Method and apparatus for modifying remote devices monitored by a monitoring system

• US 7,647,397 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Issued: 01/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery
• Primary Examiner(s): Dennison; J Bret
• Assistant Examiner(s): BILGRAMI, ASGHAR H
• Application Number:
  US10/157,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20030177227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,783 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221, 709/224, 709/220, 709/223, 707/103.R, 707/103.X
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method and apparatus for monitoring at least one network connected device (monitored device) using a controller is disclosed. More specifically, a method of modifying monitored devices supported by the monitoring system includes updating information stored in a system support database (SSD) if the information stored in the SSD is insufficient to support the monitored device. The updating step is performed without reprogramming the monitoring system, thereby allowing flexibility in modifying the monitored devices supported by the monitoring system.

Claims

1. A method for storing information in a digital depository in a system including a monitoring device configured to extract status information from a plurality of monitored image forming devices of which there are image forming devices from at least two different vendors, said method comprising:

identifying, at the monitoring device, one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices to obtain status of;

determining, at the monitoring device, whether a vendor and model of the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices is known to the monitoring device, whether only a vendor of the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices is known to the monitoring device, or whether a vendor and model of the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices is not known to the monitoring device;

storing, in the digital depository, first information usable by the monitoring device to obtain a first group of status information from all of the plurality of image forming devices in the system, of which there are image forming devices from at least two different vendors, the first information being an object identifier common to all image forming devices in the system;

storing, in the digital depository, second information usable by the monitoring device to obtain a second group of status information from only one of a plurality of vendors of the plurality of monitored image forming devices, when the one of the plurality of vendors is supported by the monitoring device, the second information being an object identifier for only a particular vendor of image forming devices;

storing, in the digital depository, third information usable by the monitoring device to obtain a third group of status information only from a particular model of an image forming device of a particular vendor, when the particular model is supported by the monitoring device, the third information being an object identifier for only a particular vendor and model of image forming devices,

wherein the first information, second information, and third information are different from each other, and

the first group of status information, the second group of status information, and the third group of status information are different from each other; and

obtaining, at the monitoring device, status information from the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices by using only the first information if the determining determines that the monitoring device does not know the vendor and model of the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices, by using only the second information if the determining determines that the monitoring device knows only the vendor of the monitored image forming device of the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices, and by only using the third information if the determining determines that the monitoring devices knows the vendor and the model of the monitored image forming device of the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the digital depository, by the monitoring device, to access the first information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the digital depository, by the monitoring device, to access the second information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the digital depository, by the monitoring device, to access the third information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing object identifiers that identify the vendor, model, and unique identifier of the plurality of monitored image forming devices.

6. A system, comprising:

a plurality of monitored image forming devices of which there are image forming devices from at least two different vendors;

a monitoring device configured to monitor the plurality of monitored image forming device, identify one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices to obtain status of, and determine whether a vendor and model of the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices is known to the monitoring device, whether only a vendor of the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices is known to the monitoring device, or whether a vendor and model of the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices is not known to the monitoring device; and

a digital depository, accessible by the monitoring device, configured to store

first information usable by the monitoring device to obtain a first group of status information from all of the plurality of image forming devices in the system, of which there are image forming devices from at least two different vendors, the first information being an object identifier common to all image forming devices in the system,

second information usable by the monitoring device to obtain a second group of status information from only one of a plurality of vendors of the plurality of monitored image forming devices, when the one of the plurality of vendors is supported by the monitoring device, the second information being an object identifier for only a particular vendor of image forming devices, and

third information usable by the monitoring device to obtain a third group of status information from only a particular model of an image forming device of a particular vendor, when the particular model is supported by the monitoring device, the third information being an object identifier for only a particular vendor and model of image forming devices,

wherein the first information, second information, and third information are different from each other,

the first group of status information, the second group of status information, and the third group of status information are different from each other, and

the monitoring device is further configured to obtain status information from the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices by using only the first information if the monitoring device determines that the monitoring device does not know the vendor and model of the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices, by using only the second information if the monitoring device determines that the monitoring device knows only the vendor of the monitored image forming device of the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices, and by only using the third information if the monitoring device determines that the monitoring devices knows the vendor and the model of the monitored image forming device of the one of the plurality of monitored image forming devices.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the monitoring device is configured to access the digital depository to access the first information.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the monitoring device is configured to access the digital depository to access the second information.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the monitoring device is configured to access the digital depository, by the monitoring device, to access the third information.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the digital depository is configured to store object identifiers that identify the vendor, model, and unique identifier of the plurality of monitored image forming devices.