Granted Patent B2

US 8,237,977 · App. 13/219,501 · Granted Aug 7, 2012

Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.

Abstract

Claims (20)

1. A system for maintaining imaging device (IDev) accounting data, said system comprising:

a) a primary accounting server (PAS), said PAS comprising;

i) a PAS sender for sending messages to an imaging device (IDev) and to a lightweight accounting back-up server (LABS);

ii) a PAS receiver for receiving messages from said IDev;

iii) an updater for updating a (primary IDev activity log (PIAL).

b) an imaging device (IDev), said IDev comprising;

i) an IDev sender for sending messages;

ii) an IDev receiver for receiving messages from said Primary server and said LABS; and

c) at least one LABS in communication with said IDev, said LABS comprising;

i) a LABS receiver for receiving messages and data from said IDev and from said PAS; and

ii) a LABS sender for sending messages to said IDev and to said PAS;

d) wherein said IDev sends a record of its activity to said PAS when said PAS is available and said PAS maintains a primary IDev activity log (PIAL) when said PAS is available;

e) wherein said IDev sends a record of its activity to said LABS when said PAS is not available and said LABs maintains a temporary IDev activity log (TIAL) when said PAS is not available; and

f) wherein said PAS updates said PIAL with said TIAL data after a period of unavailability.

2. A system as described in claim 1 wherein said LABS is an application running on a remote computing device in communication with said IDev and said PAS.

3. A system as described in claim 1 wherein said IDev further comprises a list of said at least one LABS.

4. A system as described in claim 1 wherein said at least one LABS comprises a plurality of LABS accessible in a sequential order thereby forming a multiple redundant back-up server system.

5. A system as described in claim 1 wherein PAS sends an update message to said IDev after a period of unavailability and, in response to said update message, said IDev renews sending a record of its activity to said PAS, requests said TIAL data from said LABS sends said TIAL data to said PAS.

6. A system as described in claim 1 wherein said PAS sends an update message to said LABS after a period of unavailability and, in response to said update message, said LABS sends said TIAL data to said PAS.

7. A system as described in claim 1 further comprising an accounting application for reporting said PIAL data to a user.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (8)