Patent ID: 8164772

Claim:
An image forming apparatus configured to execute an auxiliary program combined to a prescribed control program that transforms a piece of received information to image data, wherein the image forming apparatus comprises: a memory section containing a plurality of auxiliary programs; a received information judging section configured to judge whether the received information is an auxiliary program or a piece of image information, by analyzing said received information; an auxiliary program managing section configured to (i) detect from said memory section a necessary auxiliary program from the plurality of auxiliary programs in order for the received information to be processed, based on the image information, when said received information is the image information, and (ii) register the received information in said memory section, when said received information is a new auxiliary program; a received information memorizing section configured to memorize the received information when said necessary auxiliary program is not detected by the auxiliary program managing section; a control section configured to (i) shunt the received information in the memory section if the necessary auxiliary program is not detected by the auxiliary program managing section and to start a next process of a subsequently received information, when the received information is memorized, and (ii) transform the received information to image data if the necessary auxiliary program is detected by the auxiliary program managing section, wherein the received information is not shunted if the necessary auxiliary program is detected by the auxiliary program managing section; and an adding auxiliary program selecting section configured to judge whether or not the new auxiliary program is needed by the received information in the received information memorizing section at a time when the new auxiliary program is registered in the memory section and to select said received information to be processed from the received information memorizing section, if the new auxiliary program is needed by said selected received information, wherein the control section executes a process of the selected received information by using the new auxiliary program immediately after the new auxiliary program is registered.