System for modifying a set of application services on multi-function print devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10075612-B2
Application number	US-201715400843-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2017
Priority date	Jan 6, 2017
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A multi-function print server administration service implemented on a server computer receives a request, by a user associated with either a vendor-administrator user account or a system administrator account, to modify a first set of one or more application services enabled on one or more multi-function print devices associated with the vendor-administrator user account. In response to receiving the requests, the multi-function print server generates a modified first set of one or more application services, which implements a modification to the one or more application services based on the received request to modify the first set of one or more application services. The multi-function print server administration service enables the modified first set of one or more application services on the one or more multi-function print devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for providing an improvement in modifying categories of application services that are currently implemented on multi-function peripherals (MFPs), the apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more memories storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:
a server administration service executing on a server computer causing to be displayed on a client device, via one or more networks, a graphical user interface that includes:
a) a virtual MFP display area that represents a display of a plurality of MFPs associated with a vendor-administrator user account, wherein the virtual MFP display area includes a set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs associated with the vendor-administrator user account, and
b) an available application services area that includes one or more available application services that are not currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs, but that are available for implementation on the plurality of MFPs;
wherein application services may be added to, or removed from, the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs by a move action;

the server administration service, executing on the server computer, receiving from the client device via the one or more networks, a request to modify the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs associated with the vendor-administrator user account, wherein the request to modify the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs associated with the vendor-administrator user account is one or more of:
a) a request to disable a particular application service from the set of two or more categories of application services by a move action that selects the particular application service from the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs and moves the particular application service from the virtual MFP display area to the available application services area, which signifies that the particular application service is no longer part of the two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the one or more devices, or
b) a request to add a particular application service to the set of two or more categories of application services by a move action that selects the particular application service from the available application services area and moves the particular application service to the virtual MFP display area, which signifies that the particular application service is now part of the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs;

wherein the request to modify the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs is generated by a user associated with the vendor-administrator user account;
the server administration service, in response to receiving from the client device via the one or more networks, the request to modify the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs:
generating a modified set of two or more categories of application services; and
causing the modified set of two or more categories of application services to be implemented on each MFP from the plurality of MFPs associated with the vendor-administrator user account by:
a) in response to the request to modify the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs associated with the vendor-administrator user account being a request to disable a particular application service from the set of two or more categories of application services, causing the particular application service to no longer be available on each MFP from the plurality of MFPs, or
b) in response to the request to modify the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs associated with the vendor-administrator user account being a request to add a particular application service to the set of two or more categories of application services, causing the particular application service to be implemented on each MFP from the plurality of MFPs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the request to modify the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs is a request to modify an order of the categories of application service within the set of two or more categories of application services that selects a particular category of application services from a particular location in the virtual MFP display area and moves the particular category of application services to another location within the virtual MFP display area which changes the order of the categories of application services in the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs; and
the server administration service, in response to the request to modify the order of the categories of application service within the set of two or more categories of application services, causing the order of the categories of application services within the set of two or more categories of application services to be changed on each MFP from the plurality of MFPs.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the request to modify the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs is a request to delete a particular category of application services from the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs; and
the server administration service causing, via the one or more networks, the modified first set of two or more categories of application services to be implemented on the one or more devices includes causing the particular category of application services to no longer be available on each MFP from the plurality of MFPs.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the request to modify the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs is a request to add a particular category of application services to the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs; and
the server administration service causing, via the one or more networks, the modified first set of two or more categories of application services to be implemented on the one or more devices includes causing the particular category of application services to be available on each MFP from the plurality of MFPs.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more memories storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, further cause:
an MFP server application service, executing on the server computer, receiving a service request for a particular endpoint associated with a particular application service from the set of two or more categories of application services that are currently implemented on the plurality of MFPs associated with the vendor-administrator user account;
wherein the service request for the particular endpoint associated with the particular application service, is generated by a user initiating the service request from a particular MFP of the plurality of MFPs associated with the vendor-administrator user account;
the MFP server application service, in response to receiving the service request for

Assignees

• Nuggehalli Jayasimha
• Nadkarni Bhushan
• Narasimhan Srikrishna
• Lu Zhenyu
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nuggehalli Jayasimha
• Nadkarni Bhushan
• Narasimhan Srikrishna
• Lu Zhenyu

Classifications

• H04N1/32502 Primary

  in systems having a plurality of input or output devices · CPC title

• H04N1/00973

  from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal · CPC title

• H04N1/00204

  with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server (programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561) · CPC title

• H04N1/00344

  with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus (monitoring H04N1/00002) · CPC title

• H04N2201/0094

  Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception · CPC title