Web services device profile on a multi-service device: device and facility manager

• US 20080148279A1
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Regnier, Alain
• Granted Patent: US 7,873,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A technique is provided for implementing multiple Web services on a multi-functional device (MFP) executing multiple service applications. A Device Facility Manager (DFM) executing on the MFP represents the MFP by responding to discovery, metadata, and logging requests with device location, metadata and logging information. When a client application discovers the services provided by the MFP, the client application may communicate directly with a service application executing on the MFP. The client application requests the service metadata of the service application and then transmits SOAP requests, which the service application processes. The implementation of one or more Web Service specifications may be packaged into one common module so that the complexity of the Web Services is hidden from developers. New services may be added to the MFP and existing services may be updated through communication with the DFM.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for processing requests to process data on multi-functional peripherals (MFPs), the method comprising:

sending, to a client application, location data of an MFP on the network, wherein;

a plurality of applications execute on the MFP, and

each application of the plurality of applications provides a service among a plurality of services;

receiving, from the client application, at a device facility manager (DFM) associated with the MFP, a metadata request for metadata associated with the MFP; and

sending, from the DFM to the client application, device metadata that indicates the plurality of services.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the MFP includes a print process for processing print data and causing a printed version of an electronic document reflected in the print data to be generated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the DFM implements one or more Web Services that are approved industry standards or proposed drafts that may become approved industry standards.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a SOAP request for service metadata that indicates how the client application is to interact with a particular application on the MFP that provides a particular service of the plurality of services;

sending the service metadata to the client application; and

receiving from the client application a SOAP request for the particular service.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the client application, a SOAP request for a particular service of the plurality of services; and

based on the SOAP request, a particular application corresponding to the particular service invoking a library routine from a shared library on the DFM, wherein the library routine implements one or more functions defined by a Web Services specification.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the DFM includes a Web Services Device (WSD) Manager that manages information pertaining to the MFP, wherein the information includes, but not limited to, at least one of the following:

service metadata for each service provided by the MFP, and the device metadata associated with the MFP.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the WSD Manager retrieves other information pertaining to the MFP using a general API; and

the general API defines an interface by which the WSD Manager exchanges data with a low level platform of the MFP.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the DFM, update information from a particular application of the plurality of applications, wherein the update information pertains to service metadata associated with the particular application; and

based on the update information, updating the service metadata associated with the particular application.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving, at the DFM, logging information pertaining to one or more of the plurality of applications; and

providing access to the logging information to an administrator application associated with the MFP.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the DFM, configuration information from an administrator application associated with the MFP, wherein the configuration information pertains to a particular application of the plurality of applications; and

based on the configuration information, updating the particular application.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the DFM, a service metadata request from an application of the plurality of applications;

retrieving service metadata corresponding to the application; and

sending the service metadata to the application.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the DFM includes library routines corresponding to SOAP for analyzing SOAP requests and packaging SOAP messages.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving update information pertaining to an update of an application of the plurality of applications; and

sending a message to a client that is registered to receive information pertaining to updates of the application, wherein the message includes an indication of the update information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

an application from the plurality of applications (a) retrieves, through an abstract API, information pertaining to the MFP, and (b) invokes, through the abstract API, one or more functions on a platform corresponding to the MFP; and

the abstract API defines an interface by which the application invokes one or more functions on the MFP and receives data from the MFP.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the device metadata further indicates a Uniform Resource Identifier for each service of the plurality of services.

16. A machine-readable medium for processing requests to process data on multi-functional peripherals (MFPs), the machine-readable medium carrying instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, causes:

sending, to a client application, location data of an MFP on the network, wherein;

a plurality of applications execute on the MFP, and

each application of the plurality of applications provides a service among a plurality of services;

receiving, from the client application, at a device facility manager (DFM) associated with the MFP, a metadata request for metadata associated with the MFP; and

sending, from the DFM to the client application, device metadata that indicates the plurality of services.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the MFP includes a print process for processing print data and causing a printed version of an electronic document reflected in the print data to be generated.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the DFM implements one or more Web Services that are approved industry standards or proposed drafts that may become approved industry standards.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising one or more additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

receiving a SOAP request for service metadata that indicates how the client application is to interact with a particular application on the MFP that provides a particular service of the plurality of services;

sending the service metadata to the client application; and

receiving from the client application a SOAP request for the particular service.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising one or more additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

receiving, from the client application, a SOAP request for a particular service of the plurality of services; and

based on the SOAP request, a particular application corresponding to the particular service invoking a library routine from a shared library on the DFM, wherein the library routine implements one or more functions defined by a Web Services specification.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein:

the DFM includes a Web Services Device (WSD) Manager that manages information pertaining to the MFP; and

the information includes, but not limited to, at least one of the following;

service metadata for each service provided by the MFP, and the device metadata associated with the MFP.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein:

the WSD Manager retrieves other information pertaining to the MFP using a general API; and

the general API defines an interface by which the WSD Manager exchanges data with a low level platform of the MFP.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising one or more additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

receiving, at the DFM, update information from a particular application of the plurality of applications, wherein the update information pertains to service metadata associated with the particular application; and

based on the update information, updating the service metadata associated with the particular application.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising one or more additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

retrieving, at the DFM, logging information pertaining to one or more of the plurality of applications; and

providing access to the logging information to an administrator application associated with the MFP.

25. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising one or more additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

receiving, at the DFM, configuration information from an administrator application associated with the MFP, wherein the configuration information pertains to a particular application of the plurality of applications; and

based on the configuration information, updating the particular application.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising one or more additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

receiving, at the DFM, a service metadata request from an application of the plurality of applications;

retrieving service metadata corresponding to the application; and

sending the service metadata to the application.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the DFM includes library routines corresponding to SOAP for analyzing SOAP requests and packaging SOAP messages.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising one or more additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

receiving update information pertaining to an update of an application of the plurality of applications; and

sending a message to a client that is registered to receive information pertaining to updates of the application, wherein the message includes an indication of the update information.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein:

an application from the plurality of applications (a) retrieves, through an abstract API, information pertaining to the MFP, and (b) invokes, through the abstract API, one or more functions on a platform corresponding to the MFP; and

the abstract API defines an interface by which the application invokes one or more functions on the MFP and receives data from the MFP.

30. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the device metadata further indicates a Uniform Resource Identifier for each service of the plurality of services.

31. A multi-functional peripheral (MFP) for processing requests to process data, the MFP being configured to:

send, to a client application, location data of the MFP on the network, wherein;

a plurality of applications execute on the MFP, and

each application of the plurality of applications provides a service among a plurality of services;

receive, from the client application, at a device facility manager (DFM) associated with the MFP, a metadata request for metadata associated with the MFP; and

send, from the DFM to the client application, device metadata that indicates the plurality of services.

32. The MFP of claim 31, wherein the MFP includes a print process for processing print data and causing a printed version of an electronic document reflected in the print data to be generated.

33. The MFP of claim 31, wherein the DFM implements one or more Web Services that are approved industry standards or proposed drafts that may become approved industry standards.

34. The MFP of claim 31, being further configured to:

receive a SOAP request for service metadata that indicates how the client application is to interact with a particular application on the MFP that provides a particular service of the plurality of services;

send the service metadata to the client application; and

receive from the client application a SOAP request for the particular service.

35. The MFP of claim 31, being further configured to:

receive, from the client application, a SOAP request for a particular service of the plurality of services; and

based on the SOAP request, a particular application corresponding to the particular service invoking a library routine from a shared library on the DFM, wherein the library routine implements one or more functions defined by a Web Services specification.

36. The MFP of claim 31, wherein:

the DFM includes a Web Services Device (WSD) Manager that manages information pertaining to the MFP; and

the information includes, but not limited to, at least one of the following;

service metadata for each service provided by the MFP, and the device metadata associated with the MFP.

37. The MFP of claim 36, wherein:

the WSD Manager retrieves other information pertaining to the MFP using a general API; and

the general API defines an interface by which the WSD Manager exchanges data with a low level platform of the MFP.

38. The MFP of claim 31, being further configured to:

receive, at the DFM, update information from a particular application of the plurality of applications, wherein the update information pertains to service metadata associated with the particular application; and

based on the update information, update the service metadata associated with the particular application.

39. The MFP of claim 31, being further configured to:

retrieve, at the DFM, logging information pertaining to one or more of the plurality of applications; and

provide access to the logging information to an administrator application associated with the MFP.

40. The MFP of claim 31, being further configured to:

receive, at the DFM, configuration information from an administrator application associated with the MFP, wherein the configuration information pertains to a particular application of the plurality of applications; and

based on the configuration information, update the particular application.

41. The MFP of claim 31, being further configured to:

receive, at the DFM, a service metadata request from an application of the plurality of applications;

retrieve service metadata corresponding to the application; and

send the service metadata to the application.

42. The MFP of claim 31, wherein the DFM includes library routines corresponding to SOAP for analyzing SOAP requests and packaging SOAP messages.

43. The MFP of claim 31, being further configured to:

receive update information pertaining to an update of an application of the plurality of applications; and

send a message to a client that is registered to receive information pertaining to updates of the application, wherein the message includes an indication of the update information.

44. The MFP of claim 31, wherein:

an application from the plurality of applications (a) retrieves, through an abstract API, information pertaining to the MFP, and (b) invokes, through the abstract API, one or more functions on a platform corresponding to the MFP; and

the abstract API defines an interface by which the application invokes one or more functions on the MFP and receives data from the MFP.

45. The MFP of claim 31, wherein the device metadata further indicates a Uniform Resource Identifier for each service of the plurality of services.