Patent ID: 9696948
Date: 2017-07-04
CPC Classifications: G06F

Claim:
1. A printing system including a printing service apparatus configured to provide a printing service in which an API version is defined, an image forming apparatus configured to cooperate with the printing service apparatus, and a distribution server configured to distribute firmware corresponding to the printing service apparatus, the printing system comprising: at least a processor and at least a memory coupled to the at least the processor and having stored thereon instructions, when executed by the at least the processor, and cooperating to act as: a first determination unit configured to, when information about the image forming apparatus is registered in the printing service apparatus, determine whether firmware installed in the image forming apparatus corresponds to the printing service apparatus; a second determination unit configured to, if the first determination unit determines that the firmware installed in the image forming apparatus does not correspond to the printing service apparatus, determine whether firmware corresponding to the printing service apparatus exists in firmware of the image forming apparatus distributed by the distribution server; a third determination unit configured to, if the second determination unit determines that the firmware corresponding to the printing service apparatus exists, determine whether the existing firmware is a special purpose firmware; a control unit configured to, if the third determination unit determines that the existing firmware is not the firmware intended for a special purpose and when that existing firmware is distributed from the distribution server to the image forming apparatus, install the distributed firmware, and if the third determination unit determines that the existing firmware is the firmware intended for a special purpose, display information indicating that the printing service apparatus is unusable on a screen of the image forming apparatus; and a notification unit configured to, according to the distributed firmware having been installed in the image forming apparatus by the control unit, give notice that the information about the image forming apparatus has been registered in the printing service apparatus, wherein if the first determination unit determines that the firmware installed in the image forming apparatus corresponds to the printing service apparatus, the second determination unit does not perform the determination, the control unit does not update the firmware, and the notification unit gives notice that the information about the image forming apparatus has been registered in the printing service apparatus, and wherein firmware determined by the third determination unit as the special purpose firmware is a specific customer firmware, and differs from a general purpose firmware.