NETWORK SYSTEM, DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20150058401A1
• Filed: 08/06/2014
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakamoto, Hisashi
• Application Number:
  US14/452,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20150058401A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

An image forming device of a network system notifies a distribution system, as a client function in response to a first controller provided in the image forming device, of software information related to the first controller and of software information related to the second controller to thereby acquire software to be applied from the distribution system. The distribution system excludes from the objects to be managed a portion of the software from the software related to the first controller when software information related to the second controller is included in the notification from the image forming device to thereby manage the software of the image forming device.

Claims

1. A network system comprising an image forming device, and a distribution system that manages software for the image forming device:

wherein the image forming device comprises;

a notifying unit configured to notify the distribution system, as a client function corresponding to a first controller provided in the image forming device, of software information related to the first controller, and of software information related to a second controller when the second controller is connected to the image forming device;

a receiving unit configured to receive information related to software for applying to its own apparatus from the distribution system; and

an acquiring unit configured to acquire software from the distribution system based on the information related to the software to be applied; and

wherein the distribution system comprising;

a managing unit configured to manage software information for the image forming device by excluding, from among software related to the first controller, a portion of software from software to be managed when software information related to the second controller is included in the notification from the image forming device; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit information related to the software to be applied to the image forming device based on the software information managed by the managing unit as an object to be managed.

2. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution system further includes a creating unit configured to compare version information for software related to the first controller with version information for software related to the second controller among software information managed by the managing unit as the object to be managed, and to create information related to the software to be applied in relation to the image forming device in accordance with a matching combination for the software versions, and wherein the transmitting unit is configured to transmit the created information related to the software to be applied.

3. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring unit is configured to acquire software related to the first controller from the distribution system through the client function corresponding to the first controller, and acquire software related to the second controller from a different system from the distribution system through a client function corresponding to the second controller.

4. The network system according to claim 1, wherein, upon restart of its own device, the notifying unit notifies the distribution system of version information for software related to the first controller when a version of software related to the first controller is changed, and furthermore of version information for software related to the second controller based on a notification from the client function corresponding to the second controller.

5. The network system according to claim 2, wherein the creating unit compares a combination of versions included in the version information for software related to the first and second controllers with the matching combination of the software versions, and when software without a matching version is extracted, creates the information related to the software to be applied to the image forming device so that the combination of versions included in the version information becomes the matching combination.

6. The network system according to claim 5, wherein the creating unit creates the information related to the software to be applied so that the software of the version included in the matching combination is applied to the image forming device when the version of the software that does not match is an older version than the version included in the matching combination, and

when the version of the software that does not match is newer than the version included in the matching combination, creates the information related to the software to be applied to the image forming device so that a combination is configured from versions of software retrieved from the managed software information by taking the new version as a reference.

7. A distribution system that manages software for an image forming device, comprising:

a managing unit configured to receive software information for the image forming device as a client function corresponding to a first controller provided in the image forming device and software information related to a second controller connected to the image forming device so as to manage software information for the image forming device by excluding, from among software related to the first controller, a portion of software from software to be managed;

a creating unit configured to compare software information related to each controller managed by the managing unit, and to create information for causing the image forming device to access the distribution system through the client function corresponding to the first controller when it is determined that software related to the first controller is distributed in accordance with the matching combination for the software versions, and create information for causing the image forming device to access a system that is different to the distribution system that distributes software related to the second controller through a client function corresponding to the second controller when it is determined that software related to the second controller is distributed; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the created information to the image forming device.

8. A control method in a network system comprising an image forming device, and a distribution system configured to manage the software for the image forming device, comprising:

notifying, by the image forming device as a client function corresponding to a first controller provided in the image forming device, the distribution system of software information related to the first controller, and of software information related to a second controller when the second controller is connected to the image forming device;

receiving, by the image forming device, information related to software for applying to its own apparatus from the distribution system;

acquiring, by the image forming device, software from the distribution system based on the information related to the software to be applied;

managing, by the distribution system, software information for the image forming device by excluding, from among software related to the first controller, a portion of software from software to be managed when software information related to the second controller is included in the notification from the image forming device; and

transmitting, by the distribution system, information related to the software to be applied to the image forming device based on the software information managed as an object to be managed.

9. A control method in a distribution system that manages software for an image forming device, comprising:

receiving software information for the image forming device as a client function corresponding to a first controller provided in the image forming device and software information related to a second controller connected to the image forming device so as to manage software information for the image forming device by excluding, from among software related to the first controller, a portion of software from software to be managed;

comparing software information related to each controller managed by the managing unit, and creating information for causing the image forming device to access the distribution system through the client function corresponding to the first controller when it is determined that software related to the first controller is distributed in accordance with the matching combination for the software versions, and creating information for causing the image forming device to access a system that is different to the distribution system that distributes software related to the second controller through a client function corresponding to the second controller when it is determined that software related to the second controller is distributed; and

transmitting the created information to the image forming device.

10. A non-transitory storage medium on which is stored a computer program for making a computer execute a control method in a distribution system that manages software for an image forming device, comprising:

receiving software information for the image forming device as a client function corresponding to a first controller provided in the image forming device and software information related to a second controller connected to the image forming device so as to manage software information for the image forming device by excluding, from among software related to the first controller, a portion of software from software to be managed;

comparing software information related to each controller managed by the managing unit, and creating information for causing the image forming device to access the distribution system through the client function corresponding to the first controller when it is determined that software related to the first controller is distributed in accordance with the matching combination for the software versions, and creating information for causing the image forming device to access a system that is different to the distribution system that distributes software related to the second controller through a client function corresponding to the second controller when it is determined that software related to the second controller is distributed; and

transmitting the created information to the image forming device.