Method and apparatus for controlling and communicating with business office devices
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorTetsuro Motoyama
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling and communicating with business office devices, such as copiers, facsimiles and/or printers. The present invention communicates and controls various modules of business devices which allow an external device such as an operation panel to access the state of a target device, such as a copier, printer or facsimile. The operation panel can communicate with the target device and control the same target device. Also, a remote diagnostics station can provide remote diagnostics of the target device.
Claims41
A method of communicating between a business office device and a remote computer, comprising the steps of:
- storing static state data representing a characteristic of said office device which does not change over a life of the business office device;
- storing semi-static state data representing a characteristic of said business office which infrequently changes over a life of the business office device;
- storing dynamic state data representing a characteristic of the business office device which changes according to at least one of a mechanical and an electrical state of the business office device;
- transmitting the static state data from the business office device to the remote computer;
- transmitting the semi-static state data from the business office device to the remote computer;
- and
- transmitting the dynamic state data from the business office device to the remote computer.
A method according to claim. 1, wherein the step of transmitting the static state data comprises:
- transmitting the static state data which is a model identification of the business office device.
A method of communicating between a business office device and a remote computer, comprising the steps of:
- storing a plurality of types of static state data representing characteristics of said office device which do not change over a life of the business office device;
- transmitting the plurality of types of static state data from the business office device to the remote computer;
- and
- displaying the plurality of types of static state data at the remote computer.
A method of communicating between a printer and a computer, comprising the steps of:
- storing a model identification of the printer in the printer;
- initiating communication between the printer and the computer by the computer;
- transmitting the model identification of the printer from the printer to the computer;
- and
- receiving the model identification by the computer.
A method of communicating between a printer and a computer, comprising the steps of:
- storing a model identification of the printer in the printer;
- initiating communication between the printer and the computer by the printer;
- transmitting the model identification of the printer from the printer to the computer;
- and
- receiving the model identification by the computer.
A method of communicating between a copier and a remote computer, comprising the steps of:
- storing a model identification of the copier in the copier;
- initiating communication between the copier and the remote computer by the remote computer;
- transmitting the model identification of the copier from the copier to the remote computer;
- and
- receiving the model identification by the remote computer.
A method of communicating between a copier and a remote computer, comprising the steps of:
- storing a model identification of the copier in the copier;
- initiating communication between the copier and the remote computer by the copier;
- transmitting the model identification of the copier from the copier to the remote computer;
- and
- receiving the model identification by the remote computer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.