ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, STARTING METHOD OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20090307480A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Katoh, Katsuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,195,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405

Abstract

Each of a plurality of control units starts the control unit with one of a first start method and a second start. When a first control unit among the control units starts with a second start method, the first control unit instructs a second control unit among the control units to start with the second start method. Thus, all the control units are started with the same start method.

Claims

1. An electronic equipment comprising a plurality of control units that can start themselves independently of each other, each of the control units including

a start controlling unit that starts the control unit with one of a first start method and a second start method;

a judging unit that judges a start method of the control unit; and

a start method instructing unit that instructs a start method to other control units, wherein

the start method instructing unit of a first control unit among the control units instructs a second control unit among the control units to start the second control unit with the second start method when the second start method is judged by the judging unit of the first control unit, and

when a start method is instructed by the start method instructing unit of the second control unit, the start controlling unit of the first control unit starts the first control unit with the start method instructed by the start method instructing unit of the second control unit.

2. The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the first start method is a hibernation start method in which the control unit is restarted from a state in which the control unit is stopped last time, and the second start method is a normal start method in which the control unit is started from its initial state.

3. The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the judging unit judges the start method when the control unit is started.

4. The electronic equipment according to claim 3, wherein the start method instructing unit of the first control unit instructs the second control unit to restart the second control unit after instructing the second control unit to use the second start method, and

when the start controlling unit of first control unit is instructed to restart by the start method instructing unit of the second control unit, the start controlling unit of first control unit restarts the first control unit with the second start method instructed by the start method instructing unit of the second control unit.

5. The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the judging unit judges the start method after the control unit is started.

6. The electronic equipment according to claim 2, wherein when a firmware of the control unit is updated, the start controlling unit of the control unit starts the control unit with the second start method the next time.

7. The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further includes a memory unit to store therein set information indicating a start method of the control unit, and

the start controlling unit of the control unit starts the control unit in accordance with the set information stored in the memory unit of the control unit, and

the start method instructing unit of the first control unit sets the set information stored in the memory unit of the second control unit to the second start method.

8. The electronic equipment according to claim 7, wherein the judging unit judges the start method based on the set information stored in the memory unit of the control unit.

9. The electronic equipment according to claim 7, wherein the control units share a single memory unit as the respective memory units of the control units, and

the single memory unit stores therein the respective start methods of the control units or a start method common to all of the control units.

10. The electronic equipment according to claim 1, further comprising an image forming unit that forms an image under control of the control units.

11. A starting method of electronic equipment, the electronic equipment comprising a plurality of control units that can start themselves independently of each other, each of the control units performing

starting the control unit with one of a first start method and a second start method;

judging a start method of the control unit; and

instructing a start method to other control units, wherein

a first control unit among the control units instructs a second control unit among the control units to start the second control unit with the second start method when the second start method is judged at the judging performed by the first control unit, and

when a start method is instructed from the second control unit, the start controlling unit of the first control unit starts the first control unit with the start method instructed from the second control unit.

12. A computer program product including a computer-readable recording medium containing a start controlling computer program executed by a computer of each of a plurality of control units that can start themselves independently of each other included in an electronic equipment, wherein the start controlling computer program causes the computer to function:

as a start controlling unit that starts the control unit with one of a first start method and a second start method;

as a judging unit that judges a start method of the control unit; and

as a start method instructing unit that instructs a start method to other control units, wherein

the start method instructing unit of a first control unit among the control units instructs a second control unit among the control units to start the second control unit with the second start method when the second start method is judged by the judging unit of the first control unit, and

when a start method is instructed by the start method instructing unit of the second control unit, the start controlling unit of the first control unit starts the first control unit with the start method instructed by the start method instructing unit of the second control unit.