The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 02, 2008
Filed:
Jun. 02, 2006
Hideo Ikeno, Yokohama, JP;
Hisashi Nakamoto, Yokohama, JP;
Hideo Ikeno, Yokohama, JP;
Hisashi Nakamoto, Yokohama, JP;
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A centralized monitoring system for managing maintenance information of an image forming apparatus has a database for registering a device identifier, to identify a device including an image forming apparatus or a local monitoring apparatus that goes between said image forming apparatus and a server system, as master information. The centralized monitoring system obtains the device identifier communicated from the device. In response to the obtaining of the device identifier, the centralized monitoring system responds to the notifying device to communicate the maintenance information indicating an operating status of the image forming apparatus, even if the obtained device identifier is not registered in the database. Then, if it is determined that the obtained device identifier is not registered in the database, the centralized monitoring system determines whether the device identifier is registered in the database or not.