Method of monitoring the status of a peripheral device, and a computer and network system

• US 9,189,431 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2014
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nagasawa, Hiroyuki, Takeuchi, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): SHIN, CHRISTOPHER B
• Application Number:
  US14/266,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20140289430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 710/15, 710/8, 713/2, 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/126 and has means for transferring I/O instructions and statuses between control unit and main processor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1211 Improving printing performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

A network system enables monitoring the status of peripheral devices from computers without concentrating a load on the network. A specific device driver that runs on a specific computer connected to the network has an initialization command transmission unit that sends a first initialization command to the specific printer when a process command is sent to a specific printer, and an operating status monitoring unit that, after initialization based on the first initialization command is completed, monitors the operating status of the specific printer until the printer power turns off. Because the specific computer does not initialize and does not monitor the operating status of the specific printer until the computer sends a process command, concentrating a load on the network is avoided when the network system starts up.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a status of a first peripheral device on a network having connected thereto a first computer and the first peripheral device, wherein the first computer:

detects a power of the first peripheral device when the first peripheral device is turned on;

sends a process command to the first peripheral device for a first time after detecting the power of the first peripheral device has been turned on;

when the first time sending the process command causes the first peripheral device to perform an operation, initiates monitoring the status indicating an operating state of the first peripheral device.

2. The method of monitoring the status of a peripheral device described in claim 1, wherein the first computer:

monitors a first startup status that indicates the power of the first peripheral device changed from off to on when the first peripheral device is not initialized based on a first initialization command;

resends the first initialization command when the first startup status is detected; and

monitors the operating status of the first peripheral device until the power of the first peripheral device turns off after the first peripheral device is initialized based on the first initialization command.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first computer:

sends a second initialization command to initialize communication with a first peripheral device when a second or later process command is sent to the first peripheral device and the operating status and first startup status of the first peripheral device are not being monitored; and

monitors the operating status of the first peripheral device until the power of the first peripheral device turns off after the first peripheral device is initialized based on the second initialization command.

4. The method described in claim 3, wherein the first computer:

monitors a second startup status that indicates the power of the first peripheral device changed from off to on when the first peripheral device is not initialized based on the second initialization command;

resends the second initialization command when the second startup status is detected; and

monitors the operating status of the first peripheral device until the power of the first peripheral device turns off after the first peripheral device is initialized based on the second initialization command.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer:

does not monitor the operating status of the first peripheral device and the startup status that indicates the power of the first peripheral device changed from off to on until the first computer sends a process command to the first peripheral device for the first time after the power of the first computer changes from off to on.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer:

does not monitor the operating status of the first peripheral device and the startup status that indicates the power of the first peripheral device changed from off to on after detecting based on the operating status that the power of the first peripheral device turned off until the first computer sends a new process command to the first peripheral device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first peripheral device is a printer; and

the process command is a print command causing the printer to print.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

three or more devices including at least one computer and one peripheral device are connected to the network.

9. A computer comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

a device driver that controls driving a first peripheral device over a network, the device driver comprising;

a startup status monitoring unit that detects a power of the first peripheral device when the first peripheral device is turned on;

a decision unit that determines if a process command is a first process command sent to the first peripheral device when the process command to perform an operation is sent to the first peripheral device that is controlled by the device driver; and

an operating status monitoring unit that, when the process command is the first process command, starts monitoring the operating status indicating the operating state of the first peripheral device until the power of the first peripheral device turns off.

10. The computer described in claim 9, further comprising:

a startup status monitoring unit that monitors a first startup status that indicates the power of the first peripheral device changed from off to on when the first peripheral device is not initialized based on a first initialization command;

a retransmission unit that resends the first initialization command when the first startup status is detected.

11. The computer described in claim 10, wherein:

the initialization command transmission unit sends a second initialization command to initialize communication between the device driver and the first peripheral device when the device driver sends the process command to the first peripheral device if the process command is not the first process command sent to the first peripheral device, the startup status monitoring unit is not monitoring the first startup status, and the operating status monitoring unit is not monitoring the operating status; and

the operating status monitoring unit monitors the operating status of the first peripheral device until the power of the first peripheral device turns off after the first peripheral device is initialized based on the second initialization command.

12. The computer described in claim 11, wherein:

the startup status monitoring unit monitors a second startup status that indicates the power of the first peripheral device changed from off to on when the first peripheral device is not initialized based on the second initialization command; and

the retransmission unit resends the second initialization command when the second startup status is detected.

13. The computer described in claim 9, wherein:

the peripheral device is a printer; and

the process command is a print command causing the printer to print.

14. The computer described in claim 9, wherein:

three or more devices including at least one computer and one peripheral device are connected to the network.

15. A network system comprising:

a first computer; and

a first peripheral device connected over a network to the first computer, wherein the first computer;

detects a power of the first peripheral device when the first peripheral device is turned on; and

when a process command causing the first peripheral device to perform an operation is first sent from the first computer, the first computer initiates monitoring an operating status indicating an operating state of the first peripheral device until the power of the first peripheral device turns off.

16. The network system described in claim 15, wherein:

the peripheral device is a printer; and

the process command is a print command causing the printer to print.

17. The network system described in claim 15, wherein:

three or more devices including at least one computer and one peripheral device are connected to the network.