System, method, and computer program product for identification of vendor and model name of a remote device among multiple network protocols

• US 20080126530A1
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery
• Granted Patent: US 7,552,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

There is provided a method, system, and computer program product for extracting information related to a monitored device communicatively coupled to a network using an HTTP communication protocol. The method includes: retrieving, from a first memory, vendor and model information of the monitored device; determining vendor and model through the web page from the monitored device; obtaining the device state information; and storing, in a second memory, the device information obtained in the accessing step, in association with the vendor and model information.

Claims

1. A method for determining a normalized vendor name and a normalized model name of a monitored device in which information obtained from the monitored device varies in accordance with a communication protocol used, the method comprising:

accessing the monitored device using a first communication protocol to obtain information from the monitored device;

determining a vendor name and a model name of the monitored device from the information obtained from the monitored device;

determining, using the vendor name, a normalized vendor name of the monitored device; and

determining, using the normalized vendor name and the determined model name, a normalized model name of the monitored device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the normalized vendor name comprises:

accessing a database that includes the determined vendor name stored in correspondence with the normalized vendor name.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the normalized model name comprises:

accessing a database that includes the determined model name stored in correspondence with the normalized model name.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the monitored device using a second communication protocol to obtain a vendor name of the monitored device, wherein the vendor names obtained by the first and second communication protocols differ; and

accessing a database that includes the determined vendor names obtained by the first and second communication protocols stored in correspondence with the normalized vendor name.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the monitored device using a second communication protocol to obtain a model name of the monitored device, wherein the model names obtained by the first and second communication protocols differ in one of capitalization, spacing, punctuation, and hyphenation; and

accessing a database that includes the determined model name and normalized vendor name obtained by the first and second communication protocols stored in correspondence with the normalized model name.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the database maps a plurality of different vendor names for the monitored device to the normalized vendor name.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the second database maps a plurality of different model names for the monitored device to the normalized model name.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a normalized model name comprises:

creating a string including the normalized vendor name and the determined model name; and

determining whether the created string exists in a normalized model database.

9. A computer program product having a computer readable medium for determining a normalized vendor name and a normalized model name of a monitored device in which information obtained from the monitored device varies in accordance with a communication protocol used, comprising:

instructions for accessing the monitored device using a first communication protocol to obtain information from the monitored device;

instructions for determining a vendor name and a model name of the monitored device from the information obtained from the monitored device;

instructions for determining, using the vendor name, a normalized vendor name of the monitored device; and

instructions for determining, using the normalized vendor name and the determined model name, a normalized model name of the monitored device.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the instructions for determining the normalized vendor name comprises:

instructions for accessing a database that includes the determined vendor name stored in correspondence with the normalized vendor name.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the instructions for determining the normalized model name comprises:

instructions for accessing a database that includes the determined model name stored in correspondence with the normalized model name.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

instructions for accessing the monitored device using a second communication protocol to obtain a vendor name of the monitored device, wherein the vendor names obtained by the first and second communication protocols differ; and

instructions for accessing a database that includes the determined vendor names obtained by the first and second communication protocols stored in correspondence with the normalized vendor name.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

instructions for accessing the monitored device using a second communication protocol to obtain a model name of the monitored device, wherein the model names obtained by the first and second communication protocols differ in one of capitalization, spacing, punctuation, and hyphenation; and

instructions for accessing a database that includes the determined model name and normalized vendor name obtained by the first and second communication protocols stored in correspondence with the normalized model name.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the database maps a plurality of different vendor names for the monitored device to the normalized vendor name.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the second database maps a plurality of different model names for the monitored device to the normalized model name.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the instructions for determining a normalized model name comprises:

instructions for creating a string including the normalized vendor name and the determined model name; and

instructions for determining whether the created string exists in a normalized model database.

17. A system for determining a normalized vendor name and a normalized model name of a monitored device in which information obtained from the monitored device varies in accordance with a communication protocol used, the apparatus comprising:

means for accessing the monitored device using a first communication protocol to obtain information from the monitored device;

means for determining a vendor name and a model name of the monitored device from the information obtained from the monitored device;

means for determining, using the vendor name, a normalized vendor name of the monitored device; and

means for determining, using the normalized vendor name and the determined model name, a normalized model name of the monitored device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for determining the normalized vendor name comprises:

means for accessing a database that includes the determined vendor name stored in correspondence with the normalized vendor name.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for determining the normalized model name comprises:

means for accessing a database that includes the determined model name stored in correspondence with the normalized model name.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

means for accessing the monitored device using a second communication protocol to obtain a vendor name of the monitored device, wherein the vendor names obtained by the first and second communication protocols differ; and

means for accessing a database that includes the determined vendor names obtained by the first and second communication protocols stored in correspondence with the normalized vendor name.

21. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

means for accessing the monitored device using a second communication protocol to obtain a model name of the monitored device, wherein the model names obtained by the first and second communication protocols differ in one of capitalization, spacing, punctuation, and hyphenation; and

means for accessing a database that includes the determined model name and normalized vendor name obtained by the first and second communication protocols stored in correspondence with the normalized model name.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the database maps a plurality of different vendor names for the monitored device to the normalized vendor name.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the second database maps a plurality of different model names for the monitored device to the normalized model name.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for determining a normalized model name comprises:

means for creating a string including the normalized vendor name and the determined model name; and

means for determining whether the created string exists in a normalized model database.