Systems, methods, and media for managing electronic asset tags for asset devices

• US 7,683,787 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2008
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Krack, James Anthony, Lewis, Harry Reese Jr., Czyszczewski, Joseph Stanley
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US12/133,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20080295155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/539.13, 340/825.49, 235/375
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Systems, methods, and media for managing electronic asset tags for asset devices are disclosed. Embodiments include a system having one or more asset devices in communication with a network where each asset device has an electronic asset tag, where the electronic asset tag has contents including an asset number associated with the asset device having the electronic asset tag. The system may also include an asset tag manager in communication with the network to access the contents of the electronic asset tags of the one or more asset devices. In a further embodiment, the asset tag manager may be adapted to modify the contents of the electronic asset tags of the one or more asset devices. In another further embodiment, the asset tag manager may be adapted to reload to an asset device the contents of the electronic asset tag of the asset device.

Claims

1. A method for managing one or more asset devices, the method comprising:

accessing, based on a user defined schedule, an electronic asset tag of an asset device having a serial number, the electronic asset tag having contents comprising an asset number that is more permanent than serial numbers, wherein in response to a change in the serial number of the asset device caused by a change in hardware of the asset device, the asset number of the electronic asset tag of the asset device remains unmodified;

providing electronic asset tag authorization to the asset device; and

after providing electronic asset tag authorization, modifying the contents of the electronic asset tag of the asset device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising after modifying the electronic asset tag, recording an indication of a status for the electronic asset tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic asset tag comprises one or more of an indication of an owner associated with the asset device, and an indication of a customer associated with the asset device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing electronic asset tag authorization comprises providing one or more of a password, a digital signature, a digital authentication, and an indication of identification.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the contents of the electronic asset tag further comprises:

maintenance information of the asset device;

upgrade information of the asset device; and

history of the asset device.

13. The method of claim 12,

wherein the asset device is selected from a plurality of a asset devices;

wherein the plurality of asset devices use an application layer protocol to communicate;

wherein the plurality of asset devices serve as managed devices of the network, wherein the network has an agent; and

wherein an asset tag manager that manages the plurality of asset devices serves as a network management system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the asset device is a printer, the method further comprising:

transmitting the electronic asset tag contents to an external storage device coupled to the asset device; and

restoring the electronic asset tag from the external storage device coupled to the asset device, in response to a data loss in the asset device.

5. A machine-accessible medium containing instructions effective, when executing in a data processing system, to cause said data processing system to perform operations comprising:

accessing, based on a user defined schedule, an electronic asset tag of an asset device, the electronic asset tag having contents comprising an asset number that is more permanent than serial numbers, wherein in response to a change in the serial number of the asset device caused by a change in hardware of the asset device, the asset number of the electronic asset tag of the asset device remains unmodified;

providing electronic asset tag authorization to the asset device; and

after providing electronic asset tag authorization, modifying the contents of the electronic asset tag of the asset device.

6. The machine-accessible medium of claim 5, further comprising after modifying the electronic asset tag, recording an indication of a status for the electronic asset tag.

7. The machine-accessible medium of claim 5, wherein the electronic asset tag comprises one or more of an indication of an owner associated with the asset device, and an indication of a customer associated with the asset device.

8. The machine-accessible medium of claim 5, wherein providing electronic asset tag authorization comprises providing one or more of a password, a digital signature, a digital authentication, and an indication of identification.

15. The machine-accessible medium of claim 5, wherein the contents of the electronic asset tag further comprises:

maintenance information of the asset device;

upgrade information of the asset device; and

history of the asset device.

16. The machine-accessible medium of claim 15,

wherein the asset device is selected from a plurality of a asset devices;

wherein the plurality of asset devices use an application layer protocol to communicate;

wherein the plurality of asset devices serve as managed devices of a network having an agent; and

wherein an asset tag manager that manages the plurality of asset devices serves as a network management system.

17. The machine-accessible medium of claim 16, wherein the asset device is a printer, the operations further comprising:

transmitting the electronic asset tag contents to an external storage device coupled to the asset device; and

restoring the electronic asset tag from the external storage device coupled to the asset device, in response to a data loss in the asset device.

9. A system for managing asset numbers, the system comprising:

one or more asset devices in communication with a network, the asset devices each having an electronic asset tag, the electronic asset tags having contents comprising an asset number associated with the asset device having the electronic asset tag; and

an asset tag manager in communication with the network, the asset tag manager being adapted to access the contents of the electronic asset tags of the one or more asset devices based on a user defined schedule, wherein the asset number is more permanent than serial numbers, and wherein in response to a change in the serial number of the asset device caused by a change in hardware of the asset device, the asset number of the electronic asset tag of the asset device remains unmodified.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the asset tag manager is further adapted to modify the contents of the electronic asset tags of the one or more asset devices.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the asset tag manager is further adapted to reload to an asset device the contents of the electronic asset tag of the asset device.

18. The system of claim 9 wherein the contents of the electronic asset tag further comprises:

maintenance information of the asset device;

upgrade information of the asset device; and

history of the asset device.

19. The system of claim 18,

wherein the asset device is selected from the one or more asset devices;

wherein the one or more asset devices use an application layer protocol to communicate;

wherein the one or more asset devices serve as managed devices of the network having an agent;

wherein an asset tag manager that manages the one or more asset devices serves as a network management system.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the asset device is a printer, and wherein:

the electronic asset tag contents are transmitted to an external storage device coupled to the asset device; and

the electronic asset tag is restored from the external storage device coupled to the asset device, in response to a data loss in the asset device.