MANAGEMENT METHOD FOR NETWORK SYSTEM AND NETWORK DEVICE, NETWORK DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR, AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20150109438A1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Published: 04/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Kotaro
• Granted Patent: US 9,813,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A log is recorded when an event occurs in an image forming apparatus, a video file recorded by a network camera is tagged at the point in time that the event occurred, and video tag information tagged to the recorded video file is registered in relation to a device serial ID of the image forming apparatus and an ID for uniquely identifying the log in the image forming apparatus.

Claims

1. A network system comprising a network device, a management system for managing the network device, a client, and a camera system,

the network device including:

a first acquisition unit that obtains identification information of a network camera that is included in the camera system from the camera system;

a first transmission unit that transmits the obtained network camera identification information to the client;

a second acquisition unit that obtains settings, configured in the client, that are based on an image captured by the network camera specified by the network camera identification information; and

a second transmission unit that transmits the network camera identification information and the settings to the management system, and

the management system including;

a reception unit that receives the network camera identification information and the settings from the network device; and

a management unit that manages the network camera identification information and the settings in association with identification information of the network device.

2. The network system according to claim 1,

wherein the first acquisition unit obtains connection information for connecting to the camera system from the management system after a camera setup mode is activated for the network device, and obtains network camera identification information using the connection information.

3. The network system according to claim 1,

wherein the client displays a user interface screen including an image obtained from the network camera corresponding to the identification information received from the network device and a user interface for setting the network camera, and

the settings are configured via the user interface screen.

4. The network system according to claim 3,

wherein the network device further includes a unit that narrows down the number of network cameras according to a narrowing down instruction received via the user interface, based on one of an installation location of the network cameras, video taken by the network cameras, and placement of the network cameras, and transmits identification information of the narrowed down network cameras to the client.

5. The network system according to claim 1,

wherein the settings include at least one of a direction, angle of view, focusing mode and surveillance priority of the network camera and a name of the settings.

6. The network system according to claim 1,

wherein the network device further includes a second management unit that manages information associating history information of a network device targeted for surveillance with an image captured by a network camera associated with the network device targeted for surveillance in accordance with the association managed by the management unit.

7. The network system according to claim 6,

wherein when a predetermined event occurs, the network device is triggered by the event to record the event in the history information, and transmit a request for image capture by the associated network camera to the camera system, with the network device as the network device targeted for surveillance, and

the second management unit manages the event recorded in the history information in association with the image whose capture was triggered by the event.

8. The network system according to claim 7,

wherein the camera system transmits tag information specifying the captured image to the network device when the request for image capture is received from the network device, and

the second management unit manages the image and the history information in association with each other using the tag information.

9. The network system according to claim 6,

wherein the network device further includes a unit that transmits the history information and the information associating the image and the history information that is managed by the second management unit to the management system, and

the management system further includes a unit that saves the received history information and the received information associating the image and the history information that is managed by the second management unit.

10. The network system according to claim 7,

wherein the network device transmits the network camera identification information and the settings associated with the identification information of the network device that are managed by the management unit to the camera system together with the request for image capture, and

the camera system, if image capture by the network camera corresponding to the identification information received together with the request for image capture has not been performed, starts image capture by the network camera corresponding to the identification information in accordance with the received settings.

11. The network system according to claim 1,

wherein the network device is an image forming apparatus.

12. A network device that is managed by a management system, comprising:

a first acquisition unit that obtains identification information of a network camera that is included in the camera system from the camera system;

a first transmission unit that transmits the obtained network camera identification information to a client;

a second acquisition unit that obtains settings, configured in the client, that are based on an image captured by the network camera specified by the network camera identification information; and

a second transmission unit that transmits the network camera identification information and the settings to the management system which manages the network camera identification information and the settings in association with identification information of the network device.

13. A management method in the network system including a network device, a management system for managing the network device, a client, and a camera system, said method comprising:

obtaining, by the network device, identification information of a network camera that is included in the camera system from the camera system;

transmitting, by the network device, the obtained network camera identification information to the client;

obtaining, by the network device, settings, configured in the client, that are based on an image captured by the network camera specified by the network camera identification information;

transmitting, by the network device, the network camera identification information and the settings to the management system;

receiving, by the management system, the network camera identification information and the settings from the network device; and

managing, by the management system, the network camera identification information and the settings in association with identification information of the network device.

14. A method for controlling a network device, comprising:

obtaining identification information of a network camera that is included in a camera system from the camera system;

transmitting the obtained network camera identification information to a client;

obtaining settings, configured in the client, that are based on an image captured by the network camera specified by the network camera identification information; and

transmitting the network camera identification information and the settings to a management system that manages the network camera identification information and the settings in association with identification information of the network device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that has recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to perform a method, said method comprising:

obtaining identification information of a network camera that is included in the camera system from the camera system;

transmitting the obtained network camera identification information to a client;

obtaining settings, configured in the client, that are based on an image captured by the network camera specified by the network camera identification information; and

transmitting the network camera identification information and the settings to a management system that manages the network camera identification information and the settings in association with identification information of the network device.