Methods and systems for administering imaging device notification access control

• US 8,015,234 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lum, Joey P., Nguyen, Uoc H., Plewnia, Boguslaw Ludwik, Sojian, Lena
• Primary Examiner(s): Colin; Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Chau D
• Application Number:
  US11/241,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20060077449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,167 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 709/201, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5091 for user-identification or authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• 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 1/00352 Input means H04N1/00411 takes precedence; input arrangements for computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32561 using a programmed control device, e.g. a microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0075 by a user operated remote control device, e.g. receiving instructions from a user via a computer terminal or mobile telephone handset
• 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 2201/3221 of a job number or identification, e.g. communication number

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to systems, methods and devices for imaging device event notification administration and subscription. Some aspects relate to selective imaging device event notification based on user credentials and/or the occurrence of a specific event. Some aspects may limit notification subscription to authorized credential holders. Some aspects relate to conditional event notification based on the occurrence of a specific event identified in the notification request.

Claims

1. An apparatus for imaging device (IDev) event notification subscription using a core web service framework (CWSF), said apparatus comprising:

a) a hardware interface (HWIF), implemented with a processor and a memory, said HWIF comprising a set of device-independent application programming interfaces (APIs) that receive translated requests from a system architecture layer (SAL), said SAL has interpreted said requests from input received from a web service module (WSM), wherein said HWIF provides communication with and control of multiple IDev hardware devices, and wherein said HWIF provides device-specific operation of IDev hardware devices by converting translated SAL requests that do not comprise hardware-specific commands into hardware-specific commands that comprise hardware architecture details, wherein said HWIF also acts as a source for an event notification;

b) said system architecture layer (SAL) providing a logical connection with said HWIF module by translating high-level application requests, received via said WSM, into job-type-specific requests at an HWIF level, wherein said SAL may group together a sequence of atomic operations into high-level functions, wherein said SAL acts as a source for an event notification and wherein said SAL has registered a set of notification callbacks with said HWIF module;

c) a job queue manager (JQM) for managing multiple, concurrent IDev system jobs through the use of job objects related to user processes, wherein each job is represented by a job identifier (job ID) associated with job settings and wherein said JQM manages an access control list (ACL) comprising detailed information about access to job information by notification subscribers, wherein said ACL allows said JQM to restrict job notification access to entities listed on said ACL, wherein said JQM performs job object creation, performs job object destruction, manages job settings and tracks security data associated with a job'"'"'s user, wherein said JQM maintains a job object database of jobs currently being executed on said IDev or associated hardware or applications and wherein said JQM also acts as a source for an event notification;

d) a status monitoring module (SMM) for monitoring changes in device and job states and for acting as a source for an event notification;

e) a subscriber manager (SM) for receiving subscription requests from remote subscribing applications via said WSM, wherein said subscription requests comprise a subscribing application address (SAA) and a subscription event identification (SEID), and wherein said SM may communicate said SAA and said SEID with a notification module (NM);

f) wherein said NM receives event notifications from said sources for event notification and communicates with said SM to determine whether said event notification matches said SEID and, when said event notification matches said SEID, said SM supplies said NM with said SAA for the purpose of creating an event data message to be sent to said SAA;

g) said WSM, executing on a processor linked to a memory, said WSM for providing a simple object access protocol (SOAP) interface with remote applications, wherein said remote applications may control IDev hardware by sending a SOAP request that is translated to IDev device language by said WSM and forwarded to said SAL for further translation into hardware-specific commands and wherein said WSM may receive a subscription request from a remote application as a SOAP request and translate and forward said subscription request to said SM and wherein said WSM further assures that a request comes from an authorized source with sufficient rights to make said subscription request and wherein said WSM receives an event notification when an event described in said subscription requests occurs, and said WSM sends local notification menu content, formatted as a markup language message, to a user interface (UI) processor in response to said receipt of an event notification;

h) a user interface (UI) comprising a display and an input device;

i) a UI processor for formatting content received from said WSM for display on said display;

j) wherein said WSM receives menu content from said remote applications that control said IDev hardware and forwards said menu content to said UI processor as a markup language construct;

k) wherein said UI processor formats said menu content for said display and displays said menu content on said display; and

l) wherein said WSM translates and forwards any input received at said input device to said remote applications as a markup language construct.

2. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein a notification may be passed to said CWSF via said SMM by means of a callback call.

3. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said JQM comprises an execution journal that persists across IDev power cycles.

4. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said WSM further performs data validation using a web service definition language (WSDL) definition document for the SOAP interface.

5. A method for imaging device (IDev) event notification subscription using a core web service framework (CWSF), said method comprising:

receiving a subscription request, in the form of a SOAP request, at a web service module (WSM) on said IDev, wherein said WSM provides a simple object access protocol (SOAP) interface with remote applications, wherein said remote applications control IDev hardware by sending a SOAP request that is translated to IDev device language by said WSM and forwarded to components within said IDev;

translating said subscription request and forwarding said translated subscription request to a job queue manager (JQM) managing multiple, concurrent IDev system jobs through the use of job objects related to user processes, wherein each job is represented by a job identifier (job ID) associated with job settings and wherein said JQM manages an access control list (ACL) comprising detailed information about access to job information by notification subscribers wherein said ACL allows said JQM to restrict job notification access to entities listed on said ACL, wherein said JQM performs job object creation, performs job object destruction, manages job settings and tracks security data associated with a job'"'"'s user, wherein said JQM maintains a job object database of jobs currently being executed on said IDev or associated hardware or applications;

forwarding said translated subscription request to a system architecture layer (SAL) providing a logical connection with a hardware interface (HWIF) module by translating high-level application requests, received via said WSM, into job-type-specific requests at a HWIF level, wherein said SAL groups together a sequence of atomic operations into high-level functions, wherein said SAL acts as a source for an event notification and wherein said SAL registers a set of notification callbacks with said HWIF module;

sending a subscription message from said SAL to said HWIF, said HWIF comprising a set of device-independent application programming interfaces (APIs) that receive translated requests from said SAL, which has interpreted said requests from input received from said WSM, wherein said HWIF provides communication with and control of multiple IDev hardware devices, and wherein said HWIF provides device-specific operation of IDev hardware devices by converting translated SAL requests that do not comprise hardware-specific commands into hardware-specific commands that comprise hardware architecture details, wherein said HWIF also acts as a source for an event notification;

forwarding said translated subscription request to a subscriber manager (SM), said SM receives subscription requests from remote applications via said WSM and wherein said SM communicates with a notification module (NM);

determining whether a requester of said notification request is eligible to receive a notification, said determining being performed by said JQM;

recording a subscription using said SM when said subscription requester is eligible for said subscription;

when said subscription requester is eligible for said subscription, instructing said HWIF, said SAL and said JQM to detect events identified in said subscription request;

monitoring said IDev with a status monitoring module (SMM), which monitors changes in device and job states and acts as a source for an event notification;

receiving menu content from said remote applications at said WSM, wherein said menu content is in the form of a SOAP message;

forwarding said menu content to a UI processor as a SOAP message;

formatting said menu content with said UI processor so that said menu content is compatible with a user interface (UI) display;

displaying said menu content on said UI display;

receiving user input from a UI input device at said UI processor, wherein said user input is received in response to said displaying;

formatting said user input into a SOAP message with said UI processor;

sending said formatted SOAP user input message to said WSM;

translating said formatted SOAP user input message with said WSM into a translated SOAP user input message that is compatible with said remote applications;

sending said translated SOAP user input message to one of said remote applications.

6. The method as described in claim 5 wherein a notification may be passed to said CWSF via said SMM by means of a callback call.

7. The method as described in claim 5 wherein said JQM comprises an execution journal that persists across IDev power cycles.

8. The method as described in claim 5 wherein said NM may receive signals from remote applications indicating the occurrence of events at those remote applications and create an event data message in response to said signals.

9. The method as described in claim 5 wherein said WSM further performs data validation using a web service definition language (WSDL) definition document for the SOAP interface.