Method and system for updating the device driver of a business office appliance

• US 6,915,337 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2000
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Sekine, Hitoshi, Motoyama, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): EL HADY, NABIL M
• Application Number:
  US09/520,368
• Time in Patent Office: 1,946 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/221, 709/224, 709/327, 719/327
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method, system and program product for implementing communication to download a driver to a target device or business office appliance using an electronic network message or e-mail. A newest driver for the device/appliance may be downloaded from, for example, a service center connected to the device/appliance through a Wide Area Network (WAN) such as the Internet. The device driver of a client computer using the device/appliance may be updated from the target device/appliance if it is determined that a user of the client computer desires to update the driver of the client computer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

monitoring a first device by a second device;

determining, by the second device, whether a current device driver in the first device is a desired device driver;

first transferring the desired device driver from the second device to the first device when it is determined that the current device driver in the first device is different from the desired device driver, wherein the current device driver and the desired device driver are configured to control operations of the first device;

accessing the first device by a third device using the current device driver to obtain information of the desired device driver, and determining based on the obtained information, whether the current device driver is different from the desired device driver;

determining whether a user of the third device desires the desired device driver to be transferred to the third device when it is determined that the current device driver is different from the desired device driver; and

second transferring the desired device driver from the first device to the third device when it is determined that the user of the third device desires the desired device driver to be transferred to the third device, wherein the desired device driver is configured to control operations of the first device by the user of the third device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of first transferring further comprises:

first transferring the desired device driver from the second device to the first device using at least one of a direct connection message, a network mail message and an electronic mail message when it is determined that the current device driver in the first device is different from the desired device driver, wherein the current device driver and the desired device driver are configured to control operations of the first device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first device is connected to a first network and the second device is connected to a second network.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first and second networks are connected by a third network.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of first transferring further comprises:

first transferring the desired device driver and desired device driver information from the second device to the first device when it is determined that the current device driver in the first device is different from the desired device driver, wherein the current device driver and the desired device driver are configured to control operations of the first device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the desired device driver information includes at least one of

information indicating a version of the desired device driver,

an effective date of the desired device driver, and

an indication of an operating system for the desired device driver.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired device driver is configured to control operations of the first device by the third device.

7. A method, comprising:

accessing a second device by a first device using a current device driver to obtain information of a desired device driver, and determining, based on the obtained information, whether the current device driver is different from the desired device driver;

determining whether a user of the first device desires a desired device driver of the second device to be transferred to the first device when it is determined that the current device driver is different from the desired device driver; and

transferring the desired device driver from the second device to the first device when it is determined that the user of the first device desires the desired device driver of the second device to be transferred to the first device, wherein the desired device driver is configured to control operations of the second device by the first device,

wherein the second device is monitored by a third device to determine whether a current device driver in the second device is the desired device driver, and to transfer the desired device driver from the third device to the second device when it is determined that the current device driver in the second device is different from the desired device driver, wherein the current device driver and the desired device driver are configured to control operations of the second device.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of transferring further comprises:

transferring the desired device driver from the second device to the first device when it is determined that the user of the first device desires the desired device driver of the second device to be transferred to the first device using at least one of a direct connection message, a network mail message and an electronic mail message, wherein the desired device driver is configured to control operations of the second device, and wherein the second device comprises a business office appliance.

9. A system, comprising:

a first device;

a second device configured to monitor the first device, to determine whether a current device driver in the first device is a desired device driver; and

to transfer the desired device driver from the second device to the first device when it is determined that the current device driver in the first device is different from the desired device driver, wherein the current device driver and the desired device driver are configured to control operations of the first device; and

a third device configured to access the first device using the current device driver to obtain information of the desired device driver, to determine, based on the obtained information, whether the current device driver is different from the desired device driver and to determine whether a user of the third device desires the desired device driver to be transferred to the third device when it is determined that the current device driver is different from the desired device driver,

wherein the first device is further configured to transfer the desired device driver from the first device to the third device when the third device determines that the user of the third device desires the desired device driver to be transferred to the third device, wherein the desired device driver is configured to control operations of the first device by the user of the third device.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein second device is further configured to transfer the desired device driver from the second device to the first device using at least one of a direct connection message, a network mail message and an electronic mail message.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first device is connected to a first network and the second device is connected to a second network.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the first and second networks are connected by a third network.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the second device is further configured to transfer desired device driver information from the second device to the first device.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the desired device driver information includes at least one of

information indicating a version of the desired device driver,

an effective date of the desired device driver, and

an indication of an operating system for the desired device driver.

26. The system of claim 9, wherein the desired device driver is configured to control operations of the first device by the third device.

15. A system, comprising:

a first device; and

a second device, wherein the first device is configured to access the second device using a current device driver to obtain information of a desired device driver, to determine, based on the obtained information, whether the current device driver is different from the desired device driver, and to determine whether a user of the first device desires a desired device driver of a second device to be transferred to the first device when it is determined that the current device driver is different from the desired device driver, and the second device is configured to transfer the desired device driver from the second device to the first device when the first device determines that the user of the first device desires the desired device driver of the second device to be transferred to the first device, wherein the desired device driver is configured to control operations of the second device by the first device;

wherein the second device is monitored by a third device to determine whether a current device driver in the second device is the desired device driver, and to transfer the desired device driver from the third device to the second device when it is determined that the current device driver in the second device is different from the desired device driver, wherein the current device driver and the desired device driver are configured to control operations of the second device.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the second device is configured to transfer the desired device driver from the second device to the first device using at least one of a direct connection message, a network mail message and an electronic mail message, and wherein the second device comprises a business office appliance.

17. A program product including a computer readable medium embodying program instructions for causing a system to perform the steps of:

monitoring a first device by a second device;

determining, by the second device, whether a current device driver in the first device is a desired device driver;

first transferring the desired device driver from the second device to the first device when it is determined that the current device driver in the first device is different from the desired device driver, wherein the current device driver and the desired device driver are configured to control operations of the first device;

accessing the first device by a third device using the current device driver to obtain information of the desired device driver, and determining, based on the obtained information, whether the current device driver is different from the desired device driver;

determining whether a user of a third device desires the desired device driver to be transferred to the third device when it is determined that the current device driver is different from the desired device driver; and

second transferring the desired device driver from the first device to the third device when it is determined that the user of the third device desires the desired device driver to be transferred to the third device, wherein the desired device driver is configured to control operations of the first device by the user of the third device.

18. The program product according to claim 17, wherein the step of first transferring further comprises:

first transferring the desired device driver from the second device to the first device using at least one of a direct connection message, a network mail message and an electronic mail message when it is determined that the current device driver in the first device is different from the desired device driver, wherein the current device driver and the desired device driver are configured to control operations of the first device.

19. The program product according to claim 17, wherein the first device is connected to a first network and the second device is connected to a second network.

20. The program product according to claim 19, wherein the first and second networks are connected by a third network.

21. The program product according to claim 17, wherein the step of first transferring further comprises:

first transferring the desired device driver and desired device driver information from the second device to the first device when it is determined that the current device driver in the first device is different from the desired device driver, wherein the current device driver and the desired device driver are configured to control operations of the first device.

22. The program product according to claim 21, wherein the desired device driver information includes at least one of

information indicating a version of the desired device driver,

an effective date of the desired device driver, and

an indication of an operating system for the desired device driver.

27. The program product of claim 17, wherein the desired device driver is configured to control operations of the first device by the third device.

23. A program product including a computer readable medium embodying program instructions for causing a system to perform the steps of:

accessing a second device by a first device having a current device driver to obtain information of a desired device driver, and determining, based on the obtained information, whether the current device driver is different from the desired device driver;

determining whether a user of the first device desires the desired device driver of the second device to be transferred to the first device when it is determined that the current device driver is different from the desired device driver; and

transferring the desired device driver from the second device to the first device when it is determined that the user of the first device desires the desired device driver of the second device to be transferred to the first device, wherein the desired device driver is configured to control operations of the second device, by the first device;

wherein the second device is monitored by a third device to determine whether a current device driver in the second device is the desired device driver, and to transfer the desired device driver from the third device to the second device when it is determined that the current device driver in the second device is different from the desired device driver, wherein the current device driver and the desired device driver are configured to control operations of the second device.

24. The program product according to claim 23, wherein the step of transferring further comprises

transferring the desired device driver from the second device to the first device when it is determined that the user of the first device desires the desired device driver of the second device to be transferred to the first device using at least one of a direct connection message, a network mail message and an electronic mail message, wherein the desired device driver is configured to control operations of the second device, and wherein the second device comprises a business office appliance.