SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED ASSIGNMENT AND BALANCE OF DOCUMENT PROCESSING DEVICE COLLECTORS

• US 20180239571A1
• Filed: 02/23/2017
• Published: 08/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kodimer, Marianne, Ravichandran, Surya
• Application Number:
  US15/440,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20180239571A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1291 Pool of printer devices: self-managing printing devices in a network, e.g. without a server

Abstract

A system and method for automated network device group collector management includes a memory storing device management data for each of the document processing devices. A processor receives updated device management data corresponding to a device change in an identified device group and designates a document processing device in the identified group as a group primary collector in accordance with received updated device management data. The processor communicates device management data comprising primary collector designator data to a selected document processing device in the identified group via the network interface. A second document processing device may be designated as a secondary collector and a load sharing or balancing between collectors is made. Assignment of roles and loads is communicated to devices via the network.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a network interface configured to communicate device management data with each of a plurality of document processing devices in each of a plurality of document processing device groups;

a memory storing device management data for each of the document processing devices; and

a processor configured to

receive updated device management data corresponding to a device change in an identified device group,

designate a document processing device in the identified group as a group primary collector in accordance with received updated device management data, and

communicate device management data comprising primary collector designator data to a selected document processing device in the identified group via the network interface.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to designate a second document processing device in the identified group as a group secondary collector in accordance with received updated device management data, and

wherein the processor is further configured to communicate device management data comprising secondary collector designator data to a second selected document processing device in the identified group via the network interface.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the processor is further configured to generate load balancing data corresponding to a load balancing between the group primary collector and the group secondary collector, and

wherein the processor is further configured to communicate device management data including the load balancing data to the group primary collector and the group secondary collector via the network interface.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the processor is further configured to communicate the device management data by accessing a management information base on each document processing device via the network interface.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the updated device management data includes data corresponding to a removal of a document processing device from the identified group.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein the updated device management data includes data corresponding to an addition of a document processing device from the identified group.

7. The device of claim 4 wherein the updated device management data includes data corresponding movement of a repositioned document processing device from the identified group to a second identified group,

wherein the processor is further configured to receive updated device management data corresponding to the repositioned document processing device via the network interface,

wherein the processor is further configured to designate a document processing device in the second identified group as a second group primary collector in accordance with received updated device management data, and

wherein the processor is further configured to communicate device management data comprising a second group primary collector designator data to a selected document processing device in the identified group via the network interface.

8. A method comprising:

communicating device management data with each of a plurality of document processing devices in each of a plurality of document processing device groups via a network interface;

storing device management data for each of the document processing devices in a memory;

receiving updated device management data corresponding to a device change in an identified device group via the network;

designating, via an associated processor, a document processing device in the identified group as a group primary collector in accordance with received updated device management data; and

communicating device management data comprising primary collector designator data to a selected document processing device in the identified group via the network interface via the network interface.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

designating, via the processor, a second document processing device in the identified group as a group secondary collector in accordance with received updated device management data; and

communicating device management data comprising secondary collector designator data to a second selected document processing device in the identified group via the network interface.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

generating, via the processor load balancing data corresponding to a load balancing between the group primary collector and the group secondary collector; and

communicating device management data including the load balancing data to the group primary collector and the group secondary collector via the network interface.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising communicating the device management data by accessing a management information base on each document processing device via the network interface.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the updated device management data includes data corresponding to a removal of a document processing device from the identified group.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the updated device management data includes data corresponding to an addition of a document processing device from the identified group.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the updated device management data includes data corresponding movement of a repositioned document processing device from the identified group to a second identified group and further comprising:

receiving receive updated device management data corresponding to the repositioned document processing device via the network interface;

designating, via the processor, a document processing device in the second identified group as a second group primary collector in accordance with received updated device management data; and

communicating device management data comprising a second group primary collector designator data to a selected document processing device in the identified group via the network interface.

15. A device comprising:

a document processing controller, including a processor and memory, configured to monitor and control operation of a multifunction peripheral, and collect internal device data corresponding to document processing operations on the multifunction peripheral;

a memory configured to store a management information base, including device management data, corresponding to a current state of the multifunctional peripheral; and

a network interface configured to communicate device management data between the management information base and an associated server,

wherein the controller is further configured to receive into the management information base via the network interface, designator data designating the controller as a data collector for an identified group of multifunction peripherals,

wherein the controller is further configured to receive, responsive to received designator data, external device operation data for the identified group of multifunction peripherals, and

wherein the controller is further configured to store internal and external device operation data in the memory.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the controller is further configured to receive into the management information base via the network interface, load balancing data corresponding to a load balancing between the controller and a second multifunction peripheral in the identified group, and

wherein the controller is further configured to selectively process external device operation data in accordance with received load balancing data.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the controller is further configured to communicate device status data with the second multifunction peripheral via the network interface.

18. The device of claim 17 further comprising the controller configured to generate group report data comprising the internal and external device operation data in accordance received device status data.

19. The device of claim 15 wherein the controller is further configured to generate group report data comprising the internal and external device operation data in accordance when the designator data designates the controller as a primary data collector.

20. The device of claim 15 wherein the controller is further configured for SNMP communication of device management data.