Patent ID: 7895658

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a storage device capable of storing image data; a task processing unit configured to access the storage device and execute a service task that includes at least one of a printing operation, a scanning operation, a network printer operation, and a box printing operation in the image forming apparatus; and an anti-virus protection unit configured to apply a search for a computer virus at predetermined timing to the storage device, suspend the virus search, execute the processing of the service task requested, limit functions of the image forming apparatus when a processing request for a service task involving access to the storage device is received during the virus search, resume the virus search when the processing of the service task requested is finished, and apply an anti-virus measure to the storage device, the limit of the functions include reduction in conveying speed of sheets at the printing operation, or reduction in driving speed of a carriage at the scanning operation, or reduction in transfer rate of the network at a time of data spool by the network.