Apparatus for and method of updating a device driver from a local resource

Abstract

A handheld portable maintenance terminal includes an Infrared transceiver for establishing a wireless communications link with a peripheral device such as a printer. The portable maintenance terminal uploads diagnostic results, activity reports, device status indicators, and other data from the peripheral device over the IR links, and downloads software updates and diagnostic routine to the peripheral. The terminal includes a display providing information about the suite of peripherals installed at a particular location including a map display indicating peripheral status and proposed “minimum walk” for efficiently visiting and servicing the peripheral devices.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A printer comprising: 
 an enclosure;    a transceiver attached to said enclosure, said transceiver configured and oriented to establish a wireless communication channel with a remote unit;    a print engine mounted in said enclosure and having a printer interface including a connector configured to terminate a printer cable connecting the printer to a remote computer; and    a controller configured to (i) control said print engine in response to a print signal received at said connector, and (ii) connect to the remote unit via said wireless communication channel to download software from the remote unit and provide maintenance data to the remote unit.    
     
     
         2 . The printer of  claim 1  wherein said transceiver includes an infrared emitter and detector.  
     
     
         3 . The printer of  claim 1  wherein said printer interface is one of a parallel and serial printer port connection.  
     
     
         4 . The printer of  claim 1  wherein said maintenance data provided by said controller to said remote unit includes one of (i) printer serial number, (ii) firmware version, (iii) RAM status, (iv) toner level, (v) pages printed, and (vi) error codes.  
     
     
         5 . The printer of  claim 1  further comprising a direct current power source connected to supply power to both said transceiver and said controller.  
     
     
         6 . The printer of  claim 1  wherein said transceiver is configured to implement an IrDA protocol.  
     
     
         7 . A handheld device for obtaining maintenance data from, and downloading software to, each of a plurality of peripheral devices, the handheld device comprising: 
 an enclosure configured to be handheld;    a transceiver configured to establish bidirectional wireless communications with said peripheral devices;    a display;    a memory; and    a processor mounted in said enclosure and configured to:    (i) download from a remote maintenance terminal, into said memory, software used by each of the plurality peripheral devices;    (ii) selectively establish a bidirectional data communications link with each of the plurality of peripheral devices;    (iii) upload, from each of the plurality of peripheral devices to said memory, maintenance data stored by said peripheral devices;    (iv) download, to selected ones of said peripheral devices, updated software from said memory; and    (v) upload from said memory to said remote maintenance terminal said maintenance data stored by said peripheral devices.    
     
     
         8 . The handheld device according to  claim 7  wherein said processor is further configured to determine, for each of said peripheral devices, proximate ones of said peripheral devices for which a maintenance activity is indicated and to cause said display to provide an indication thereof.  
     
     
         9 . The handheld device according to  claim 7  wherein said processor is further configured to generate a graphical representation of locations of said peripheral devices and said display provides a map display including said graphical representation.  
     
     
         10 . The handheld device according to  claim 9  wherein said processor is further configured to identify a present location of said handheld device on said map display.  
     
     
         11 . A method of determining a status of a plurality of dispersed, peripheral devices and updating software stored by said peripheral devices, comprising the steps of: 
 (i) positioning a handheld maintenance device proximate one of said peripheral devices;    (ii) establishing a bidirectional wireless communications link between said handheld maintenance device and said one peripheral device;    (iii) uploading, from said one peripheral device to said handheld maintenance device maintenance information concerning and stored by said one peripheral device;    (iv) selectively downloading, from said handheld maintenance device to said one peripheral device, software for execution by said one peripheral device;    (v) repositioning said handheld maintenance device proximate another one of said peripheral devices; and    (vi) repeating steps (ii) through (v).    
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein step (i) includes positioning an infrared transceiver on said handheld device into such optical alignment with an infrared transceiver of said one peripheral device to enable establishment of said wireless communications link therebetween.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  wherein step (ii) includes establishing an infrared link between said handheld maintenance device and said one peripheral device.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  wherein step (iii) includes transmission of an identify of said one peripheral device and an indication of a number of operations performed by said one peripheral device since a prior uploading operation had been performed.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11  wherein step (iv) includes determining a version of software being run by said one peripheral device, comparing said version with a version of said software for execution by said one peripheral device, and, in response to said step of comparing, performing step (iv).  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11  wherein step (v) includes transporting the handheld device between and among the peripheral devices.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising a step of determining a location of said handheld device in response to step (ii).  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising a step of displaying a map including a present position of said handheld device relative to a plurality of said peripheral devices.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising a step of indicating a location of a next one of said peripheral devices to be serviced.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising a step of providing an indication of ones of said peripheral devices reporting an error condition.