Communication system, communication device, and management server device

• US 8,645,943 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2007
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Kanai, Yasuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Ziaul A
• Application Number:
  US12/280,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20090187901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,539 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A communication system includes: a communication device configured to operate various functions using software programs stored in a software storage unit; a management server device configured to send an updating software program corresponding to one of the software programs; an operation information obtaining unit configured to obtain operation information of the software programs in the communication device; a determination unit configured to determine a software program that needs updating among the software programs based on the operation information obtained by the operation information obtaining unit; and an updating unit configured to replace the software program that is stored in the software storage unit and determined by the determination unit to need updating with the updating software program.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a processor;

a communication device configured to operate various functions using software programs stored in a software storage unit;

a management server device configured to send an updating software program corresponding to one of the software programs;

an operation information obtaining unit configured to obtain operation information of the software programs, which corresponds to the updating software program, in the communication device including a number of operations of the software program, frequency of operations of the software program, and cumulative time of the operations of the software program when receiving an updating notification message about the updating software program from the management server device;

a determination unit configured to determine a software program that needs updating among the software programs based on the operation information obtained by the operation information obtaining unit; and

an updating unit configured to replace the software program that is stored in the software storage unit and determined by the determination unit to need updating with the updating software program,

wherein a degree of updating necessity is preset to each of the updating software programs, and the determination unit is configured to determine a software program that needs updating based on, in addition to the operation information, the degree of updating necessity preset to each of the updating software programs.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine a software program that needs updating based on, in addition to the operation information, version number information of the software program and version number information of the updating software program.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the updating unit comprises:

a downloading unit provided in the communication device, and configured to receive the updating software program sent from the management server device upon determination by the determination unit that updating is necessary; and

a replacing unit provided in the communication device, and configured to replace the software program stored in the software storage unit and corresponding to the updating software program received by the downloading unit with the updating software program.

4. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein the updating unit comprises a notification unit provided in the communication device, and

configured to notify, when there is a software program that is determined by the determination unit to need updating, that updating of the software program is necessary, and the downloading unit is configured to receive the updating software program from the management server device when receiving a command indicating download permission from an operation unit that is provided in the communication device, the command being input by an operation of a user to the operation unit, after being notified by the notification unit.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the updating unit comprises an operation information initializing unit configured to initialize, when a software program is updated, the operation information of the updated software program.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the operation information obtaining unit is configured to obtain information about an operation record of the software programs in the communication device as the operation information and to record the operation information that is obtained in an operation information storage unit, and the determination unit is configured to determine a software program that needs updating based on the operation information stored in the operation information storage unit.

7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine a software program to need updating when information regarding the operation record of the software program indicated by the operation information stored in the operation information storage unit matches a predetermined condition.

8. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein the operation record is whether or not the software program is operated, a number of operations of the software program, frequency of operations of the software program, or cumulative time of the operations of the software program.

9. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein, when there are plural software programs that are determined by the determination unit to need updating, the updating unit is configured to cause the communication device to update the software programs using the updating software programs corresponding thereto depending on priority of the operation information.

10. A communication device comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU) and a storage memory;

an operation information obtaining unit configured to obtain operation information of a software program stored therein including a number of operations of the software program, frequency of operations of the software program, and cumulative time of the operations of the software program when receiving an updating notification message about an updating software program corresponding to the software program stored therein from a management server device, wherein a degree of updating necessity is preset to each of the updating software programs;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the operation information obtained by the operation information obtaining unit to the management server device;

a receiving unit configured to receive, from the management server device, an updating software program corresponding to a software program that is determined by the management server device based on the operation information and the degree of updating necessity preset to each of the updating software programs to need updating; and

an updating unit configured to update the software program using the updating software program received by the receiving unit.

11. A management server device comprising:

a processor for executing

a transmitting unit configured to transmit an updating notification message about an updating software program corresponding to a software program stored in a communication device to the communication device;

a receiving unit configured to receive, from the communication device, operation information of software programs, which correspond to the updating software program, including a number of operations of the software program, frequency of operations of the software program, and cumulative time of the operations of the software program; and

a determination unit configured to determine a software program that needs updating among the software programs based on the operation information received by the receiving unit, wherein

the transmitting unit is configured to transmit an updating software program corresponding to the software program that is determined by the determination unit to need updating to the communication device,

wherein a degree of updating necessity is preset to each of the updating software programs, and the determination unit is configured to determine a software program that needs updating based on, in addition to the operation information, the degree of updating necessity preset to each of the updating software programs.