Network management tool for maintaining printing device information

• US 7,451,200 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2002
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Metz, James Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt; Yves
• Application Number:
  US10/208,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20040019671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,297 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/201, 709/226, 709/229, 709/228, 710/1, 710/19, 710/62
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A network management tool is programmed to automatically: discover printing devices on a network; record information about the discovered printing devices in a main device list; and organize at least a portion of the information from the main device list, into one or more secondary device lists based upon criteria that define each of the one or more secondary device lists.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, direct a computing system to perform a method comprising:

discovering printing devices on a network by monitoring for signals indicating that the printing devices are present on the network;

recording information about the printing devices in a main device list;

organizing at least a portion of the information from the main device list into one or more secondary device lists based upon criteria that define each of the one or more secondary device lists, wherein a newly discovered printing device on the network which satisfies the criteria is visually denoted to a user in a graphical display of the one or more secondary device lists and wherein user input defines the criteria, one type of user input being textual criteria information typed into a graphical interface by a user; and

updating the one or more secondary device lists each time a new printer device is discovered on the network by recording information about the newly discovered printing device in the one or more secondary device lists, if information pertaining to the newly discovered printing device matches any of the criteria for the one or more secondary device lists.

2. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving a user input that defines the criteria by specifying a subset of the information about the printing devices that satisfy the criteria for the one or more secondary device lists.

3. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving a user input that selects a particular secondary device list from a directory of secondary device lists.

4. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving a user input that selects particular information associated with a particular secondary device list and displaying the particular information to the user.

5. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises updating the main device list each time a new printer device is discovered on the network by recording information about the newly discovered printing device in the main device list.

6. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises storing the main device list and the one or more secondary device lists in a database.

7. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, direct a computing system to perform a method comprising:

discovering printing devices on a network by monitoring for signals indicating that the printing devices are present on the network;

recording information associated with the printing devices in a main list;

querying the main list for information associated with the printing devices that satisfy a specified criterion;

recording information associated with the printing devices that satisfy the specified criterion in a secondary list, wherein a newly discovered printing device on the network which satisfies the criterion is visually denoted to a user in a graphical display of the secondary list and wherein user input defines the criterion, one type of user input being textual criterion information typed into a graphical interface by a user; and

updating the secondary list each time a new printer device is discovered on the network by recording information about the newly discovered printing device in the secondary list, if information pertaining to the newly discovered printing device matches the specified criterion for the secondary list.

8. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises maintaining the main list and the secondary list in a database.

9. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises querying the main list for information associated with the printing devices that satisfy the specified criterion each time a printing device is discovered on the network.

10. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises receiving a user input that defines the specified criterion for the secondary list.

11. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises displaying information recorded in the secondary list.

12. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises receiving a user input enabling (i) the querying of the main list and (ii) the recording of information associated with the printing devices that satisfy the specified criterion in a secondary list.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises

querying the secondary list for information associated with the printing devices that satisfy a further specified criterion;

and

recording information associated with the printing devices that satisfy the further specified criterion in a third list.

14. A computer system having a memory and a processor for collecting information about printing devices on a network, comprising:

means for discovering printing devices on a network by monitoring for signals indicating that the printing devices are present on the network;

means for recording information associated with the printing devices in a main list;

means for automatically querying the main list for information associated with the printing devices that satisfy a specified criterion;

means for automatically recording information associated with the printing devices that satisfy the specified criterion in a secondary list, wherein a newly discovered printing device on the network which satisfies the criterion is visually denoted to a user in a graphical display of the secondary list and wherein user input defines the criterion, one type of user input being textual criterion information typed into a graphical interface by a user; and

means for updating the secondary list each time a new printer device is discovered on the network by recording information about the newly discovered printing device in the secondary list, if information pertaining to the newly discovered printing device matches the specified criterion for the secondary list.

15. The computer system as recited in claim 14, further comprising means for automatically querying the main list for information associated with the printing devices that satisfy the specified criterion each time a printing device is discovered on the network.

16. The computer system as recited in claim 14, further comprising means for receiving a user input that defines the specified criterion for the secondary list.

17. The computer system as recited in claim 14, further comprising means for displaying information recorded in the secondary list.

18. The computer system as recited in claim 14, further comprising means for automatically querying the secondary list for information associated with the printing devices that satisfy a further specified criterion;

and recording information associated with the printing devices that satisfy the further specified criterion in a third list.