service checks in with an edge server to deliver pending messages to the edge server and to receive waiting messages from the edge server.

15. The DMA of claim 10 wherein the device model agent provides a UI through the web server.

16. The DMA of claim 10 wherein the core device model monitors device events.

17. The DMA of claim 16 wherein the core device model takes at least one action in response to device events.

18. The DMA of claim 17 wherein the at least one action includes publishing data.

19. The DMA of claim 17 wherein the at least one action includes invoking processes on the host device as directed by external clients.

20. The DMA of claim 17 wherein the at least one action includes requesting addition of a service.

21. The DMA of claim 17 wherein the at least one action includes deleting a service.