Image processing apparatus, management system, and computer program product

• US 20030131083A1
• Filed: 12/26/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Inui, Kazuo, Ikenoue, Yoshikazu, Tomita, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

An image processing apparatus, a management system and a computer program product are disclosed that enable firmware that controls operations of the image processing apparatus to be updated appropriately, even when, for example, an initial setting in the image processing apparatus has been changed. Firmware in the image processing apparatus is stored in a rewritable storage device such as a flash ROM, and is updated by transmitting a new firmware to the image processing apparatus and rewriting the contents of the storage device. The new firmware is transmitted together with a control program (including script) that describes processing to be executed in the image processing apparatus before and/or after updating the firmware.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus being connectable to an external device through a network, comprising:

a receiver unit which receives data from the external device; and

a processor unit which updates a firmware stored in the image processing apparatus based on the received data and executes a control action before and/or after updating the firmware also based on the received data.

2. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control action includes an action for saving a set value to another storage area before updating the firmware, the set value having been modified and stored in the image processing apparatus.

3. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control action includes an action for changing a set value to adapt to an updated firmware after updating the firmware, the set value having been modified and stored in the image processing apparatus.

4. The image processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the control action further includes an action for restoring the saved set value to an appropriate storage area after the updating the firmware.

5. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control action includes an action for having an error state in the image processing apparatus returned to a normal state before updating the firmware.

6. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the received data includes a new firmware to be used for updating, and a program that has the processor unit execute the control action.

7. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control action includes an action executed using an interpreter language installed on the image processing apparatus, and text data that describes the control action and that is included in the received data.

8. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control action includes an action executed in the processor unit based on binary data included in the received data.

9. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the image processing apparatus includes a plurality of control modules, each control module storing firmware that corresponds to the control module, and

the firmware of each module is respectively updated based on the received data.

10. A computer program product for having an external device that executes the computer program send data to an image processing apparatus which is connected to the external device via a network, the computer program product being embodied in a computer-readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

generating data based on information to update a firmware stored in the image processing apparatus and also based on a control action to be executed before and/or after updating the firmware; and

sending the generated data to the image processing apparatus via the network.

11. The computer program product of claim 10,

wherein the generated data is composed of a single program, the program having firmware updating and a control action executed in the image processing apparatus.

12. The computer program product of claim 10,

wherein the generated data includes a new firmware to be used for the updating, and a program that has the control action executed.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein

the instruction for sending the generated data includes an instruction for sending the e-mail to the image processing apparatus.

14. The computer program product of claim 13,

wherein the instruction for attaching the generated data includes an instruction for attaching the firmware and a program for a control action being executed to the e-mail separately.

15. The computer program product of claim 13,

wherein the instruction for attaching the generated data includes an instruction for compressing the firmware and a program for a control action being executed together, and generating data to be attached, and an instruction for attaching compressed data to the e-mail.

16. The computer program product of claim 15,

wherein the instruction for attaching generated data includes an instruction for dividing compressed data into a plurality of pieces, and an instruction for attaching each piece to different e-mail.

17. The computer program product of claim 16,

wherein the instruction for generating data includes and instruction for generating data for updating each of a plurality of modules in the image processing apparatus, and the instruction for attaching the generated data includes an instruction for dividing the generated data into a plurality of pieces that correspond respectively to the modules.

18. The computer program product of claim 16,

wherein the instruction includes an instruction for dividing the generated data into pieces of a fixed size.

19. A management system including at least an image processing apparatus and a management apparatus, both of which are connected to each other through a network, comprising:

a first processor in the management system which generates data based on information to update a firmware stored in the image processing apparatus and also based on a control action to be executed before and/or after updating the firmware;

a sending unit in the management system which sends the generated data to the image processing apparatus through the network;

a receiver in the image processing apparatus which receives data from the sending unit through the network; and

a second processor in the image processing apparatus which updates the firmware based on the received data and executes the control action also based on the received data before or after updating the firmware.