Image forming apparatus and method for operating image forming apparatus by using remote application

• US 7,533,381 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2004
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ando, Mitsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh; Jaweed A
• Application Number:
  US10/807,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20040255263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,875 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221, 709/213, 709/245, 710/8, 707/201, 718/1
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32561 using a programmed control device, e.g. a microprocessor

Abstract

An image forming apparatus that includes a control part that provides common services on control of hardware resources to a plurality of applications so as to be able to include a plurality of applications is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a virtual machine; an application that is executed by the virtual machine; and an application management part managing the application that is executed by the virtual machine.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

hardware resources used for image formation;

a plurality of first application executed by a processor to perform image formation processing;

a platform that exists between the first applications and the hardware resources, the platform including an OS and at least one control service to control an execution of requested processing of the hardware resources according to a function call from the first applications, wherein interprocess communication is performed between the at least one control service and the first applications;

a virtual machine that is executed as one of the first applications;

a second application that is executed by the virtual machine; and

an application management part managing the second application that is executed by the virtual machine.

2. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second application that is executed by the virtual machine operates the image forming apparatus by using classes for controlling the image forming apparatus.

3. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the classes include an operation panel class for outputting information to an operation panel of the image forming apparatus and for inputting information from the operation panel.

4. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the application management part includes execution management functions that include a function for launching the second application executed by the virtual machine.

5. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second application management part downloads the application when the application is not installed in the image forming apparatus.

6. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the application management part refers to an application information file associated with the second application, and updates the second application on the basis of information in the application information file.

7. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the application management part compares a first version described in the application information file associated with the second application with a second version described in another application information file associated with an update application, and the application management part replaces the second application with the update application if the second version is newer than the first version.

8. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the application management part downloads the second application from a memory card or from a Web site.

9. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the application management part downloads the second application from a location described in the application information file associated with the second application.

10. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the application management part checks whether the second application is executable in the image forming apparatus before downloading the second application.

11. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the application management part checks whether the second application is executable on the basis of information described in the application information file associated with the second application.

12. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the application management part checks items including a resource item in the image forming apparatus necessary for executing the second application.

13. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a server application that receives an operation request from a terminal apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus and that operates the image forming apparatus according to the operation request.

14. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the application management part communicates with the terminal apparatus.

15. A method for operating an image forming apparatus configured to include a plurality of applications by using an application that is executed on a terminal apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus via a network, the method comprising:

performing image formation using hardware resources of the image forming apparatus;

performing image formation processing at the plurality of applications of the image forming apparatus;

controlling an execution of requested processing of the hardware resources according to a function call from the applications at least one control service located in a platform that includes an OS and exists between the applications and the hardware resources, wherein interprocess communication is performed between the at least one control service and the applications, and the image forming apparatus includes a virtual machine that is one of the plurality of applications and a server application executed by the virtual machine, and the terminal apparatus includes a virtual machine and the application; and

receiving, at the server application, an operation request sent by the application in the terminal apparatus, so that the server application operates the image forming apparatus according to the operation request.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the terminal apparatus operates the image forming apparatus by using a Java based distributed object processing technique.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the image forming apparatus includes an application management part for managing the application, and the terminal apparatus includes a remote application management part for managing the application by communicating with the application management part.

18. A computer readable recording medium storing a computer program executed in an image forming apparatus that includes hardware resources used for image formation, a plurality of first applications configured to perform image formation processing, and a platform that exists between the first applications and the hardware resources, the platform including an OS and at least one control service to control an execution of requested processing of the hardware resources according to a function call from the first applications, wherein interprocess communication is performed between the at least one control service and the first applications, the computer program comprising:

virtual machine program code that is executed as one of the first applications; and

application management program code managing a second application executed by the virtual machine program code.

19. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 18, wherein the computer program includes classes that are used by the second application and that controls the image forming apparatus.

20. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 19, wherein the classes includes an operation panel class for outputting information to an operation panel of the image forming machine and for inputting information from the operation panel.

21. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 18, wherein the application management program code includes execution management functions that include a function for launching the second application.

22. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 21, wherein the application management program code downloads the second application when the second application is not installed in the image forming apparatus.

23. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 18, wherein the application management program code refers to an application information file associated with the second application, and updates the second application on the basis of information in the application information file.

24. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 23, wherein the application management program code compares a first version described in the application information file associated with the second application with a second version described in another application information file associated with an update application, and the application management program code replaces the second application with the update application if the second version is newer than the first version.

25. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 23, wherein the application management program code downloads the second application from a location described in the application information file associated with the second application.

26. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 23, wherein the application management program code checks whether the second application is executable in the image forming apparatus before downloading the second application.

27. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 26, wherein the application management program code checks whether the second application is executable on the basis of information described in the application information file associated with the second application.

28. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 26, wherein the application management program code checks items including a resource item in the image forming apparatus necessary for executing the second application.

29. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 18, wherein the computer program further includes a server application program that receives an operation request from a terminal apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus and that operates the image forming apparatus according to the operation request.