Operation performing system capable of grasping performance status

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9386170-B2
Application number	US-201514645502-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2015
Priority date	Mar 31, 2014
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

An operation performing system, comprising: a device; a service providing server for providing a service that causes the device to perform an operation; and a relay server for relaying between the service providing server and the device, wherein the device and the relay server are connected in a server-push enabled state, wherein the service providing server executes a first command-transmission processing for transmitting performance command for commanding performance of the operation, wherein the relay server executes a second command-transmission processing for transmitting, in the server-push enabled state, the performance command to the device, wherein the device executes a first status-transmission processing for transmitting, to the relay server, status information indicative of a status of the operation under performance, and wherein the relay server executes a second storage processing for storing in, the first storage, the status information in association with the service identifying information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An operation performing system, comprising: a device connected to the Internet via a router and capable of performing a certain operation; a service providing server on the Internet configured to provide a service that causes the device to perform the operation; and a relay server having a first storage and configured to relay between the service providing server and the device,
wherein the device and the relay server are connected in a server-push enabled state in which the relay server transmits information generated on the Internet to the device via the router by use of a communication protocol and the device subsequently receives the information transmitted from the relay server,
wherein the service providing server is configured to execute a first command-transmission processing for transmitting a performance command that commands performance of the certain operation and that includes specific information for identifying operation information representing the operation to be performed by the device,
wherein the relay server is configured to execute
a first reception processing for receiving the performance command transmitted from the service providing server,
a second command-transmission processing for transmitting, in the server-push enabled state, the received performance command including the specific information to the device by use of the communication protocol, and
a first storage processing for storing, in the first storage, service identifying information that identifies the service providing server, in response to reception of the performance command transmitted from the service providing server,

wherein the device is configured to execute processings comprising
a second reception processing for receiving the performance command transmitted from the relay server in the server-push enabled state,
an acquiring processing for acquiring the operation information identified by the specific information included in the received performance command,
an operation performing processing for performing the operation referring to the acquired operation information, and
a first status-transmission processing for transmitting, to the relay server, status information indicative of a status of the operation that is being performed in the operation performing processing, when timing to transmit the status information comes during performance of the operation, and

wherein the relay server is configured to execute
a third reception processing for receiving the status information transmitted from the device,
a second storage processing for storing in, the first storage, the received status information in association with the service identifying information, and
a second status-transmission processing for transmitting, to the service providing server that is associated with the status information, the status information stored in the first storage in the second storage processing and not yet transmitted to the service providing server;

wherein the device has a nonvolatile second storage,
wherein the device is configured to execute a third storage processing for storing, in the second storage, the status information indicative of the status of the operation that is being performed in the operation performing processing, every time when timing to store the status information in the second storage comes during performance of the operation, and
wherein, in the first status-transmission processing executed by the device, where not-yet-transmitted status information is stored in the second storage, notification information is transmitted to the relay server, together with the not-yet-transmitted status information, in response to switching of the power source of the device from off to on.

2. The operation performing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the third storage processing executed by the device, in response to completion of performance of the operation in the operation performing processing with respect to one of a plurality of portions included in the operation information, the status information indicative of the number of portions included in the operation information with respect to which the operation has completed is stored in the second storage, and
wherein, in the first status-transmission processing executed by the device,
(a) in response to initiation of performance of the operation with respect to the operation information in the operation performing processing, the status information indicative of the initiation is transmitted to the relay server,
(b) in response to completion of performance of the operation with respect to an entirety of the operation information in the operation performing processing, the status information indicative of the completion is transmitted to the relay server, together with the status information stored in the second storage and indicative of the number of portions included in the operation information with respect to which the operation has completed, and
(c) where the status information indicative of the number of portions with respect to which the operation has completed is stored in the second storage, the notification information is transmitted to the relay server, in response to switching of the power source of the device from on to off, and

wherein the device is configured to execute a delete processing for deleting the transmitted status information indicative of the completion.

3. The operation performing system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the performance command is information including a plurality of pieces of the specific information for a plurality of pieces of the operation information and commanding sequential performance of operations respectively referring to the plurality of pieces of the operation information, and
wherein, in the first status-transmission processing executed by the device,
(a) in response to initiation of performance of the operation in the operation performing processing with respect to the operation information identified by one of the plurality of pieces of the specific information included in the performance command, the status information indicative of the initiation is transmitted to the relay server,
(b) in response to completion of performance of the operation in the operation performing processing with respect to the operation information identified by the one of the plurality of pieces of the specific information included in the performance command, the status information indicative of the completion is transmitted to the relay server, together with the status information stored in the second storage and indicative of the number of portions included in the operation information with respect to which the operation has completed
(c) in response to completion of performance of the operations in the operation performing processing with respect to all of the plurality of pieces of the operation information identified by the respective plurality of pieces of the specific information included in the performance command, the status information indicating that an entirety of the operation commanded by the performance command have been completed is transmitted to the relay server, together with the status information stored in the second storage and indicative of the number of portions included in the operation information with respect to which the operation has completed, and
(d) where the status information indicative of the number of portions with respect to which the operation has completed is stored in the second storage, the notification information is transmitted to the relay server, in response to switching of the power source of the device from on to off.

4. The operation performing system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the performance command is information including a plurality of pieces of

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Nagasaki Takeshi

Classifications

• G06F3/1259

  Print job monitoring, e.g. job status · CPC title

• G06F3/1207

  resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission · CPC title

• H04N1/32566

  at the transmitter or at the receiver · CPC title

• H04N1/00244 Primary

  with a server, e.g. an internet server (fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324) · CPC title

• G06F3/1288

  in client-server-printer device configuration · CPC title