Patent ID: 7337242

Claim:
A method of monitoring a printing device connected to a network by a monitoring device, comprising: storing an initial manufacturer and initial model of the printing device; realizing a location of the printing device within the network; updating in a first database the location of the printing device; querying the printing device for an identity of a manufacturer of the printing device; updating in the first database the manufacturer of the printing device, if the querying for the identity of the manufacturer of the printing device is successful, the updating includes replacing the initial manufacturer with the manufacturer supplied by the printing device; querying the printing device, utilizing the identity of the manufacturer of the printing device, for the identity of a model of the printing device, if the querying of the printing device for the identity of the manufacturer of the printing device is successful; updating in the first database the identity of the model of the printing device, if the query for the identity of the model of the printing device is successful, the updating includes replacing the initial model with the model supplied by the printing device; establishing a communication means for the printing device according to information stored in the first database after updating the manufacturer and model of the printing device; and sending the updated information to a second monitoring device via internet electronic mail.