Method and apparatus for managing remote devices and accessing remote device information

• US 9,329,816 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZIH Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Berarducci, Thomas Neal, Kurian, Thomas, Gerskovich, Philip, Barboza, Valik Solorzano, Beinat, Euro, Ricci, Carolyn M.
• Primary Examiner(s): GARCIA, GABRIEL I
• Application Number:
  US14/524,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20150153982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.1, 358/1.13, 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 709/201, 709/203, 709/220, 709/223, 709/248
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1224 Client or server resources management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1245 by conversion to intermediate or common format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1293 Printer information exchange with computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1805 Receiving printer configuration commands
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00 Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32106 separate from the image data, e.g. in a different computer file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/44 Secrecy systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4433 to an apparatus, part of an apparatus or an apparatus function

Abstract

A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product are disclosed to manage access to device information. The system may include a plurality of devices configured to provide device information to a device management server. The system may also include a remote server including the device management server. The device management server may be configured to receive the device information, to determine a receiver for the device information based on one or more permission settings for the plurality of devices, to provide the device information to the determined receiver, and to provide a device management interface, the device management interface includes an interface for modifying the permission settings for one or more particular devices associated with a user account accessing the device management interface.

Claims

1. A method for managing access to a plurality of devices, the method comprising:

receiving, at a device management server, a first device permission definition for a first particular device of the plurality of devices, the first device permission definition including a dynamic condition indicating that;

when the first particular device has a first status, a first entity has access to data associated with the first particular device via the device management server; and

when the first particular device has a second status different than the first status, the first entity does not have access to the data associated with the first particular device via the device management server;

in response to receiving, at the device management server, a first notification that the first particular device has the second status, preventing the first entity from accessing the data associated with the first particular device via the device management server; and

in response to receiving, at the device management server, a second notification that the first particular device changed from the second status to the first status, providing the first entity access to the data associated with the first particular device via the device management server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to the data comprises presenting the data in a JavaScript Object Notation format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to the data comprises providing the data via a Representational State Transfer API.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to the data comprises providing the data to at least one of an application, a device, or a user portal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first particular device is a printer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device permission definition is received from a first user account authorized to manage the first particular device, and further comprising receiving, at the device management server, a second device permission definition for a second particular device of the plurality of devices, the second device permission definition received from a second user account different from the first user account, the second user account being authorized to manage the second particular device and being unauthorized to manage the first particular device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first status corresponds to an error state, and the second status corresponds to an error-free state.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first status corresponds to a shipping state, and the second status corresponds to a delivered state.

9. A system for providing a device management infrastructure, the system comprising:

a plurality of devices configured to provide device information to a device management server; and

a remote server comprising the device management server, the device management server configured to;

maintain a dynamic access setting for an entity based on device status information;

receive particular device information and a current status indicator from a particular device of the plurality of devices;

provide the entity with access to the particular device information when the status indicator corresponds to a first status of the dynamic access setting; and

prohibit the entity from accessing the particular device information when the status indicator corresponds to a second status of the dynamic access setting different than the first status.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the particular device information is provided by assigning the particular device to a particular device group based on the status indicator corresponding to the first status of the dynamic access setting.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the device management server is further configured to provide a reduced portion of the device information to a receiver of the device information, and wherein the reduced portion is determined based on a set of permissions associated with the receiver.

12. A device management server comprising:

connection management circuitry configured to;

detect a plurality of devices;

initiate one or more electronic connections to the plurality of devices, the one or more electronic connections configured to receive device information from each of the plurality of devices; and

receive the device information; and

credentialing circuitry configured to;

receive a first set of device permissions for a first particular device of the plurality of devices, the first set of device permissions received from a first user account, the first user account being authorized to manage the first particular device;

receive a second set of device permissions for a second particular device of the plurality of devices, the second set of device permissions received from a second user account different from the first user account, the second user account being authorized to manage the second particular device and being unauthorized to manage the first particular device;

provide access to a first piece of the device information received from the first particular device when a first current status of the first particular device corresponds to a first access status of the first set of device permissions; and

provide access to a second piece of the device information received from the second particular device when a second current status of the second particular device corresponds to a second access status of the second set of device permissions.

13. The device management server of claim 12, further comprising device model management circuitry configured to:

manage one or more device models associated with the plurality of devices;

update the one or more devices models based on the device information;

provide an interface allowing at least one application or device to alter data associated with the one or more devices models;

receive a modification to a particular device model from the at least one application or device; and

transmit a configuration change to a particular device associated with the particular device model based on the modification to the particular device model.

14. The device management server of claim 12, further comprising application management circuitry configured to provide an application programming interface that allows one or more applications to access the device information.