Patrol device field installation notification method and system

• US 8,314,965 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2011
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emerge Print Management, LLC
• Original Assignee: Emerge Print Management, LLC
• Inventors: Scaff, Marvin, Doyle, Daniel M. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins, Twyler
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECKLEY, JONATHAN R
• Application Number:
  US13/087,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20110228332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 358 113- 115, 705/28, 709/220, 709/222, 709/224, 709/226
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/121 Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1221 with regard to power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method for installing a print monitor device and notifying an installer after the print monitor device is installed. In one aspect of the method, a print monitor device is associated with a customer location, installed at the customer location, and then the print monitor device is registered in a centralized repository. In another aspect, after the print monitor device is registered, a notification is sent to an installer. In another aspect, the notification is a message which includes information about the print monitor device and the devices the print monitor device has discovered and is monitoring in a customer location.

Claims

1. A method for installing a patrol device for monitoring printers on a powered network, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning the patrol device a device ID and storing the device ID in a database wherein the patrol device comprises;

a processing unit;

a status indicator interconnected to the processing unit;

an Ethernet network interface interconnected to the processing unit wherein the Ethernet network interface is configured to receive power over the network to power the patrol device via Power over Ethernet;

the processing unit including a memory for storing information about the printers on the powered network, the processing unit including;

a printer discovery engine for discovering a plurality of printers on the network;

a printer patrol engine for patrolling the discovered plurality of printers; and

a reporting engine for reporting patrolling information obtained by the printer patrol engine to the database; and

a standalone housing;

wherein the status indicator, the processing unit, and the Ethernet network interface being mounted within the standalone housing;

associating the patrol device with an installer, and storing the association in the database;

mapping the patrol device to a customer location and storing the mapping in the database;

installing the patrol device at the customer location whereby the patrol device first obtains an IP address, then authenticates itself with the database, and then scans a network at the customer location to gather information about printers connected to the network;

registering the patrol device upon successful installation, whereby the patrol device notifies the database of successful installation at the customer location and the patrol device uploads the information gathered about printers connected to the network; and

notifying the installer after successful installation, whereby the notification includes the IP address of the patrol device, a count of printers discovered by the patrol device, and a device ID of the patrol device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein notifying the installer comprises sending a message to an installer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the message is sent as an email.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the message is sent via SMS.