Image forming apparatus and updating method

• US 20050141025A1
• Filed: 12/08/2004
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hanada, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,876,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00965 using a plug-in memory module, e.g. memory card, memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An image forming apparatus comprises an interface which can communicate with the information processing apparatus that serves as the source of updating firmware. The image forming apparatus further comprises a memory which stores a plurality of firmware programs and a controller which performs firmware updates by sequentially storing the updating firmware transferred from the information processing apparatus. When a plurality of firmware programs are transferred from the information processing apparatus, the controller performs a reboot operation to activate the updated firmware upon completing the storage and the rewriting of the updating firmware in the memory.

Claims

1. A image forming apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store firmware;

an interface configured to be connected to an external terminal apparatus via a network; and

a controller configured to receive, from the external terminal apparatus, an instruction for updating the firmware stored in the memory, to receive updating firmware corresponding to the firmware stored in the memory, and to store the updating firmware in the memory,

the controller, when a plurality of the updating firmware are received, being further configured to store each of the plurality of the updating firmware in the memory without rebooting the image forming apparatus each time one of the plurality of the updating firmware is stored in the memory, and to reboot the image forming apparatus, when the controller receives, from the external terminal computer, all of the plurality of the updating firmware.

2. The data forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interface is configured, based on a standard for a universal serial bus.

3. The data forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a LAN interface.

4. The data forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the external terminal apparatus comprises a personal computer.

5. The data forming apparatus according to claim 1 further comprises a printer configured to print data, wherein the firmware stored in the memory comprises firmware for the printer.

6. A image forming apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store firmware;

an interface configured to be connected to an external terminal apparatus via a network; and

a controller configured to receive, from the external terminal apparatus, an instruction for updating the firmware stored in the memory, to receive updating firmware corresponding to the firmware stored in the memory, and to store the updating firmware in the memory,

the controller, when a plurality of the updating firmware are received, being further configured to store each of the plurality of the updating firmware in the memory without rebooting the image forming apparatus, and to reboot the image forming apparatus, when the controller receives, from the external terminal computer, a completion instruction indicating a completion of transmitting the updating firmware.

7. The data forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the interface is configured, based on a standard for a universal serial bus.

8. The data forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the interface comprises a LAN interface.

9. The data forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the external terminal apparatus comprises a personal computer.

10. The data forming apparatus according to claim 6 further comprises a printer configured to print data, wherein the firmware stored in the memory comprises firmware for the printer.

11. The data forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the completion instruction comprises a text file, the text file including characters indicating the fulfillment of transmitting the updating firmware from the external terminal computer.

12. A updating method for updating firmware in an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus having a memory configured to store firmware and having an interface configured to be connected to an external terminal apparatus via a network, the updating method comprising:

receiving, from the external terminal apparatus, an instruction for updating the firmware stored in the memory;

receiving each of a plurality of updating firmware corresponding to each of a plurality of the firmware stored in the memory;

storing each of the plurality of the updating firmware in the memory, without rebooting the image forming apparatus each time one of the plurality of the updating firmware is stored in the memory, when the plurality of the updating firmware are received; and

rebooting the image forming apparatus when all of the plurality of the updating firmware are received from the external terminal computer.

13. A updating method for updating firmware in an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus having a memory configured to store firmware and having an interface configured to be connected to an external terminal apparatus via a network, the updating method comprising:

receiving, from the external terminal apparatus, an instruction for updating the firmware stored in the memory;

receiving each of a plurality of updating firmware corresponding to each of a plurality of the firmware stored in the memory;

storing each of the plurality of the updating firmware in the memory when the plurality of the updating firmware are received; and

rebooting the image forming apparatus when a completion instruction indicating a completion of transmitting the updating firmware are received from the external terminal computer.

14. A data forming apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store firmware;

an interface configured to be connected to a portable memory medium, the portable memory medium storing a plurality of groups of updating firmware, each of the plurality of the groups of the updating firmware corresponding to each of a plurality of models of the data forming apparatus, each of the plurality of the groups of the updating firmware including a plurality of the updating firmware; and

a controller, when the portable memory medium is connected to the data forming apparatus, is configured to select a group of the updating firmware corresponding to a predetermined model of the data forming apparatus from the portable memory medium, to store the plurality of firmware included in the selected group of the updating firmware, without rebooting the data forming apparatus each time one of the plurality of pieces of the updating firmware is stored in the memory, and to reboot the data forming apparatus after all of the plurality of pieces of the updating firmware corresponding to the predetermined model of the data forming apparatus are stored in the memory.

15. The data forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the controller selects the groups of the updating firmware corresponding to the model of the data forming apparatus from the portable memory medium, based on group information indicating the predetermined model of the data forming apparatus for each of the plurality of groups of the updating firmware, the group information being included in each of the plurality of groups of the updating firmware.

16. The data forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the memory comprises a plurality of memories, the portable memory medium stores destination information indicating in which memory each of the plurality of pieces of the updating firmware is stored, and the controller stores each of the plurality of pieces of the updating firmware in the memory which the destination information indicates for each of the plurality of pieces of the updating firmware.

17. The data forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the updating firmware comprises firmware for an optional function, the optional function extending functions of the data forming apparatus.

18. The data forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the optional function comprises a printing function using a page description language.

19. The data forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the optional function comprises a control function for controlling multiple-lines, the multiple-lines being utilized for a facsimile communication.

20. A updating method for updating firmware in an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus having a memory configured to store firmware and having an interface configured to be connected to a portable memory medium, the portable memory medium storing a plurality of groups of updating firmware, each of the plurality of the groups of the updating firmware corresponding to each of a plurality of model of the data forming apparatus, each of the plurality of the groups of the updating firmware including a plurality of the updating firmware, the updating method comprising:

selecting a group of the updating firmware corresponding to a predetermined model of the data forming apparatus from the portable memory medium, when the portable memory medium is connected to the data forming apparatus;

storing the plurality of firmware included in the selected group of the updating firmware, without rebooting the data forming apparatus each time one of the plurality of pieces of the updating firmware is stored in the memory; and

rebooting the data forming apparatus after all of the plurality of the updating firmware corresponding to the predetermined model of the data forming apparatus are stored in the memory.