Integrating discovery functionality within a device and facility manager

• US 8,321,546 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Regnier, Alain, Tian, Lifen, Wang, Yaotian
• Primary Examiner(s): DIVECHA, KAMAL B
• Application Number:
  US11/652,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,148 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/220, 709/223, 709/206, 709/224, 709/227, 719/318, 719/319, 719/328, 719/330
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

Techniques are provided for implementing the WS-DeviceProfile standard as a multi-threaded process (“DFM”) executing on a multi-function peripheral (“MFP”). The DFM takes care of the discovery of devices and services on a network. The DFM also acts as a facility manager. The DFM implements various web services in a single component that applications can re-use. The DFM insulates these applications from some of the more complex details of the web services that the DFM implements. The MFP may comprise several different applications that each use web services provided by the DFM. The threads of the DFM can handle separate tasks concurrently. For example, one thread, of the multi-threaded DFM, may perform one or more functions specified by the WS-DeviceProfile protocol, while another thread may perform one or more functions specified by a WS-Discovery protocol.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for advertising a device over a network, comprising:

executing, on the device, a device facility manager comprising a plurality of concurrently executing threads, each of which executes separately from one or more applications that each provides a service to one or more other devices;

wherein a device manager thread, of the plurality of concurrently executing threads, detects one or more changes to the device via an application programming interface (API) through which the device manager thread receives information that is specific to a platform of the device,

wherein a web services discovery thread, of the plurality of concurrently executing threads, performs, on behalf of the one or more applications, a set of one or more functions specified by a web services discovery specification;

in response to the device manager thread detecting, via the API, a change to a capability of a first service of one or more services hosted on the device, the device manager thread, on the device;

updating metadata of the device to cause the metadata to reflect the change to the capability of the first service, and

communicating with the web services discovery thread to indicate that metadata has changed;

the web services discovery thread, on the device, causing, on behalf of the first service, a message to be sent over the network in response to the communication from the device manager thread, wherein the message indicates that the metadata has changed,

wherein the device is one of;

a multi-function peripheral, a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, and a scanner.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said web services discovery thread is implemented using a static class.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said device manager thread communicates with said web services discovery thread by setting a flag accessible to said web services discovery thread.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the web services discovery thread causing the message to be sent over the network is performed upon the web services discovery thread detecting that the flag has been set.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a first thread of the plurality of concurrently executing threads communicating a first message to a second thread of the plurality of concurrently executing threads using a flag, wherein said first message indicates one of;

said second thread should start listening on said network, said second thread should stop listening on said network, said second thread should terminate, said second thread should cause a second message to be sent over said network to inform recipients of said second message that device metadata for said device has changed, and said second thread should cause a second message to be sent over said network to inform recipients of said second message that a service provided by said device is available.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more services are a plurality of services that include the first service and a second service that is different than the first service; and

the method further comprising;

in response to the device manager thread detecting a change to a capability of the second service that is hosted on the device, the device manager thread, on the device;

updating the metadata of the device to cause the metadata to reflect the change to the capability of the second service, and

communicating with the web services discovery thread to indicate that metadata has changed;

the web services discovery thread, on the device, causing, on behalf of the second service, a second message to be sent over the network in response to the communication from the device manager thread, wherein the second message indicates that the metadata has changed.

6. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media storing instructions for advertising a device over a network, wherein execution of the instructions by one or more processors causes:

executing, on the device, a facility manager comprising a plurality of concurrently executing threads, each of which executes separately from one or more applications that each provides a service to one or more other devices;

wherein a device manager thread, of the plurality of concurrently executing threads, detects one or more changes to the device via an application programming interface (API) through which the device manager thread receives information that is specific to a platform of the device,

wherein a web services discovery thread, of the plurality of concurrently executing threads, performs, on behalf of the one or more applications, a set of one or more functions specified by a web services discovery specification;

in response to the device manager thread detecting, via the API, a change to a capability of a first service of one or more services hosted on the device, the device manager thread, on the device;

updating metadata of the device to cause the metadata to reflect the change to the capability of the first service, and

communicating with the web services discovery thread to indicate that metadata has changed;

the web services discovery thread, on the device, causing, on behalf of the first service, a message to be sent over the network in response to the communication from the device manager thread, wherein the message indicates that the metadata has changed,

wherein the device is one of;

a multi-function peripheral, a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, and a scanner.

7. The one or more volatile or non-volatile machine-readable media of claim 6, wherein said web services discovery thread is implemented using a static class.

8. The one or more volatile or non-volatile machine-readable media of claim 6, wherein said device manager thread communicates with said web services discovery thread by setting a flag accessible to said web services discovery thread.

9. The one or more volatile or non-volatile machine-readable media of claim 8, wherein the web services discovery thread causing the message to be sent over the network is performed upon the web services discovery thread detecting that a flag has been set.

10. The one or more volatile or non-volatile machine-readable media of claim 6, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors further causes:

a first thread of the plurality of concurrently executing threads communicating a first message to a second thread of the plurality of concurrently executing threads using a flag, wherein said first message indicates one of;

said second thread should start listening on said network, said second thread should stop listening on said network, said second thread should terminate, said second thread should cause a second message to be sent over said network to inform recipients of said second message that device metadata for said device has changed, and said second thread should cause a second message to be sent over said network to inform recipients of said second message that a service provided by said device is available.

17. The one or more volatile or non-volatile media of claim 6, wherein:

the one or more services are a plurality of services that include the first service and a second service that is different than the first service; and

wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors further causes;

in response to the device manager thread detecting a change to a capability of the second service that is hosted on the device, the device manager thread, on the device;

updating the metadata of the device to cause the metadata to reflect the change to the capability of the second service, and

communicating with the web services discovery thread to indicate that metadata has changed;

the web services discovery thread, on the device, causing, on behalf of the second service a second message to be sent over the network in response to the communication from the device manager thread, wherein the second message indicates that the metadata has changed.

11. An apparatus for advertising a device over a network, comprising:

one or more hardware processors; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by said one or more hardware processors, causes;

executing, on the device, a management device facility manager comprising a plurality of concurrently executing threads, each of which executes separately from one or more applications that each provides a service to one or more other devices;

wherein a device manager thread, of the plurality of concurrently executing threads, detects one or more changes to the device via an application programming interface (API) through which the device manager thread receives information that is specific to a platform of the device,

wherein a web services discovery thread, of the plurality of concurrently executing threads, performs, on behalf of the one or more applications, a set of one or more functions specified by a web services discovery specification;

in response to the device manager thread detecting, via the API, a change to a capability of a first service of one or more services hosted on the device,

the device manager thread, on the device;

updating metadata of the device to cause the metadata to reflect the change to the capability of the first service, and

communicating with the web services discovery thread to indicate that metadata has changed;

the web services discovery thread, on the device, causing, on behalf of the first service, a message to be sent over the network in response to the communication from the device manager thread, wherein the message indicates that the metadata has changed,

wherein the device is one of;

a multi-function peripheral, a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, and a scanner.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said web services discovery thread is implemented using a static class.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said device manager thread communicates with said web services discovery thread by setting a flag accessible to said web services discovery thread.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the web services discovery thread causing the message to be sent over the network is performed upon the web services discovery thread detecting that a flag has been set.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors further causes:

a first thread of the plurality of concurrently executing threads communicating a first message to a second thread of the plurality of concurrently executing threads using a flag, wherein said first message indicates one of;

said second thread should start listening on said network, said second thread should stop listening on said network, said second thread should terminate, said second thread should cause a second message to be sent over said network to inform recipients of said second message that device metadata for said device has changed, and said second thread should cause a second message to be sent over said network to inform recipients of said second message that a service provided by said device is available.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the one or more services are a plurality of services that include the first service and a second service that is different than the first service; and

wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors further causes;

in response to the device manager thread detecting a change to a capability of the second service that is hosted on the device, the device manager thread, on the device;

updating the metadata of the device to cause the metadata to reflect the change to the capability of the second service, and

communicating with the web services discovery thread to indicate that metadata has changed;

the web services discovery thread, on the device, causing, on behalf of the second service a second message to be sent over the network in response to the communication from the device manager thread, wherein the second message indicates that the metadata has changed.