Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Revathi Vulugundam

Jayasimha Nuggehalli

Jiang Hong

Zhenyu Lu

Guiluan Luo

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for flexible presentation of Software As A Service (SAAS) applications to one or more client devices such as multi-function devices (e.g., MFPs). A management system receives presentation layout information for subscribed SAAS applications from users and administrators, generates a menu of subscribed SAAS applications for presentation to a user on a display of the client device, and transmits the menu to a client device for presentation to the user on a display of the client device. The management system may also provide for user/administrator customization of the menu of applications available to users, and for revocation of applications by an administrator of the management system.

Methods and apparatus for presentation of software as a service applications

Status information of one or more business office appliances operating behind a firewall are retrieved remotely by a service management application. The service management application transmits, via electronic mail from a first network behind a first firewall to a second network behind a second firewall, information that identifies the one or more business office appliances. A device management application at the second network receives the information and, based on the information, communicates instructions to one or more business office appliances. The instructions are executed on the one or more business office appliances without requiring re-boot of the business office appliances. Results of executing the instructions are used to generate a response document that is sent back to the service management application and/or to a database on the first network.

Method of causing functions to be executed on business office appliances

Software configuration and status information of one or more business office appliances operating behind a firewall are controlled remotely by a software patch management application. The software patch management application is connected to a network and transmits instructions and software patches via electronic mail to a network connection on the other side of the firewall. A device management application receives the instructions and/or software patches and communicates the instructions and/or software patches to one or more business office appliances for execution and/or installation without requiring re-boot of the business office appliances.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Revathi Vulugundam