Locating and tracking missing or relocated devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10028087-B2
Application number	US-201615090510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2016
Priority date	Apr 4, 2016
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

Host terminals of a device management application (or other mobile application) are configured to obtain a missing devices list from a device management server, and to communicate, via short-range point-to-point communication with an output device, when the output device is within a short-range communication range threshold, to obtain a device identifier of the output device. The device management application compares the device identifier of the output device with device identifiers on the missing devices list, and when such comparison indicates that the output device corresponds to a missing device, marks the output device as a missing device in a tracked device record, and records an approximated location of the output device in the tracked device record. When connected to the device management server, the device management application transmits the tracked device record to the device management server.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile application for tracking relocated or missing output devices that provide printing or scanning services, the mobile application including one or more programs of instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by a processor of a host terminal to configure the host terminal to comprise:
a network communication module to communicate through a network interface of the host terminal with a device management server via a network, to obtain a missing devices list indicating for each missing device, manufacturer, device model and device identifier of the missing device, and store the missing devices list in a persistent local storage of the host terminal;
a short-range communication module to communicate by short-range point-to-point communication with an output device to obtain the device identifier of the output device, when the output device is within a short-range communication range threshold of the host terminal;
a device tracking module that stores a timestamp and the device identifier of the output device in a tracked device record when the output device is within the short-range communication range threshold of the host terminal, in the persistent local storage of the host terminal, compares the device identifier of the output device with the device identifier of each missing device on the missing devices list, and when the device tracking module determines that the output device corresponds to a missing device on the missing devices list, marks the output device as one of the missing devices in the tracked device record, and records an approximated location of the output device, from a position of the host terminal, in the tracked device record,
wherein the device tracking module transmits the tracked device record to the device management server, upon demand of, or by pushing to, the device management server.

2. The mobile application as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
when the device tracking module determines that the output device corresponds to a missing device on the missing devices list, the device tracking module records identifiers of other output devices within the short-range communication range threshold of the host terminal, in addition to the timestamp, in the tracked device record of the output device.

3. The mobile application as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
when the device tracking module determines that the output device corresponds to a missing device on the missing devices list, the device tracking module records (i) an identifier of a most-recently detected other output device or beacon device detected prior to detection of the missing output device, and (ii) a timestamp difference between the timestamp associated with detection of the missing output device and the timestamp associated with detection of the most-recently detected other output device or beacon device, in the tracked device record of the output device.

4. The mobile application as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the device tracking module tracks, and records in the tracked device record of the output device, the next N (N being a predetermined integer greater than zero) output devices detected through the short-range communication module after the device tracking module determines that the output device corresponds to a missing device on the missing devices list.

5. The mobile application as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
an application user interface to output to a user of the host terminal, when the device tracking module determines that the detected output device corresponds to a missing device on the missing devices list, an alert that the detected output device nearby corresponds to a missing device on the missing devices list.

6. The mobile application as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the application user interface permits the user of the host terminal to acknowledge receipt of the alert, and when receipt of the alert is acknowledged, the application user interface displays information including an image of the missing device and the approximated location of the detected output device.

7. The mobile application as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the application user interface (UI) provides a UI part permitting the user of the host terminal to confirm that the detected output device nearby is the missing device shown in the image.

8. The mobile application as claimed in claim 7 , wherein when the user of the host terminal operates the UI part to confirm that the detected output device nearby is the missing device shown in the image, the device tracking module transmits an immediate notification to an administrator to alert the administrator of the approximated location of the output device corresponding to a missing device on the missing devices list.

9. The mobile application as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the application user interface displays a message requesting the user of the host terminal to notify an administrator, based on specified contact information, of the output device corresponding to a missing device on the missing devices list.

10. The mobile application as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each time the mobile application connects to the device management server, the mobile application pushes tracked device records, if any, stored in the persistent local storage of the host terminal, to the device management server, and checks the device management server for updates to the missing devices list.

11. A device management system for tracking relocated or missing output devices that provide printing or scanning services, the system comprising:
a device management server that maintains a missing devices list indicating, for each missing device, manufacturer, device model and device identifier of the missing device; and
one or more host terminals, each host terminal hosting a mobile application including one or more programs of instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by a processor of the host terminal to configure the host terminal to comprise:
a network communication module to communicate through a network interface of the host terminal with the device management server via a network, to obtain the missing devices list from the device management server and store the missing devices list in a persistent local storage of the host terminal;
a short-range communication module to communicate by short-range point-to-point communication with an output device to obtain the device identifier of the output device, when the output device is within a short-range communication range threshold of the host terminal;
a device tracking module that stores a timestamp and the device identifier of the output device in a tracked device record when the output device is within the short-range communication range threshold of the host terminal, in the persistent local storage of the host terminal, compares the device identifier of the output device with the device identifier of each missing device on the missing devices list, and when the device tracking module determines that the output device corresponds to a missing device on the missing devices list, marks the output device as one of the missing devices in the tracked device record, and records an approximated location of the output device, from a position of the host terminal, in the tracked device record,
wherein the device tracking module transmits the tracked device record associated with the output device corresponding to a missing device on the missing devices list to the device management server, upon demand of, or by pushing to, the device management server.

12. The device management system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein eac

Assignees

• Haapanen Tom
• Cecile Matt
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Haapanen Tom
• Cecile Matt

Classifications

• H04W4/02 Primary

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• G08B13/2462

  Asset location systems combined with EAS (inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00) · CPC title

• H04W64/00

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title

• H04W8/005

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title