Object-oriented communication system with support for multiple remote machine types

• US 5,918,051 A
• Filed: 07/19/1995
• Issued: 06/29/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited, Ricoh Corporation (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Savitzky, Stephen R., Hart, Peter E., Golding, Richard, Roth, Rithy K., Jeng, Tina L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coleman, Eric
• Application Number:
  US08/504,192
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800, 395/683, 395/685, 395/200.47, 395/200.49
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

An apparatus for communicating with a plurality of remote machines, of a plurality of machine types includes a computer system including a processor and memory a data communication means, coupled to the computer system and to the plurality of remote machines, for communicating with each of the plurality of remote machines, a first plurality of software objects within the memory for describing services for the plurality of remote machines, and a plurality of operations within the memory associated with the first plurality of software objects, the plurality of operations for satisfying requests described by the services of the first plurality of software objects.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communicating with a plurality of remote machines, of a plurality of machine types, the apparatus comprising:

a computer system including a processor and memory;

a data communication interface, coupled to the computer system and to the plurality of remote machines, for communicating with each of the plurality of remote machines;

a first plurality of software objects within the memory for describing services for the plurality of remote machines;

a plurality of operations within the memory associated with the first plurality of software objects, the plurality of operations for satisfying requests described by the services of the first plurality of software objects; and

a second plurality of software objects within the memory, each of the second plurality of software objects identifying and describing an item in a database;

wherein the plurality of operations includes a database operation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of operations includes operations on the plurality of remote machines.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of operations includes items of data to be transferred to the plurality of remote machines, including data types, data sizes, and data locations.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second plurality of software objects within the memory, each of the second plurality of software objects describing at least one application item for the plurality of remote machines.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the application items for the plurality of remote machines includes pointers to the first plurality of software objects and current values corresponding to values of data items stored within the memory of the plurality of remote machines.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the application items for the plurality of remote machines also includes read request flags and new values for describing pending requests for values to be transferred to the plurality of remote machines.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein requests for updates to the database are created when items of data are transferred to the plurality of remote machines.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second plurality of software objects within a queue in the memory, the second plurality of software objects including requests for operations to be performed on the plurality of remote machines.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second plurality of software objects within a queue in the memory, the second plurality of software objects including requests for items of data to be transferred to the plurality of remote machines.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

processing means for transforming the first plurality of software object into a data file; and

a mass storage device, coupled to the processing means, for containing the data file.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the data file includes textual data.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the database is a customer database.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second plurality of software objects allows a user to interactively specify a machine group of the plurality of remote machines with which to communicate.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the database is a machine history database.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the plurality of remote machines includes memory for storing data; and

the plurality of operations includes an operation to transfer machine parameter data between the memory of one of the remote machines and the memory within the computer system.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote machines includes a database server.

30. The system of claim 2, wherein the services of the plurality of software objects includes operations on the plurality of remote machines.

16. The system of 15, wherein the machine parameter data to be transferred is a remote machine'"'"'s serial number.

18. An apparatus for communicating with a plurality of remote machines, of a plurality of machine types, the apparatus comprising:

a computer system including a processor, memory and a mass storage device, the mass storage device for containing a plurality of data files, the plurality of data files including representations of software objects;

a data communication interface, coupled to the computer system and to the plurality of remote machines, for communicating with each of the plurality of remote machines; and

an application program within the memory for transforming one of the plurality of data files during run-time into a plurality of software objects within the memory for describing services for the plurality of remote machines.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the plurality of data filed includes textual data.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising;

a display;

a keyboard;

a pointing device;

a user interface;

user interface objects within the memory that control the user interface, for making requests for services on the plurality of remote machines, in response to user input with the user interface;

objects within the memory, coupled to the user interface, and for updating the user interface when a service has been performed on one of the plurality remote machines.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the services for the plurality of remote machines includes operations on the plurality of remote machines.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the services for the plurality of remote machines includes items of data to be transferred to the plurality of remote machines, including data types, data sizes, and data locations.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the user interface objects are configured to make requests for the services described by the plurality of software objects transformed from the one data file.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of remote machines includes an office machine.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the office machine is off-site.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein;

at least one of the plurality of remote machines includes memory for storing data; and

the plurality of operations includes an operation to transfer machine parameter data between the memory of one of the remote machines and the memory within the computer system.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the machine parameter data to be transferred is a remote machine'"'"'s serial machine.

28. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the plurality of remote machines includes a database server.

29. A system for communicating with a plurality of remote machines of a plurality of machine types, the system comprising:

a computer system including a memory and a mass storage device;

a plurality of machine description files within the mass storage device, the plurality of machine description files for describing the plurality of remote machines, the plurality of machine description files including representations of software objects; and

a plurality of application programs within the memory for communicating with the plurality of remote machines, the plurality of application programs adapted to read during runtime one of the plurality of machine description files that describes a particular remote machine if the application programs need to communicate with the particular remote machine to satisfy requests described by services of the plurality of software objects.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the services of the plurality of software objects includes items of data to be transferred to the plurality of remote machines.

32. The system of claim 29, further comprising:

a local database for accessing a remote database, the remote database containing the plurality of machine types and access information for the plurality of remote machines; and

a program for querying the remote database and for constructing a data file including a representation of a plurality of software objects specifying a machine type and access information for one of the plurality of remote machines.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of application programs further comprises:

a program for operating on the plurality of remote machines using a queue in the memory, the queue including a plurality of software objects including requests for operations to be performed on the plurality of remote machines.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of application programs further comprises a program for operating on the plurality of remote machines using a queue in the memory, the queue including a plurality of software objects including requests for items of data to be transferred to the plurality of remote machines.

35. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of application programs further comprises a program for receiving communications from the plurality of remote machines, and for outputting files containing the data communicated by the plurality of remote machines.

36. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of application programs further comprises a program for allowing a user to interactively specify one of the plurality of remote machines and services for the one remote machine.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the services for the one remote machine includes operations for the one remote machine.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the services for the one remote machine includes items of data to be transferred with the one remote machine.

39. The system of claim 29, wherein each of the plurality of application programs is adapted to transform one of the plurality of machine description files into software objects that describe services for the particular remote machine.