Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and computer-readable memory medium storing program for realizing the method

• US 20040210680A1
• Filed: 07/25/2003
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takagi, Yoshihiro, Yamamura, Shinichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,287,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

An information processing apparatus installs a first control program corresponding to a first peripheral device and a second control program for controlling a second peripheral device, the first and second control programs including a common module. The information processing apparatus has deciding means for deciding identification information of the common module so that the identification information of the common module which operates as a part of the first control program and the identification information of the common module which operates as a part of the second control program are made different.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus which can install a first control program corresponding to a first peripheral device and a second control program for controlling a second peripheral device, the first and second control programs including a common module, said apparatus comprising:

deciding means for deciding identification information of the common module so that the identification information of the common module which operates as a part of said first control program and the identification information of the common module which operates as a part of said second control program are made different.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising installation control means for installing the common module of said first control program and said second control program for controlling said peripheral devices as different modules so as to correspond to said first peripheral device and said second peripheral device on the basis of each of the identification information decided by said deciding means, respectively.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said deciding means decides the identification information of the common module which operates as a part of said first control program on the basis of information showing said first peripheral device and decides the identification information of said common module which operates as a part of said second control program on the basis of information showing said second peripheral device, respectively.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising forming means for forming identification information having uniqueness in response to execution of installation of the control program, and

wherein said deciding means decides the identification information of said common module which operates as a part of said first control program and the identification information of said common module which operates as a part of said second control program on the basis of the information having the uniqueness formed by said forming means, respectively.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification information of said common module is a name of said common module which is managed by an operating system which is installed in said information processing apparatus, and

said apparatus further comprises control means for controlling said operating system so as to change the names of the common modules corresponding to the peripheral devices on the basis of each of the identification information decided by said deciding means.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising recognizing means for recognizing a module which is continuously loaded into an operating system among said common modules, and

wherein in order to selectively change the identification information of the common modules recognized by said recognizing means, said deciding means decides the identification information of said common modules obtained after the change.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in response to execution of installation, said deciding means decides the identification information of said common modules on the basis of identification information having uniqueness which is formed as unique identification information upon said installation.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said identification information having the uniqueness is formed on the basis of an MAC address.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said identification information having the uniqueness is formed on the basis of time information showing time when the installation is executed.

10. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said deciding means decides the identification information of said common modules on the basis of a set of said identification information having the uniqueness and said first peripheral device or a set of said identification information having the uniqueness and the identification information showing said second peripheral device.

11. An information processing method in which a first control program corresponding to a first peripheral device and a second control program for controlling a second peripheral device can be installed, the first and second control programs including a common module, said method comprising:

a deciding step of deciding identification information of the common module so that the identification information of the common module which operates as a part of said first control program and the identification information of the common module which operates as a part of said second control program are made different.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising an installation control step of installing the common module of said first control program and said second control program for controlling said peripheral devices as different modules so as to correspond to said first peripheral device and said second peripheral device on the basis of each of the identification information decided in said deciding step, respectively.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein in said deciding step, the identification information of the common module which operates as a part of said first control program is decided on the basis of information showing said first peripheral device and the identification information of said common module which operates as a part of said second control program is decided on the basis of information showing said second peripheral device, respectively.

14. A method according to claim 11, further comprising a forming step of forming identification information having uniqueness in response to execution of installation of the control program, and

wherein in said deciding step, the identification information of said common module which operates as a part of said first control program and the identification information of said common module which operates as a part of said second control program are decided on the basis of the information having the uniqueness formed in said forming step, respectively.

15. A method according to claim 11, wherein the identification information of said common module is a name of said common module which is managed by an operating system, and said method further comprises a control step of controlling said operating system so as to change the names of the common modules corresponding to the peripheral devices on the basis of each of the identification information decided by said deciding step.

16. A method according to claim 11, further comprising a recognizing step of recognizing a module which is continuously loaded into an operating system among said common modules, and

wherein in said deciding step, in order to selectively change the identification information of the common modules recognized by said recognizing step, the identification information of said common modules obtained after the change is decided.

17. A method according to claim 11, wherein in said deciding step, in response to execution of installation, the identification information of said common modules is decided on the basis of identification information having uniqueness which is formed as unique identification information upon said installation.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein said identification information having the uniqueness is formed on the basis of an MAC address.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein said identification information having the uniqueness is formed on the basis of time information showing time when the installation is executed.

20. A method according to claim 17, wherein in said deciding step, the identification information of said common modules is decided on the basis of a set of said identification information having the uniqueness and said first peripheral device or a set of said identification information having the uniqueness and the identification information showing said second peripheral device.

21. A computer-readable memory medium which stores a control program for controlling an information processing apparatus which can install a first control program corresponding to a first peripheral device and a second control program for controlling a second peripheral device, the first and second control programs including a common module,

wherein said control program comprises a deciding step of deciding identification information of the common module so that the identification information of the common module which operates as a part of said first control program and the identification information of the common module which operates as a part of said second control program are made different.