METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS ON PERIPHERAL DEVICES

• US 20090119422A1
• Filed: 11/07/2007
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: White, William JR., Yoder, Robert Dean, Kale, Shreyas Abhay
• Application Number:
  US11/936,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20090119422A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/10
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5079 for maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

The illustrative embodiments described herein provide a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for performing maintenance operations on a first set of peripheral devices. The method initiates communication to the first set of peripheral devices using a radio frequency transmission link. A set of diagnostic routines is initiated on the first set of peripheral devices. Data associated with the diagnostic routines from the first set of peripheral devices is received. A number of maintenance updates from a plurality of maintenance updates is selected for each peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices using the data associated with the set of diagnostic routines. Maintenance operations are performed simultaneously, over the radio frequency transmission link, for each peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices utilizing the number of maintenance updates.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for performing maintenance operations on a first set of peripheral devices, the computer implemented method comprising:

initiating communication to the first set of peripheral devices using a radio frequency transmission link;

initiating a set of diagnostic routines on the first set of peripheral devices;

responsive to the set of diagnostic routines being performed on the first set of peripheral devices, receiving data associated with the diagnostic routines from the first set of peripheral devices;

selecting a number of maintenance updates from a plurality of maintenance updates for each peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices using the data associated with the set of diagnostic routines; and

performing maintenance operations simultaneously for each peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices utilizing the number of maintenance updates.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein initiating communication to the first set of peripheral devices is performed by a device out of a line of sight with the first set of peripheral devices.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein performing maintenance operations comprises:

sending the number of maintenance updates to the first set of peripheral devices over the radio frequency transmission link; and

initiating installation of the set of maintenance updates on the first set of peripheral devices.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

suspending communication between a set of data processing system units and a peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices prior to initiating the set of diagnostic routines.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

initiating communication between the set of data processing system units and the peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices after the set of maintenance updates on the peripheral device is performed.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a data processing system unit coupled to a peripheral device among the first set of peripheral devices is not powered on during the computer implemented method of claim 1.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating communication from a peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices to a second set of peripheral devices using the radio frequency transmission link;

initiating the second set of peripheral devices to perform a set of diagnostic routines;

responsive to the set of diagnostic routines being performed on the second set of peripheral devices, receiving data associated with the set of diagnostic routines from the second set of peripheral devices;

determining if the peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices contains maintenance updates applicable to peripheral devices in the second set of peripheral devices; and

responsive to a determination that the peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices contains maintenance updates applicable to a peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices, performing maintenance operations on the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices utilizing the maintenance updates, wherein the maintenance operations are performed by the peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices does not contain maintenance updates applicable to the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices, initiating communication to other peripheral devices using the radio frequency transmission link;

determining if the other peripheral devices contains maintenance updates applicable to the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices;

responsive to a determination that at least one peripheral device in the other peripheral devices contains the maintenance updates applicable to the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices, retrieving the maintenance updates applicable to the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices from the at least one peripheral device; and

performing maintenance operations on the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices utilizing the maintenance updates, wherein the maintenance operations are performed by the peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein performing the maintenance operations comprises:

sending the maintenance updates to the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices over the wireless link; and

initiating installation of the maintenance updates on the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the first set of peripheral devices comprises of at least two or more peripheral devices.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein a data processing system unit coupled to a peripheral device among the first set of peripheral devices is not powered on during the computer implemented method of claim 1.

11. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium including computer usable program code for performing maintenance operations on a first set of peripheral devices, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code for initiating communication to the first set of peripheral devices using a radio frequency transmission link;

computer usable program code for initiating a set of diagnostic routines on the first set of peripheral devices;

computer usable program code for receiving data associated with the diagnostic routines from the first set of peripheral devices in response to the set of diagnostic routines being performed on the first set of peripheral devices;

computer usable program code for selecting a number of maintenance updates from a plurality of maintenance updates for each peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices using the data associated with the set of diagnostic routines; and

computer usable program code for performing maintenance operations simultaneously for each peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices utilizing the number of maintenance updates.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computer usable program code for initiating communication to the first set of peripheral devices is performed by a device out of a line of sight with the first set of peripheral devices.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for suspending communication between a set of data processing system units and a peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices prior to initiating the set of diagnostic routines.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code for initiating communication between the set of data processing system units and the peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices after the set of maintenance updates on the peripheral device is performed.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for initiating communication from a peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices to a second set of peripheral devices using the radio frequency transmission link;

computer usable program code for initiating the second set of peripheral devices to perform a set of diagnostic routines;

computer usable program code for receiving data associated with the set of diagnostic routines from the second set of peripheral devices in response to the set of diagnostic routines being performed on the second set of peripheral devices;

computer usable program code for determining if the peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices contains maintenance updates applicable to peripheral devices in the second set of peripheral devices; and

computer usable program code for performing maintenance operations on the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices utilizing the maintenance updates, wherein the maintenance operations are performed by the peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices in response to a determination that the peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices contains maintenance updates applicable to a peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

computer usable program code for initiating communication to other peripheral devices using the radio frequency transmission link in response to a determination that the peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices does not contain maintenance updates applicable to the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices;

computer usable program code for determining if the other peripheral devices contains maintenance updates applicable to the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices;

computer usable program code for retrieving the maintenance updates applicable to the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices from the at least one peripheral device in response to a determination that at least one peripheral device in the other peripheral devices contains the maintenance updates applicable to the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices; and

computer usable program code for performing maintenance operations on the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices utilizing the maintenance updates, wherein the maintenance operations are performed by the peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer usable program code for performing maintenance operations comprises:

computer usable program code for sending the maintenance updates to the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices over the wireless link; and

computer usable program code for initiating installation of the maintenance updates on the peripheral device in the second set of peripheral devices.

19. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the first set of peripheral devices comprises of at least two or more peripheral devices.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a bus system;

a communications system connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to initiate communication to the first set of peripheral devices using a radio frequency transmission link;

initiate a set of diagnostic routines on the first set of peripheral devices;

receive data associated with the diagnostic routines from the first set of peripheral devices in response to the set of diagnostic routines being performed on the first set of peripheral devices;

select a number of maintenance updates from a plurality of maintenance updates for each peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices using the data associated with the set of diagnostic routines; and

perform maintenance operations simultaneously for each peripheral device in the first set of peripheral devices utilizing the number of maintenance updates.