Image forming apparatus and method for controlling same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016261771-A1
Application number	US-201615044346-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 16, 2016
Priority date	Mar 3, 2015
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Personal settings for each user and each application are stored in personal setting holding units 311 and 310 . When a personal setting is to be exported, synchronous control information indicating whether or not synchronization is to be performed for each personal setting is exported. In the case where the firmware version of an apparatus that is to import the information indicates synchronization of the personal setting, the personal setting is rewritten in accordance with the synchronous control information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image forming apparatus configured to be connected to an external apparatus, comprising:
a storing unit configured to store a personal setting of each program in association with synchronous control information; a synchronization management unit configured to synchronize the personal setting stored in the storing unit and a corresponding personal setting held in the external apparatus, in accordance with the synchronous control information associated with the personal setting; and an export unit configured to export the synchronous control information in association with the personal setting, when the personal setting is exported to a distribution destination.

2 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an import unit configured to import the synchronous control information in association with the personal setting, when the personal setting is imported from a distribution source.

3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the export unit is configured to add information indicating a synchronous control method to the personal setting to be exported, and the import unit is configured to set, in a case where the information indicating the synchronous control method is added to the personal setting that is imported, synchronous control information associated with the personal setting such that the synchronous control method indicated by the information is implemented.

4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the information indicating the synchronous control method is version information of firmware of the image forming apparatus, which is the distribution source.

5 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a unit configured to store version information of firmware when the image forming apparatus was last activated, wherein current version information at the time of activation and the version information at the time of the last activation are compared with each other, and if the current version information is not identical to the version information at the time of the last activation, the synchronous control information is set to a value in accordance with the current version information.

6 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the external apparatus is configured to transmit the personal setting for each program to the image forming apparatus based on a list of programs that is received from the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus further comprises a unit configured to transmit, to the external apparatus, the list of programs that does not include a program having a personal setting that is not to be synchronized.

7 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a unit configured to set, in a case where the personal setting is operated by an application program, operation information indicating that the personal setting has been operated by the application program, wherein the storing unit is configured to store the set operation information in association with the synchronous control information, the export unit is configured to export the personal setting associated with the operation information and the synchronous control information, and the import unit is configured, in a case where it is indicated that the operation information associated with the synchronous control information added to the personal setting that is to be imported was set by the application program, to import the personal setting without operating the synchronous control information, and in a case where it is not indicated that the operation information was set by the application program, imports the personal setting and sets the synchronous control information of the imported personal setting, in accordance with a value of the information indicating the synchronous control method.

8 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the personal setting includes password information for accessing the external apparatus with the program.

9 . A method for controlling an image forming apparatus configured to be connected to an external apparatus, the method comprising:
storing a personal setting of each program in a storing unit in association with synchronous control information; synchronizing the personal setting stored in the storing unit and a corresponding personal setting held in the external apparatus, in accordance with the synchronous control information associated with the personal setting; and exporting the synchronous control information in association with the personal setting, when the personal setting is exported to a distribution destination.

10 . The method for controlling the image forming apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the synchronous control information is imported in association with the personal setting when the personal setting is imported from a distribution source.

11 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to function as an image forming apparatus configured to be connected to an external apparatus, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a storing unit configured to store a personal setting of each program in association with synchronous control information; a synchronization management unit configured to synchronize the personal setting stored in the storing unit and a corresponding personal setting held in the external apparatus, in accordance with the synchronous control information associated with the personal setting; and an export unit configured to export the synchronous control information in association with the personal setting, when the personal setting is exported to a distribution destination.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Fujii Manabu

Classifications

• H04N1/00514

  for individual users · CPC title

• H04N1/4413 Primary

  involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN · CPC title

• H04N1/00509

  Personalising for a particular user or group of users, e.g. a workgroup or company · CPC title

• H04N2201/0094

  Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception · CPC title

• H04N1/00244

  with a server, e.g. an internet server (fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324) · CPC title