Network system, information processor and electronic apparatus

• US 7,580,361 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2003
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Ohara, Kiyotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming; William D
• Application Number:
  US10/465,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20040049578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,258 Days
• Field of Search: 370/241, 370/238, 709/224, 701/1, 701/2, 701/29, 701/32, 701/37, 250/221, 342/50, 340/518, 340/825.12, 340/825.72, 725/131, 180/197, 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1212 achieving reduced delay between job submission and print start
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network

Abstract

In the present network system, a printer 10 periodically transmits an update request at different timings respectively to an apparatus management PC 30 and to a directory service 50 which are monitoring apparatuses for monitoring network apparatuses (such as the printer 10). Each of the monitoring apparatuses 30, 50 determines a state of the printer 10 based on the update request from the printer 10. Especially in the present system, if the apparatus management PC 30 determines that the update request from the printer 10 is not received, it notifies the directory service 50 by transmitting a delete request. As a result, early detection of disconnection of the printer 10 by the directory service 50 is possible without causing substantial increase in the network traffic.

Claims

1. A network system comprising:

a plurality of monitoring apparatus for determining a state of a monitored apparatus based on monitored apparatus information received from the monitored apparatus via a network, the plurality of monitoring apparatus including a first monitoring apparatus and a second monitoring apparatus, the first monitoring apparatus receiving the monitored apparatus information at a first time, the second monitoring apparatus receiving the monitored apparatus information at a second time, and the second time being different from the first time,

wherein;

the first monitoring apparatus is designed to transmit state information, indicating the state of the monitored apparatus, to the second monitoring apparatus, when the first monitoring apparatus detects a change in the state of the monitored apparatus,

the second monitoring apparatus is designed to determine the state of the monitored apparatus based on the monitored apparatus information and the state information,

the first monitoring apparatus is designed to transmit specific state information, indicating that the monitored apparatus is disconnected from the network, when the first monitoring apparatus does not receive the monitored apparatus information to be received at the first time from the monitored apparatus, and

the second monitoring apparatus is designed to determine that the monitored apparatus is disconnected from the network when the second monitoring apparatus receives the specific state information and when the second monitoring apparatus does not receive the monitored apparatus information to be received at the second time from the monitored apparatus.

2. The network system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the monitored apparatus is designed to transmit destination apparatus information, indicating the second monitoring apparatus to which the state information should be transmitted, to the first monitoring apparatus to which the monitored apparatus transmits the monitored apparatus information and which transmits the state information, and

wherein the first monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information is designed to transmit the state information to the second monitoring apparatus indicated in the destination apparatus information received from the monitored apparatus.

3. The network system as set forth in claim 2,

wherein the monitored apparatus is designed to transmit information regarding a transmission form of the state information that should be transmitted from the first monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information to the second monitoring apparatus indicated in the destination apparatus information, to the first monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information, and

wherein the first monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information is designed to transmit the state information to the second monitoring apparatus indicated in the destination apparatus information based on the transmission form.

4. The network system as set forth in claim 3,

wherein the monitored apparatus is a printer which receives printing instructions from a computer, the first monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information is an apparatus management computer which monitors a state of the printer, and

wherein the second monitoring apparatus indicated in the destination apparatus information is a directory service which transmits an address assigned to the printer on the network to the computer which transmits the printing instructions.

5. An information processor used as a first monitoring apparatus in a network system comprising a plurality of monitoring apparatus for determining a state of a monitored apparatus based on monitored apparatus information received from the monitored apparatus via the network, the first monitoring apparatus receiving the monitored apparatus information at a first time, the information processor comprising:

a receiving device for receiving information via the network;

a detecting device for detecting a change in the state of the monitored apparatus based on the monitored apparatus information from the monitored apparatus received by the receiving device; and

a transmitting device for transmitting state information indicating the detected state of the monitored apparatus to a second monitoring apparatus which receives the monitored apparatus information from the monitored apparatus at a second time, the second time being different from the first time at which the information processor receives the monitored apparatus information, when the detecting device detects a change in the state of the monitored apparatus,

wherein the transmitting device is designed to transmit specific state information, indicating that the monitored apparatus is disconnected from the network, when the first monitoring apparatus does not receive the monitored apparatus information at the first time from the monitored apparatus, and

wherein the second monitoring apparatus is designed to determine that the monitored apparatus is disconnected from the network when the second monitoring apparatus receives the specific state information and when the second monitoring apparatus does not receive the monitored apparatus information to be received at the second time from the monitored apparatus.

6. The information processor as set forth in claim 5,

wherein the monitored apparatus is designed to transmit information regarding a transmission form of the state information which should be transmitted from the information processor to the second monitoring apparatus, to the information processor which transmits the state information, and the information processor is designed to transmit the state information to the second monitoring apparatus based on the transmission form.

7. An information processor used as a second monitoring apparatus in a network system comprising a plurality of monitoring apparatus for determining a state of a monitored apparatus based on monitored apparatus information received from the monitored apparatus via a network, the second monitoring apparatus receiving the monitored apparatus information at a second time, the information processor comprising:

a receiving device for receiving information via the network; and

a determining device for determining the state of the monitored apparatus based on the monitored apparatus information from the monitored apparatus received by the receiving device and on state information indicating the state of the monitored apparatus transmitted from a first monitoring apparatus which receives the monitored apparatus information from the monitored apparatus at a first time, the first time being different from the second time at which the information processor receives the monitored apparatus information,

wherein the first monitoring apparatus is designed to transmit specific state information, indicating that the monitored apparatus is disconnected from the network, when the first monitoring apparatus does not receive the monitored apparatus information at the first time from the monitored apparatus, and

wherein the second monitoring apparatus is designed to determine that the monitored apparatus is disconnected from the network when the second monitoring apparatus receives the specific state information and when the second monitoring apparatus does not receive the monitored apparatus information to be received at the second time from the monitored apparatus.

8. An electronic apparatus used as a monitored apparatus in a network system comprising a plurality of monitoring apparatus for determining a state of the monitored apparatus based on monitored apparatus information received from the monitored apparatus via the network, a first monitoring apparatus, among the plurality of monitoring apparatus, transmitting state information indicating the state of the monitored apparatus to a second monitoring apparatus when the first monitoring apparatus detects a change in the state of the monitored apparatus, the second monitoring apparatus which receives the state information determining the state of the monitored apparatus based on the monitored apparatus information and the state information, the electronic device comprising:

a monitored apparatus information transmitting device for transmitting the monitored apparatus information at a first time to the first monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information and to the second monitoring apparatus which receives the state information at a second time, the second time being different from the first time,

wherein the first monitoring apparatus is designed to transmit specific state information, indicating that the monitored apparatus is disconnected from the network, when the first monitoring apparatus does not receive the monitored apparatus information at the first time from the monitored apparatus, and

wherein the second monitoring apparatus is designed to determine that the monitored apparatus is disconnected from the network when the second monitoring apparatus receives the specific state information and when the second monitoring apparatus does not receive the monitored apparatus information to be received at the second time from the monitored apparatus.

9. The electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 8, further comprising:

a destination apparatus information transmitting device for transmitting destination apparatus information, indicating the second monitoring apparatus to which the state information should be transmitted to the first monitoring apparatus to which the monitored apparatus information transmitting device transmits the monitored apparatus information and which transmits the state information.

10. The electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 9,

wherein the electronic apparatus is designed to transmit information regarding a transmission form of the state information transmitted from the first monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information to the second monitoring apparatus which receives the state information, to the first monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information, and

wherein the first monitoring apparatus which transmits the state information is designed to transmit the state information to the second monitoring apparatus which receives the state information based on the transmission form.