Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Network computer configuring – Reconfiguring
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-30
2001-05-22
Geckil, Mehmet B. (Department: 2152)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Network computer configuring
Reconfiguring
C709S220000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237032
ABSTRACT:
The present invention generally relates to software and firmware, i.e., software embedded on a system, and more particularly to software and firmware for restoring a network peripheral to a known state.
Modem computer peripherals can function as a fax machine, a telephone, a printer, a scanner, a copier, and/or other device. Peripheral vendors typically provide custom software that implements the features of the product. However, the custom software is typically written to communicate only with a single device over a local interface, such as a SCSI bus or a parallel port. While the local interface design may be simple, all known designs fail to address issues that occur when the peripheral is attached to a network.
A problem exists when the client's application cannot be relied upon to send reset sequences due to the client's loss of network connectivity. Loss of network connectivity can occur in several ways. For example, the client may lose a connection with the peripheral due to a time out in the application that terminates the client's connection when the user fails to send data to the peripheral for a certain period of time. Additionally, a physical connection between the client and the server may terminate due to a network cable connected between the client and the server being disconnected.
Another problem that exists with all known networked peripherals involves the ability to quickly recover from a communication error over a network, and can pose some unique circumstances. Networked scanning, for example, differs from the locally attached model since the peripheral is usually accessed by a multitude of users. Thus, a communication error caused by one user can adversely affect other users on the network. Additionally, since networked peripherals are usually centrally located away from the users, the users cannot readily discover that the peripheral is in a locked or hung state.
The hung state can occur when, for example, network conditions such as congestion cause scan connections to be dropped and scans to be aborted, without any guarantee that the scanner software has the opportunity to reset the scanner. Additionally, a hung state can occur when the client software abnormally terminates before it has reset the scanner. The scanner may suspend in the hung state if the peripheral is not properly reset before a communication channel between a server and the scanner is closed. A peripheral in a hung state requires the user to engage the peripheral to cycle power to the peripheral, i.e, turn the power off and on. If the user fails to perform a power cycle, the peripheral will remain in a hung state for that user and other users on the network.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved server apparatus which can prevent the peripheral from reaching the hung state when a scan job is aborted.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved server apparatus which can prevent the peripheral from reaching the hung state when the network connection terminates due to a time out period elapsing.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved server apparatus which can prevent the peripheral from reaching the hung state when the network connection is physically terminated.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description, in conjunction with the attached drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an improved apparatus in the form of software and firmware for supporting a scan peripheral over the network, which is adapted to provide a reset requirement so that the peripheral will not be inoperatively suspended for users on the network. It also involves a method for preventing a hung state of a peripheral, the peripheral being connected by a protocol channel through a server to a network, and the network having a client. For certain types of peripherals, e.g., scanner control language peripherals, the present invention sends a reset sequence to the peripheral and then checks for a data flow between the client and the peripheral during a check data time period. Additionally, one embodiment of the invention sends an unlock sequence to the peripheral after the check for data time period expires. Thereafter, it waits for an insurance time period to expire and then closes the protocol channel between the client and the peripheral, and also waits for a response from the peripheral.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5537626 (1996-07-01), Kraslavsky et al.
patent: 5784622 (1998-07-01), Kalwitz et al.
patent: 5933580 (1999-08-01), Uda et al.
patent: 6057930 (2000-05-01), Blossey et al.
patent: 6101555 (2000-08-01), Goshey et al.
Kumpf David A.
Scoville Dean L.
Geckil Mehmet B.
Hewlett--Packard Company
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