DISPLAY FILTERING DEVICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20120221954A1
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: TANAKA, Shun
• Granted Patent: US 9,497,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems and methods are provided for monitoring a plurality of information technology devices. A filter control window displays user-selectable filter criteria items. The filter is applied to display a device list that includes only devices that match the selected ones of the filter criteria items.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring network devices, said apparatus comprising:

a device information maintaining part that maintains, for each of the network devices, device information identifying the network device and device properties and status of the network device;

a user interface part including a filter control window displaying user-selectable filter criteria items; and

a processing part that processes the device information based on selected ones of the filter criteria items, and causes the user interface part to display a device list that includes only specific ones of the network devices matching the selected ones of the filter criteria items.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface part displays a plurality of filter blocks in the filter control window, each filter block including one or more of the user-selectable filter criteria items, and

in a case that a first filter block is dragged out of the filter control window via a drag-and-drop operation, then the processing part unselects all of the filter control items of the first filter block, and processes the device information based on selected filter criteria items in each of the remaining filter blocks in the filter control window, to generate the device list.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface part displays a plurality of filter blocks in the filter control window, each filter block including one or more of the user-selectable filter criteria items, and

the processing part processes the device information based on the selected filter criteria items, and generates a revised device list that identifies only specific ones of the network devices matching at least one selected filter criteria item from each of the filter blocks having one or more selected filter criteria items.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface part displays a plurality of filter blocks in the filter control window in a specific sequence, each filter block including one or more of the user-selectable filter criteria items,

wherein in a case that one or more filter criteria items in a first filter block are selected, the processing part modifies all of the filter blocks appearing after the first filter block in the specific sequence, to generate modified filter blocks including only filter criteria items applicable to network devices that satisfy at least one of said one or more selected filter criteria items in the first filter block.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the user interface part displays a plurality of filter blocks in the filter control window in a specific sequence, each filter block including one or more of the user-selectable filter criteria items,

wherein for each of the filter criteria items in a first filter block, the user interface part displays a device count corresponding to a number of the network devices that match the filter criteria item, and match at least one of the selected filter criteria items from each of the filter blocks that (a) have one or more selected filter criteria items and (b) appear before the first filter block in the specific sequence.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the specific sequence is changed after the plurality of filter blocks displayed in the filter control window are rearranged via a drag-and-drop operation.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the specific sequence is changed after one of the filter blocks is removed from the filter control window via a drag-and-drop operation, the changed specific sequence not including the removed filter block.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the specific sequence is changed after a new filter block is positioned inside the filter control window from a new filter block palette via a drag-and-drop operation, the changed specific sequence including the new filter block.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing part generates a group set filter block, and generates a group item corresponding to the group set filter block and being associated with one or more of the network devices.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing part generates auto-grouping criteria based on the selected filter criteria items, and

in a case that the processing part determines that a newly discovered network device matches the auto-grouping criteria, the processing part automatically adds the newly discovered network device to the group item.

11. A method for monitoring network devices, by a monitoring apparatus, said method comprising:

maintaining device information including, for each of the network devices, device properties and status of the network devices;

causing a user interface to display a filter control window including one or more user-selectable filter criteria items; and

processing the device information based on selected ones of the filter criteria items, and causing the user interface to display a device list including only specific ones of the network devices matching the selected ones of the filter criteria items.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a plurality of filter blocks in the filter control window, each filter block including one or more of the user-selectable filter criteria items;

determining that a first filter block has been dragged out of the filter control window via a drag-and-drop operation; and

unselecting all of the filter control items of the first filter block, and processing the device information based on selected filter criteria items in each of the remaining filter blocks in the filter control window, to generate the device list.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a plurality of filter blocks in the filter control window, each filter block including one or more of the user-selectable filter criteria items; and

processing the device information based on the selected filter criteria items, and generating a revised device list that identifies only specific ones of the network devices matching at least one selected filter criteria item from each of the filter blocks having one or more selected filter criteria items.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a plurality of filter blocks in the filter control window in a specific sequence, each filter block including one or more of the user-selectable filter criteria items;

determining that one or more filter criteria items in a first filter block have been selected; and

modifying all of the filter blocks appearing after the first filter block in the specific sequence, to generate modified filter blocks including only filter criteria items applicable to network devices that satisfy at least one of said one or more selected filter criteria items in the first filter block.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a plurality of filter blocks in the filter control window in a specific sequence, each filter block including one or more of the user-selectable filter criteria items; and

displaying, for each of the filter criteria items in a first filter block, a device count corresponding to a number of the network devices that match the filter criteria item, and match at least one of the selected filter criteria items from each of the filter blocks that (a) have one or more selected filter criteria items and (b) appear before the first filter block in the specific sequence.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

changing the specific sequence, in response to determining that the plurality of filter blocks displayed in the filter control window have been rearranged via a drag-and-drop operation.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

changing the specific sequence, in response to determining that one of the filter blocks has been removed from the filter control window via a drag-and-drop operation, the changed specific sequence not including the removed filter block.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

changing the specific sequence, in response to determining that a new filter block has been positioned inside the filter control window from a new filter block palette via a drag-and-drop operation, the changed specific sequence including the new filter block.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating a group set filter block in the filter control window, and generating a group item corresponding to the group set filter block and being associated with one or more of the network devices.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

generating auto-grouping criteria based on the selected filter criteria items;

determining that a newly discovered network device matches the auto-grouping criteria; and

automatically adding the newly discovered network device to the group item.