Patent ID: 11902484
Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Field: Audio-visual technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 7:
8. An image processing apparatus comprising:
an image processor;
a user interface;
a memory; and
a computer,
wherein the image processing apparatus has a special function, the memory storing setting indicating that the special function is to be activated or inactivated, the special function being inactivated when the image processing apparatus is shipped from a factory,
wherein the computer is configured to, when receiving an input of a start command indicating start of a trial mode, execute a start process of starting the trial mode, the trial mode being a mode in which the special function is activated to be tried, an effective period being set to the trial mode, the special function becoming activated during the effective period of the trial mode,
wherein the computer is configured to perform a determining process of determining, at a first timing after receipt of the start command, whether a current time is within the effective period of the trial mode, and
a termination process of terminating the trial mode at a second timing after determining that the current time is not within the effective period of the trial mode,
wherein, in the determining process, the computer is configured to transmit a checking command to a server at the first timing, the checking command including identification information of the image processing apparatus, the server being configured to determine whether the current time is within the effective period of the trial mode, the server being configured to respond by
transmitting status information indicating a determination result of determining whether the current time is within the effective period of the trial mode, and
determine whether the current time is within the trial mode based on the status information received from the server, and
wherein the computer is further configured to perform a first notification process of executing first notification to notify termination of the trial mode after determining that the current time is not within the effective period of the trial mode and before the second timing,
a second notification process of executing a second notification which is different from the first notification in a case where the status information is not received from the server,
wherein the computer is further configured to
in the determining process, store unknown information in the memory in a case where the computer does not receive the status information from the server, and
perform a second notification process of executing a second notification which is different from the first notification in a case where the unknown information is stored in the memory.