JP2003030062A - Communication equipment and management server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide communication equipment capable of easily performing transmission/reception and management of management information, etc. SOLUTION: Data formattings of management information and command information to be transferred among a management server 1 and communication terminals 3 to 5 are performed in a structured document form. For example, data definition and format definition are distributed from the management server 1 to the respective communication terminals 3 to 5, various kinds of management information, etc., are described by using them. Thus, the data formats of pieces of the management information in the respective terminals 3 to 5 are unified. Consequently, when pieces of the management information are distributed from the management server 1, they can be transmitted in the same data format when they are transmitted to any of the communication terminals 3 to 5. In addition, even when pieces of the management information accumulated in the management server 1 from the respective communication terminals 3 to 5 are processed, a uniform processing is enabled and management of various kinds of management information is facilitated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication device connected to another device via a network and a management server for managing one or a plurality of communication devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a communication device has been developed in which a communication device such as a facsimile device is connected to a network such as a LAN and can be managed by another network device which is also connected to the network. Among such communication devices, for example, various settings for the communication device are performed from other network devices, communication history is transferred to the other network devices, and management information in the communication devices is exchanged with other network devices. Some have the function of transmitting and receiving between.

However, in the conventional communication device, communication with other network devices is performed by an original protocol, or a dedicated protocol is prepared according to the type of management information to be transmitted and received. Therefore, if multiple communication devices are connected to the network, communication must be performed using a protocol that is compatible with each model, which is an obstacle to centrally managing multiple communication devices. Was there. Further, even if the communication device is replaced with a different model, the protocol must be changed in the other network device, which is complicated.

In any case, the data format and the like also differ when the model of the communication device is different.
Therefore, for example, when collectively managing a plurality of communication devices, it is necessary to perform a process corresponding to each communication device. For this reason, the reality is that it is difficult to carry out integrated management.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is possible to easily manage a communication device and easily send and receive management information of the communication device. An object of the present invention is to provide a processable communication device and a management server.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a communication device, a storage device for storing management information in a structured document format, a network communication device for communicating with another device via a network, and the network. It is characterized by having a control means for transmitting / receiving the management information to / from another device through the communication means in the structured document format.

Further, the present invention is, in a communication device, a storage means for storing management information, a network communication means for communicating with another device via a network, and the management information to another device via the network communication means. Control for converting the management information read from the storage unit to a structured document format and transmitting the same and transmitting the management information in the structured document format received from another device and storing the management information in the storage unit. It is characterized by having means.

Further, the present invention provides, in a communication device, network communication means for communicating with another device via a network, and processing for receiving a command from the other device through the network communication means and performing processing according to the command. It has a control means for performing, and the control means receives a command described in a structured document format.

As described above, in the present invention, the structured document format management information and commands are transmitted and received between the communication device and another device. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the difference in the protocol due to the difference in the model of the communication device and the type of the management information, and to exchange data in the unified structured document format. Therefore, even in an environment where multiple communication devices of different models are connected, when communication devices are exchanged for different models, or when various types of management information are exchanged, the unified structured document format makes it easy. It is possible to manage the management information, and it is possible to easily perform the processing because the data format is unified.

As the management information, device setting information that regulates the operation of the communication device, history information of data transmission / reception, other information such as the name, telephone number, address, etc. of the other party of communication, Broadcast destination information, delivery destination at the time of reception, delivery setting information such as delivery information, and the like can be considered. Of course, other information may be transmitted / received as the management information.

Further, according to the present invention, in a management server for managing one or a plurality of such communication devices, network communication means for communicating with the communication devices via a network and management information of the communication means are managed. At the same time, it has a management means for transmitting / receiving the management information in a structured document format to / from the communication device via the network communication means.

The present invention further includes a network communication means for communicating with the communication device via a network in a management server for managing one or a plurality of communication devices,
It has a management means for managing processing in the communication means and for requesting processing to the communication means, and the management means requests processing to the communication means by a command in a structured document format. It is a thing.

With such a management server, it becomes possible to exchange management information, commands and the like with the above-mentioned communication device in a unified format called a structured document format. Moreover, since the data formats are unified, even when managing different communication devices, it is possible to manage them uniformly.

[0014]

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a communication system including an embodiment of a communication device and a management server of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a management server, 2 is a network, 3 to 5 are communication terminal devices, 11 is a network communication unit, 12 is a management unit, 31 is a network communication unit, and 32.
Is a control unit, and 33 is a storage unit. In the example of the communication system shown in FIG. 1, the management server 1 and a plurality of communication terminal devices 3 to
5 is communicably connected by the network 2. Of course, another management server or communication terminal device may be connected to the network 2, and the number of communication terminal devices may be less than three. Further, various other network devices may be connected to the network 2. The network 2 may be a public line or a dedicated line in addition to a LAN, and various forms such as wired or wireless are possible.

The management server 1 manages the communication terminal devices 3-5. In this example, the management server 1 is configured to include a network communication unit 11 and a management unit 12. The network communication unit 11 communicates with the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 or another network device via the network 2. The management unit 12 performs various managements on the communication terminal devices 3 to 5. Particularly here, each communication terminal device 3 to
5 manages the management information, sends the management information to each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 via the network communication unit 11, and manages the management information held by each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5. To receive. When transmitting / receiving the management information to / from the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, the management information is transmitted in a structured document format. Furthermore, the management unit 12 controls the communication terminal device 3
In (5) to (5), the information to be transmitted or output is managed, and such information is distributed. Then, the information to be transmitted or output in the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 is transferred to each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 and the transmission or output is instructed. The transmission or output instruction at this time can also be performed in the structured document format.

The communication terminal devices 3 to 5 are the communication devices of the present invention, and communicate with other communication terminal devices by using the network 2 or another public line or dedicated line (not shown). For example, it can be configured as a device having a function of performing facsimile communication using a public line. Information to be transmitted to another communication terminal device is received from the management server 1 or another network device via the network 2 or is acquired by a reading means such as a scanner (not shown) and transmitted. Information received from another communication terminal device may be recorded and output by a recording device such as a printer (not shown), or may be displayed and output on a display device, or may be displayed on the management server 1 or another network device via the network 2. Can be transferred. When receiving the information to be transmitted via the network 2 or transferring or delivering the received information via the network 2, the structured document format can be used.

The communication terminal devices 3 to 5 further communicate with the management server 1 via the network 2, and the management server 1
The management information is received from the management server 1 and the management information stored therein is transmitted to the management server 1. When transmitting / receiving the management information to / from the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, the management information is transmitted in a structured document format.

The communication terminal device 3 is provided with a network communication unit 31, a control unit 32, a storage unit 33 and the like.
The network communication unit 31 communicates with the management server 1, the communication terminal devices 4 and 5, or another network device via the network 2. For example, information to be transmitted to another communication terminal device or management information for the communication terminal device 3 is received and passed to the control unit 32, and information received from another communication terminal device or management information to be transferred to the management server 1 is transmitted. It is received from the control unit 32 and transferred.

The control section 32 controls the communication terminal device 3 as a whole and communicates with other communication terminal devices. At this time,
Various management information stored in the storage unit 33 is used. The communication history at that time is also stored in the storage unit 33 as management information. Further, the control unit 32 controls the network communication unit 31 to exchange information with the management server 1 on the network 2 and other network devices. For example, the management information sent from the management server 1 is received and various settings are made, or the management information stored in the storage unit 33 is read and transmitted to the management server 1. When the transfer is performed via the network 2, the control unit 32 has a function of interpreting the information in the structured document format because the transfer is performed in the structured document format. Further, when the information to be transmitted is not in the structured document format, the control unit 32 performs conversion processing to the structured document format. Similarly, when the data format used internally is not the structured document format, the process of converting the received structured document format information into the internal format is performed. For example, a send command and an output command can be received as information in a structured document format, and if the received information is a send command or an output command, these will be interpreted and each function will be executed. .

The storage unit 33 can store various kinds of information. In particular, the management information in the communication terminal device is stored. The management information may be stored as, for example, data in a structured document format, or may be stored in a format that is easily used internally. When the stored data format is not the structured document format, the control unit 32 performs conversion processing to the structured document format when transmitting the management information to the management server 1. Similarly, the management server 1
The management information sent from the control unit 32 is also converted into the internal format.

As with the communication terminal device 3, the communication terminal devices 4 and 5 are also provided with a communication unit 31, a control unit 32, a storage unit 33, etc., but the management information is transmitted and received at least via the network 2. It is assumed that the user has the ability to send and receive in a structured document format.

As described above, in the present invention, management information is transmitted and received at least between the management server 1 and the communication terminal devices 3-5. As the management information, the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 are used.
Information for performing various settings of the communication terminal device 3
There is communication history information, etc., that is accumulated when sending / receiving in ~ 5, specifically, ・ Communication history information, device setting information, destination information, distribution setting information, user information, device capability information, command information, etc. There is.

The communication history information is a record transmitted or received by the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, and is accumulated in the storage unit 33 each time communication is performed. The communication history information includes information regarding the communication result at each communication. By transferring this communication history information to the management server 1, the management server 1 can centrally manage the communication status in the communication terminal devices 3-5. Further, when the management server 1 distributes the information to be transmitted or output, it is possible to judge which communication terminal device to distribute to by using the information regarding the communication result and manage the distribution. Furthermore, various usages are conceivable, such as exchanging communication history information between communication terminal devices, for example, collecting communication history information in one communication terminal device.

The device setting information is information for making various settings in the communication terminal devices 3-5. For example, by sending the device setting information from the management server 1 to the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, the management server 1 side communicates with the communication terminal devices 3 to 5.
It is possible to control and manage the operations of ~ 5. Also, by exchanging the device setting information among the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, it becomes possible for each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 to operate in consideration of the settings of the other communication terminal devices.

The destination information is setting information relating to a destination when the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 communicate with each other, and includes, for example, a telephone directory or an address book including a telephone number, an electronic mail address and a destination name. . For example, it is possible to acquire a telephone number or an electronic mail address when receiving information from the destination information. Also, when you receive information,
It is possible to obtain further information about the other party by referring to the other party information based on the information about the other party acquired at the time of communication. This partner information can be created and updated in the management server 1 and transmitted to the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 for registration. Also, the other party information is exchanged between the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, and any one of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 is exchanged.
It can also be made available at.

The distribution setting information is information for setting the distribution destination of the received information. For example, when the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 perform distribution processing to other network devices connected to the network 2. Used for. This distribution setting information is managed by the management server 1, and the communication terminal devices 3-5
By registering and updating, it is possible to realize unified management of the delivery destination. Further, by exchanging this distribution setting information between the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, the same distribution process can be performed regardless of which communication terminal device 3 to 5 receives the information. .

The user information is information for identifying and managing a client, a group, a department or the like using the communication terminal device, and is often used when restricting the use or charging. . For example, when charging, user registration information is distributed from the management server 1 to each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, and communication history information including information of the user who has used the management server is distributed from each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5. 1 to the management server 1, the management server 1 can perform centralized charge management.

The device capability information is information for transmitting the capability of the own device to the other party when exchanging information with the management server 1 or another communication terminal device or another network device. Information such as capabilities, read and write capabilities, data formats that can be processed, etc. can be included. The other party can communicate within the range of the transmitted ability. For example, the management server 1 can acquire the device capability information from each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, and can distribute each process such as communication and output within the range of the capability of each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5.

As described above, various kinds of information set as described above or stored in the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 can be exchanged in a common structured document format. it can. In the past, all of these pieces of information had to be transmitted and received in different protocols and data formats for each communication terminal device and for each piece of information. In addition, there have been cases where communication is not possible because of different data formats and protocols. However, in the present invention, by exchanging information by using the structured document format as a common data format,
Various types of management and use as described above are possible.

Further, the command information when requesting various processes such as transmission and output of information to the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 or retrieval of received information can be made common by the structured document format. It is possible. For example, even when the management server 1 makes a request for transmission or output to the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, the request can be made with common command information. Further, even when exchanging information to be transmitted or output among the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, it is possible to easily excise by sharing the command information.

There are several formats of the structured document format used in the present invention. For example, XML or the like can be used. In the case of using XML, by transmitting the definition part regarding the tag or the like in the management information to be transmitted and received from the management server 1, the data format of the management information to be transmitted to each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 can be unified. Also, the management information received from each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 can be handled in a unified manner.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the management information described in XML. In the example shown in FIG. 2, a part of the above-mentioned partner information is shown. Tag "<record
The part sandwiched between ">" and "</ record>" is information about one destination, and includes telephone number, e-mail address, ID, destination name, group number information as well as serial number. The serial number is the tag "<numb
er> ”and“ </ number> ”,
Similarly, the telephone numbers are tags "<tel>" and "</ te
l> ”and the email address is the tag“ <mail> ”
And “</ mail>”, the ID is the tags “<id>” and “</ id>”, and the destination name is the tag “<name>”
And the group number is the tag "<g
group> ”and“ </ group>. ”In the example shown in FIG. 2, three pieces of destination information including these pieces of information are registered.

For example, by creating an XML document as shown in FIG. 2 in the management server 1 and transferring it to the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, the destination information can be added or updated. Of course, other management information and command information can be similarly described in XML and transmitted / received.

When using XML, the tag definition can be described arbitrarily. For example, various tags used in the example shown in FIG. 2 can be commonly used by describing their definitions. In the example shown in FIG. 2, “addr” is displayed in the fourth line.
ess. The file name of the definition file "dtd" is designated to make the data format common.

By distributing the description of such tag definition from the management server 1 to each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, for example, management information and the like using a common data format (tag) in all devices. Will be able to describe. Further, since the data format can be made common, information can be transferred to any device, and the information can be accurately recognized at the transfer destination. Further, for example, even when various types of information are accumulated in the management server 1 from each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, it is possible to perform uniform processing without depending on each communication terminal device, and management of information is very easy. Become.

Further, by using XML, the output format for outputting information can be made common. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the file name of the style file "address.xsl" is specified in the third line, but by sharing this style file, any communication terminal device 3-5
The same information can be output in the same format even when output by. For example, the management server 1 may deliver the style file to each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5. When interpreting and outputting the management information described in XML, each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 lays out and outputs each information by referring to the distributed style file.

Conventionally, the output format is determined by each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5, and in most cases, the output format also differs if the model is different. However, if the style format is distributed as described above, it is possible to output information from each of the communication terminal devices 3 to 5 by a unified output format regardless of the model.

The structured document format is not limited to XML, but SGML (Stan (Stan) which is the basis of XML is used.
DARD GENERALIZED MARKUP L
Angular) and ODA (Open Document)
nt Architecture and inter
A variety of structured document formats such as change format) can be used. In any case, various management information and command information can be shared as a structured document, and the information can be used by the uniformized processing. Also, the output format can be defined separately, and the difference in the output format depending on the model can be reduced.

[0039]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, various management information and command information are shared by the structured document format. This has the effect of facilitating the management of information.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a communication system including an embodiment of a communication device and a management server of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of management information described in XML.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Management server, 2 ... Network, 3-5 ... Communication terminal device, 11 ... Network communication part, 12 ... Management part, 31
... network communication unit, 32 ... control unit, 33 ... storage unit.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A management unit that stores management information in a structured document format, a network communication unit that communicates with another device via a network, and the management unit that communicates with another device via the network communication unit. A communication device comprising control means for transmitting and receiving information in a structured document format. 2. A storage unit for storing management information, a network communication unit for communicating with another device via a network, and the storage unit for transmitting the management information to another device via the network communication unit. A control means for converting the management information read from the means into a structured document format and transmitting the converted management information, and for converting the management information in the structured document format received from another device into the storage means. Communication device. 3. The management information according to claim 1, wherein the management information includes at least one of device setting information that defines an operation of the communication device and history information of transmission and reception of data. Communication device. 4. A network communication unit for communicating with another device via a network, and a control unit for receiving a command from the other device through the network communication unit and performing a process according to the command. The communication device, wherein the control means receives a command described in a structured document format. 5. A management server for managing one or a plurality of communication devices, the network communication means for communicating with the communication device via a network, and the network communication means for managing management information of the communication means. A management server, comprising management means for transmitting and receiving the management information in a structured document format to and from the communication device via the management server. 6. A management server for managing one or a plurality of communication devices, a network communication means for communicating with the communication device via a network, management of processing in the communication means, and a request for processing to the communication means. A management server, characterized in that it has a management means for performing the above, and the management means requests the communication means to perform processing by a command in a structured document format.