Method and system of remote diagnostic, control and information collection using a dynamic linked library

• US 7,725,880 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2005
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery, Lyapustina, Yevgeniya
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phillip H
• Application Number:
  US11/103,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20050246439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 717125-129, 709/224
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/302 where the computing system component is a software system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3041 where the computing system component is an input/output interface interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units G06F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3093 Configuration details thereof, e.g. installation, enabling, spatial arrangement of the probes
• 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 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• 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 on an application unit. 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 application unit 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 application unit 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 can then be communicated by the sending unit to a designated location.

Claims

1. An image output device, comprising:

a target application unit residing in and operating in the image output device;

a processor configured to monitor usage operations that are under control of the target application unit operating in the image output device, and to generate a usage log of the monitored usage, the usage log being stored as a map structure including keys and corresponding values, each key being a string representing a type of usage data of the target application unit, wherein each value in the map structure is a vector of values associated with usage data, wherein the processor is configured to begin to monitor the usage operations that are under control of the target application unit in response to a start monitoring command sent by the target application unit to the processor;

a packaging unit configured to package the usage log for sending; and

a communicating unit configured to encode the packaged usage log and to send the encoded, packaged usage log to a remote monitoring system using an application layer Internet protocol.

2. The image output device according to claim 1, wherein the image output device comprises a printer.

3. The image output device according to claim 1, wherein the image output device comprises a facsimile machine.

4. The image output device according to claim 1, wherein the target application unit is a user interface of the image output device.

5. The image output device according to claim 1, wherein the usage log includes a user identification of the user of the image output device.

6. The image output device according to claim 1, where the image output device comprises a multi-function machine.

15. The image output device of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory storing a program configured to monitor the usage operations of the image output device when the image output device is under control of the target application unit.

7. An image output device, comprising:

a target application unit residing in and operating in the image output device;

a processor executing instructions for monitoring usage operations that are under control of the target application unit operating in the image output device, and generating a usage log of the monitored usage, the usage log being stored as a map structure including keys and corresponding values, each key being a string representing a type of usage data of the target application unit, wherein each value in the map structure is a vector of values associated with usage data, wherein the processor is configured to begin to monitor the usage operations that are under control of the target application unit in response to a start monitoring command sent by the target application unit to the processor;

means for packaging the usage log for sending; and

communicating means for encoding the packaged usage log and sending the encoded, packaged usage log to a remote monitoring system using an application layer Internet protocol.

8. The image output device according to claim 7, wherein the image output device comprises a printer.

9. The image output device according to claim 7, wherein the image output device comprises a facsimile machine.

10. The image output device according to claim 7, wherein the target application unit is a user interface of the image output device.

11. The image output device according to claim 7, wherein the usage log includes a user identification of the user of the image output device.

12. The image output device according to claim 7, wherein the communicating means comprises a wireless network.

13. The image output device according to claim 7, wherein the communicating means comprises a wired network.

14. The image output device according to claim 7, wherein the image output device comprises a multi-function machine.

16. A method, comprising:

monitoring usage operations that are under control of a target application unit residing in and operating in an image output device, and generating a usage log of the monitored usage, the usage log being stored as a map structure including keys and corresponding values, each key being a string representing a type of usage data of the target application unit in response to a start monitoring command sent by the target application unit wherein each value in the map structure is a vector of values associated with usage data;

packaging the usage log for sending; and

encoding the packaged usage log, and sending the encoded, packaged usage log to a remote monitoring system using an application layer protocol.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each value in the map structure is a string including usage data.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein each value in the map structure is a vector of strings, each string including usage data.