WO2023075831A1

WO2023075831A1 - Onboarding of secondary device through primary device

Info

Publication number: WO2023075831A1
Application number: PCT/US2022/024350
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giwon SEO; Junghun Kim; Hyungjong Kang; Sangmi Kim; Minyoung Son; ByeongJu HWANG
Original assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Priority date: 2021-10-27
Filing date: 2022-04-12
Publication date: 2023-05-04
Also published as: KR20230060044A

Abstract

An example management device includes a communication unit to communicate with a server, a user interface unit to display a user interface to perform onboarding for registering device information with the server, a processor to control, through the server, an operation of a primary device, and a memory to store instructions executable by the processor. The processor, by executing the instructions, is to request the primary device to search for a secondary device, receive a selection of a secondary device based on a search result obtained from the primary device, and request the server, through the primary device, to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device.

Description

ONBOARDING OF SECONDARY DEVICE THROUGH PRIMARY DEVICE BACKGROUND

[0001] A user may remotely manage an external device by using a management program on a user's device. For example, the management program may be installed on the user's device. The user's device may remotely install a program on the external device or change a setting of the external device based on information input through the management program.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] Various examples will be described below by referring to the following figures.

[0003] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a process, performed by a primary device, of searching for a secondary device from a management device through a server, according to an example.

[0004] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a process, performed by a secondary device, of performing onboarding, as a management device controls an operation of a primary device through a server, according to an example.

[0005] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a management device, according to an example.

[0006] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an operation method of a management device, according to an example.

[0007] FIGS. 5Ato 5C are diagrams illustrating a user interface to request, from a management device, a primary device to search for a secondary device and display a search result, according to an example.

[0008] FIGS. 6A to 6C are diagrams illustrating a user interface to set a primary device from a management device, according to an example.

[0009] FIGS. 7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating a user interface to assign a secondary device to an account of a user of a management device and display an onboarding result, according to an example. [0010] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a server, according to an example.

[0011] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an operation method, performed by a server, of requesting a secondary device to perform onboarding through a primary device, according to an example.

[0012] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an operation method, performed by a server, of performing onboarding of a secondary device, according to an example.

[0013] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an operation method, performed by a server, of completing onboarding of a secondary device and transmitting an onboarding result to a management device, according to an example.

[0014] FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a primary device, according to an example.

[0015] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an operation method of a primary device, according to an example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Hereinafter, examples are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the examples may be implemented in various different forms and are not limited to the description herein.

[0017] A "management device" may refer to a device that may be used to manage an external device. On the management device, a management program used to manage the external device may be installed. For example, the management device may perform, through a server, at least one operation of remotely managing the external device, changing settings of the external device, installing an application on the external device, distributing settings data of the application, or the like based on information input from the management program. [0018] "Onboarding" may refer to a procedure of registering a device to provide at least one service of managing the device, changing the settings of the device, installing the application on the device, distributing the settings data of the application, or the like. In addition, the device may be connected to a network for onboarding to be performed.

[0019] A "primary device" may refer to a device for which onboarding has been completed, and a "secondary device" may refer to a device for which onboarding is to be performed or a device for which onboarding has not been completed. The primary device may search for a secondary device for which onboarding is to be performed. The primary device may receive a command or information from the server and guide an operation of the secondary device such that the secondary device performs onboarding. The primary device may receive, from the server, information used for the secondary device to perform onboarding, and transmit the information to the secondary device. The secondary device may request the server to perform onboarding based on the command or information received from the primary device. For example, the primary device and the secondary device may be image forming devices.

[0020] The primary device may transmit, to the secondary device, the information used for the secondary device to perform onboarding, such that the secondary device may directly perform onboarding. Since the secondary device directly requests the server to perform onboarding, communication between the server, the primary device, and the secondary device may be minimized.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a process, performed by a primary device, of searching for a secondary device from a management device through a server, according to an example.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 1 , a management device 100 may request a server 200 to search for a secondary device 400 in operation 101 . For example, the management device 100 may request, through the server 200, a primary device 300 to search for the secondary device 400. In an example, the secondary device 400 may be a device connected to a same network as the primary device 300.

[0023] In an example, the management device 100 may display a user interface to input a command for the primary device 300 to search for the secondary device 400. For example, the management device 100 may receive, through the user interface, an input to select the primary device 300 to search for the secondary device 400 and an input to request a search for the secondary device 400. Examples of a user interface to input a command for a primary device to search for a secondary device are described in more detail with reference to FIG. 5B.

[0024] In operation 102, the server 200 may request the primary device 300 to search for the secondary device 400. For example, upon receiving, from the management device 100, a search request for the secondary device 400, the server 200 may request the primary device 300 to search for the secondary device 400.

[0025] In operation 103, the primary device 300 may search for the secondary device 400 connected to a network of the primary device 300. For example, the primary device 300 may generate a list of secondary devices 400 based on a result of searching for the secondary device 400. In operation 104, the primary device 300 may transmit a search result regarding the secondary device 400 to the server 200. For example, the primary device 300 may transmit the list of secondary devices 400 to the server 200.

[0026] In operation 105, the server 200 may transmit the search result regarding the secondary device 400 to the management device 100. In an example, the management device 100 may display the search result regarding the secondary device 400. For example, the management device 100 may display the list of the secondary devices 400. Examples of a display of a search result are described in more detail with reference to FIG. 5C.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a process, performed by a secondary device, of performing onboarding, as a management device controls an operation of a primary device through a server, according to an example.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 2, the management device 100 may request the server 200 to perform onboarding of the secondary device 400 in operation 201 . For example, the management device 100 may receive an input to select the secondary device 400 to perform onboarding from among a plurality of secondary devices 400, based on a search result found by the primary device 300.

[0029] In operation 202, the server 200 may request the primary device 300 to perform onboarding of the secondary device 400. In addition, the server 200 may transmit user information of the management device 100 and authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the secondary device 400. [0030] In operation 203, the primary device 300 may request the secondary device 400 to perform onboarding of the secondary device 400. In addition, the primary device 300 may transmit, to the secondary device 400, the user information of the management device 100 and the authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the secondary device 400.

[0031] In an example, the primary device 300 may transmit the user information and the authentication information to the secondary device 400 in order to allow the secondary device 400 to directly perform onboarding. This process may be performed rather than performing onboarding of the secondary device 400 by separately receiving, from the secondary device 400, registration information used to register the secondary device 400 and transmitting the same to the management device 100 through the server 200. Therefore, even if a plurality of secondary devices 400, for which onboarding is to be performed by the management device 100, are selected, each of the plurality of secondary devices 400 may request the server 200 to perform onboarding so that a workload between the primary device 300 and the secondary devices 400 is reduced. That is, a bottleneck caused by the workload in the primary device 300 may be reduced. [0032] In operation 204, the secondary device 400 may request the server 200 to perform onboarding of the secondary device 400 based on the registration information of the secondary device 400 and the user information of the management device 100. For example, the registration information of the secondary device 400 may be obtained through an onboarding application installed on the secondary device 400. Since the secondary device 400 does not transmit the registration information of the secondary device 400 to the management device through the server 200 and the primary device 300, but obtains the registration information of the secondary device 400 through the onboarding application, a workload between the server 200 and the secondary device 400 or an onboarding completion time may be reduced.

[0033] In operation 205, the server 200 may complete onboarding of the secondary device 400 in response to an onboarding request with respect to the secondary device 400. For example, the server 200 may check whether the secondary device 400 is a device receiving the onboarding request, based on the authentication information. If it is confirmed that the secondary device 400 is a device receiving the onboarding request, the server 200 may identify the secondary device 400 based on the registration information of the secondary device 400. If the secondary device 400 is identified, the server 200 may complete onboarding of the secondary device 400.

[0034] In operation 206, the server 200 may transmit an onboarding result regarding the secondary device 400 to the management device 100.

[0035] For example, the management device 100 may display a user interface to assign the secondary device 400 to an account of a user of the management device 100. The management device 100 may receive, through the user interface, an input to assign the secondary device 400 to the account of the user. In an example, the management device 100 may display the onboarding result. For example, the management device 100 may display a result of assigning the secondary device 400 to the account of the user. Examples of a user interface to assign a secondary device and a display of an onboarding result are described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 7B and 7C.

[0036] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a management device, according to an example.

[0037] The management device 100 illustrated in FIG. 3 may control, through the server 200, an operation of the primary device 300. For example, the management device 100 may control the operation of the primary device 300 through the server 200 so that the primary device 300 may search for a secondary device, and onboarding of the secondary device 400 may be performed by the server 200.

[0038] For example, the management device 100 may transmit a command to a remote onboarding module of the primary device 300 to perform an operation required for remote onboarding. In addition, the management device 100 may obtain a result of searching for a secondary device from the primary device 300 and register the secondary device with the server 200.

[0039] The management device 100 may include a communication unit 310, a user interface unit 320, a memory 330, and a processor 340. However, the management device 100 may be implemented by more components than the illustrated components, and may also be implemented by fewer components than the illustrated components. Hereinafter, examples of the illustrated components of the management device 100 are described.

[0040] The communication unit 310 may include a communication module (e.g., a transceiver) to support one of various wired/wireless communication methods. For example, the communication module may be in the form of a chipset, or may be a sticker/barcode (e.g., a sticker including a near field communication (NFC) tag) including information used for communication. The communication module may also be a short-range communication module or a wired communication module.

[0041] For example, the communication unit 310 may support at least one of a wireless local area network (LAN), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct (WFD), Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), wired LAN, NFC, Zigbee infrared data association (IrDA), 3G, 4G, 5G, or the like.

[0042] The user interface unit 320 may include an input device to receive an input to control an operation of the management device 100, and an output device to output information such as a result of the operation of the management device 100, a state of the management device 100, or the like. For example, the user interface unit 320 may include an operation panel to receive a user input, a display panel to display a screen, and the like.

[0043] In an example, the input device may include a device capable of receiving various types of user input, such as a keyboard, a physical button, a touch screen, a camera, a microphone, or the like. The output device may include, for example, a display panel, a speaker, or the like. However, examples of the present disclosure are not limited thereto, and the user interface unit 320 may include a device to support various input/output.

[0044] The memory 330 may store machine readable instructions or a program. For example, the memory 330 may store instructions regarding an operation method of the management device 100 to control an operation of the primary device 300 through the server 200 such that a secondary device performs onboarding. [0045] The memory 330 may include at least one type of storage medium such as a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card-type memory (e.g., SD orXD memory, and the like), random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or the like.

[0046] The processor 340 may control an operation of the management device 100, and may include at least one processor such as a central processing unit (CPU). The processor 340 may include at least one processor specialized in each function, or may be an integrated processor.

[0047] The processor 340 may execute a program stored in the memory 330, read data or files stored in the memory 330, or store, in the memory 330, new data or files. By executing the instructions stored in the memory 330, the processor 340 may request the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device, receive a selection of a secondary device based on a search result obtained from the primary device 300, and request the server to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device.

[0048] The processor 340 may request, through the communication unit 310, the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device. The processor 340 may set the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device for which onboarding is to be performed.

[0049] The user interface unit 320 may display a user interface to set the primary device 300. The user interface unit 320 may display at least a list of devices selectable as the primary device 300. For example, a device selectable as the primary device 300 may be a device for which onboarding has been completed by the server 200. For example, the processor 340 may set as the primary device 300 at least one device from among devices for which onboarding has been completed by the server 200, based on information input through the user interface. For example, a secondary device may be a device connected to the primary device 300 through a network.

[0050] For example, the processor 340 may request, through the server 200, the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device. In an example, the communication unit 310 may transmit, to the server 200, a command for the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device. For example, the communication unit 310 may transmit, to the server 200, a command for a remote onboarding module in the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device. The server 200 may receive, from the management device 100, a command to search for a secondary device, and transmit, to the primary device 300, the command to search for a secondary device.

[0051] The processor 340 may obtain a search result regarding a secondary device found by the primary device 300. For example, the communication unit 310 may receive, through the server 200, the search result regarding a secondary device found by the primary device 300. For example, the search result may include a list of secondary devices. For example, the user interface unit 320 may display the list of secondary devices. For example, the user interface unit 320 may display information such as a model name, a serial number, whether remote onboarding is supported or not regarding the secondary device, or the like.

[0052] The processor 340 may receive a selection of the secondary device based on the search result obtained from the primary device 300, and request the server, through the primary device 300, to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device.

[0053] For example, the user interface unit 320 may receive an input to select a secondary device from the list of secondary devices. The processor 340 may request the primary device 300 to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device. In an example, the communication unit 310 may transmit, to the server 200, a command to request the primary device 300 to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device. The server 200 may receive, from the management device 100, a command to request onboarding of the selected secondary device, and may transmit, to the primary device 300, the command to request onboarding of the selected secondary device. The primary device 300 may request onboarding of the selected secondary device.

[0054] The processor 340 may request the primary device 300 to perform onboarding of a plurality of secondary devices, such that onboarding of the plurality of secondary devices selected based on the search result is performed. [0055] In a case where onboarding of the selected secondary device is completed, the user interface unit 320 may display an onboarding result regarding the selected secondary device. For example, the user interface unit 320 may display a result of assigning the selected secondary device to account information of a user of the management device 100.

[0056] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an operation method of a management device, according to an example.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 4, the management device 100 may request the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device in operation 410.

[0058] For example, the management device 100 may set the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device for which onboarding is to be performed. For example, the management device 100 may set, as the primary device 300, one of devices for which onboarding has been completed by the server 200. For example, a secondary device may be a device connected to a same network domain as the primary device 300.

[0059] For example, the management device 100 may request, through the server 200, the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device. In an example, the management device 100 may transmit, to the server 200, a command for the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device. The server 200 may receive, from the management device 100, a command to search for a secondary device, and transmit, to the primary device 300, the command to search for a secondary device.

[0060] In operation 420, the management device 100 may obtain, from the primary device 300, a search result regarding a secondary device. For example, the management device 100 may receive, from the primary device 300 through the server 200, the search result regarding a secondary device. For example, the search result may include a list of secondary devices. For example, the management device 100 may display the list of secondary devices.

[0061] In operation 430, the management device 100 may receive a selection of a secondary device, based on the search result. For example, the management device 100 may receive an input to select a secondary device from the list of secondary devices.

[0062] In operation 440, the management device 100 may request the server 200, through the primary device 300, to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device. For example, the management device 100 may transmit, to the server 200, a command to request onboarding of the selected secondary device. The server 200 may receive, from the management device 100, the command to request onboarding of the selected secondary device, and transmit, to the primary device 300, the command to request onboarding of the selected secondary device. The primary device 300 may request onboarding of the selected secondary device.

[0063] In operation 450, in a case where onboarding of the selected secondary device is completed, the management device 100 may display an onboarding result regarding the selected secondary device. For example, the management device 100 may display a result of assigning the selected secondary device to account information of a user of the management device 100.

[0064] FIGS. 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a user interface to request a primary device from a management device, to search for a secondary device and display a search result, according to an example.

[0065] The management device 100 may execute, through the server 200, a management program to remotely manage an external device. Referring to FIG. 5A, the management device 100 may display a list of user accounts of the management device 100. The management device 100 may receive an input to select a first account 510 from the list. The management device 100 may display, based on the first account 510, the user interface to remotely manage the external device.

[0066] For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, the management device 100 may display the user interface used for onboarding of a secondary device by using the primary device 300. For example, referring to FIG. 5B, in a case where an input to select an icon 520 that requests a search for a secondary device is received, the management device 100 may request the primary device 300, through the server 200, to search for a secondary device. [0067] The management device 100 may obtain, from the primary device 300 through the server 200, a search result regarding a secondary device. For example, referring to FIG. 5C, the management device 100 may display the search result regarding a secondary device from the primary device 300. For example, the management device 100 may display settings information 531 to search for secondary devices, the number of found secondary devices 532, and a list of found secondary devices 533. For example, the settings information 531 may include information such as the primary device 300 to search for secondary devices, and a state and search history of the primary device 300. For example, the list of found secondary devices 533 may include information such as model names and serial numbers of the secondary devices.

[0068] For example, the management device 100 may receive, from the list 533, an input to select a secondary device 534 for which onboarding is to be performed. As the input to select the secondary device 534 is received, the management device 100 may request the primary device 300 to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device 534, such that onboarding of the selected secondary device 534 is performed.

[0069] FIGS. 6A to 6C are diagrams illustrating a user interface to set a primary device from a management device, according to an example.

[0070] The management device 100 may set, as the primary device 300, one of devices for which onboarding has been completed by the server 200. For example, referring to FIG. 6A, the management device 100 may display the user interface to set the primary device 300 that searches for a device for which onboarding is to be performed. For example, an icon 611 to set the primary device 300 may be displayed on an area 610 of FIG. 6A.

[0071] For example, in a case where an input to select the icon 611 is received, the management device 100 may display the user interface to add, edit, or delete the primary device 300. For example, referring to FIG. 6B, as an input to select the icon 611 is received, the management device 100 may display a popup window 620 including an icon 621 to add the primary device 300, an icon to edit the primary device 300, and an icon to delete (i.e. , remove) the primary device 300. [0072] For example, in a case where an input to select the icon 621 that adds the primary device 300 is received, the management device 100 may display at least one list of devices selectable as the primary device 300. For example, a device selectable as the primary device 300 may be a device for which onboarding has been completed by the server 200. For example, referring to FIG. 6C, in a case where the input to select the icon 621 that adds the primary device 300 is received, the management device 100 may also display a pop-up window 630 to select the primary device 300 and set settings information of the primary device 300. For example, at least one list of devices selectable as the primary device 300 may be displayed on the pop-up window 630. For example, the management device 100 may receive an input to select a first device 631 from the list as the primary device 300. Thereafter, the management device 100 may receive from the primary device 300 an input to set a method of searching for a secondary device. For example, for a method of searching for a secondary device, a search protocol such as WS-Discovery that uses a network may be included, or a secondary device may be to notify the primary device of its existence.

[0073] FIGS. 7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating a user interface to assign a secondary device to an account of a user who has performed onboarding of a management device and display an onboarding result, according to an example. [0074] Referring to FIG. 7A, the management device 100 may display a search result according to which the primary device 300 has searched for a secondary device. For example, the management device 100 may display settings information 711 to search for secondary devices, the number of found secondary devices 712, and a list of found secondary devices. The management device 100 may receive an input to select information 713 of a secondary device from the list. For example, the information 713 of a selected secondary device may include information such as a model name, a serial number, and whether remote onboarding is supported regarding the selected secondary device.

[0075] The management device 100 may display an icon 714 to request assignment of the selected secondary device to an account of a user of the management device 100. For example, the management device 100 may receive an input to select the icon 714. Referring to FIG. 7B, the management device 100 may display a message 720 to assign the selected secondary device to the account of the user of the management device 100. The management device 100 may receive an input to select an icon 721 that approves of the assignment.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 70, the management device 100 may display a result of assigning the secondary device to the user's account. For example, the management device 100 may display a list 730 of devices which are assigned to the user's account and for which onboarding has been completed by the server 200. For example, the management device 100 may display information on secondary devices 731 for which onboarding has been completed from the list 730.

[0077] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a server, according to an example.

[0078] The server 200 shown in FIG. 8 may perform at least one operation of remotely managing a device, changing settings of the device, installing at least one application on the device, distributing settings data of the at least one application, or the like.

[0079] For example, the server 200 may perform at least one operation of transferring one operation requested from the server 200 to the device or obtaining, from the device, a result of performing the operation. In addition, at least one operation of transferring the operation requested from the server 200 to the device or transmitting the result of performing the operation from the device to the server 200 may be performed by an external device independently separated from the server 200.

[0080] For example, the server 200 may perform an operation of checking whether the device may be registered with the server 200, based on registration information gathered from the device. For example, the registration information may be at least one of unique information to identify the device, a product number of the device, or the like. In addition, the operation of checking whether the device may be registered with the server 200 may be performed by the external device independently separated from the server 200.

[0081] The server 200 may include a communication unit 810, a memory 820, and a processor 830. However, the server 200 may be implemented by more components than the illustrated components, and may also be implemented by fewer components than the illustrated components. Hereinafter, examples of the illustrated components are described.

[0082] The communication unit 810 may include a communication module (e.g., transceiver) to support one of various wired/wireless communication methods. For example, the communication module may be in the form of a chipset, or may be a sticker/barcode (e.g., a sticker including a near field communication (NFC) tag) including information used for communication. The communication module may also be a short-range communication module or a wired communication module.

[0083] For example, the communication unit 810 may support at least one of a wireless local area network (LAN), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct (WFD), Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), wired LAN, NFC, Zigbee infrared data association (IrDA), 3G, 4G, 5G, or the like.

[0084] For example, the communication unit 810 may communicate with the management device 100, the primary device 300, and a secondary device through a cloud platform. For example, the communication unit 810 may transmit, through the cloud platform, a command corresponding to an operation to perform onboarding to a remote onboarding module in the primary device 300. For example, the communication unit 810 may communicate, through the cloud platform, with an external server that checks whether onboarding of the secondary device is possible.

[0085] The memory 820 may store machine readable instructions or a program. For example, the memory 820 may store instructions regarding an operation method, performed by the server 200, of controlling operations of the management device 100, the primary device 300, and the secondary device, such that onboarding of the secondary device selected by the management device 100 is performed.

[0086] The processor 830 may control an operation of the management device 100, and may include at least one processor such as a CPU. The processor 830 may include at least one processor specialized in each function, or may be an integrated processor.

[0087] The processor 830 may execute a program stored in the memory 820, read data or files stored in the memory 820, or store, in the memory 820, new data or files. Upon receiving, from the management device 100, a search request for a secondary device for which onboarding for registering the secondary device with the server 200 is to be performed, the processor 830 may request the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device, transmit a search result received from the primary device 300 to the management device 100, receive information on a selection of a secondary device based on the search result, and request the primary device 300 to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device, by executing the instructions stored in the memory 820.

[0088] By executing the instructions stored in the memory 820, the processor 830 may also receive an onboarding request from the selected secondary device, complete onboarding, and transmit, to the management device 100, an onboarding result regarding the selected secondary device.

[0089] The processor 830 may receive, from the management device 100 through the communication unit 810, a search request for a secondary device for which onboarding for registering the secondary device with the server 200 is to be performed. For example, the search request may be a request for the primary device 300 set by the management device 100 to search for a secondary device. [0090] The processor 830 may request the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device. For example, the processor 830 may transmit, to the primary device 300 through the communication unit 810, a request for a remote onboarding module in the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device. For example, the processor 830 may request the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device through a cloud platform.

[0091] The processor 830 may receive, from the primary device 300 through the communication unit 810, a search result regarding a secondary device. For example, the search result may include a list of secondary devices found by the primary device 300. For example, the communication unit 810 may receive, from the primary device 300, the list of secondary devices connected to a network of the primary device 300. For example, the processor 830 may obtain, from the primary device 300 through the cloud platform, a search result regarding a secondary device. [0092] The processor 830 may receive, from the management device 100 through the communication unit 810, information according to which a secondary device has been selected, based on the search result. For example, the communication unit 810 may transmit the search result to the management device 100. The management device 100 may select, based on the search result, a secondary device for which onboarding is to be performed. The communication unit 810 may receive, from the management device 100, the information according to which a secondary device has been selected.

[0093] The processor 830 may request the primary device 300 to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device. The communication unit 810 may transmit, to the primary device 300, information to request the server 200 to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device. For example, the communication unit 810 may transmit to the primary device 300 at least one of onboarding request information with respect to the selected secondary device, user information of the management device 100, or authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device. For example, the authentication information may include information on a token to be used for authentication.

[0094] For example, the user information of the management device 100 and the authentication information may be information used to register the selected secondary device with a device managed by a user. For example, by transmitting the user information of the management device 100 to the selected secondary device, onboarding of the selected secondary device may be directly performed without intervention of the management device 100. For example, the authentication information may be information of a token used to confirm that the selected secondary device is a device that has received an onboarding request. [0095] The server 200 may provide the primary device 300 with information used for the selected secondary device to perform onboarding, so that the selected secondary device may directly request the server 200 to perform onboarding. For example, in a case where there are a plurality of secondary devices for which onboarding is to be performed, each of the plurality of secondary devices may directly request the server 200 to perform onboarding, so that operations of the server 200 and the primary device 300 may be spread, and a time to complete onboarding may be reduced.

[0096] The communication unit 810 may receive, from the selected secondary device, the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device, based on the user information of the management device 100 and the authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device.

[0097] The processor 830 may complete onboarding based on the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device, and the communication unit 810 may transmit an onboarding result to the management device 100.

[0098] The processor 830 may confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device based on the authentication information. For example, the processor 830 may check whether the authentication information has been generated by the server 200. For example, the authentication information may be information of a one-time token. The processor 830 may confirm that the selected secondary device is a device that has received the onboarding request by identifying the one-time token.

[0099] The processor 830 may identify the selected secondary device based on registration information of the selected secondary device. For example, the processor 830 may receive, from the selected secondary device through the communication unit 810, the registration information of the selected secondary device. For example, the registration information may be information to identify the selected secondary device. For example, the registration information may be at least one of a model name, a product number of the selected secondary device, or the like.

[00100] For example, the processor 830 may transmit the registration information of the selected secondary device to an external device through the communication unit 810 and request confirmation of the registration information of the selected secondary device. For example, in a case where the registration information of the selected secondary device matches reference registration information stored in the external device, the communication unit 810 may receive, from the external device, information confirming that the selected secondary device has been correctly registered.

[00101] The processor 830 may complete onboarding of the selected secondary device, and the communication unit 810 may transmit an onboarding result to the management device 100. For example, the processor 830 may perform onboarding for registering the selected secondary device with the server 200. In a case where the onboarding of the selected secondary device is completed, the processor 830 may assign the selected secondary device to the user's account information. In that case, the communication unit 810 may receive, from the management device 100, an approval of assigning the selected secondary device to the user's account information. The communication unit 810 may transmit, to the management device 100, a result of completing onboarding of the selected secondary device.

[00102] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an operation method, performed by a server, of requesting a secondary device to perform onboarding through a primary device, according to an example.

[00103] Referring to FIG. 9, the server 200 may receive, from the management device 100, a search request for a secondary device for which onboarding for registering the secondary device with the server 200 is to be performed in operation 910. For example, the search request may be a request for the primary device 300 set by the management device 100 to search for a secondary device.

[00104] In operation 920, the server 200 may request the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device. For example, the server 200 may transmit, to the primary device 300, a request for a remote onboarding module in the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device. For example, the server 200 may request, through a cloud platform, the primary device 300 to search for a secondary device.

[00105] In operation 930, the server 200 may receive, from the primary device 300, a search result regarding a secondary device. For example, the search result may include a list of secondary devices found by the primary device 300. For example, the server 200 may receive, from the primary device 300, the list of secondary devices connected to a same network domain as a network of the primary device 300. For example, the server 200 may receive, from the primary device 300 through the cloud platform, the search result regarding a secondary device.

[00106] In operation 940, the server 200 may receive, from the management device 100, information according to which a secondary device has been selected based on the search result. For example, the server 200 may transmit the search result to the management device 100. The management device 100 may select, based on the search result, a secondary device for which onboarding is to be performed. The server 200 may receive, from the management device 100, the information according to which a secondary device has been selected.

[00107] In operation 950, the server 200 may request the primary device 300 to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device. The server 200 may transmit, to the primary device 300, information to request the server 200 to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device. For example, the server 200 may transmit, to the primary device 300, at least one of onboarding request information with respect to the selected secondary device, user information of the management device 100, authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device, or the like.

[00108] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an operation method, performed by a server, of performing onboarding of a secondary device, according to an example.

[00109] Referring to FIG. 10, the server 200 may transmit, to the primary device 300, at least one of onboarding request information with respect to a selected secondary device, user information of the management device 100, or authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device in operation 1010. The primary device 300 may transmit the information received from the server 200 to the selected secondary device. For example, the selected secondary device may request the server 200 to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device.

[00110] For example, the user information of the management device 100 and the authentication information may be information used to register the selected secondary device with a device managed by a user. For example, the authentication information may be information of a one-time token used to confirm that the selected secondary device is a device that has received the onboarding request.

[00111] In operation 1020, the server 200 may receive, from the selected secondary device, the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device, based on the user information of the management device 100 and the authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device.

[00112] In operation 1030, the server 200 may complete onboarding and transmit, to the management device 100, an onboarding result, based on the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device. An example operation of the server 200 is described with reference to FIG. 11 .

[00113] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an operation method, performed by a server, of completing onboarding of a secondary device and transmitting an onboarding result to a management device, according to an example.

[00114] Referring to FIG. 11 , the server 200 may confirm an onboarding request with respect to a selected secondary device based on authentication information in operation 1110. For example, the server 200 may check whether the authentication information is generated from the server 200. For example, the authentication information may be information of a token to be used for authentication. For example, the token may be a one-time token. For example, the server 200 may confirm that the selected secondary device is a device that has received the onboarding request by identifying the one-time token.

[00115] In operation 1120, the server 200 may identify the selected secondary device based on registration information of the selected secondary device. For example, the server 200 may receive, from the selected secondary device, the registration information of the selected secondary device. For example, the registration information may be information to identify the selected secondary device. For example, the registration information may be at least one of a model name, a product number of the selected secondary device, or the like. [00116] For example, the server 200 may transmit, to an external device, the registration information of the selected secondary device, and may request the external device to confirm the registration information of the selected secondary device. For example, in a case where the registration information of the selected secondary device matches reference registration information stored in the external device, the server 200 may receive, from the external device, information confirming that the selected secondary device has been correctly registered.

[00117] In operation 1130, the server 200 may complete onboarding of the selected secondary device and transmit, to the management device 100, an onboarding result. For example, the server 200 may perform onboarding of registering the selected secondary device with the server 200. In a case where onboarding of the selected secondary device is completed, the server 200 may assign the selected secondary device to account information of a user. In that case, the server 200 may receive, from the management device 100, an approval of assigning the selected secondary device to the user's account information. The server 200 may transmit, to the management device 100, a result of completing onboarding of the selected secondary device.

[00118] FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a primary device, according to an example.

[00119] The primary device 300 shown in FIG. 12 is a device for which onboarding has been completed by the server 200. The primary device 300 may search for a device connected to a network of the primary device 300 through the server 200 and request onboarding of a found device. An onboarding application may be installed on the primary device 300. For example, in a case where the onboarding application is executed, the onboarding application may collect information on the device. For example, the primary device 300 may transmit an onboarding command to each of a plurality of secondary devices such that onboarding of the plurality of secondary devices is performed.

[00120] For example, the primary device 300 may be an image forming device. The image forming device may be any type of device capable of performing an image forming operation, such as a printer, a copier, a scanner, a fax machine, a multi-function printer (MFP), a display device, or the like. The image forming device may also be a 2D image forming device or a 3D image forming device. The "image forming operation performed by the image forming device" may be a job related to printing, copying, scanning, faxing, storage, transmission, coating, etc., or a combination of two or more of the operations described above.

[00121] The primary device 300 may include a communication unit 1210, a memory 1220, and a processor 1230. The primary device 300 may be implemented by more components than the illustrated components and may also be implemented by fewer components than the illustrated components. Hereinafter, the illustrated components of the primary device 300 are described in detail.

[00122] The communication unit 1210 may include a communication module (e.g., transceiver) to support one of various wired/wireless communication methods. For example, the communication module may be in the form of a chipset, or may be a sticker/barcode (e.g., a sticker including a near field communication (NFC) tag) including information used for communication. The communication module may also be a short-range communication module or a wired communication module.

[00123] For example, the communication unit 1210 may support at least one of a wireless local area network (LAN), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct (WFD), Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), wired LAN, NFC, Zigbee infrared data association (IrDA), 3G, 4G, 5G, or the like.

[00124] For example, the communication unit 1210 may transmit, to a remote onboarding module in a secondary device, a command corresponding to an operation to perform onboarding.

[00125] The memory 1220 may store machine readable instructions or a program. For example, the memory 1220 may store instructions regarding an operation method, performed by the primary device 300, of performing a search according to a search request for a secondary device received from the server 200 and requesting onboarding of the secondary device selected as a result of the search.

[00126] The processor 1230 may control an operation of the management device 100 and include at least one processor such as a CPU. The processor 1230 may include at least one processor specialized in each function or be an integrated processor. For example, the processor 1230 may include a remote onboarding module to perform a remote onboarding operation. For example, the processor 1230 may call at least one application programming interface (API) used to perform a remote onboarding operation.

[00127] The processor 1230 may execute a program stored in the memory 1220, read data or files stored in the memory 1220, or store, in the memory 1220, new data or files. By executing the instructions stored in the memory 1220, the processor 1230 may search for a secondary device and request onboarding of the secondary device selected based on the search result.

[00128] The processor 1230 may receive, from the server 200 through the communication unit 1210, a search request for a secondary device for which onboarding for registering the secondary device with the server 200 is to be performed.

[00129] The processor 1230 may transmit the search result regarding the secondary device to the server 200 through the communication unit 1210. For example, the processor 1230 may search for a secondary device connected to a same network domain as the primary device 300. The processor 1230 may generate a list of secondary devices. The communication unit 1210 may transmit the list to the server 200.

[00130] The processor 1230 may receive, from the server 200 through the communication unit 1210, an onboarding request with respect to the secondary device selected based on the search result. For example, the selected secondary device may be set by the management device 100. For example, the processor 1230 may call an API to set a web proxy for network connection of the selected secondary device and activate a web service.

[00131] For example, the processor 1230 may receive, from the server 200 through the communication unit 1210, at least one of onboarding request information with respect to the selected secondary device, user information of the management device 100, authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device, or the like.

[00132] The processor 1230 may request the server, through the communication unit 1210, to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device. For example, the communication unit 1210 may transmit, to the selected secondary device, at least one of the onboarding request information with respect to the selected secondary device, the user information of the management device 100, the authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device received from the server 200, or the like.

[00133] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an operation method of a primary device, according to an example.

[00134] Referring to FIG. 13, the primary device 300 may receive, from the server 200, a search request for a secondary device for which onboarding for registering the secondary device with the server 200 is to be performed in operation 1310.

[00135] In operation 1320, the primary device 300 may transmit, to the server 200, a search result regarding the secondary device. For example, the primary device 300 may search for a secondary device connected to a same network domain as the primary device 300. The primary device 300 may generate a list of secondary devices. The primary device 300 may transmit the list to the server 200.

[00136] In operation 1330, the primary device 300 may receive an onboarding request with respect to the secondary device selected based on the search result. For example, the selected secondary device may be set by the management device 100.

[00137] For example, the primary device 300 may receive, from the server 200, at least one of onboarding request information with respect to the selected secondary device, user information of the management device 100, authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device, or the like.

[00138] In operation 1340, the primary device 300 may request the server to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device. For example, the primary device 300 may transmit, to the selected secondary device, at least one of the onboarding request information with respect to the selected secondary device, the user information of the management device 100, the authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device received from the server 200, or the like.

[00139] Example operation methods of the management device 100, the server 200, the primary device 300, and the secondary device 400 described above may be implemented in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions or data executable by a computer or processor. The example operation methods may be written by a program executable on a computer and implemented by a general-purpose digital computer that operates such a program by using the non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. Examples of such a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), flash memory, compact disc (CD)-ROMs, CD-recordables (Rs), CD+Rs, CD- rewritables (RWs), CD+RWs, and digital versatile disc (DVD)-ROMs, DVD- Rs, DVD+Rs, DVD-RWs, DVD+RWs, DVD-RAMs, Blu-ray disc (BD)-ROMs, BD- Rs, BD-recordable low to highs (R LTHs), BD-REs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, magneto-optical data storage devices, optical data storage devices, hard disks, solid-state disks (SSDs), and any device capable of storing machine readable instructions, associated data, data files, and data structures, and providing a processor or computer with machine readable instructions, associated data, data files, and data structures such that the processor or computer may execute the instructions.

[00140] Although examples have been described above with reference to the drawings, various modifications and variations are possible from the above descriptions. For example, the described techniques may be performed in an order different from the described method, and/or the described components of the system, structure, apparatus, circuit, etc. may be combined in a form different from the described method, or other components or components substituted by equivalents may achieve an appropriate result.

[00141] It should be understood that examples described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each example should typically be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other examples. While various examples have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.

Claims

28 WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1 . A management device comprising: a communication unit to communicate with a server; a user interface unit to display a user interface to perform onboarding for registering device information with the server; a processor to control an operation of a primary device through the server; and a memory to store instructions executable by the processor, wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to: request the primary device to search for a secondary device, receive a selection of a secondary device based on a search result obtained from the primary device, and request the server, through the primary device, to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device.

2. The management device of claim 1 , wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to: obtain, through the server, a list of secondary devices found by the primary device, and display the list through the user interface unit.

3. The management device of claim 1 , wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to control transmitting at least one of onboarding request information with respect to the selected secondary device, user information of the management device, or authentication information to confirm that onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device to the primary device through the server.

4. The management device of claim 1 , wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to set, as the primary device, one of devices for which onboarding has been completed.

5. The management device of claim 1 , wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to display, through the user interface unit, an onboarding result regarding the selected secondary device in a case where onboarding of the selected secondary device is completed.

6. The management device of claim 5, wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to display, through the user interface unit, a result of assigning the selected secondary device to account information of a user of the management device.

7. A server comprising: a communication unit; a processor; and a memory to store instructions executable by the processor, wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to: request a primary device to search for a secondary device, upon receiving, from a management device, a search request for a secondary device for which onboarding for registering the secondary device with the server is to be performed, transmit, to the management device, a search result received from the primary device, receive information according to which a secondary device has been selected based on the search result, and request the server, through the primary device, to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to: receive, from the primary device, a list of secondary devices connected to a same network domain as the primary device, and transmit the list to the management device.

9. The server of claim 7, wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to transmit, to the primary device, at least one of onboarding request information with respect to the selected secondary device, user information of the management device, or authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to receive, from the selected secondary device, the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device based on the user information of the management device and the authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to complete onboarding by assigning the selected secondary device to account information of a user of the management device and registering the selected secondary device with the server.

12. The server of claim 7, wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to transmit an onboarding result regarding the selected secondary device to the management device.

13. A primary device comprising: a communication unit; a processor; and a memory to store instructions executable by the processor, wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to: receive, from a server, a search request for a secondary device for which onboarding for registering the secondary device with the server is to be performed, transmit, to the server, a search result regarding the secondary device, receive an onboarding request with respect to the secondary device selected from the search result, and request the server to perform onboarding of the selected secondary device.

14. The primary device of claim 13, wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to: generate a list of secondary devices based on a result of searching for secondary devices belonging to a same network domain as the primary device, and transmit the list to the server.

15. The primary device of claim 13, wherein the processor, by executing the instructions, is to transmit, to the selected secondary device, at least one of onboarding request information with respect to the selected secondary device, user information of a management device, or authentication information to confirm the onboarding request with respect to the selected secondary device.