Device model agent
View Patent ↗The Device Model Agent (DMA), the device side technology module in Device Centric Services (DCS) system, is the main focus of this invention. DMA is a thin, efficient applications/services execution environment. DMA provides an embedded services platform for enabling system management applications and services. This allows a flexible, extensible, dynamic services management module allowing networked services to be designed, added, and managed within the system without modifications to devices, DCS system, or DMA itself. While this invention specifically describes the integration of benefits from DMA into document system devices, the concepts are equally applicable in other domains. The DMA runtime environment is a thin software interface layer that resides on a document system device between the Java runtime environment and embedded web server.
1. A distributed printing system including an asset managing system comprising printing device management and service applications, a services host system including printing device subscribable service applications, and a plurality of printing devices wherein the asset managing system, service host system and plurality of printing devices are in network communication, and further including:
a common device model agent (DMA) module disposed within each of the printing devices, the DMAs including:
a common application programming interface;
a first DMA application for monitoring printing device events and prescribing corresponding actions;
a second DMA application for performing dynamic updates of executable printing device services including adding new service code that can be selectively subscribed to by the printing devices and selectively initiated by the printing devices; and,
a service manager application for selectively executing the first and second DMA applications and facilitating interactive communication with the asset managing system and services host system,
wherein the DMA modules are configured to provide printing device active participation in the printing device subscribable service applications by receiving service component subscription information selectively provided by a user, requesting activation of a user selected service during a scheduled check in with the asset managing system, the asset managing system is configured to communicate the DMA requested activation of a service to the services host system, the services host system is configured to determine the eligibility of the DMA requested activation of a service based on the subscription information selectively provided by the user and notify the asset managing system of the eligibility determination, the DMA module is configured to receive eligibility notification for the DMA requested activation of a service from the asset managing system during the scheduled check in with the asset managing system and download the requested service code from the service host system if eligible, and the DMA module is configured to execute the service code using the common application programming interface.
2. The printing system of claim 1 wherein the service manager comprises a standards-based tool set common to a plurality of DMA modules respectively disposed in a plurality of printing devices within the distributed image processing system.
3. The printing system of claim 1 , wherein the DMA module comprises an infrastructure for printing device service applications independent of printing device resources.