Patent ID: 8880653

Claim:
A computer implemented method of remotely monitoring a remote apparatus; wherein the remote apparatus is locally associated with a remote computing device, and wherein the remote computing device is connected, through an external network, to a file transfer server, and wherein the remote computing device is configured to upload files associated with the remote apparatus to the file transfer server through a file transfer protocol; the method comprising: initiating, from a computing system that is remote from the remote apparatus, a file transfer session with the file transfer server; identifying, on the file transfer server, a file associated with the remote apparatus, the file having been uploaded to the file transfer server by the remote computing device associated with the remote apparatus through a file transfer protocol; requesting transfer of the file from the file transfer server to the computing system through the file transfer protocol; downloading the file to the computing system through the file transfer protocol; and processing the file on the computing system to extract information associated with the remote apparatus; such that the remote apparatus is monitored, through files residing on the file transfer server, without requiring direct communication between the computing system and the remote computing device associated with the remote apparatus, and without processing of the contents of the files by the file transfer server.