Device and help server

• US 9,489,218 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2011
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Otsuka, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Spratt, Beau
• Application Number:
  US13/209,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20120054607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,912 Days
• Field of Search: 715/705
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A device configured to connect to a terminal device, the device including: a supply unit, which supplies management screen data to the terminal device, wherein the management screen data represents a management screen including at least one item, which is related to the device, and which includes a target item for which help information is to be displayed, wherein, in response to a help command received by the terminal device, the management screen data include instructions to control the terminal device to: acquire the help information corresponding to the target item of the item displayed on the management screen; and display a help screen indicating the help information.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a web server;

a controller;

a memory storing management screen data, the management screen data being described in a markup language and including a first ID and a second ID, the first ID corresponding to a first setting item related to a first setting in the device, the second ID corresponding to a second setting item related to a second setting in the device; and

an interface;

wherein the controller is further configured to;

retrieve the management screen data stored in the memory;

transmit, via the interface, the retrieved management screen data to a terminal device, the management screen data comprising program code that, when executed by a processor of the terminal device, causes the terminal device to;

receive the management screen data transmitted from the device;

display a setting screen on a display of the terminal device in accordance with the received management screen data, by activating a web browser application, the setting screen indicating the first setting item identified by the first ID and the second setting item identified by the second ID included in the management screen data, the setting screen indicating the first setting item having a first setting field and the second setting item having a second setting field, wherein a first value related to the device is to be input in the first setting field and a second value related to the device is to be input in the second setting field;

receive a single instruction for obtaining help information related to the first setting item and the second setting item in the setting screen; and

generate a URL of a help server in response to receiving the single instruction, the URL including a query indicating the first ID and the second ID included in the management screen data.

2. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the management screen data further includes the program code that, when executed by the processor of the terminal device, causes the terminal device to:

determine whether a value of the first setting item is null;

when the value of the first setting item is null, generate the URL of the help server, the URL including the query indicating the first ID corresponding to the first setting item.

3. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the management screen data further includes the program code that, when executed by the processor of the terminal device, causes the terminal device to:

determine whether a value of the first setting item is incorrect;

when the value of the first setting item is incorrect, generate the URL of the help server, the URL including the query indicating the first ID corresponding to the first setting item.

4. An online help system comprising:

a target device comprising a web server;

a first controller;

a first memory storing management screen data, the management screen data being described in a markup language and including a first ID and a second ID, the first ID corresponding to a first setting item related to a first setting in the target device, the second ID corresponding to a second setting item related to a second setting in the target device;

a terminal device comprising a display;

a second memory storing a web browser application;

a second controller; and

a second interface; and

a help server comprising a third interface;

a third memory storing first help information and second help information, the first help information corresponding to the first ID, the second help information corresponding to the second ID; and

a third controller,

wherein the first controller of the target device is further configured to;

retrieve the management screen data stored in the first memory; and

transmit, via the interface, the retrieved management screen data to the terminal device;

wherein the second controller of the terminal device is further configured to;

receive, via the second interface, the management screen data transmitted from the target device;

display a setting screen on the display in accordance with the received management screen data, by activating the web browser application, the setting screen indicating the first setting item identified by the first ID and the second setting item identified by the second ID included in the management screen data;

receive a single instruction for obtaining help information related to the first setting item and the second setting item in the setting screen;

generate a URL of the help server in response to receiving the single instruction, the URL including a query indicating the first ID and the second ID included in the management screen data; and

transmit, via the second interface, the URL to the help server;

wherein the third controller of the help server is further configured to;

receive, via the third interface, the URL transmitted from the terminal device;

determine whether the URL includes the query;

retrieve, from the third memory, the first help information in accordance with the first ID included in the query;

retrieve, from the third memory, the second help information in accordance with the second ID included in the query;

generate a help screen data indicating the retrieved first help information and the second help information; and

transmit, via the third interface, the help screen data to the terminal device wherein the second controller is further configured to;

receive, via the second interface, the help screen data from the help server; and

display a help screen on the display in accordance with the received help screen data, by activating the web browser application, the help screen indicating the first help information related to the first setting in the target device and the second help information related to the second setting in the target device.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device having instructions to control a device, which is connected to a terminal device, to perform a control method, the control method comprising:

storing management screen data in a memory, the management screen data being described in a markup language and including a first ID and a second ID, the first ID corresponding to a first setting item related to a first setting in the device, the second ID corresponding to a second setting item related to a second setting in the device; and

retrieving the management screen data stored in the memory;

transmitting, via an interface the retrieved management screen data to a terminal device, the management screen data comprising program code that, when executed by a processor of a terminal device, causes the terminal device to;

receive the management screen data transmitted from the target device;

display a setting screen on a display of the terminal device in accordance with the received management screen data, by activating a web browser application, the setting screen indicating the setting items identified by the first ID included in the management screen data and the second setting item identified by the second ID included in the management screen data, the setting screen indicating the first setting item having a first setting field and the second setting item having a second setting field, wherein a first value related to the device is to be input in the first setting field and a second value related to the device is to be input in the second setting field;

receive a single instruction for obtaining help information related to the first setting item and the second setting item in the setting screen; and

generate a URL of a help server in response to receiving the single instruction, the URL including a query indicating the first ID and the second ID included in the management screen data.

6. An online help system comprising:

a target device comprising a web server;

a first controller;

a first memory storing management screen data, the management screen data being described in a markup language and including a first ID and a second ID, the first ID corresponding to a first setting item related to a first setting in the target device, the second ID corresponding to a second setting item related to a second setting in the target device;

a terminal device comprising a display;

a second memory storing web browser application;

a second controller; and

a second interface; and

a help server comprising a third interface;

a third memory storing first help information and second help information, the first help information corresponding to the first ID, the second help information corresponding to the second ID; and

a third controller,

wherein the first controller of the target device is further configured to;

retrieve the management screen data stored in the first memory; and

transmit, via the interface, the retrieved management screen data to the

terminal device;

wherein the second controller of the terminal device is further configured to;

receive, via the second interface, the management screen data transmitted from the target device;

display a setting screen on the display in accordance with the received management screen data, by activating the web browser application, the setting screen indicating the first setting item identified by the first ID and the second setting item identified by the second ID included in the management screen data;

receive a single instruction for obtaining help information related to the first setting item and the second setting item in the setting screen;

generate a URL of the help server in response to receiving the single instruction, the URL including a query indicating the first ID and the second ID included in the management screen data; and

transmit, via the second interface, the URL to the help server;

wherein the third controller of the help server is further configured to;

receive, via the third interface, the URL transmitted from the terminal device;

determine whether the URL includes the query;

retrieve, from the third memory, the first help information in accordance with the first ID included in the query;

retrieve, from the third memory, the second help information in accordance with the second ID included in the query;

determine whether the first ID is a particular ID;

when the first ID is a particular ID, generate a help screen data indicating the retrieved first help information, wherein the help screen data does not indicate the second help information; and

transmit, via the third interface, the generated help screen data to the terminal device;

wherein the second controller is further configured to;

receive, via the second interface, the help screen data from the help server; and

display a help screen on the display in accordance with the received help screen data, by activating the web browser application, the help screen indicating the first help information related to the first setting in the target device.

7. The system according to claim 6,

wherein the particular ID corresponds to a null setting item and wherein no value is inputted in a setting area of the null setting item.

8. The system according to claim 6,

wherein the particular ID corresponds to an incorrect setting item and wherein an incorrect value is inputted in a setting area of the incorrect setting item.