ACCESSING FUNCTIONS OF A MULTI-FUNCTION DEVICE

• US 20120191806A1
• Filed: 01/26/2011
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: TANAKA, Shun
• Granted Patent: US 8,514,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00318 with a multi-media apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems and methods are provided for accessing functions of a multi-function device.

Claims

1. A multi-function apparatus configured to provide functionalities to a client terminal connected via a network, said multi-function apparatus comprising:

a maintenance part configured to maintain module information indicating, for each of the functionalities, one or more modules corresponding to the functionality; and

a module access part configured to

determine, based on the module information maintained by the maintenance part, a first module associated with a first functionality, in response to a request, received from the client terminal via the network, for the first functionality, and

cause said first module to be retrieved via the network from another device, and to be executed in response to the request from the client terminal via the network.

2. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the module access part causes the first module, retrieved via the network from said another device, to be executed by the multi-function apparatus in order to provide the first functionality.

3. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multi-function apparatus causes a result of the execution of the first module to be provided via the network to the client terminal, in response to the request from the client terminal.

4. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the module access part determines said first module associated with the first functionality by (i) analyzing the module information to determine a plurality of modules corresponding to the first functionality, and (ii) determining which of said plurality of modules corresponding to the first functionality is not natively available on the multi-function apparatus.

5. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the module access part causes the retrieved first module to be transmitted to the client terminal via the network, and the client terminal executes the first module at the client terminal in order to obtain the first functionality.

6. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the module access part determines said first module associated with the first functionality by (i) analyzing the module information to determine a plurality of modules corresponding to the first functionality, and (ii) determining which of said plurality of modules corresponding to the first functionality is not natively available on the client terminal.

8. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the maintenance part maintains device information indicating, for each of a plurality of multi-function devices connected to the network, modules available from the multi-function device, and

the module access part determines, based on the device information maintained by the maintenance part, one of the plurality of multi-function devices from which the first module is to be obtained.

9. The multi-function apparatus of claim 8, wherein the module access part retrieves said first module via the network from said one of the plurality of multi-function devices, and causes said first module to be executed in order to provide the first functionality.

10. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage part configured to store code modules; and

a control part configured to execute said first module and one or more of the code modules to obtain the first functionality.

18. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein a result of the execution of the first module by the network-connected device is provided, via the network, to any one of the client terminal, the multi-function apparatus, and a storage device connected to the network.

19. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the module access part interfaces the client terminal and the network-connected device, such that the client terminal remotely accesses the first module at the network-connected device via the network, to obtain the first functionality.

7. The multi-function apparatus of claim wherein the module access part provides a resource locator of the retrieved first module to enable the client terminal to access the first module via the network, and the client terminal utilizes the resource locator to the first module in order to obtain the first functionality.

11. A method for providing, by a multi-function apparatus, functionalities to a client terminal via a network, said method comprising:

maintaining module information indicating, for each of the functionalities, one or more modules corresponding to the functionality;

determining, based on the module information, a first module associated with a first functionality, in response to a request, received from the client terminal via the network, for the first functionality; and

retrieving said first module, via the network from another device, and causing the first module to be executed in response to the request from the client terminal via the network.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising maintaining device information indicating modules installed on the multi-function apparatus;

analyzing the module information to determine a plurality of modules corresponding to the first function; and

determining the first module by determining which of said plurality of modules corresponding to the first function are not installed on the multi-function apparatus, based on the device information.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising maintaining device information indicating, for each of a plurality of multi-function devices connected to the network, modules available from the multi-function device, and

determining, based on the device information, which one of the plurality of multi-function devices includes the first module.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first module, retrieved via the network from said another device, is executed by the multi-function apparatus in order to provide the first functionality.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a result of the execution of the first module by the multi-function apparatus to the client terminal via the network, in response to the request for the first functionality received from the client terminal.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing, to the client terminal via the network, access to, and a resource locator of, the retrieved first module, wherein the client terminal utilizes the resource locator to the first module in order to obtain the first functionality.

17. A multi-function apparatus configured to provide functionalities to a client terminal connected via a network, said multi-function apparatus comprising:

a maintenance part configured to maintain module information indicating, for each of the functionalities, one or more modules corresponding to the functionality; and

a module access part configured to

determine, based on the module information maintained by the maintenance part, a first module associated with a first functionality, in response to a request, received from the client terminal via the network, for the first functionality, and

instruct a network-connected device having the first module to remotely execute the first module, in order to provide the first functionality.

20. The multi-function apparatus of claim 17, wherein the module access part determines which one of a plurality of multi-function devices connected to the network includes the first module, and

the module access part instructs said one of the plurality of multi-function devices to remotely execute the first module, in order to provide the first functionality.