Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Chiu Ming Man

Rakesh Mahajan

George A Sanchez

Mark S Hildreth

The method generates and displays an adaptive graphical user interface of a current configuration and current capabilities of a networked peripheral device connected to a local area network. The method includes the steps of requesting from a user's work station a current configuration and current capabilities of a networked peripheral device, transmitting, in response to the request, an interrogation command to the networked peripheral device over the local area network, and receiving, from the networked peripheral device, information corresponding to a current configuration and capabilities of the networked peripheral device. The method further includes retrieving peripheral device configuration and capabilities from libraries based on the received information and generating a graphical user interface using data within the retrieved libraries, and displaying a graphical user interface including a representative graphical image of the networked peripheral device in its current configuration and with its current capabilities.

Adaptive graphical user interface for a network peripheral

A protocol independent method of transmitting a data packet from a first application program executing on a first device which is interfaced to a LAN to a second application program executing on a second device which is interfaced to the LAN. A protocol independent interface (PII) program is initialized which determines which protocols are available for use, assigns an access line to each protocol that is available for use, assigns an access ID to the first application program, and creates mapping information that indicates a one-to-one correspondence between an access ID/access line pair and a block of protocol specific information which includes a protocol header having predetermined address data. A data packet is sent to the PII program together with the access ID of the first application program and a destination ID for the second application program, and one of the available protocols is selected to transmit the data packet. A block of protocol specific information is retrieved from the mapping information based on the access ID of the first application program and the access line corresponding to the selected protocol, and a transmission packet is formed which includes the data packet, the destination ID, and the retrieved block of protocol specific information. The transmission packet is then transmitted via the LAN.

Growing community of inventors

Anaheim, CA, United States of America

Chiu Ming Man