File transfer system and method for monitoring and management of remote devices

• US 8,880,653 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qvella Corportation
• Original Assignee: Novx Systems Canada Inc. (NOVX Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beckley, Keith, Sikora, Phil, Allos, Basil
• Primary Examiner(s): Homayounmehr, Farid
• Assistant Examiner(s): LWIN, MAUNG T
• Application Number:
  US13/280,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20120110136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A remote computing device associated with a remote apparatus obtains information related to the apparatus, and generates a file containing the information. The file is uploaded to a file transfer server. An apparatus management and computing system monitors the file transfer server and identifies newly generated and uploaded files. The files are downloaded and parsed to extract the information related to the remote apparatus. The parsed information is stored in a database and made available to a user through a monitor application. The system may be configured for the monitoring of multiple remote apparatuses. The remote computing device associated with a given remote apparatus may also monitor the file transfer server and obtain instruction files generated and uploaded by the apparatus management and computing system.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of remotely monitoring a remote apparatus;

wherein the remote apparatus is locally associated with a remote computing device, and wherein the remote computing device is connected, through an external network, to a file transfer server, and wherein the remote computing device is configured to upload files associated with the remote apparatus to the file transfer server through a file transfer protocol;

the method comprising;

initiating, from a computing system that is remote from the remote apparatus, a file transfer session with the file transfer server;

identifying, on the file transfer server, a file associated with the remote apparatus, the file having been uploaded to the file transfer server by the remote computing device associated with the remote apparatus through a file transfer protocol;

requesting transfer of the file from the file transfer server to the computing system through the file transfer protocol;

downloading the file to the computing system through the file transfer protocol; and

processing the file on the computing system to extract information associated with the remote apparatus;

such that the remote apparatus is monitored, through files residing on the file transfer server, without requiring direct communication between the computing system and the remote computing device associated with the remote apparatus, and without processing of the contents of the files by the file transfer server.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

processing the information to determine the status of the remote apparatus.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of identifying the file residing on the file transfer server includes identifying a newly uploaded file.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of identifying, based on the information, the remote apparatus to which the file pertains.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of identifying, based on a folder in which the file resides, a remote apparatus to which the file pertains.

6. The method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of identifying an error condition associated with the remote apparatus.

7. The method according to claim 6 further comprising reporting the error condition to a user.

8. The method according to claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

determining one or more instructions to be provided to the remote apparatus based on the status;

generating an instruction file containing the instructions; and

uploading the instruction file to the file transfer server for subsequent downloading by the remote computing device.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the information within the file is provided in the form of a markup language.

10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of storing the information in a database.

11. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of providing the information to a user through a user interface.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the information is selected from the group consisting of apparatus status information, activity history information, configuration parameters, setup parameters, diagnostic monitoring information, error codes, fault status information, information related to use, use statistics, results of calculations, results of measurements, a firmware version, and apparatus identification information.

13. A computer implemented method of managing a remote apparatus;

wherein the remote apparatus is locally associated with a remote computing device, and wherein the remote computing device is connected, through an external network, to a file transfer server, and wherein the remote computing device is configured to upload files associated with the remote apparatus to the file transfer server through a file transfer protocol;

the method comprising the steps of;

initiating, from a computing system that is remote from the remote apparatus, a file transfer session with the file transfer server;

uploading an instruction file to the file transfer server, wherein the instruction file includes one or more instructions to be carried out by a remote computing device locally associated with the remote apparatus;

wherein the instruction file is identifiable to the remote computing device and downloadable from the file transfer server by the remote computing device;

such that the instruction file can be provided to the remote apparatus without requiring direct communication between the computing system and the remote computing device associated with the remote apparatus, and without processing of the contents of the instruction file by the file transfer server.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the remote apparatus associated with the instruction file is identifiable by the remote computing device according to information provided in the instruction file.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the remote apparatus associated with the instruction file is identifiable by the remote computing device according to a folder in which the instruction file resides.

16. The method according to claim 13 wherein the instruction file includes instructions selected from the group consisting of commands for performing one or more actions with or to the remote apparatus, instructions to download new firmware, and instructions to reconfigure the remote apparatus according to one or more parameters.

17. A computer implemented method of remotely monitoring a remote apparatus;

wherein the remote apparatus is locally associated with a remote computing device, and wherein the remote computing device is connected, through an external network, to a file transfer server;

the method comprising;

monitoring the remote apparatus via a computing device locally associated with the remote apparatus;

generating a file including information associated with the remote apparatus;

initiating a file transfer session with the file transfer server; and

uploading the file to the file transfer server;

such that information associated with the remote apparatus is obtainable by a computing system remote from the remote apparatus, through files residing on the file transfer server, without requiring direct communication between the computing system and the remote computing device associated with the remote apparatus, and without processing of the contents of the files by the file transfer server.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein at least a portion of the information is selected from the group consisting of apparatus status information, activity history information, configuration parameters, setup parameters, diagnostic monitoring information, error codes, fault status information, information related to use, use statistics, results of calculations, results of measurements, a firmware version, and apparatus identification information.

19. A system for monitoring a remote apparatus, the system comprising:

a file transfer server for communicating across an external network with a remote computing device locally associated with the remote apparatus, and for receiving a file uploaded from the remote computing device, wherein the file pertains to the remote apparatus; and

a computing system remote from the remote apparatus for communicating with said file transfer server to identify and download the file, and to process the file and extract information associated with the remote apparatus;

such that information associated with the remote apparatus is obtainable by said computing system, through files residing on said file transfer server, without requiring direct communication between said computing system and the remote computing device associated with the remote apparatus, and without processing of the contents of the files by said file transfer server.

20. The system according to claim 19 wherein said file transfer server includes one or more folders, and wherein each folder is associated with a unique remote apparatus.

21. The system according to claim 19 wherein said computing system is configured to provide the information to a remote client.

22. The system according to claim 19 wherein said computing system is configured to process the information to determine a status of the remote apparatus.

23. The system according to claim 22 wherein said computing system is configured to:

determine one or more instructions to be provided to the remote apparatus based on the status;

generate an instruction file containing the instructions; and

upload the instruction file to said file transfer server for subsequent downloading by the remote computing device.

24. The system according to claim 19 further comprising the remote computing device.