Non-transitory computer readable medium, server and system

• US 9,491,262 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Mori, Takafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilles, Jude Jean
• Application Number:
  US14/207,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20140280512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-205, 709/223, 709/227, 709/247, 709/250, 709/226, 709/210, 709/229
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A server may receive information from one or more service providing apparatuses. Computer-readable instructions may cause the server to store device identification information, type information, and/or a transmission condition in association with service identification information. The server may receive device state information from one or more information devices when an information device determines that a transmission condition is satisfied. The server may also store the received device state information in association with device identification information identifying a specific information device, which transmitted the device state information. Further, the server may transmit, to a specific service providing apparatus, identified by specific service identification information, the device state information stored in association with the specific service identification information.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a server; and

an information device,

wherein the server comprises;

at least one first processor; and

a first memory storing first computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by the at least one first processor, cause the server to;

receive, from a service providing apparatus, first information comprising;

 

service identification information for identifying the service providing apparatus;

 

device identification information for identifying the information device;

 

type information identifying a type of device state information representing a state of the information device, and

 

a transmission condition representing a condition that causes the information device to transmit the device state information;

store the device identification, the type information, and the transmission condition in association with the service identification information, in a memory; and

transmit, to the information device identified by the device identification information, the type information and the transmission condition;

wherein the information device comprises;

at least one second processor; and

a second memory storing second computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by the at least one second processor, cause the information device to;

receive the type information and the transmission condition from the server;

store the received type information and the received transmission condition in a memory; and

transmit, to the server, the device state information related to the stored type information in response to determining that the transmission condition stored in the second memory is satisfied;

wherein the first computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one first processor, cause the server to;

receive, from the information device, the device state information;

store, in a memory, the received device state information in association with the device identification information identifying the information device; and

transmit, to the service providing apparatus, the device state information received from the information device.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of information devices, wherein the information device is one of the plurality of information devices,

wherein the device identification information identifies the information device from among the plurality of information devices,

wherein the service providing apparatus is one of a plurality of service providing apparatuses connected to the server via a network, and

wherein the service identification information identifies the service providing apparatus from among the plurality of service providing apparatuses.

3. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the second computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one second processor, cause the information device to:

transmit, to the server, a request comprising the device identification information in response to determining that one or more of the type information and the transmission condition are deleted from a memory of the information device;

wherein the first computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one first processor, cause the server to;

receive, from the information device, the request comprising the device identification information; and

transmit, to the information device, at least one of the type information and the transmission condition associated with the device identification information, in response to receiving the request from the information device;

wherein the second computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one second processor, cause the information device to;

receive, from the server, the at least one of the type information and the transmission condition; and

store the received at least one of the type information and the transmission condition in a memory of the information device.

4. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the second computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one second processor, cause the information device to:

determine whether the information device is communicating with the server;

store the device state information related to the type information stored in a memory of the information device in response to determining that the information device is not communicating with the server; and

transmit, to the server, the stored device state information in response to determining that the information device is communicating with the server.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a server to:

receive, from a service providing apparatus, first information comprising;

service identification information for identifying the service providing apparatus;

device identification information for identifying an information device;

type information for identifying a type of device state information representing a state of the information device; and

a transmission condition representing a condition that causes the information device to transmit the device state information;

store the device identification, the type information, and the transmission condition in association with the service identification information, in a memory of the server;

transmit, to the information device identified by the device identification information, the type information and the transmission condition;

receive, from the information device, the device state information related to the type information;

store, in the memory, the received device state information in association with the device identification information identifying the information device; and

transmit, to the service providing apparatus, the device state information received from the information device.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5,

wherein the service providing apparatus is one of a plurality of service providing apparatuses connected to the server via a network,

wherein the service identification information identifies the service providing apparatus from among the plurality of service providing apparatuses,

wherein the information device is one of a plurality of information devices connected to the server via a network, and

wherein the transmitting of the type information and the transmission condition comprises transmitting, to the information device from among the plurality of information devices based on the device identification information, the type information and the transmission condition.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5,

wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the server to:

receive, from the service providing apparatus, a request comprising the device identification information and the type information; and

wherein transmitting the device state information comprises transmitting, to the service providing apparatus, the device state information associated with the device identification information and the type information in the memory.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the server to:

receive, from the service providing apparatus, a request comprising the service identification information of the service providing apparatus; and

acquire, from the memory, the device identification information and the type information using the service identification information,

wherein transmitting the device state information comprises transmitting, to the service providing apparatus, the device state information associated with the acquired device identification information and the acquired type information.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5,

wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the server to determine whether the server is communicating with the information device identified by the device identification information;

and

wherein the transmitting of the type information and the transmission condition to the information device comprises transmitting the type information and the transmission condition to the information device in response to determining that the server is communicating with the information device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5,

wherein the receiving of the first information comprises receiving setting information;

wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the server to;

store the setting information in association with the service identification information in the memory; and

determine, in response to receiving the device state information, whether the setting information indicates that the device state information is to be transmitted; and

wherein transmitting the device state information comprises transmitting, to the service providing apparatus identified by the service identification information, the received device state information in response to determining that the setting information indicates that the device state information is to be transmitted.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the server to:

receive, from the information device, a request comprising the device identification information identifying the information device; and

transmit, to the information device, at least one of the type information and the transmission condition associated with the device identification information in the memory in response to receiving the request from the information device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5,

wherein the device state information represents an amount of printing performed by the information device or a state of a consumable supply of consumer goods of the information device.

13. A server comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory storing computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the server to;

receive, from a service providing apparatus, first information comprising;

service identification information for identifying the service providing apparatus;

device identification information for identifying an information device,

type information identifying a type of device state information representing a state of the information device, and

a transmission condition representing a condition that causes the information device to transmit the device state information;

store the device identification, the type information, and the transmission condition in association with the service identification information, in the memory;

transmit, to the information device identified by the device identification information, the type information and the transmission condition;

receive, from the information device, the device state information related to the type information;

store, in the memory, the received device state information in association with the device identification information identifying the information device; and

transmit, to the service providing apparatus, the device state information received from the information device.

14. The server according to claim 13,

wherein the service providing apparatus is one of a plurality of service providing apparatuses connected to the server via a network,

wherein the service identification information identifies the service providing apparatus from among the plurality of service providing apparatuses,

wherein the information device is one of a plurality of information devices connected to the server via a network, and

wherein the transmitting of the type information and the transmission condition comprises transmitting, to the information device from among the plurality of information devices based on the device identification information, the type information and the transmission condition.

15. The server according to claim 13,

wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the server to:

receive, from the service providing apparatus, a request comprising the device identification information and the type information; and

wherein transmitting the device state information comprises transmitting, to the service providing apparatus, the device state information associated with the device identification information and the type information in the memory.

16. The server according to claim 13,

wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the server to determine whether the server is communicating with the information device identified by the device identification;

and

wherein the transmitting of the type information and the transmission condition to the information device comprises transmitting the type information and the transmission condition to the information device in response to determining that the server is communicating with the information device.

17. The server according to claim 13,

wherein the receiving of the first information comprises receiving setting information;

wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the server to;

store the setting information in association with the service identification information in the memory; and

determine, in response to receiving the device state information, whether the setting information indicates that the device state information is to be transmitted; and

wherein transmitting the device state information comprises transmitting, to the service providing apparatus identified by the service identification information, the received device state information in response to determining that the setting information indicates that the device state information is to be transmitted.

18. The server according to claim 13,

wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the server to:

receive, from the information device, a request comprising the device identification information identifying the information device; and

transmit, to the information device, at least one of the type information and the transmission condition associated with the device identification information in the memory in response to receiving the request from the information device.

19. The server according to claim 13,

wherein the device state information represents an amount of printing performed by the information device or a state of a consumable supply of consumer goods of the information device.

20. The server according to claim 13, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the server to:

receive, from the information device, a request comprising the device identification information after one or more of the type information and the transmission condition are deleted from a memory of the information device; and

transmit, to the information device, at least one of the type information and the transmission condition associated with the device identification in memory, in response to receiving the request.