Information transmission system

• US 8,626,858 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2012
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Yoshida, Shigetaka, Kojima, Atsushi, Matsumoto, Hideto, Ohara, Kiyotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, KHANH Q
• Application Number:
  US13/407,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/240
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0784 Routing of error reports, e.g. with a specific transmission path or data flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/121 Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

In a printer connected to a network, email appended with link information is prepared for enabling an administrator to access information about the printer network terminal. The email is transmitted to the administrator terminal at a predetermined timing. Then, the administrator terminal accesses the information based on the link information appended to the email. As such, when a problem occurs in the printer, operations for resolving the problem can be quickly undertaken by the administrator.

Claims

1. A network terminal comprising:

a processor configured to function as;

an address storing unit configured to store a first mail address and a second mail address;

an email preparing unit configured to prepare a first email to be addressed to the first mail address, the first email having a first body including link information, the link information being for indicating information related to the network terminal, the email preparing unit being configured to prepare a second email to be addressed to the second mail address, the second email having a second body which is identical to the first body of the first email;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the first email to the first mail address and transmit the second email to the second email address, wherein the transmitting unit is configured to transmit the first email to a first user terminal having the first email address and transmit the second email to a second user terminal having the second email address;

a receiving unit configured to receive a first request from the first user terminal, the first request being transmitted from the first user terminal in response to receiving the first email which has been transmitted from the transmitting unit, and the first request requesting transmission of data of a control page to the first user terminal, the control page indicating the information related to the network terminal, and the receiving unit being configured to receive a second request from the second user terminal, the second request being transmitted from the second user terminal in response to receiving the second email which has been transmitted from the transmitting unit, and the second request requesting transmission of the data of the control page to the second user terminal; and

a providing unit configured to transmit the data of the control page to the first user terminal when the receiving unit receives the first request, and the providing unit being configured to transmit the data of the control page to the second user terminal when the receiving unit receives the second request.

2. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor further functions as:

a detecting unit configured to detect a problem occurring in the network terminal, wherein the email preparing unit prepares both of the first email and the second email when the detecting unit detects the problem.

3. The network terminal according to claim 2, wherein the detecting unit is configured to detect a plurality of the problems,

the address storing unit is configured to associate the first mail address with at least one of the plurality of problems and store the first mail address and the associated at least one of the plurality of problems, and associate the second mail address with at least one of the plurality of problems and store the second mail address and the associated at least one of the plurality of problems, and wherein

the email preparing unit prepares the first email and the second email when the detecting unit detects the problem which is associated with both of the first mail address and the second mail address.

4. The network terminal according to claim 2, wherein the email preparing unit is configured to prepare the first email and the second email, each of the first email and the second email including information related to the detected problem and the link information.

5. The network terminal according to claim 2, wherein the email preparing unit is configured to prepare the first email and the second email, each of the first email and the second email including the link information, the link information being for indicating information related to the problem.

6. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein the email preparing unit is configured to prepare the first email and the second email, each of the first email and the second email including terminal identifying information and the link information, the terminal identifying information being for identifying the network terminal.

7. A network terminal comprising:

an address storage unit configured to store a first mail address and a second mail address;

an email preparation unit configured to prepare a first email to be addressed to the first mail address, the first email having a first body including link information, the link information being for indicating information related to the network terminal, the email preparation unit being configured to prepare a second email to be addressed to the second mail address, the second email having a second body which is identical to the first body of the first email;

a transmission unit configured to transmit the first email to the first mail address and transmit the second email to the second email address, wherein the transmitting unit is configured to transmit the first email to a first user terminal having the first email address and transmit the second email to a second user terminal having the second email address;

a receiving unit configured to receive a first request from the first user terminal, the first request being transmitted from the first user terminal in response to receiving the first email which has been transmitted from the transmitting unit, and the first request requesting transmission of data of a control page to the first user terminal, the control page indicating the information related to the network terminal, and the receiving unit being configured to receive a second request from the second user terminal, the second request being transmitted from the second user terminal in response to receiving the second email which has been transmitted from the transmitting unit, and the second request requesting transmission of the data of the control page to the second user terminal; and

a providing unit configured to transmit the data of the control page to the first user terminal when the receiving unit receives the first request, and the providing unit being configured to transmit the data of the control page to the second user terminal when the receiving unit receives the second request.

8. The network terminal according to claim 7, further comprising a main unit configured to perform a predetermined function, wherein the information relates to the main unit.