Patent ID: 8305601

Claim:
A device information management system comprising: a server; a client configured to communicate with the server via a first communication channel; and an image forming device configured to connect to the client to communicate with the client via a second communication channel different from the first communication channel, wherein the image forming device includes: an image formation unit configured to execute image formation in accordance with an image formation command received through the second communication channel; and a device information sending-back unit configured to send device information, including device identification information uniquely identifying the device, back to the client via the second communication channel in response to receiving a device information requesting command from the client via the second communication channel, and wherein the client is further configured to: read a device driver and a client program from a recording medium; install the device driver and the client program, wherein the device driver is configured to enable the client to communicate with the image forming device via the second communication channel and wherein the client program is configured to cause the client to act as a client unit, wherein installing the device driver includes loading and activation of the device driver; determine whether installation of the device driver and the client program has been completed; and when acting as the client unit: send the device information requesting command to the image forming device via the second communication channel in response to determining that the installation of the device driver and the client program has been completed, and send the received device information and client information including client identification information uniquely identifying the client to the server via the first communication channel in response to receiving the device information sent back by the image forming device via the second communication channel following transmission of the device information requesting command to the image forming device, and wherein the server is configured to: receive the device information and the client information from the client via the first communication channel; and register the received device information and the client information in association with one another in a database.