System using internet application for automatically monitoring image-forming device and sharing collected device information among departments within a company

• US 7,921,232 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Americas Corporation (Ricoh Company Limited), Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Americas Corporation (Ricoh Company Limited), Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu; Le
• Application Number:
  US12/276,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 710/15, 710/9, 710/16, 709/106, 709/224, 709/250, 709/249, 709/221, 709/206, 358/1.15, 380/30, 400/88, 714/27, 705/8
• US Class Current: 710/15
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5079 for maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00002 Diagnosis, testing or measuring; Detecting, analysing or monitoring not otherwise provided for error detection, error correction or monitoring in digital computers or digital computer components G06F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00007 : relating to particular apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00029 : Diagnosis, i.e. identifying a problem by comparison with a normal state
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00079 : remotely
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 : Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00281 : with a telecommunication apparatus, e.g. a switched network of teleprinters for the distribution of text-based information, a selective call terminal details of transmission H04N1/00095; establishing a communication with one of a facsimile machine or another apparatus sharing a single line H04N1/32704; interfacing cordless telephone terminals with an accessory to increase the functionality of user interface H04M1/72409
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00312 : with a digital transmission apparatus, e.g. a switched network of teleprinters for the distribution of text-based information, SMS or ISDN device transmitting or receiving via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network or the internet H04N1/00214; transmission of digital information H04L
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33323 : transmission mode only, e.g. speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/44 : Secrecy systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 : Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 : Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33342 : of transmission mode

Abstract

A method and system for monitoring, controlling and diagnosing operation of a machine such as a business office machine including a facsimile machine, a copier, and a printer. When the speed of communication between the remote device and machine is not urgent, a connectionless mode of communication may be used. The form of connectionless communication is an electronic mail message transmitted over the Internet. However, when a condition needs urgent action, a direct connection is used for communication such as communication via a telephone or ISDN line. The information obtained from the machine is stored in one or more data bases within a company and information of the machine is shared between a service department, engineering and design department, manufacturing department, and marketing department. As communication over the Internet via electronic mail is not secure, the connectionless-mode messages transmitted using Internet electronic mail are encrypted.

Claims

1. A method of managing device information, comprising:

transmitting, using an Internet application-layer protocol, the device information of an image-forming device automatically, without receiving a request for the device information, the device information including at least a globally unique identifier of the image-forming device;

receiving, by a remote computer used by a company that is marketing the image-forming device via a firewall, the transmitted device information;

storing, by the remote computer, the received device information into a database; and

sharing the stored device information in the database among a plurality of departments within the company.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the globally unique identifier is a serial number and the storing step comprises:

storing the received device information in the database in association with the serial number of the image-forming device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the image-forming device is one of a printer, a digital copier, and a facsimile machine.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

linking the database to other device databases within the company, wherein the other device databases include at least one of a device history database and an attachment database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the image-forming device is connected to a first local area network, the remote computer is connected to a second local area network different from the first local area network, and the first and second local area networks are communicatively coupled to each other via the Internet.

6. A method of managing device information within an organization, comprising:

transmitting, using an Internet application-layer protocol, the device information of an image-forming device, the device information including at least a unique identifier of the image-forming device;

receiving, by a remote device via a firewall, the transmitted device information;

storing, by the remote device, the received device information into a database;

linking the database to other device databases within the organization, wherein the other device databases include at least one of a device history database and an attachment database; and

sharing the stored device information in the database among a plurality of departments within the organization, wherein the unique identifier is a serial number and the linking step comprises linking the database and the other device databases using the serial number of the image-forming device.

7. A system for managing device information, comprising:

means for transmitting, using an Internet application-layer protocol, the device information of an image-forming device automatically, without receiving a request for the device information, the device information including at least a globally unique identifier of the image-forming device;

means for receiving, by a remote computer used by a company that is marketing the image-forming device, via a firewall, the transmitted device information;

means for storing, by the remote computer, the received device information into a database; and

means for sharing the stored device information in the database among a plurality of departments within the company.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the globally unique identifier is a serial number and the means for storing comprises:

means for storing the received device information in the database in association with the serial number of the image-forming device.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the image-forming device is one of a printer, a digital copier, and a facsimile machine.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

means for linking the database to other device databases within the company, wherein the other device databases include at least one of a device history database and an attachment database.