Verification scheme used for email message containing information about remotely monitored devices

• US 7,656,293 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US11/681,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/507, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 340/3.1, 340/539.18, 709/206, 709/236, 709/203
• US Class Current: 340/539.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

The present invention relates to sending control or monitoring information between two hardware devices utilizing email. Control information relating to either a first hardware device or a second hardware device is determined. This information is incorporated into an email message. Directing information for directing the control information is incorporated into the email message. Two hardware devices can then operate cooperatively over different remote networks. These networks only need to be compatible in the ability to exchange email for communication to persist between the two hardware devices. The control information and/or the directing information can encrypt. The control information and/or the directing information can be encoded. In embodiments of the present invention the encoding map is encrypted.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting state information relating to a monitored device to a remote device, comprising:

incorporating the state information of the monitored device in an email message body;

incorporating directing information for directing the state information to the remote device into a plurality of fields in the email message header;

generating a text string from one or more of the plurality of fields of the email message header that contain the directing information;

encoding the generated text string;

inserting the encoded text string into another field of the email message header; and

transmitting the email message having the email message header and the email message body to the remote device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the directing information comprises at least one of an identification of the remote device and a network address of the remote device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information and the directing information are encrypted.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the state information is encoded.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a map describing the encoding is encrypted.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the directing information includes date, subject, source, and destination fields of the header.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information comprises information related to the configuration of the monitored device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information comprises information related to the performance of the monitored device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information comprises instructions for the remote device.

10. An apparatus for transmitting state information relating to a monitored device to a remote device, comprising:

means for incorporating the state information of the monitored device in an email message body;

means for incorporating directing information for directing the state information to the remote device into a plurality of fields in the email message header;

means for generating a text string from one or more of the plurality of fields of the email message header that contain the directing information;

means for encoding the generated text string;

means for inserting the encoded text string into another field of the email message header; and

means for transmitting the email message having the email message header and the email message body to the remote device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for incorporating the directing information incorporates the directing information including at least one of an identification of the remote device and a network address of the remote device.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising means for encrypting the state information and the directing information.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising means for encoding the state information.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising means for encrypting a map describing the encoding.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for incorporating the directing information incorporates the directing information including date, subject, source, and destination fields of the header.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for incorporating the state information incorporates the state information including information related to the configuration of the monitored device.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for incorporating the state information incorporates the state information including information related to the performance of the monitored device.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for incorporating the state information incorporates the state information including instructions for the remote device.

19. A computer program product embodied on one or more storage media, the computer program product causing a computer to transmit state information relating to a monitored device to a remote device by performing the steps of:

incorporating the state information of the monitored device in an email message body;

incorporating directing information for directing the state information to the remote device into a plurality of fields in the email message header;

generating a text string from one or more of the plurality of fields of the email message header that contain the directing information;

encoding the generated text string;

inserting the encoded text string into another field of the email message header; and

transmitting the email message having the email message header and the email message body to the remote device.