Image forming apparatus and event notification system that reduces load of server for helping event notification

• US 9,712,641 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2015
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Asano, Takehiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Conaway, James
• Application Number:
  US14/622,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20150237162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 709219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/12 Digital output to print unit , e.g. line printer, chain printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an event notification data preparing unit, an event notification data transmitting unit, an information-processor count calculating unit, and an information-processor count determining unit. The information-processor count calculating unit calculates a count of the at least one information processor to which the event notification data is transmitted. The information-processor count determining unit determines whether the information-processor count is equal to or less than an upper limit value for the event notification count. The event notification data transmitting unit directly transmits the event notification data to the at least one information processor if the information-processor count is equal to or less than the upper limit value for the event notification count, and via the server transmits the event notification data to the at least one information processor if the information-processor count is more than the upper limit value for the event notification count.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus connectable to a server and a plurality of information processors via a network, the image forming apparatus comprising:

a control unit including one of either a micro-processing unit or a central processing unit that controls the image forming apparatus overall;

a storage device including a hard disk drive that stores image data; and

an auxiliary storage device including a flash memory;

wherein

the auxiliary storage device stores i) event notification registration data including destination addresses of each, and received from each, information processor of the plurality of information processors that request an event notification, and ii) event notification data prepared by the image forming apparatus so as to notify the plurality of information processors of an event occurrence in the image forming apparatus; and

the control unit

prepares the event notification data for the event occurrence, when detecting the event occurrence,

retrieves the event notification registration data from the auxiliary storage device and then retrieves the destination address of each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification,

calculates a count of the plurality of information processors to which the event notification data is to be transmitted using the event notification registration data,

retrieves the event notification data for the event occurrence from the auxiliary storage device,

determines whether the count of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification is equal to or less than an upper limit value for an event notification count,

transmits the event notification data to each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification as specified by the destination addresses when the count of the plurality of information processors is equal to or less than the upper limit value for the event notification count, and

transmits the event notification data, wherein the destination address of each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification is sent to the server and the event notification data is transmitted via the server to each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification as specified by the destination addresses when the count of the plurality of information processors is more than the upper limit value for the event notification count.

2. An event notification system, comprising:

an image forming apparatus connectable to a network;

a plurality of information processors connectable to the network; and

a server connectable to the network;

the image forming apparatus comprising

a control unit including one of either a micro-processing unit or a central processing unit that controls the image forming apparatus overall,

a storage device including a hard disk drive that stores image data, and

an auxiliary storage device including a flash memory, wherein

the auxiliary storage device stores i) event notification registration data including destination addresses of each, and received from each, information processor of the plurality of information processors that request an event notification, and ii) event notification data prepared by the image forming apparatus so as to notify the plurality of information processors of an event occurrence in the image forming apparatus,

the control unit

prepares the event notification data for the event occurrence, when detecting the event occurrence,

retrieves the event notification registration data from the auxiliary storage device and then retrieves the destination address of each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification,

calculates a count of the plurality of information processors to which the event notification data is to be transmitted using the event notification registration data,

retrieves the event notification data for the event occurrence from the auxiliary storage device, and

determines whether the count of the plurality of information processors is equal to or less than an upper limit value for an event notification count,

the at least one information processor including an event notification data receiving unit that receives the event notification data from the image forming apparatus,

the control unit further

directly transmits the event notification data to each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification as specified by the destination addresses when the count of the plurality of information processors is equal to or less than the upper limit value for the event notification count, and

transmits the event notification data, wherein the destination address of each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification is sent to the server when the count of the plurality of information processors is more than the upper limit value for the event notification count;

the server

receives the event notification data, where the destination address of each of the plurality of information processors is received from the image forming apparatus, and

transmits the event notification data to each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification as specified by the destination addresses; and

each of the plurality of processors that requested the event notification

receives the event notification data from one of either the image forming apparatus or the server, and

stores the event notification data, and displays the event notification data.

3. The event notification system according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of information processors comprise at least one of a personal computer, a smart phone, a mobile phone, or a tablet terminal.

4. An event notification method by an event notification system including an image forming apparatus connectable to a network, a plurality of information processors connectable to the network, and a server connectable to the network, the image forming apparatus storing i) event notification registration data including destination addresses of each, and received from each, information processor of the plurality of information processors that request an event notification, and ii) event notification data prepared by the image forming apparatus so as to notify the plurality of information processors of an event occurrence in the image forming apparatus, the event notification method comprising:

via the image forming apparatus

preparing the event notification data for the event occurrence, when detecting the event occurrence;

retrieving the stored event notification registration data and then retrieving the destination address of each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification;

calculating a count of the plurality of information processors to which the event notification data is to be transmitted using the event notification registration data;

retrieving the prepared event notification data for the event occurrence;

determining whether the count of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification is equal to or less than an upper limit value for an event notification count;

transmitting the event notification data to each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification as specified by the destination addresses when the count of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification is equal to or less than the upper limit value for the event notification count; and

transmitting the event notification data, wherein the destination address of each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification is sent to the server when the count of the plurality of information processors is more than the upper limit value for the event notification count;

via the server

receiving the event notification data, where the destination address of each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification is received from the image forming apparatus; and

transmitting the event notification data to each of the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification as specified by the destination addresses; and

via the plurality of information processors that requested the event notification

receiving the event notification data from one of either the image forming apparatus or the server; and

storing the event notification data, and displaying the event notification data.