System and method for monitoring the state of a plurality of machines connected via a computer network

• US 7,383,474 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2003
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Sekizawa, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chu; Gabriel L
• Application Number:
  US10/714,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20040098480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,664 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/57
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5079 for maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/553 Monitoring or warning means for exhaustion or lifetime end of consumables, e.g. indication of insufficient copy sheet quantity for a job
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00113 Plurality of apparatus configured in groups each with its own host
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3068 where the reporting involves data format conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3093 Configuration details thereof, e.g. installation, enabling, spatial arrangement of the probes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1219 with regard to consumables, e.g. ink, toner, paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/901 Wide area network

Abstract

Each agent unit gets status information indicating the state of each of network printers connected by a LAN from the network printers every first time period. Whenever each agent unit gets the status information from the network printer, it overwrites a status log data file with the gotten status information. Each agent unit converts all status information stored in the status log data file into status mail of electronic mail and transmits the status mail to a mail server every second time period longer than the first time period. On the other hand, a console unit accesses the mail server and reads the status mail in a proper time period to the console unit.

Claims

1. A local monitor unit for transmitting status information formed of a plurality of pieces of status information indicating an operation state of a machine to be monitored to an integrated monitor unit through a computer network, said local monitor unit comprising:

a local information getting unit for getting the status information of the machine connected to a first-type local computer network by identifying an address of the machine;

a local information retaining unit for retaining the status information obtained by the local information getting unit and individual information of the machine;

a local information transmitting unit for transmitting at least a part of the plurality of pieces of the status information retained in the local information retaining unit to the integrated monitor unit through a second-type wide area computer network; and

a data transmitting unit for transmitting data to the integrated monitor unit through the second-type wide-area computer network, the data being employed for registering in the integrated monitor unit the machine to be monitored and the first-type local computer network connected to the machine and being prepared based on the individual information;

wherein the integrated monitor unit identifies the status information is for which machine to be monitored and connected to which first-type local computer network, based on the data registered in the integrated monitor unit, to thereby make a predetermined display display the status information, the status information being transmitted by the local monitor unit at a predetermined timing set at the local monitor unit.

2. A local monitor unit according to claim 1, wherein said local information getting units gets the status information in a first period,

said local information retaining unit updates the status information of the machine whose operation state has been changed into the most recent status information before transmitting the status information to said integrated monitor unit, and

said local information transmitting unit transmits the most recent status information of the machine to the integrated monitor unit during a second period that is longer than the first period.

3. A local monitor unit according to claim 2, further including a state determination unit for determining if the status information gotten by said local information getting unit indicates an abnormal state of the machine,

wherein said local information getting unit gets the status information in a period shorter than the first period only while said state determination unit determines that the status information indicates an abnormal state of the machine.

4. A local monitor unit according to claim 3, wherein said local information getting unit gets the status information of a plurality of machines and while said state determination unit determines that the status information gotten from a specific machine indicates an abnormal state of the machine, gets the status information only from the specific machine in a period shorter than the first period.

5. A local monitor unit according to claim 2, further including a state determination unit for determining whether or not the status information gotten by said local information getting unit indicates an abnormal state of the machine,

wherein when said state determination unit starts to determine that the status information indicates a fatal error of the machine, said local information transmission unit transmits information indicating the fatal error to the integrated monitor unit regardless of the second period.

6. A local monitor unit according to claim 5,

wherein when said state determination unit determines that the fatal error is solved within a predetermined time or the fatal error continues over a predetermined time, said local information transmission unit transmits status information indicating the fact to the integrated monitor unit regardless of the second period.

7. A local monitor unit according to claim 1, further including a display unit for displaying a main screen for indicating information concerning every machine connected through the first-type local computer network and a subscreen for indicating detailed information concerning a specific machine specified on the main screen.

8. An integrated monitor unit which can communicate with a plurality of local monitor units through a second-type global computer network, each of the local monitor units monitoring through a first-type local computer network an operation state of at least one of a plurality of machines to be monitored, said integrated monitor unit comprising:

a global information getting unit for getting status information indicating the operation state of the machines to be monitored respectively by the local monitor units from said local monitor units through the second-type global computer network;

a database for storing information concerning each of the machines;

a database management unit for updating said database based on the status information gotten by said global information getting unit;

a display unit for displaying the information stored on said database; and

a data receiving unit for receiving data for registering said machine of which operation state is transmitted by an associated said local monitor unit voluntarily and the first-type local computer network connected to said machine through the second-type global computer network,

wherein each of the plurality of local monitor units transmits the status information of the machine at a predetermined timing set at that said local monitor unit, and

said database management unit registers the data received through the second-type global computer network into said database and determines that the status information is for a particular said machine connected to one of the first-type local computer networks based on said registered data.

9. An integrated monitor unit according to claim 8, wherein said database also stores the past status information of the machines gotten by said global information getting unit, and wherein said display unit displays a main screen for indicating the status information of the machines connected through the first-type local computer network and a subscreen for indicating a history of the status information of a specific machine specified on the main screen.

10. An integrated monitor unit according to claim 9, wherein the main screen indicates the most recent status information of each machine.

11. An integrated monitor unit according to claim 9, wherein the main screen indicates the status information of for the machines grouped by each first-type local computer network.

12. An integrated monitor unit according to claim 9, wherein the status information contains information indicating the remaining amount of a consumable article and wherein the subscreen for indicating a history of the status information of a specific machine displays a history of the remaining amounts of the consumable article of the machine.

13. An integrated monitor unit according to claim 8, wherein the status information contains remaining amount information of a consumable article of each of machines, and said integrated monitor unit further comprises:

a statistical processing unit for predicting statistics of the remaining amount of the consumable article based on the status information; and

an output unit for outputting the remaining amount statistics of the consumable article predicted by said statistical processing unit.

14. A machine monitor system for executing centralized monitoring of status information indicating an operation state of each of a plurality of machines to be monitored, said machine monitor system comprising:

a plurality of local monitor units for respectively transmitting status information of a plurality of machines each to be monitored at a predetermined timing set at a corresponding said local monitor unit, each of the machines being connected to a first-type local computer network; and

an integrated monitor unit for receiving and monitoring the status information transmitted from each of the local monitor units through a second-type global computer network,

wherein each of the local monitor units comprises a transmitting unit for voluntarily transmitting to said integrated monitor unit data for registering an associated said machine whose operation state is transmitted by the local monitor unit and the first-type local computer network connected to said associates machine to said integrated monitor unit through the second-type global computer network, and

wherein said integrated monitor unit comprises;

a receiving unit for receiving the data transmitted from each of the local monitor units; and

a unit for registering the data received from the local monitor units and determining that the status information is for a particular said machine connected to one of the first-type local computer networks based on said registered data to thereby display the status information on a given display.

15. A machine monitor method comprising:

a local monitor step of monitoring an operation state of a machine through a first-type local computer network; and

a global monitor step of monitoring said operation state of said machine connected to the first-type local computer network through a second-type global computer network,

wherein said local monitor step comprises;

a local information getting step of getting the status information of the machine;

a local information retention step of retaining the gotten status information;

a local information transmission step of sending the retained status information to the second-type global computer network at a predetermined timing; and

a data transmission step of voluntarily sending to the second-type global computer network data for registering said machine whose operation state is transmitted by the local monitor unit and the first-type local computer network connected to said machine at said global monitor step,

wherein said global monitor step comprises;

a data getting step of getting the status information through the second-type global computer network;

a data registration step of registering the gotten status information into a database for storing information concerning the machine to be monitored;

a global information getting step of getting the information through the second-type global computer network;

a status information management step of identifying the status information gotten at said global information getting step is for a particular said machine connected to the first-type computer network based on said registered data and updating the storing information concerning the machine in the database by the identified status information; and

a display step of displaying the updated and stored information on a given display.

16. A machine monitor method according to claim 15, wherein the status information contains remaining amount information of a consumable article of each of machines, and said global monitor step comprises:

a statistical processing unit of predicting statistics of the remaining amount of the consumable article based on the status information; and

an output step of outputting the remaining amount statistics of the consumable article predicted by said statistical processing unit.

17. A computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer which is connected to a machine to be monitored through a first-type local computer network and which can communicate with an integrated monitor unit through a second-type global computer network to execute:

a local information getting step of getting status information indicating an operation state of the machine to be monitored;

a local information retaining step of retaining the gotten status information;

a local information transmission step of transmitting the retained status information to the integrated monitor unit through the second-type global computer network at a predetermined timing;

a data transmission step of voluntarily transmitting the data for registering said machine whose operation state is transmitted by the first-type local computer network connected to said machine to the integrated monitor unit through the second-type global computer network;

whereby the computer makes the integrated monitor unit display the status information for the machine connected to the first-type computer network based on the data registered in the data transmission step on a given display.

18. A computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer which is capable of communicating through a second-type global computer network with each of a plurality of local monitor units, each of the local monitor units being connected through a first-type local computer network to at least one associated machine to be monitored, and which local monitor units can communicate with an integrated monitor unit, to execute:

a data receiving step for receiving data for registering said associated machine to be monitored by the local monitor unit and the first-type local computer network connected to said associated machine from the local monitor unit;

a global information getting step for getting status information indicating the operation state of the associated machine to be monitored by the local monitor unit transmitted from said local monitor unit at a predetermined timing through the second-type global computer network;

a status information management step of registering the gotten data in a given database and identifying the gotten status information for the machine connected to the first-type computer network based on said registered data and updating the storing information concerning the machine in the database by the identified status information;

a database management step of updating the database with the identified status information; and

a display step of displaying updated information of the database on a display.