Patent ID: 6990659
Filing Date: 2006-01-24
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A peripheral device connected to a network comprising: a device judgment unit that judges whether another peripheral device, that is a same type as the peripheral device, is connected to the network; a transmission unit that performs transmission and reception of data over the network to and from the another peripheral device; a memory that stores a software program in a rewritable manner, the software program being software used by the peripheral device for executing prescribed operations; a type judgment unit that judges whether the another peripheral device stores, in a rewritable manner, a same type of software program as the software program stored in the memory, the same type of software program being software to be used by the another peripheral device for executing prescribed operations; an old/new judgment unit that, when the device judgment unit judges that another peripheral device is connected to the network and the type judgment unit judges that the another peripheral device stores the same type of software program in a rewritable manner, judges which of the same type of software program stored in the another peripheral device and the software program stored in the memory is at least one of older and newer; a first rewrite unit that, when the old/new judgment unit judges that the same type of software program stored in the another peripheral device is older than the software stored in the memory, rewrites the same type of software program stored in the another peripheral device into the software program stored in the memory; and a second rewrite unit that when the old/new judgment unit judges that the same type of software program stored in the another peripheral device is newer than the software stored in the memory, rewrites the software program stored in the memory into the same type of software program stored in the another peripheral device.