Receiving device, printer, and firmware update system

• US 7,595,902 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Takehito, Matsunaga, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Douglas Q
• Application Number:
  US10/508,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20050158100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,374 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.1, 358/1.13, 358/1.14, 358/1.9
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1206 resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/123 Software or firmware update, e.g. device firmware management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A set top box (120), to which a printer (130) is connected, includes: a reception unit (121) to receive update data for updating a firmware of the printer and a display content which includes a description indicating that the update data is to be printed; a display data generation unit (122) to generate display data for displaying the display content on the TV (123); a remote control reception unit (125) to receive a print command for the display content; and a print output unit (127) to output, to the printer (130), the update data, as data to be printed, when the remote control reception unit (125) receives the print command.

Claims

1. A firmware updating system comprising:

a server that distributes a content;

a receiving apparatus that receives the content from said server; and

a printing apparatus that operates according to a firmware stored in a ROM and prints a print content inputted from said receiving apparatus, wherein said printing apparatus is different from said receiving apparatus and said server includes;

a content generation unit operable to generate a content that includes television display content and a firmware update file, the firmware update file being a print content which is not to be displayed and being a file in which data for updating the firmware is described; and

a content sending unit operable to send the content to said receiving apparatus,

said receiving apparatus includes;

a content reception unit operable to receive the content from said content sending unit;

a print instruction obtainment unit operable to obtain, from a user, a print instruction to print the print content; and

a print output unit operable to output, to said printing apparatus, the print content included in the content, without performing processing related to display, when the print instruction is obtained, and

said printing apparatus includes;

a judgment unit operable to judge whether the print content outputted by said receiving apparatus is a firmware update file or a file to be printed;

an updating unit operable to update the firmware using the print content when said judgment unit judges that the print content is a firmware update file; and

a printing unit operable to print the print content when said judgment unit judges that the print content is the file to be printed.

2. The firmware updating system according to claim 1,

wherein said judgment unit is further operable to search for a firmware update command described in the print content, and to judge the print content as a firmware update file when the firmware update command is found.

3. The firmware updating system according to claim 1,

wherein said print output unit is further operable to output, to said printing apparatus, the print content together with a file name of the print content, and

said judgment unit is further operable to judge the print content to be a firmware update file when the file name of the print content outputted by the receiving apparatus is specified in advance.

4. The firmware updating system according to claim 3,

wherein said judgment unit includes a confirmation unit operable to search for a firmware update command described in the print content, and to confirm that the print content is a firmware update file when the firmware update command is found, and

said updating unit is further operable to update the firmware using the print content after confirmation.

5. The firmware updating system according to claim 1,

wherein said receiving apparatus further includes

a content storage unit operable to store each received content in a specified area, and

said updating unit further includes a file obtainment unit operable to obtain, from the specified area, another firmware update file specified in the print content, and operable to update the firmware using data included in the other firmware update file.

6. The firmware updating system according to claim 1,

wherein said printing apparatus further includes a firmware storage unit having two ROMs, and operates according to a firmware stored in one of the ROMs, and

said updating unit updates the firmware of said printing apparatus by storing a firmware whose version is updated in the other ROM.

7. A firmware updating method for a system including a server that distributes a content, a receiving apparatus that receives the content from the server, and a printing apparatus that operates according to a firmware stored in a ROM and prints a print content inputted from the receiving apparatus, wherein the printing apparatus is different from the receiving apparatus, said method comprising:

generating, with the server, a content that includes television display content and a firmware update file, the firmware update file being a print content which is not to be displayed and being a file in which data for updating the firmware of the printing apparatus is described; and

sending, with the server, the content to the receiving apparatus,

receiving at the receiving apparatus, the content from the server;

obtaining at the receiving apparatus, from a user, a print instruction for the print content; and

outputting from the receiving apparatus, to the printing apparatus, the print content included in the content, without performing processing related to display, when the print instruction is obtained, and

judging, using the printing apparatus, whether the print content outputted from the receiving apparatus is a firmware update file or a file to be printed;

updating, using the printing apparatus, the firmware using the print content when said judging judges that the print content is a firmware update file; and

printing, using the printing apparatus, the print content when said judging judges that the print content is the file to be printed.

8. The firmware updating method according to claim 7,

wherein in said judging, a firmware update command described in the print content is searched for, and the print content is judged as a firmware update file when the firmware update command is found.

9. The firmware updating method according to claim 7,

wherein in said outputting, the print content is outputted to the printing apparatus together with a file name of the print content, and

in said judging, the print content is judged as a firmware update file when the file name of the print content outputted by the receiving apparatus is specified in advance.

10. The firmware updating method according to claim 9,

wherein said judging further comprises searching for a firmware update command described in the print content, and confirming that the print content is a firmware update file when the firmware update command is found, and

in said updating, the firmware is updated using the print content, after said confirming.

11. The firmware updating method according to claim 7,

wherein said receiving, said obtaining, and said outputting operations further include storing each received content in a specified area,

said updating operation further comprises obtaining, from the specified area, another firmware update file specified in the print content, and

in said updating operation, the firmware is updated using data included in the other firmware update file.

12. The firmware updating method according to claim 7,

wherein the printing apparatus includes two ROMs and operates according to a firmware stored in one of the ROMs, and

in said updating, the firmware of the printing apparatus is updated by storing, in the other ROM, a firmware whose version is updated.