Abstract: A distributed data mining system and method for determining root cause of problems associated with a MFD cloud. The MFD cloud may be configured to include a fleet of networked MFDs within an enterprise firewall to perform data analytics in real time. High frequency data with describing the state of each MFD can be captured and stored locally in a file system (distributed or not). The high frequency data may be acquired at regular intervals and/or in response to a specific event with a much higher cadence and finer granularity than currently practiced. A distributed data mining module associated with the enterprise firewall may then continuously analyze the data stored within the cloud to identify actual, pending or, difficult to detect problems based on available computational cycles of idle MFDs in the network. The data associated with the problems may then be securely transmitted to a back-end unit to verify and propagate the results of the analysis of the problems more rapidly.

Abstract: A method and system for matching distributed users with distributed MFDs is disclosed, which incorporates a MFD cloud, a back end unit, and a client application. The MFD cloud is composed of a large number of geographically distributed MFDs and can be logically divided into a public cloud and a private cloud. The back end unit maintains a persistent state of each MFD associated with the MFD cloud. The client application permits the distributed users to submit a rendering job in association with a job criterion to the back end unit which responds with a sorted list of nearby available MFDs that meet the job criterion. The user can select a MFD from the list and turn-by-turn directions from a user's current location to the selected MFD can be provided for collecting the rendering job. The system data can be kept current by periodically sending a status associated with each MFD.

Abstract: A method and system for enabling automatic service sharing and custom user interface features in a fleet of multi-function devices. EIP (Extensible Interface Platform) services can be registered via a peer-to-peer discovery subsystem associated with a multi-function device grid infrastructure. EIP service registration information can be submitted and stored in the grid infrastructure. The multi-function devices can be equipped with an enterprise EIP client, which can query the discovery subsystem and apply a corporate policy. The discovery subsystem detects the optimal instance of the service based on loading and availability factors and then returns a reference with respect to the services that allows access to enhanced services. Such an approach enables a fleet of multi-function devices to dynamically discover EIP services and auto populate service options to provide increased capability, reduced complexity, and improved speed.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a system and method for automatically registering and de-registering custom application services across a fleet of multi-function document reproduction devices in an enterprise network. As described more fully herein, through an implementation of the present method, custom service solutions installed on one computer platform in the network can be automatically replicated and shared across a fleet of multi-function devices without requiring manual registration of the newly deployed service with each device. Registration makes the service user-selectable directly from the device's UI. Further, when a service goes off-line or otherwise becomes available, the service is automatically de-registered with devices whereon the service has been registered. A single instance of an application service can be rapidly replicated without manual intervention. The present system is scalable from a few nodes to many nodes as additional resources are brought online.