Agent device, image-forming-device management system, image-forming-device management method, image-forming-device management program, and storage medium

An image-forming-device management system including an agent device connected with one or more image-forming devices in a local network having a firewall provided therein, as well as a management device carrying out remote management of the image-forming devices in the local network through the Internet, the agent device comprising:

• a command receiving unit inside the firewall starting connection with the management device outside the firewall and receiving a management command from the management device via the firewall, the management command being sent by the management device in response to said connection the management command including not only a management command sent to the agent device but also a management command sent to the one or more image forming devices;
• an image-forming-device communication unit receiving device-state information of a corresponding one of the image-forming devices for the management command received by the command receiving unit;
• and
• a command response transmitting unit inside the firewall transmitting the device-state information, received by the image-forming-device communication unit, to the management device outside the firewall through the Internet,
• wherein the image-forming-device communication unit transmits a device message to the corresponding image-forming device via the local network based on the received management command prior to the execution of the management command, and receives the device-state information from the corresponding image-forming device via the local network as a response to the device message after the execution of the management command, and the device-state information includes at least a setting of operation of the corresponding image-forming device.

An image-forming-device management method which uses an agent device connected with one or more image-forming devices in a local network having a firewall provided therein, as well as a management device carrying out remote management of the image-forming devices in the local network through the Internet, the image-forming-device management method comprising steps of:

• starting connection from a command receiving unit of the agent device inside the firewall with the management device outside the firewall;
• receiving a management command from the management device via the firewall, the management command being sent by the management device in response to said connection, the management command including not only a management command sent to the agent device but also a management command sent to the one or more image forming devices;
• receiving device-state information of a corresponding one of the one or more image-forming devices for the received management command;
• and
• transmitting inside the firewall the device-state information, received in the receiving step, to the management device outside the firewall through the Internet,
• wherein a device message is transmitted to the corresponding image-forming device via the local network by the agent device based on the received management command prior to execution of the management command, and the device-state information is received from the corresponding image-forming device via the local network by the agent device as a response to the device message after the execution of the management command, and wherein the device-state information includes at least a setting of operation of the corresponding image-forming device.

A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program embodied therein for causing a computer of an agent device to execute an image-forming-device management method which uses the agent device connected with one or more image-forming devices in a local network having a firewall provided therein, as well as a management device carrying out remote arrangement of the image-forming devices in the local network through the Internet, the method comprising steps of:

• starting connection from a command receiving unit of the agent device inside the firewall with the management device outside the firewall;
• receiving a management command from the management device via the firewall, the management command being sent by the management device in response to said connection, the management command including not only a management command sent to the agent device but also a management command sent to the one or more image forming devices;
• receiving device-state information of a corresponding one of the image-forming devices for the received management command;
• and
• transmitting inside the firewall the device-state information, received in the receiving step, to the management device outside the firewall through the Internet, and
• wherein a device message is transmitted to the corresponding image-forming device via the local network by the agent device based on the received management command prior to execution of the management command, and the device-state information is received from the corresponding image-forming device via the local network by the agent device as a response to the device message after the execution of the management command, and wherein the device-state information includes at least a setting of operation of the corresponding image-forming device.

An image-forming-device management system including an agent device connected with one or more image-forming devices in a local network having a firewall provided therein, as well as a management device carrying out remote management of the image-forming devices in the local network through the Internet, the management device comprising:

• a management application unit including a plurality of management applications each generating a management command which is a request sent to either the agent device or one of the image-forming devices;
• a request management unit registering the management commands generated by the management application unit;
• a request transmitting buffer storing the management commands registered by the request management unit;
• an agent-device communication unit inside the firewall reading one of the management commands from the request transmitting buffer in response to connection started by the agent device outside the firewall, transmitting the read management command to the agent device in the local network via the firewall, and receiving a command response from the agent device in response to the transmitted command;
• and
• a command response buffer storing the management command read by the agent-device communication unit, when transmitting inside the firewall the read management command to the agent device outside the firewall,
• wherein a device message is transmitted to the corresponding image-forming device via the local network by the agent device based on the received management command prior to execution of the management command, and device-state information is received from the corresponding image-forming device via the local network by the agent device as a response to the device message after the execution of the management command, and wherein the device-state information includes at least a setting of operation of the corresponding image-forming device, and wherein the management command including not only a management command sent to the agent device but also a management command sent to the one or more image forming devices.

An image-forming-device management method which uses an agent device connected with one or more image-forming devices in a local network having a firewall provided therein, as well as a management device carrying out remote management of the image-forming devices in the local network through the Internet, the method comprising steps of:

• generating a management command by each of a plurality of management applications in the management device, each of the management commands being a request sent to either the agent device or one of the image-forming devices;
• registering the generated management commands;
• storing the registered management commands into a request transmitting buffer;
• reading one of the management commands from the request transmitting buffer in response to connection started by the agent device;
• transmitting inside the firewall the read management command to the agent device outside the firewall in the local network via the firewall;
• receiving inside the firewall a command response from the agent device outside the firewall in response to the transmitted command;
• and
• storing the read management command into a command response buffer when transmitting the read management command to the agent device,
• wherein a device message is transmitted to the corresponding image-forming device via the local network by the agent device based on the received management command prior to execution of the management command, and the device-state information is received from the corresponding image-forming device via the local network by the agent device as a response to the device message after the execution of the management command, and wherein the device-state information includes at least a setting of operation of the corresponding image-forming device, and wherein the management command including not only a management command sent to the agent device but also a management command sent to the one or more image forming devices.

A management device which uses an agent device connected with one or more image-forming devices in a local network having a firewall provided therein, and carries out remote management of the image-forming devices in the local network through the Internet, the management device comprising:

• a management application unit including a plurality of management applications each generating a management command which is a request sent to either the agent device or one of the image-forming devices;
• a request management unit registering the management commands generated by the management application unit;
• a request transmitting buffer storing the management commands registered by the request management unit;
• an agent-device communication unit inside the firewall reading one of the management commands from the request transmitting buffer in response to connection started by the agent device outside the firewall, transmitting the read management command to the agent device in the local network via the firewall, and receiving a command response from the agent device in response to the transmitted command, the management command including not only a management command sent to the agent device but also a management command sent to the one or more image forming devices;
• and
• a command response buffer storing the management command read by the agent-device communication unit, when transmitting inside the firewall the read management command to the agent device outside the firewall,
• wherein a device message is transmitted to the corresponding image-forming device via the local network by the agent device based on the received management command prior to execution of the management command, and device-state information is received from the corresponding image-forming device via the local network by the agent device as a response to the device message after the execution of the management command, and wherein the device-state information includes at least a setting of operation of the corresponding image-forming device.

A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program embodied therein for causing a computer of a management device to execute an image-forming-device management method which uses an agent device connected with one or more image-forming devices in a local network having a firewall provided therein, in order to carry out remote management of the image forming devices in the local network through the Internet, the method comprising steps of:

• generating a management command by each of a plurality of management applications in the management device, each of the management commands being a request sent to either the agent device or one of the image-forming devices;
• registering the generated management commands;
• storing the registered management commands into a request transmitting buffer;
• reading one of the management commands from the request transmitting buffer in response to connection started by the agent device;
• transmitting inside the firewall a the read management command to the agent device outside the firewall in the local network via the firewall;
• receiving inside the firewall a command response from the agent device outside the firewall in response to the transmitted command;
• and
• storing the read management command into a command response buffer when transmitting the read management command to the agent device,
• wherein a device message is transmitted to the corresponding image-forming device via the local network by the agent device based on the received management command prior to execution of the management command, and device-state information is received from the corresponding image-forming device via the local network by the agent device as a response to the device message after the execution of the management command, and wherein the device-state information includes at least a setting of operation of the corresponding image-forming device, and wherein the management command including not only a management command sent to the agent device but also a management command sent to the one or more image forming devices.