Patent ID: 8437025

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of image processing modules; wherein each of the plurality of image processing modules includes: an input unit configured to input packet data of a job containing image data and an identifier identifying an image processing module of the plurality of image processing modules, wherein the image processing module identified by the identifier is a target module of processing the image data; an image processing unit configured to, in a case where an image processing module which receives the packet data from the input unit is the target module, process the image data of the packet data, wherein the image processing unit has a plurality of functions including a function of processing the image data; an output unit configured to output packet data containing image data processed by the image processing unit; a switching unit configured to, in a case where the input unit inputs packet data of a high-priority job, switch a current function of the plurality of functions to a function of processing image data of the packet data of the high-priority job; a changing unit configured to, in a case where the switching unit switches the current function to the function of processing the image data of the packet data of the high-priority job and the input unit inputs packet data of a job different from the high-priority job, change an identifier of the packet data of the job to an identifier identifying another image processing module of the plurality of image processing modules, wherein the another image processing module includes the image processing unit whose current function corresponds to the current function from which the switching unit switched to the function of processing the image data of the packet data of the high-priority job; and a transfer unit configured to transfer the packet data whose identifier is changed by the changing unit to the another image processing module.