Application unit monitoring and reporting system and method

• US 7,533,344 B1
• Filed: 09/10/1999
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery, Lyapustina, Yevgeniya
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MYLINH T
• Application Number:
  US09/393,677
• Time in Patent Office: 3,532 Days
• Field of Search: 345/736, 345/741, 345/745, 345/748, 345/752, 709/224, 709/225
• US Class Current: 715/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3485 for I/O devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet

Abstract

A system for monitoring a user'"'"'s usage of a target application. Such a target application can, as examples, be a software program running on a computer or a workstation, an image forming device, an appliance, etc. The target application includes a user interface with a plurality of commands which a user can select. In the example of the target application being a software program, the commands may be icons displayed on a computer screen which a user can point to with a mouse pointer and then click on. In the case of the target application being an image forming device or an appliance, the interface may be an operation panel with buttons, a touch pad, etc. which a user can press. The present invention monitors the user'"'"'s usage of such interfaces and logs data of the user'"'"'s usage of such interfaces. The logged data is stored in the form of an abstract class, and the abstract class is sent to a sending unit. The logged data can then be communicated by the sending unit by Internet mail to a designated location.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an image forming device comprising an operation panel, the operation panel comprising a plurality of operations to be selected by a user;

a monitoring unit configured to monitor data of selecting of the plurality of operations of the operation panel by the user, and to generate a log of the monitored data, the log of the monitored data being stored in the device, and to automatically start the monitoring without requiring a connection to a receiving device to which the log of monitored data is to be sent and automatically upon start-up of the image forming device without the user directly starting a monitoring program;

a communicating unit configured to receive the log of the monitored data, and to automatically communicate the log of the monitored data by a unidirectional communication without requiring input from the device to which the log of the monitored data is to be sent.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the communicating unit sends the log of the monitored data when the user exits the device.

3. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit configured to set a number of sessions of the device to be executed by the user prior to the communicating unit communicating the log of the monitored data.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the log of the monitored data is in a form of an abstract class, and the abstract class includes first and second derived classes, the first derived class storing data of one session and the second derived class storing data of the set number of sessions.

5. A system according to any one of claims 1 and 2-4, wherein the communicating unit communicates the log of the monitored data by Internet mail.

23. A system according to claim 1, wherein the log of the monitored data is in a form of an abstract class.

6. A system comprising:

an image forming device comprising an operation panel, the operation panel providing a plurality of operations to be selected by a user;

monitoring means for monitoring data of selecting of the plurality of operations of the operation panel by the user, and for generating a log of the monitored data, the log of the monitored data being stored in the device, and to automatically start the monitoring without requiring a connection to a receiving device to which the log of monitored data is to be sent and automatically upon start-up of the image forming device without the user directly starting a monitoring program;

communicating means for receiving the log of the monitored data, and for automatically communicating the log of the monitored data by a unidirectional communication without requiring input from the device to which the log of the monitored data is to be sent.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the communicating means sends the log of the monitored data when the user exits the target device.

8. A system according to claim 6, further comprising a setting means for setting a number of sessions of the device to be executed by the user prior to the communicating means communicating the log of the monitored data.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the log of the monitored data is in a form of an abstract class, and the abstract class includes first and second derived classes, the first derived class storing data of one session and the second derived class storing data of the set number of sessions.

10. A system according to any one of claims 6 and 7-9, wherein the communicating means communicates the log of the monitored data by Internet mail.

11. A system according to claim 6, wherein the log of the monitored data is in a form of an abstract class.

12. A method of monitoring usage of an operation panel of an image forming device, the operation panel including a plurality of operations to be selected by a user, comprising the steps of:

monitoring data of selecting of the plurality of operations of the operation panel by the user;

generating a log of the monitored data, the log of the monitored data being stored in the device, and to automatically start the monitoring without requiring a connection to a receiving device to which the log of monitored data is to be sent and automatically upon start-up of the image forming device without the user directly starting a monitoring program; and

receiving the log of the monitored data, and automatically communicating the log of the monitored data by a unidirectional communication without requiring input from the device to which the log of the monitored data is to be sent.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the communicating step sends the log of the monitored data when the user exits the device.

14. A method according to claim 12, further comprising a step of setting a number of sessions of the device to be executed by the user prior to the communicating device communicating the log of the monitored data.

15. A method according to claim 14.

16. A method according to any one of claims 12 and 13-15, wherein the communicating step communicates the log of the monitored data by Internet mail.

17. A method according to claim 12, wherein the log of the monitored data is in a form of an abstract class.

18. A computer program product comprising:

a computer storage medium and a computer program code mechanism embedded in the computer storage medium for causing a computer to monitor a user'"'"'s usage of an operation panel of an image forming device, the operation panel comprising a plurality of operations to be selected by a user, comprising;

a first computer code device configured to monitor data of selecting of the plurality of operations of the operation panel by the user, and configured to generate a log of the monitored data, the log of the monitored data being stored in the device, and to automatically start the monitoring without requiring a connection to a receiving device to which the log of monitored data is to be sent and automatically upon start-up of the image forming device without the user directly starting a monitoring program; and

a second computer code device configured to receive the log of the monitored data, and to automatically communicate the log of the monitored data by a unidirectional communication without requiring input from the device to which the log of the monitored data is to be sent.

19. A computer program product according to claim 18, wherein the second computer code device is further configured to send the log of the monitored data when the user exits the device.

20. A computer program product according to claim 18, further comprising a third computer code device configured to set a number of sessions of the device to be executed by the user prior to the second computer code device communicating the log of the monitored data.

21. A computer program product according to claim 20, wherein the log of the monitored data is in a form of an abstract class, and the abstract class includes first and second derived classes, the first derived class storing data of one session and the second derived class storing data of the set number of sessions.

22. A computer program product according to any one of claims 18 and 19-21, wherein the second computer code device is further configured to communicate the log of the monitored data by Internet mail.

24. A computer program product according to claim 18, wherein the log of the monitored data is in a form of an abstract class.