Electronic device monitoring method, electronic device computer and program thereof

• US 8,886,698 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Algibhah, Hamza
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDWARDS, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US12/152,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,370 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

Processing relating to maintenance of a monitoring subject device is performed by detecting by a computer an IP address of an electronic device connected to a LAN, automatically referring to communication protocol specification data indicating a communication protocol with the electronic device indicated in remote maintenance management data provided in advance or obtained from the electronic device, and performing a communication with the electronic device by using said communication protocol and the IP address indicated by the communication protocol specification data.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring the condition of an electronic device from a plurality of computers, comprising:

performing communication with said plurality of computers;

storing a communication address of said electronic device and a transmission destination table composed of a plurality of entries; and

controlling operation of said electronic device,

wherein the plurality of entries has an index number, a transmission destination communication address and a status indicating whether rewriting of the entry is possible,

wherein, when said electronic device is started up, rebooted or initialized or when the communication address of said electronic device is chanced after said electronic device was started up, rebooted or initialized last, the entries of said transmission destination table are initialized to set the transmission destination addresses of the entries to predetermined initial addresses,

receiving a first request from a first computer to change the transmission destination address of a particular entry in plurality of entries in the transmission destination table to a first address, wherein the particular entry has a status indicator that indicates whether rewriting of the transmission destination address is possible;

changing the transmission designation address of the particular entry to the first address;

transmitting a first response when the changing of the transmission designation address of the particular entry to the first address ended normally;

subsequently receiving a second request from a second computer to change the transmission destination address of the particular entry to a second address different from the first address; and

transmitting a second response to indicate an error in response to the second request including when the transmission destination address in the second request is a valid transmission destination address.

2. The electronic device as set forth in claim 1, wherein, when after a third request transmitted from the first computer for adding an entry designated by the first computer is received, and a fourth request is transmitted from the second computer for adding an entry same as the entry designated by the first computer by means of the second computer,

storing the entry designated by the first computer in the third request, transmitting a response indicating that the processing ended normally to the first computer, and then

transmitting a response indicating an error to the second computer.

3. A method of monitoring an electronic device, comprising:

connecting a plurality of computers through a network; and

monitoring the electronic device by said plurality of computers, the condition of said electronic device being monitored from said plurality of computers through said network,

wherein the electronic device accomplishes the steps of;

performing communication with said plurality of computers,

storing a communication address of said electronic device and a transmission destination table composed of a plurality of entries, and

controlling operation of said electronic device,

wherein the plurality of entries has an index number, a transmission destination communication address and a status indicating whether rewriting of the entry is possible,

wherein, when said electronic device is started up, rebooted or initialized or when the communication address of said electronic device is changed after said electronic device was started up, rebooted or initialized last, the entries of said transmission destination table are initialized to set the transmission destination addresses of the entries to predetermined initial addresses,

receiving a first request from a first computer to change the transmission destination address of a particular entry in plurality of entries in the transmission destination table to a first address, wherein the particular entry has a status indicator that indicates whether rewriting of the transmission destination address is possible;

changing the transmission designation address of the particular entry to the first address;

transmitting a first response when the changing of the transmission designation address of the particular entry to the first address ended normally;

subsequently receiving a second request from a second computer to change the transmission destination address of the particular entry to a second address different from the first address; and

transmitting a second response to indicate an error in response to the second request including when the transmission destination address in the second request is a valid transmission destination address.

4. An electronic device monitoring method for an electronic device monitoring system where an electronic device is monitored from a plurality of computers through a network, comprising:

initializing, when the electronic device is started up, rebooted or initialized or when the communication address of the electronic device is changed after the electronic device was started up, rebooted or initialized last, entries of the transmission destination table to set the transmission destination addresses of the entries to predetermined initial addresses;

changing a transmission destination address of a particular entry of the transmission destination table after receiving a first request from a first computer to change the transmission destination address of the particular entry of the transmission destination table to a first address, wherein the particular entry has a status indicator that indicates whether rewriting of the transmission destination address is possible;

transmitting a first response when the changing of the transmission designation address of the particular entry to the first address ended normally;

transmitting a second response to indicate an error in response to subsequently receiving a second request from a second computer to change the transmission destination address of the particular entry to a second address, the second address being, different from the first address, including when the transmission destination address in the second request is a valid transmission destination address.