Patent ID: 9692928
Date: 2017-06-27
CPC Classifications: G06F,G06K,H04N

Claim:
1. A program exchanging system, comprising: at least one image forming apparatus connected to an Internet-connected local area network (LAN), the image forming apparatus having a memory storing a given version of firmware for operation of the image forming apparatus and an application storage storing a given version of at least one application program for operation of the image forming apparatus, and maintaining a usage log of specific functions of the image forming apparatus; a first computer configured as a version acquiring server and connected to the LAN, for acquiring over the LAN, from the at least one image forming apparatus, the given versions of the firmware and the at least one application program, and the usage log; an Internet-connected second computer configured as an exchange information managing server, and including an Internet-connected third computer configured as a program exchange server for i) acquiring the exchange information from the exchange information managing server via the Internet, ii) acquiring the given versions of the firmware and the at least one application program, and the usage log, from the version acquiring sever via the Internet, iii) determining necessity to replace at least one of the given versions of either the firmware or the at least one application program, based on the acquired exchange information, on the combinations of given version of firmware and corresponding given version of application program, and on the usage log, and iv) replacing at least one of the given versions of either the firmware or the at least one application program when the program exchange server determines there is a necessity to exchange versions of either the firmware or the at least one application program.