Network System, Terminal and Recording Medium

• US 20100290086A1
• Filed: 07/08/2010
• Published: 11/18/2010
• 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 8,554,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 first terminal which is to be connected to a controller and a plurality of terminals via a network, comprising:

a request receiving unit configured to receive a first request from the controller;

a request transmitting unit configured to transmit a second request to the plurality of terminals, after receipt of the first request;

a response receiving unit configured to receive a first response from a second terminal, among the plurality of terminals, after transmission of the second request, the first response including information regarding the second terminal; and

a response transmitting unit configured to transmit a second response to the controller, after receipt of the first response, the second response including information regarding the first terminal and the information regarding the second terminal.

2. The first terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a first page screen data transmitting unit configured to transmit a first page screen data representing a first page screen to the controller when an IP address of the first terminal is designated by a user via the controller;

wherein the first page screen includes a button configured to allow the first terminal to obtain information regarding another terminal among the plurality of terminals connected via the network; and

the request receiving unit receives the first request from the controller when the button in the first page screen is selected by the user via the controller.

3. The first terminal according to claim 1, wherein the response transmitting unit transmits, to the controller, a second page screen data, as the second response, the second page screen data representing a second page screen including the information regarding the first terminal and the information regarding the second terminal.

4. The first terminal according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the first terminal includes status information regarding the first terminal, and the information regarding the second terminal includes status information regarding the second terminal.

5. The first terminal according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the first terminal includes a model name of the first terminal, and the information regarding the second terminal includes a model name of the second terminal.

6. The first terminal according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the first terminal includes a firmware version of the first terminal, and the information regarding the second terminal includes a firmware version of the second terminal.

7. The first terminal according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the first terminal includes an IP address of the first terminal, and the information regarding the second terminal includes an IP address of the second terminal.

8. The first terminal according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the second terminal includes link information for connecting to the second terminal.

9. The first terminal according to claim 1, wherein the request transmitting unit transmits the second request to the plurality of terminals by using UDP protocol.

10. The first terminal according to claim 1, wherein the response transmitting unit transmits the second response to the controller by using HTTP protocol.

11. The first terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal is a first printer, and the second terminal is a second printer.

12. A first terminal which is to be connected to a controller and a plurality of terminals via a network, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory which is connected to the processor and which stores a program;

wherein the processor is configured to execute the program to;

(a) receive a first request from the controller;

(b) transmit a second request to the plurality of terminals, after the receipt of the first request;

(c) receive a first response from a second terminal, among the plurality of terminals, after the transmission of the second request, the first response including information regarding the second terminal; and

(d) transmit a second response to the controller, after the receipt of the first response, the second response including information regarding the first terminal and the information regarding the second terminal.

13. A method executed by a first terminal which is to be connected to a controller and a plurality of terminals via a network, the method comprising:

receiving a first request from the controller;

transmitting a second request to the plurality of terminals, after the receipt of the first request;

receiving a first response from a second terminal among the plurality of terminals, after the transmission of the second request, the first response including information regarding the second terminal; and

transmitting, to the controller, a second response after the receipt of the first response, the second response including information regarding the first terminal and the information regarding the second terminal.

14. A recording medium which stores a program for a method executed by a first terminal which is to be connected to a controller and a plurality of terminals via a network, the method comprising:

receiving a first request from the controller;

transmitting a second request to the plurality of terminals, after the receipt of the first request;

receiving a first response from a second terminal among the plurality of terminals, after the transmission of the second request, the first response including information regarding the second terminal; and

transmitting, to the controller, a second response after the receipt of the first response, the second response including information regarding the first terminal and the information regarding the second terminal.