Patent ID: 7839530

Claim:
A program distributing method of a program distributing source, comprising: communicating with image forming apparatuses connected to a network to acquire information relating to devices composing the image forming apparatuses at each predetermined period, and registering the information to a device management unit; registering operation requesting information indicating that modules in which programs for realizing new functions of the image forming apparatuses are stored each predetermined hierarchy have become distributable; receiving devices necessary to realize the functions while associated with the operation requesting information, and determining whether or not the received device searches a registered image forming apparatus and whether or not the device is managed by the device management unit; analyzing the device of the searched image forming apparatus when the device is managed by the device management unit and determining whether or not the module can be distributed to the searched image forming apparatus; forming notification information indicating that the function is newly published to the image forming apparatus which has been determined that the module can be distributed thereto, and transmitting the notification information to the searched image forming apparatus; judging, when receiving distribution request information requesting distribution of the module from the image forming apparatus that has transmitted the notification information, whether or not the module to be distributed has a dependency relationship with an other program of the image forming apparatus; and forming program distribution information containing a module operating the device when there is no dependency relationship, and transmitting the program distribution information to the image forming apparatus for which the distribution of the program has been requested.