Patent ID: 8051158
Filing Date: 2011-11-01
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A program management apparatus connected at least to an image forming apparatus and managing a particular program installable to the image forming apparatus, comprising: a storage, configured to store program information including identification information of the particular program installable to the image forming apparatus; a program information transmitter, configured to transmit the program information stored in said storage to the image forming apparatus; a program transmitter, configured to transmit the particular program to the image forming apparatus for installing the particular program on the image forming apparatus in response to a request for program execution from the image forming apparatus; a receiver, configured to receive resource information indicating an available resource from the image forming apparatus, and to receive an installation request for installing a selected program selected by a user via list information of additional applications that can run on the image forming apparatus, wherein the particular program is the selected program; a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the image forming apparatus has a resource for installing the particular program; and a flushing requesting unit, configured to transmit an uninstall request to the image forming apparatus to uninstall a previously installed program previously installed on the image forming apparatus if it is determined on the basis of the resource information that the image forming apparatus lacks a resource for the particular program, wherein the flushing requesting unit is configured to instruct the image forming apparatus to install the particular program without issuing an instruction for uninstalling the previously installed program if said determination unit determines that the image forming apparatus has a resource for installing the particular program upon installing the particular program to the image forming apparatus, wherein said program transmitter is configured to transmit the particular program to be installed to the image forming apparatus after the previously installed program is uninstalled in response to the uninstall request from said flushing requesting unit, and wherein the resource for the program is available memory storage, an available number of programs that can be installed on the image forming apparatus, or an available number or size of handles and ports used for linking programs with the image forming apparatus.