Network system, terminal and recording medium

• US 20070283019A1
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Funahashi, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,779,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1231 Device related settings, e.g. IP address, Name, Identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1291 Pool of printer devices: self-managing printing devices in a network, e.g. without a server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A network system includes printers as terminals interconnected via a network. Each of the printers can obtain information on the others, and transmit the obtained information together with information on itself to a browser computer as a controller. Therefore, by obtaining the information only from one of the printers, the computer can obtain together with it the information on the others. In this system, it is possible to obtain the information on the printers efficiently without using a server computer.

Claims

1. A process for controlling, by a controller connected to a network, a plurality of terminals connected to the network, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting one of the terminals through the controller based on a user'"'"'s designation;

causing the controller to request the selected terminal to transmit information on the selected terminal;

causing the selected terminal to transmit the information on the selected terminal to the controller in accordance with the request;

causing the controller to receive the information on the selected terminal and to display the information on the selected terminal on a display, the controller displaying on the display an icon which the user can press to obtain information on other terminals, among the plurality of terminals, to which the selected terminal is mutually communicable via the network;

causing the controller to obtain information on the other terminals mutually communicable with the selected terminal via the network when the icon is pressed; and

causing the controller to display the obtained information on the other terminals on the display.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information on the other terminals which is obtained when the icon is pressed is link information to each of the other terminals, and the controller displays the link information as a list pressably on the display;

when one of the other terminals displayed on the list as the link information is pressed, the controller requests, to the pressed terminal, information on one of state and setting of the pressed terminal;

the pressed terminal transmits the information on one of the state and the setting thereof to the controller in accordance with the request;

the controller obtains the information on one of the state and the setting of the pressed terminal transmitted in accordance with the request; and

the controller displays the obtained information on one of the state and the setting of the pressed terminal.

3. The method claimed according to claim 1, wherein the icon is displayed together with the information on the selected terminal.

4. A network system comprising:

a plurality of terminals interconnected via a network;

a controller controlling the terminals via the network, and including selecting means which selects one of the plurality of terminals based on a user'"'"'s designation and requesting means which requests the selected terminal to transmit, to the controller, information on the selected terminal; and

a display displaying an icon which the user can press to obtain information on other terminals among the plurality of terminals mutually communicable to the selected terminal via the network;

wherein the selecting means selects one of the terminals based on the user'"'"'s designation;

the requesting means requests the selected terminal to transmit information on the selected terminal;

the selected terminal transmits the information on the selected terminal to the controller in accordance with the request of the requesting means;

the controller receives the information on the selected terminal and causes the display to display the information on the selected terminal thereon;

the controller obtains information on the other terminals mutually communicable with the selected terminal via the network when the icon is pressed; and

the controller displays the obtained information on the other terminals on the display.

5. The network system according to claim 4, wherein the information on the other terminals which the controller obtains when the icon is pressed is link information to each of the other terminals, and the controller displays the link information as a list pressably on the display;

when one of the other terminals displayed on the list as the link information is pressed, the controller requests, to the pressed terminal, information on one of state and setting of the pressed terminal;

the pressed terminal transmits the information on one of the state and the setting thereof to the controller in accordance with the request;

the controller obtains the information on one of the state and the setting of the pressed terminal transmitted in accordance with the request; and

the controller displays the obtained information on one of the state and the setting of the pressed terminal.

6. The network system according to claim 4, wherein the icon is displayed together with the information on the selected terminal.