US 12,333,294 B2
Method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium of searching and displaying image forming apparatus
Liping Dong, Zhuhai (CN); Lujun Zhao, Zhuhai (CN); and Minghui Yang, Zhuhai (CN)
Assigned to Zhuhai Pantum Electronics Co., Ltd., Zhuhai (CN)
Filed by Zhuhai Pantum Electronics Co., Ltd., Zhuhai (CN)
Filed on Apr. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/297,337.
Claims priority of application No. 202210369024.9 (CN), filed on Apr. 8, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0325176 A1, Oct. 12, 2023
Int. Cl. G06F 8/65 (2018.01); G06F 3/12 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 8/65 (2013.01) [G06F 3/1203 (2013.01); G06F 3/123 (2013.01); G06F 3/1231 (2013.01); G06F 3/1236 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of searching and displaying an image forming apparatus, comprising:
discovering an image forming apparatuses for resource controlling by performing the steps of:
obtaining a first device feature information of image forming apparatus through a first searching method;
obtaining a second device feature information of image forming apparatus through a second searching method, wherein the second search method is a different searching algorithm from the first method and the first and second device feature information is at least one of: device name, IP, UUID, hostname, MAC address and user defined network identifier;
discovering a first image forming apparatus by determining that the first device feature information matches the second device feature information;
discovering an additional image forming apparatus by performing a third searching method having a different searching algorithm from the first and second methods;
determining that the additional image forming apparatus discovered through the third searching method and the first image forming apparatus discovered according to the matching result do not belong to the same network;
based on the discovery, ascertaining the network configuration associated with the first image forming apparatus and the additional image forming apparatus, wherein the first image forming apparatus is determined to be wireless based on the first image forming apparatus being connected to a network through a wireless network interface and the additional image forming apparatus is of a different type;
based on the network configuration of the first and additional image forming apparatuses, dynamically altering the appearance and performance of an associated guide icon for driver installation for each image forming apparatus, wherein the guide icon of the driver installation of the first image forming apparatus includes a driver installation mode configured to the connection mode corresponding to the network configuration of the first image forming apparatus and the guide icon is configurable to a USB connection configuration protocol, a wired network connection configuration protocol, and a wireless network connection configuration protocol; and
invoking the guide icon for the first and additional image forming apparatuses, wherein the invocation performs the steps of executing on the discovered image forming apparatus a network configuration operation and/or a driver installation operation associated with first and additional image forming apparatuses.