Patent ID: 7251686

Claim:
A control device in which apparatus management data is transmitted and received to and from an apparatus by a first communicating unit, and a packet addressed to a centralized management device is sent out to a communication network and a packet from the communication network addressed to itself is taken in by a second communicating unit, said control device comprising: a clock for providing current date and/or time; an analyzing unit for analyzing the packet taken in by said second communicating unit; an expiration date and/or time managing unit for permitting transmission of the apparatus management data included in the packet to said apparatus on condition that the current date and/or time obtained from said clock is not past an expiration date and/or time of the packet analyzed by said analyzing unit, and for transmitting a notice, which indicates the invalidity of the apparatus management data, to the centralized management device on condition that current date and/or time obtained from said clock is past said expiration date and/or time; and a threshold date and/or time storing unit for holding threshold date and/or time information deciding a time period for which the apparatus management data is valid, wherein said expiration date and/or time managing unit determines whether or not the current date and/or time is not past the expiration date and/or time based on a transmission date and/or time included in the packet analyzed by said analyzing unit, the threshold date and/or time information held by the threshold date and/or time storing unit and the current date and/or time obtained from said clock and when the packet does not include the expiration date and/or time, a control unit permits transmission of the control data to the apparatus on condition that current date and/or time obtained from the clock is not past a second expiration date and/or time obtained from the transmission date and/or time and the threshold date and/or time information.