Patent ID: 8204997

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of reporting event data of an apparatus to at least one predetermined remote computer, comprising: obtaining the event data of the apparatus by monitoring events associated with internal state changes, monitored by a plurality of applications and within the apparatus, and monitoring user interaction with at least one application executed by the apparatus, the monitoring occurring independently of communications from the predetermined remote computer; selecting, by a monitoring system of the apparatus, at least one combination of one of a plurality of Internet application layer protocols including at least two different ones of Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which are supported by the apparatus, and a data format to transfer a message based on a protocol selection command from an application configured to monitor an internal state change, or selecting a default Internet application layer and data format setting; and when the at least one combination is selected in the selecting step, determining the validity of each of the selected at least one combination, generating a message that includes the obtained event data of the apparatus for each different data format of the selected at least one combination determined to be valid in the determining step, wherein the generating step is performed in response to the internal state change within the apparatus, and the obtained event data includes an indication of a problem within the apparatus and the monitored user interaction with the at least one application executed by the apparatus, and sending, by a communication unit of the apparatus, each generated message via the corresponding Internet application layer protocol of the selected at least one combination determined to be valid in the determining step, when the internal state change occurs in the apparatus, wherein the selecting step comprises selecting at least two combinations of one of the plurality of Internet application layer protocols and a data format based on a protocol selection command received from a respective one of the plurality of applications.