Method and apparatus for simplified device data collection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10142495-B2
Application number	US-201715455869-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2017
Priority date	Mar 10, 2017
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A system and method for managed device data collection includes a data collector controller for control of monitoring activity of networked multifunction peripherals. A user interface includes a display rendering a plurality of processor rendered interactive user configuration screens. Displayed configuration screens solicit and receive corresponding user input. The configuring screens facilitate setting device user interaction including setting a network address, network connectivity testing, modification of device certificates, changing network settings, and a testing discovery, registration or data transfer mechanism for multifunction peripheral device data collection. A data storage stores user selection data received via rendered configuration screens and the processor outputs stored user selection data as configuration data for data collection from the multifunction peripherals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A data collector controller for control of monitoring activity of networked multifunction peripherals comprising:
a user interface including a display and a user input;
a memory including data corresponding to a plurality of interactive user configuration screens;
a processor configured to selectively render the configuration screens on the display and receive corresponding user input, the configuring screens setting device user interaction including,
a network address field configured to receive user supplied network address information,
a user selection option for commencing a network connectivity test,
a user selection option for specification of device certification certificates,
a user selection option for modification of device certification certificates,
a user selection option for modification of a device time zone,
a field for changing network settings, and
a user selection for testing discovery, registration or data transfer mechanism for multifunction peripheral device data collection; and

a data storage configured to store user selection data received via rendered configuration screens,
wherein the processor is further configured to output stored user selection data as configuration data for data collection from the multifunction peripherals.

2. The controller of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to render a configuration screen for user entry of general information data corresponding to a specified data collector.

3. The controller of claim 1 wherein the device-specific data includes a network address range for the multifunction peripherals.

4. The controller of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to render a configuration screen for user entry of address information to test collection capabilities of at least one of the multifunction peripherals.

5. The controller of claim 4 wherein tested collection capabilities include one or more of device discovery, device registration or device data transfer capabilities.

6. The controller of claim 5 wherein the processor is further configured to render a configuration screen for user entry of a location of a user-specified device certificate, and wherein the processor is further configured to retrieve the user-specified device certificate into the data storage.

7. The controller of 6 wherein the user-specified device certificate is used for configuring an SNMP data collector.

8. A method for controlling a data collector for monitoring of activity of networked multifunction peripherals comprising:
displaying a user interface on a display;
storing, in a memory, data corresponding to a plurality of interactive user configuration screens;
selectively rendering, via a processor, the configuration screens on the display;
receiving user input corresponding to the configuration screens including,
network address information entered via a network address field,
a user selection for commencing a network connectivity test,
a user selection for specification of device certification certificates,
a user selection for modification of device certification certificates,
a user selection for modification of a device time zone,
network settings entered into a network settings field, and
a user selection for testing discovery, registration or data transfer mechanism for multifunction peripheral device data collection;

storing user selection data received via rendered configuration screens in a data storage; and
outputting stored user selection data as configuration data to the data collector for data collection from the networked multifunction peripherals.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising rendering a configuration screen for user entry of general information data corresponding to a specified data collector.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the configurations data includes a network address range for the multifunction peripherals.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising rendering a configuration screen for user entry of address information to test collection capabilities of at least one of the multifunction peripherals.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein tested collection capabilities include one or more of device discovery, device registration or device data transfer capabilities.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising rendering a configuration screen for user entry of a location of a user-specified device certificate, the processor further configured for retrieving the user-specified device certificate into the data storage.

14. The method of 13 wherein the user-specified device certificate is used for configuring an SNMP data collector.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Shih Kevin
• Zhao Dehua

Classifications

• H04L41/0213

  Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP] · CPC title

• H04N1/00084

  Recovery or repair, e.g. self-repair · CPC title

• H04N1/00477

  Indicating status, e.g. of a job (for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N2201/3219) · CPC title

• H04L41/22

  comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title

• H04N2201/0094

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