Patent ID: 7194526

Claim:
A network device management method for setting or updating setting information or firmware of a plurality of peripheral information devices having a printing or scanning function installed on a network, the method comprising: processing that any of the plurality of peripheral information devices transmits to other peripheral information devices on the network, identification information and device information that reflect one or more characteristics of a control/setting command of the transmitting information device; processing that any of the plurality of peripheral information devices that has received the identification information and device information from the transmitting peripheral information device correlates the received device information with the device information of the receiving peripheral information device, generates an approximation-level information that shows a level that the control/setting command of the transmitting and receiving peripheral information devices are in common, and stores the approximation-level information together with the received identification information of the transmitting peripheral information device; processing that any of the peripheral information devices that has received a setting/updating command including any one of a setting/updating data for setting or updating a setting information or a firmware and position information of the setting/updating data stores the setting/updating command, and sets or updates the setting information or the firmware of the command receiving peripheral information device based on the setting/updating command; and processing that any of the peripheral information devices that has received a setting/updating command selectively transfers to other peripheral information devices the stored setting/updating command based on the approximation-level information.