SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REGISTRATION DEVICE LOCATION

• US 20100149585A1
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hattori, Tomoki, Oba, Kazutaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,203,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method of connecting an image forming apparatus (IFA) to a network and assigning the IFA a network address, selecting a map file image from a plurality of map file images, the selected map file image corresponding to a regional location of the IFA, outputting the selected map file image, selecting a location on the map file image which corresponds to a physical location of the IFA, and storing the location and the network address. An IFA configured to implement the method.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

connecting an image forming apparatus (IFA) to a network and assigning the IFA a network address;

selecting a map file image from a plurality of map file images, the selected map file image corresponding to a regional location of the IFA;

outputting the selected map file image;

selecting a location on the map file image which corresponds to a physical location of the IFA; and

storing the location and the network address.

2. The method recited in claim 1,

the outputting including printing the selected map file image, and

the selecting the location on the map file image including marking the printed map file image with a mark corresponding to a physical location of the IFA, scanning the marked map file image, and comparing the scanned map file image with the selected map file image to determine a coordinate location of the mark, wherein the coordinate location of the mark is used as the location of the IFA in the storing.

3. The method recited in claim 2, the printing including printing a computer readable barcode onto the map image file, the barcode corresponding to information including at least one of the network address of the IFA, a function the IFA is configured to perform, and an identification name of the IFA.

4. The method recited in claim 3,

the scanning including reading the barcode and determining the information corresponding to the barcode, and

the registering including recording the information in the database entry and associating the information with the IFA.

5. The method recited in claim 3, wherein

the barcode includes an instruction and the scanning includes reading the barcode for the instruction and the information corresponding to the barcode,

the registering includes transmitting the location, the network address, and the information to the recording device according to the instruction, recording the information in the database entry, and associating the information with the IFA.

6. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the printing the selected map file image includes printing an overlay of a grid on the selected map file image, the grid having a plurality of marking areas corresponding to a plurality of respective coordinate locations on the map image file, wherein the marking the printed map image file includes marking one of the plurality of marking areas and the coordinate location of the mark is one of the plurality of respective coordinate locations.

7. The method recited in claim 1, the IFA including a display, wherein the selecting the map file image includes displaying the plurality of map file images on the display, the outputting the selected map file image outputs the selected map file image to the display, and a selectable input of the display is used in the selecting the location on the map file image.

8. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a location application of the IFA using a computer connected to the network,

wherein the selecting the map file image, the outputting, and the selecting the location are performed through the location application.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the regional location is at least one of a country, state, city, zip code, address, building, floor and campus.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting the location on the map file image uses at least one of a global positioning system, wireless network triangulation, radio frequency identification, and radio frequency triangulation.

11. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the storing includes storing the location and the network address in a database of a recording device, further comprising:

accessing the recording device through the network;

searching the database for a database entry corresponding to the IFA using a search term including at least one of the network address of the IFA, a function the IFA is configured to perform, and an identification name of the IFA; and

outputting a search result by creating a new map image file by overlaying the location of the IFA onto the selected map image file and displaying the new map image file.

12. An image forming apparatus (IFA), comprising:

a processor configured to query a map file image of a plurality of map file images, the map file image corresponding to a regional location of the IFA;

a printer configured to print the map file image and a computer readable barcode, the barcode configured to include information about the IFA, including at least one of a network address of the IFA, a function the IFA is configured to perform, and an identification name of the IFA, the printer further configured to print a grid overlay atop the map file image having a plurality of marking areas corresponding to a plurality of respective coordinate locations on the map image file;

a scanner configured to read the printed map image file having a mark in a marking area of the plurality of marking areas, the scanner further configured to read the barcode; and

a network transmitter configured to connect to a network and transmit the barcode information and a coordinate location corresponding to the mark to a recording device, the recording device configured to record the information and the coordinate location to a database and associate the IFA to the information and the coordinate location in the database.