Status notification of monitored devices through electronic mail

• US 7,428,577 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2002
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Muto, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Serrao; Ranodhi N
• Application Number:
  US10/042,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,447 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

Transmission data is generated depending on the status change of a device according to a message indicating the status information about the device and the destination information about the message and is transmitted by electronic mail, and the user who manages the device can be notified of the status of the device at an appropriate timing by a data transfer process apparatus, a device, a network system, a data transfer method, and a storage medium.

Claims

1. A data transfer processing apparatus which controls data transfer in a device, comprising:

a registration unit that registers reply destination information indicating each of a plurality of reply destinations, the plurality of reply destinations being different from each other and corresponding to a respective plurality of statuses of the device, wherein the reply destination information refers to an address to which an answer is transmitted in response to an electronic mail;

a status obtaining unit that obtains status information about one of the plurality of statuses of said device;

a message obtaining unit that obtains a message according to the status information obtained by said status obtaining unit;

a transmission data generation unit that generates transmission data according to the message obtained by said message obtaining unit, according to destination information indicating a destination address to which the transmission data is transmitted, and according to the reply destination information indicating one of the plurality of reply destinations, which is determined based on the status information obtained by said status obtaining unit, wherein the generated transmission data includes the destination information and the reply destination information indicating one of the plurality of reply destinations, which is determined based on the status information obtained by said status obtaining unit, the reply destination indicated by the reply destination information being a destination for a reply to the electronic mail; and

an electronic mail transmission unit that transmits as electronic mail the transmission data generated by said transmission data generation unit.

2. The data transfer processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data generation unit that generates data that causes a web browser of an external apparatus to display a setting screen, the setting screen being for setting the destination information and the reply destination information;

a data transmission unit that transmits the data generated by said data generation unit to the external apparatus via a network; and

a reception unit that receives the destination information and the reply destination information set with the setting screen from the external apparatus via the network,

wherein said registration unit registers the reply destination information received by said reception unit.

3. The data transfer processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that stores the reply destination information registered by said registration unit.

4. The data transfer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data transfer processing apparatus is a network board connected to a printer.

5. A device that communicates with an external apparatus, comprising:

a registration unit that registers reply destination information indicating a first reply destination of electronic mail corresponding to each of a plurality of reply destinations, the plurality of reply destinations being different from each other and corresponding to a respective plurality of statuses of the device, wherein the reply destination information refers to an address to which an answer is transmitted in response to an electronic mail;

a status obtaining unit that obtains status information about one of the plurality statuses of said device;

a message obtaining unit that obtains a message according to the status information obtained by said status obtaining unit;

a transmission data generation unit that generates transmission data according to the message obtained by said message obtaining unit, according to destination information indicating a destination address to which the transmission data is transmitted, and according to the reply destination information indicating one of the plurality of reply destinations, which is determined based on the status information obtained by said status obtaining unit, wherein the generated transmission data includes the destination information and the reply destination information indicating one of the plurality of reply destinations, which is determined based on the status information obtained by said status obtaining unit, the reply destination indicated by the reply destination information being a destination for a reply to the electronic mail; and

an electronic mail transmission unit that transmits as electronic mail the transmission data generated by said transmission data generation unit.

6. The device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a data generation unit that generates data that causes a web browser of an external apparatus to display a setting screen, the setting screen being for setting the destination information and the reply destination information;

a data transmission unit that transmits the data generated by said data generation unit to the external apparatus via a network; and

a reception unit that receives the destination information and the reply destination information set with the setting screen from the external apparatus via the network,

wherein said registration unit registers the reply destination information received by said reception unit.

7. The device according to claim 5, further comprising a storage unit that stores the reply destination information registered by said registration unit.

8. The device according to claim 5, wherein said device is a printer.

9. A status notifying method of a device for notification of a status of the device by electronic mail, comprising:

a registration step of registering reply destination information indicating each of a plurality of reply destinations, the plurality of reply destinations being different from each other and corresponding to a respective plurality of statuses of the device, wherein the reply destination information refers to an address to which an answer is transmitted in response to an electronic mail;

a status obtaining step of obtaining status information about one of the plurality statuses of the device;

a message obtaining step of obtaining a message according to the status information obtained in said status obtaining step;

a transmission data generating step of generating transmission data according to the message obtained in said message obtaining step, according to destination information indicating a destination address to which the transmission data is transmitted, and according to the reply destination information indicating one of the plurality of reply destinations, which is determined based on the status information obtained by said status information obtaining step, wherein the generated transmission data includes the destination information and the reply destination information indicating one of the plurality of reply destinations, which is determined based on the status information obtained by said status obtaining step, the reply destination indicated by the reply destination information being a destination for a reply to the electronic mail; and

an electronic mail transmitting step of transmitting as electronic mail the transmission data generated in said transmission data generating step.

10. The status notifying method according to claim 9, further comprising:

a data generating step of generating data that causes a web browser of an external apparatus to display a setting screen, the setting screen being for setting the destination information and the reply destination information;

a data transmitting step of transmitting the data generated in said data generating step to the external apparatus via a network; and

a receiving step of receiving the destination information and the reply destination information set with the setting screen from the external apparatus via the network,

wherein the destination information and the reply destination information received in said receiving step are registered in said registration step.

11. The status notifying method according to claim 9, further comprising a storing step of storing the reply destination information registered in the registering step.

12. The status notifying method, according to claim 9 wherein said device is a printer.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-readable program used by a device for notification of a status of the device by electronic mail, said program comprising:

a registration step of registering reply destination information indicating a first reply destination of electronic mail corresponding to each of a plurality of reply destinations, the plurality of reply destinations being different from each other and corresponding to a respective plurality of statuses of the device, wherein the reply destination information refers to an address to which an answer is transmitted in response to an electronic mail;

a status information obtaining step of obtaining status information about one of the plurality of statuses of the device;

a message obtaining step of obtaining a message according to the status information obtained in said status obtaining step;

a transmission data generating step of generating transmission data according to the message obtained in said message obtaining step, according to destination information indicating a destination address to which the transmission data is transmitted, and according to the reply destination information indicating one of the plurality of reply destinations, which is determined based on the status information obtained by said status obtaining step, wherein the generated transmission data includes the destination information and the reply destination information indicating one of the plurality of reply destinations, which is determined based on the status information obtained by said status obtaining step, the reply destination indicated by the reply destination information being a destination for a reply to the electronic mail; and

an electronic mail transmitting step of transmitting as electronic mail the transmission data generated in said transmission data generating step.