| US 7,542,158 B2 | ||
| Image forming apparatus | ||
| Masaaki Ogura, Kanagawa (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Apr. 21, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/419,192. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2002-118849 (JP), filed on Apr. 22, 2002; and application No. 2003-109350 (JP), filed on Apr. 14, 2003. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2004/0001222 A1, Jan. 01, 2004 | ||
| Int. Cl. G06F 3/12 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 358—1.15 [358/400; 358/1.16; 358/1.18; 358/406; 358/426.02; 709/220; 709/224] | 18 Claims |
| 1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a memory device;
an image forming device;
an input device which directs operations to the image forming device;
a communication part configured to communicate with external apparatuses;
a managed object specifying part configured to specify managed object apparatuses that are managed by the image forming apparatus
through the communication part;
an apparatus correspondence communication condition acquiring part configured to receive via said communication part information
regarding communication conditions corresponding to the managed object apparatuses which the managed object specifying part
specified, and configured to store in the memory device the received information regarding communication conditions by relating
to identification information of the managed object apparatuses;
an apparatus monitoring part configured to refer to the communication conditions stored in said memory device on an individual
managed object apparatus basis so as to acquire state information via said communication part on an individual managed object
apparatus basis, and configured to store the acquired state information in said memory device; and
an information providing part configured to provide to external apparatuses through the communication part the state information
of each managed object apparatus stored in said memory device; and
wherein the managed object specifying part is arranged to specify information regarding communication conditions corresponding
to the managed object apparatuses which includes information regarding a protocol used for acquiring the state information
from the managed object apparatuses or information regarding a data format of the state information to be acquired.
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