초록 ▼

A multifunction peripheral includes a control portion, a LAN interface portion, and web servers. The web server manages information about components in the control portion, the user I/F portion, the printer, and the scanner. The web server manages information about components in the LAN interface po

A multifunction peripheral includes a control portion, a LAN interface portion, and web servers. The web server manages information about components in the control portion, the user I/F portion, the printer, and the scanner. The web server manages information about components in the LAN interface portion. The web servers are configured for mutual transmission. The web server is connected to a LAN through a network control portion. When information that is managed by the web server is requested from a terminal that is connected to the LAN, then the web server functions as a proxy server to transfer the requested input from the LAN to the web server and to transmit information transferred from the web server to the requestor.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A network terminal connected to a network, comprising: a plurality of process portions; a plurality of hardware resources and software resources governed by the plurality of process portions; and a plurality of web servers connected to form a web server network within the net

What is claimed is: 1. A network terminal connected to a network, comprising: a plurality of process portions; a plurality of hardware resources and software resources governed by the plurality of process portions; and a plurality of web servers connected to form a web server network within the network terminal, wherein each of the plurality of the web servers takes charge of at least one of the plurality of process portions, manages information available from the at least one of the plurality of process portions, stores location information to identify a location of the information, produces a web page based on the information managed by each of the plurality of web servers, and transmits a file representing the web page to a predetermined web server in the web server network, the file containing the information, wherein the predetermined web server comprises: a first determining unit that determines, if the predetermined web server receives a request from a requestor connected to the network for information available from a particular process portion in the plurality of process portions, whether or not the predetermined web server stores location information to identify a location of the requested information by the requestor; a first transmitting unit that produces, if the first determining unit determines that the predetermined web server stores the location information to identify the location of the requested information by the requestor, a web page containing the requested information identified by the location information and transmits a file representing the web page to the requestor; and a transferring unit that transfers, if the first determining unit determines that the predetermined web server does not store the location information to identify the location of the requested information by the requestor, the received request to another web server, other than the predetermined web server, in the web server network, wherein the another web server produces a web page containing the requested information to be transmitted in accordance with the request transferred from the predetermined web server and transmits a file representing the web page to the predetermined web server, and wherein the predetermined web server transmits the file transmitted from the another web server to requestor. 2. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of web servers includes means for gathering information available from at least one of the plurality of process portions and producing the web page containing gathered information, the file representing the web page being transmitted to the requestor when the request from the requestor is received. 3. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein the file is produced using hyper text markup language and transmitted to the requestor with HTTP. 4. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein at least the predetermined web server is connected to the network and the plurality of web servers are connected in series. 5. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein the web server network includes at least three web servers that are mutually connected to each other. 6. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein at least the predetermined web server in the plurality of web servers stores items of information that rest of the plurality of web servers manage. 7. The network terminal according to claim 6, wherein when the first determining unit determines that the predetermined web server does not store the location information to identify the location of the requested information by the requestor, the transferring unit identifies a target web server that manages the requested information based on the items of information that the rest of the plurality of web servers manage and transfers the request to the target web server. 8. The network terminal according to claim 6, wherein the each of the plurality of web servers advises the predetermined web server of added or removed items of information when an increase or a decrease in number of items of information subject to manage is detected. 9. The network terminal according to claim 6, wherein if the first determining unit determines that the predetermined web server does not store the location information, the first determining unit further determines based on the stored items of information whether or not the another web server that manages the requested information by the requester is available, and wherein the first transmitting unit transmits an error that the network terminal does not store the requested information, if the first determining unit determines that the another web server is not available, wherein the transferring unit transfers the received request to the another web server, if the first determining unit determines that the another web server is available. 10. The network terminal according to claim 6, wherein the another web server, to which the request is transferred by the predetermined web server, comprises: a second determining unit that determines whether or not the another web server stores location information to identify a location of the requested information by the requestor; and a second transmitting unit produces, if the second determining unit determines that the another web server stores the location information to identify the location of the requested information by the requester, a web page containing the requested information identified by the location information and transmits a file representing the web page to the predetermined web server; and transmits, if the second determining unit determines that the another web server does not store the location information to identify the location of the requested information by the requester, to the predetermined web server an error that the network terminal does not store the requested information, and wherein the predetermined web server transmits the file representing the web page and the error from the another web server to the requestor. 11. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein the particular web server provides, to the requestor, information about operation status of a designated process portion in the plurality of the process portions and information that the requestor is allowed to change operation conditions of the designated process portion. 12. The network terminal according to claim 11, wherein information about the operation conditions changed based on the information provided to the requestor is sent back to the designated process portion, so that the operation conditions of the designated process portion are changed. 13. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein the network terminal is a multifunction peripheral. 14. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein if the first determining unit determines that the predetermined web server does not store the location information, the first determining unit further determines that whether or not the predetermined web server is connected to the another web server in communication with each other, and wherein if the first determining unit determines that the predetermined web server is connected to the another web server, the transferring unit transfers the received request to the another web server; and if the first determining unit determines that the predetermined web server is not connected to the another web server, the first transmitting unit transmits to the requestor an error that the network terminal does not store the requested information. 15. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein the another web server, to which the request is transferred by the predetermined web server, comprises: a second determining unit that determines whether or not the another web server stores location information to identify a location of the requested information by the requestor; and a second transmitting unit produces, if the second determining unit determines that the another web server stores the location information to identify the location of the requested information by the requestor, a web page containing the requested information identified by the location information and transmits a file representing the web page to the predetermined web server; and transmits, if the second determining unit determines that the another web server does not store the location information to identify the location of the requested information by the requestor, to the predetermined web server an error that the network terminal does not store the requested information, wherein the predetermined web server transmits the file representing the web page and the error from the another web server to the requester. 16. The network terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a printing portion and a network interface as process portions, wherein one of the plurality of web server manages information for the network interface and one of rest of the plurality of web servers manages information for the printing portion. 17. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein a transmission protocol used for communication between the predetermined web server and the another web server is the same protocol used for communication between the predetermined web server and the requestor.