System and method for remote communication with a multifunctional device

• US 7,899,950 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Cortez, J. Roger, Cavanaugh, Michael F., Surowiec, Charles M. Jr., Novak, Jeffrey M., Lorenzo, Arturo M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai; Henry W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mamo; Elias
• Application Number:
  US11/716,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20080228956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 710/18
• US Class Current: 710/18
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5075 Remote control machines, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/44 Secrecy systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

Systems and methods for transmitting information from a multifunctional device to a centralized management server are disclosed. A method for transmitting information between a multifunctional device and a centralized management server includes collecting information from a multifunctional device using a wireless device; rendering the information secure using a secure functionality; and transmitting the secure information over a network to a centralized management server.

Claims

1. A system for collecting information from a multifunctional device comprising:

a multifunctional device; and

a wireless device in operative communication with the multifunctional device,

wherein the wireless device is configured to;

collect information from the multifunctional device;

process the collected information using application code;

store the processed information;

determine a satisfaction of a criterion within a set of criteria, the set of criteria comprising;

a billing meter count of the multifunctional device crossing a pre-defined interval, and

the wireless device receiving a request to transmit the processed information; and

transmit the processed information in response to determining the satisfaction of at least one criterion within the set of criteria, wherein the wireless device transmits the processed information according to a time schedule, and wherein the wireless device further transmits, in addition to the time schedule, the processed information in response to receiving a polled request.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the information is collected continuously and automatically based on a predetermined algorithm configured in the wireless device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the information is collected in response to a request initiated at a centralized management server.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the information is collected in response to a request initiated at the multifunctional device.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the collected information is processed using Java 2 Micro Edition.

6. A system for transmitting information between a multifunctional device and a centralized management server comprising:

a multifunctional device;

a wireless device in operative communication with the multifunctional device, the wireless device configured of;

collecting a first set of information and a second set of information that is associated with the multifunctional device, the first set of information being collected prior to the second set of information; and

using application code to process the first set of information and the second set of information and render the first set of information and the second set of information secure;

a network in operative communication with the wireless device, wherein the wireless device transmits the first set of information and a second set of information securely over the network; and

a centralized management server in operative communication with the network the centralized management server configured to;

receive the first set of information and the second set of information transmitted by the wireless device; and

validate the second set of information based upon a validity testing of a value within the second set of information relative to a value that is within the first set of information that corresponds to the value within the second set of information.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the value within the first set of information and the value within the second set of information is a meter count.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the wireless device comprises:

a programmable microprocessor module;

a wireless communication network module;

an amount of persistent data storage; and

a data cable connected to a two-way communication channel on the multifunctional device.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the wireless device further comprises a global positioning satellite (GPS) module and wherein the value within the first set of information and the value within the second set of information comprise respective locations determined by the GPS module.

10. The system of claim 6 further comprising a communications controller which connects the centralized management server to the network.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein the wireless device transmits information securely over the network automatically based on a predetermined algorithm configured in the wireless device.

20. The system of claim 6, wherein the value within the first set of information that corresponds to the value within the second set of information comprises a first meter count of the multifunction device and the value within the second set of information comprises a second meter count of the multifunctional device;

and

wherein the centralized management server validates the second set of information based upon an increase in a value of the second meter count relative to a value of the first meter count.

21. The system of claim 9, wherein the value corresponding to the value that is within the first set of information comprises a first location of the multifunction device as determined by the GPS module, and

the value within the second set of information comprises a second location of the multifunction device as determined by the GPS module after determining the first location;

and

wherein the centralized management server validates the second set of information based upon the second location being unchanged relative to a value of the first meter count.

12. A method of transmitting information from a multifunctional device to a centralized management server, the method comprising:

collecting information from a multifunctional device using a wireless device;

securing, at the wireless device, the information using a secure functionality that is contained within the wireless device;

determining a satisfaction of a criterion within a set of criteria, the set of criteria comprising;

a billing meter count of the multifunctional device crossing a pre-defined interval, and

the wireless device receiving a request to

transmit the processed information; and

and

transmitting the secure information over a network to a centralized management server in response to determining the satisfaction of at least one criterion within the set of criteria, wherein the wireless device transmits the processed information according to a time schedule, and wherein the wireless device further transmits, in addition to the time schedule, the processed information in response to receiving a polled request.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the collection of information from the multifunctional device occurs continuously and automatically based on a predetermined algorithm configured in the wireless device.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the collection of information from the multifunctional device occurs in response to a request for information initiated at the centralized management server.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the information is rendered secure using a communication protocol such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer (HTTPS).

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the centralized management server analyzes the information and moves the information to an internal system for further processing.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the information collected is a meter count.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the information includes a service code related to the multifunctional device.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein collecting of the service code initiates a service call related to the multifunctional device.