Patent ID: 8259338

Claim:
An image forming apparatus having a file-format conversion function of performing a data communication with a plurality of external memory devices, the apparatus comprising: an interface unit to receive a first file with information on the first file from one of a plurality of external memory devices and to transmit a second file to at least one of the plurality of external memory devices according to the information on the first file; a file converter to convert the first file from a first format into a second format as the second file according to the information on the first file and information on the second file; and a panel operation unit to display a file name list of the files and a format to be converted and to input a format conversion command for the first file, wherein the file converter converts the first file into the second file using information recorded in a head section of the first file, wherein the file converter, which comprises a plurality of coding sections to perform a format conversion on files having different formats, selects one of the plurality of coding sections according to the file name and the format to be converted input from the panel operation unit, and performs the format conversion, and wherein the interface unit transmits the format-converted first file to at least one of the plurality of external memory devices as the second file.