Approach for collecting and reporting status data from network devices

• US 20060251114A1
• Filed: 03/25/2004
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Mirza-Baig, Attaullah, Nuggehalli, Jayasimha
• Application Number:
  US10/810,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20060251114A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

An approach is provided for collecting and reporting network device status data. The status data may be collected directly from network devices or via an intermediate device, such as a status data server, that collects the status data from network devices. The approach may include aggregating status data from several network devices so that the report data reflects status data from several network devices. The approach also includes formatting and translating data between one or more formats supported by the network devices, from which the status data was collected, and one or more formats supported by recipient devices to which the status data is reported. Status data and/or report data may be stored and report data provided to recipient devices based upon a specified time schedule.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a conversion mechanism configured to

process network device status data that conforms to a first format and is received by the apparatus, and

generate, based upon the status data, report data that conforms to a plurality of formats supported by a plurality of recipient devices.

2. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the network device status data is received by the apparatus directly from a plurality of multi-function peripherals that each perform one or more of printing, copying, faxing and scanning.

3. The apparatus recited in claim 2, wherein the network device status data specifies one or more of consumable levels, a meter reading or need for a service call.

4. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the network device status data is received by the apparatus from a status data server that collects network device status data from a plurality of network devices.

5. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the network device status data received by

the apparatus is encrypted and the apparatus is configured to decrypt the network device status data.

6. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the conversion mechanism is configured to generate the report data in either XML or CSV format.

7. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the network device status data is XML data that conforms to a first XML schema and the report data is XML data that conforms to a second XML schema.

8. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to

generate both first report data conforms to a first data format supported by a first recipient device from the plurality of recipient devices and second report data conforms to a second data format supported by a second recipient device from the plurality of recipient devices, and

provide the first report data to the first recipient device and the second report data to the second recipient device.

9. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the report data to the plurality of recipient devices using one or more Internet protocols including SMTP, HTTP, HTTPS and FTP.

10. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the report data to the plurality of recipient devices based upon a schedule.

11. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the report data at a first time to a first recipient device from the plurality of recipient devices and to provide the report data at a second time to a second recipient device from the plurality of recipient devices, wherein the first and second times are different.

12. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the report data to the plurality of recipient devices, wherein the report data provided to each of the plurality of recipient devices contains identification data that uniquely identifies the recipient device.

13. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide a notification if a receipt confirmation indicating receipt of the report data is not received from a particular recipient device from the plurality of recipient devices.

14. The apparatus recited in claim 1, further comprising a storage device for storing the recipient device status data.