Image forming system and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image forming system capable of causing an image forming device to take a recovery operation when the firmware update of the image forming device connected to a terminal device is unsuccessful, and of properly updating the firmware by executing the firmware updating process again, and the image forming device.SOLUTION: Firmware 35 of an MFP 11 stores, in a non-volatile memory area 44, USB configuration information 35A when executing the update of the firmware 35 in a normal operation. When the update of the firmware 35 does not complete properly, the MFP 11 executes a recovery program 36 to take a recovery operation. When connected to a terminal device 12 in the recovery operation, the recovery program 36 transmits, to the terminal device 12, the USB configuration information 35A stored in the non-volatile memory area 44. Hence, at the MFP 11 side, the USB configuration information 35A becomes consistent in the normal operation and in the recovery operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for updating firmware of an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 describes a technique for updating (or updating) the firmware of a printer with update firmware downloaded from a server to a PC. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-16221 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] While a printer is updating its firmware, the update may be interrupted by a power outage, etc. If the update fails, the printer may no longer function properly, which can be a problem.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an image forming system and an image forming device that, if an attempt to update the firmware of an image forming device connected to a terminal device fails, can perform a recovery operation on the image forming device and perform the firmware update procedure again, thereby successfully updating the firmware. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an image forming system of the present disclosure is an image forming system including an image forming apparatus and a terminal apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a USB interface and a memory, and the image forming apparatus normally operates as the image forming apparatus having a plurality of functions including an image forming function by executing firmware stored in the memory, the terminal apparatus executes an installation process to install a driver for the image forming apparatus in association with the image forming apparatus, and in the installation process, stores USB configuration information transmitted from the image forming apparatus via the USB interface in association with the image forming apparatus, and the terminal apparatus and the image forming apparatus that have executed the installation process are capable of executing a firmware update process to update the firmware of the image forming apparatus via the USB interface, and when the firmware update process is successful, the image forming apparatus normally operates by executing the updated firmware, and in the normal operation, and transmits the USB configuration information to the terminal device connected to the USB interface, and the image forming device performs a recovery operation when the firmware cannot be executed as a result of executing the firmware update process. The image forming system is capable of executing the installation process and the firmware update process between the terminal device and the image forming device via the USB interface when the image forming device is performing the recovery operation. The terminal device stores the USB configuration information transmitted from the image forming device when performing the installation process during the recovery operation, in association with the image forming device. When the firmware update process during the recovery operation is successful, the image forming device performs the normal operation by executing the updated firmware. The USB configuration information is transmitted to the terminal device via the USB interface, and the terminal device communicates with the image forming device during the recovery operation and the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming device when the installation process was executed.When a relationship between the USB configuration information transmitted during normal operation from the image forming apparatus that has been successfully updated in the firmware update process during the recovery operation and the USB configuration information transmitted during normal operation from the image forming apparatus that has been successfully updated in the firmware update process during the recovery operation is a predetermined relationship, the image forming apparatus receives information indicating the success of the firmware update process from the image forming apparatus via the USB interface and normally terminates the firmware update process, and when a relationship between the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming apparatus when the installation process was executed with the image forming apparatus during the recovery operation and the USB configuration information transmitted during normal operation from the image forming apparatus that has been successfully updated in the firmware update process during the recovery operation is not the predetermined relationship, the image forming apparatus does not perform communication via the USB interface, However, when performing the installation process during the recovery operation, the terminal device transmits to the terminal device via the USB interface information that satisfies the predetermined relationship with the USB configuration information that is transmitted during the normal operation of executing the updated firmware, and the terminal device receives information indicating the success of the firmware update process from the image forming device via the USB interface because the USB configuration information that is stored in association with the image forming device when the image forming device and the image forming device during the recovery operation performed the installation process and the USB configuration information that is transmitted during the normal operation from the image forming device that was successfully updated in the firmware update process during the recovery operation satisfy the predetermined relationship.

[0007] The technology of the present disclosure can be realized in various forms, for example, in the form of an image forming apparatus, a recovery method, a recording medium on which a program is recorded, and the like. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] With the technology disclosed herein, if the firmware update procedure is performed using a recovery operation, the firmware can be updated normally. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an installation process and a firmware update process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an installation process and a firmware update process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of an installation process and a firmware update process according to a second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of an installation process and a firmware update process according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A printing system will be described below as an embodiment of the image forming system of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 shows a printing system 10 of a first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 10 includes an MFP 11 and a terminal device 12. The MFP 11 is an example of an image forming device of the present disclosure. The MFP 11 includes a CPU 21, a memory 22, a print engine 23, a reading engine 25, a FAX engine 26, a user IF (abbreviation of interface) 27, a USBIF 28, and a LANIF 29. These components are capable of communicating with each other via a bus 31. The CPU 21 executes processing in accordance with a program 33 stored in the memory 22. The CPU 21 is an example of a control device of the present disclosure. The LANIF 29 is an example of a communication interface of the present disclosure.

[0011] The print engine 23 prints an image on a sheet (e.g., recording paper, OHP sheet, etc.). The print engine 23 can be configured to print using an inkjet method or an electrophotographic method. The read engine 25 includes a read sensor (CIS or CCD) that reads an image from a document and controls the read sensor to read the image on the document. The FAX engine 26 transmits and receives FAX data to and from other facsimile devices via a telephone line. The user IF 27 includes, for example, a touch panel or push button switches, and receives user input and displays information to the user. The USBIF 28 is an interface capable of communication compliant with the USB standard and can be connected to USB devices such as USB memory and other devices (e.g., terminal device 12) that have a USBIF. The LANIF 29 is, for example, a LAN interface and is connected to the terminal device 12 and the network 15 via the router 13. Note that communication between the MFP 11 and the terminal device 12 may be wired or wireless.

[0012] The memory 22 is configured by combining, for example, RAM, ROM, NVRAM, HDD, etc. The memory 22 stores a program 33 executed by the CPU 21. The program 33 stores firmware 35, a recovery program 36, and a boot loader 37. The firmware 35 is a control program that controls the MFP 11 and executes printing processes, scanning processes, FAX sending and receiving processes, setting processes for the MFP 11, etc. The firmware 35 is an example of a first program of the present disclosure. The recovery program 36 is an example of a second program of the present disclosure. The recovery program 36 is a program for recovery operations. The boot loader 37 is a program that is executed at startup. The memory 22 also includes a nonvolatile storage area 44. This nonvolatile storage area 44 is, for example, a storage area of ​​NVRAM. The nonvolatile storage area 44 is an example of a storage area of ​​the present disclosure.

[0013] The medium for storing program 33 is not limited to the ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into MFP 11, but may be a computer-readable and writable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, non-transitory media also include storage media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. Non-transitory media are also tangible media. On the other hand, an electrical signal carrying a program downloaded from a server on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium, which is a type of computer-readable medium, but is not included in non-transitory computer-readable storage media.

[0014] The terminal device 12 is, for example, a personal computer. Note that the terminal device of the present disclosure is not limited to a personal computer, and may be a terminal capable of other information processing, such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The terminal device 12 includes a CPU 51, a memory 52, an LCD 53, an input IF 55, a USB IF 58, and a LAN IF 59. These components are capable of communicating with each other via a bus 61.

[0015] The memory 52 stores an OS 63 and an update application 64. The OS 63 is a program that performs overall control of the terminal device 12, and provides basic functions and services to application programs such as the update application 64. The OS 63 is, for example, a Windows (registered trademark) operating system. Note that the OS 63 is not limited to a Windows (registered trademark) OS, and may be an OS such as MacOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark), or iOS (registered trademark).

[0016] Furthermore, the update application 64 is, for example, a program provided by the vendor of the MFP 11, and is a program that executes USB communication with the MFP 11 during recovery operation and updates (rewrites) the firmware 35. Furthermore, the memory 52 includes a nonvolatile storage area 65. This nonvolatile storage area 65 is, for example, a storage area of ​​a hard disk or an SSD.

[0017] The LCD 53 functions as a display device that displays various information of the terminal device 12. The display device of the terminal device 12 is not limited to an LCD, and may be another display device such as an organic EL display. The input IF 55 is, for example, an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse. The input IF 55 of the terminal device 12 is not limited to a keyboard or a mouse, and may be, for example, a touch panel.

[0018] A server 17 is connected to the network 15. The network 15 is, for example, the Internet. Note that the network 15 is not limited to a WAN such as the Internet, and may be a LAN. The server 17 is, for example, a server managed by the vendor of the terminal device 12. The server 17 stores firmware 35′, a driver installer 71, and a product DB 74. The server 17 stores firmware 35′ corresponding to each model of the MFP 11. The driver installer 71 is an installer that installs a printer driver 72 for executing communication with the MFP 11 via the LANIF 29 or the USBIF 28. The printer driver 72 is, for example, a device driver provided by the vendor of the MFP 11, and is installed in the terminal device 12. The printer driver 72 is a program that transmits a print command from the terminal device 12 to the MFP 11 and executes setting processing for the MFP 11. The printer driver 72 is an example of a driver disclosed herein.

[0019] The printing system 10 is a system in which a printer driver 72 is installed in the terminal device 12, thereby allowing the terminal device 12 to issue a print instruction to the MFP 11 and execute printing or the like using the MFP 11. The following explanation will mainly focus on the printer driver 72 that issues the print instruction. Note that a scanner driver for issuing a scan instruction, an application program for issuing a FAX transmission instruction, and the like may be installed at the same time as the printer driver 72 is installed. Alternatively, the scanner driver, etc. may be installed in the MFP 11 in a process separate from the installation of the printer driver 72.

[0020] Next, the installation process of the printer driver 72 and the update process of the firmware 35 by the printing system 10 will be described. FIGS. 2 and 3 show flow diagrams of the installation process and the firmware update process. In the first embodiment, as an example, the MFP 11 and the terminal device 12 are connected via a wired LAN, an attempt is made to update the firmware 35, and after the update fails, a recovery operation is performed via a USB connection. At the start of the processes in FIGS. 2 and 3, the MFP 11 is in a state where it can normally execute the firmware 35 and starts up normally when powered on. Furthermore, the printer driver 72 corresponding to the MFP 11 is not installed in the terminal device 12. The content and order of the processes shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are merely examples. Furthermore, the MFP 11 and the terminal device 12 can communicate via LAN via the LANIFs 29 and 59 and via USB via the USBIFs 28 and 58. Therefore, in FIGS. 2 and 3, the characters "LAN" and "USB" indicate which communication method is being used for the process. Additionally, for each step in the flow diagram (hereinafter simply referred to as "S"), the same reference numerals will be used for similar processes such as installation, but steps related to "USB communication" will be preceded by a "' (dash)" to distinguish them from steps related to "LAN communication."

[0021] 2 and 3 basically represent processing by the CPU 21, 51, etc. (including the server 17) in accordance with instructions written in the program 33, the update application 64, etc. In other words, in the following description, processes such as "accept," "request," "execute," "acquire," "determine," and "instruct" refer to processing by the CPU 21, 51, etc. Processing by the CPU 21, 51, etc. also includes hardware control. In the following description, for example, processing by the CPU 21, 51, etc. in accordance with instructions written in a program may be described in abbreviated terms. For example, the statement "the MFP 11 acquires the firmware 35' via the LANIF 29" may mean "the MFP 11 executes the program 33 with the CPU 21 and controls the LANIF 29 to acquire the firmware 35'." The same applies to the terminal device 12 and the server 17. In addition, processing by the CPU 21, 51, etc. in accordance with instructions written in a program may be described with the program name as the subject, such as "the program executes."

[0022] Furthermore, in this disclosure, "acquire" is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request. In other words, the process of the MFP 11 or the like receiving data without a request is also included in the concept of "the MFP 11 or the like acquiring data." Furthermore, "data" in this application is represented by a bit string that can be read by a computer. Data that has the same substantial meaning but different formats is treated as the same data. The same applies to "information" in this application. Furthermore, "instruct" is a concept that indicates outputting information indicating that an instruction is being given to the other party. Furthermore, information indicating that an instruction is being given is also simply referred to as "instruction."

[0023] For example, a user turns on the power of the MFP 11 with the LANIF 29 of the terminal device 12 and the LANIF 59 of the MFP 11 connected by a LAN cable. When the MFP 11 is turned on, the CPU 21 executes the boot loader 37 in S11 of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 1, a flag value 43 is stored in the non-volatile storage area 44. When the boot loader 37 is executed, it reads the flag value 43 from the non-volatile storage area 44 and determines whether to execute the firmware 35. The flag value 43 can be set to a value that instructs the execution of the firmware 35 (hereinafter referred to as a first value) and a value that instructs the execution of the recovery program 36 (hereinafter referred to as a second value). As described above, the MFP 11 is in a state where it can start up normally, and the flag value 43 is set to the first value. Therefore, the boot loader 37 selects the execution of the firmware 35. The MFP 11 executes the firmware 35 in the CPU 21 and starts up the system. The MFP 11 enters a normal state in which it can execute functions such as printing and scanning. The printing function is an example of an image forming function of the present disclosure. In the following description, the state in which this firmware 35 is executed and the MFP 11 operates as an MFP 11 equipped with various functions is referred to as normal operation. In the column for the MFP 11 in Figures 2 and 3, a white square indicates that the MFP 11 is in normal operation. The normal operation is an example of the first operation of the present disclosure.

[0024] The terminal device 12 also receives an instruction to install a printer driver 72 for the MFP 11 (S13). For example, the user accesses the server 17 using browser software, selects a printer driver 72 that matches the model of the MFP 11, and performs an operation to download a driver installer 71 that installs the printer driver 72. The MFP 11 requests the driver installer 71 from the server 17 via the network 15 based on the user's operation (S15), and downloads the driver installer 71 from the server 17. The user then performs an operation on the terminal device 12 to execute the downloaded driver installer 71, for example. The driver installer 71 receives an instruction from the user to use the LANIF 29 as an interface, and starts the installation process (S19). The driver installer 71 detects the MFP 11 connected to the specified interface (S21). Here, the description will be given assuming that the LANIF 29 has been specified.

[0025] The driver installer 71 acquires the IP address, printer name, etc. from the detected MFP 11, stores the acquired information about the MFP 11 in the non-volatile storage area 65 together with port information used for communication over the network 15 when issuing a print instruction to the MFP 11, and terminates the installation process for the printer driver 72 (S19). Note that the method for acquiring the printer driver 72 is not limited to the above method. For example, the driver installer 71 may not include the printer driver 72, and may instead select and download a necessary driver from the server 17. Alternatively, other software such as the update application 64 or the OS 63 may download a necessary driver from the server 17.

[0026] The terminal device 12 executes the update application 64 in response to, for example, a user's operation input, and accepts an operation to update the firmware 35 (S23). The update application 64 is, for example, application software that can be installed in the terminal device 12. The user can install the update application 64 by obtaining an installer for the update application 64 from the server 17 and executing it, similar to installing the printer driver 72. When the update application 64 is started, for example, the update application 64 displays on the LCD 53 a list of port information registered in the terminal device 12 (the port information stored in S19 described above), and communicates with the MFP 11 using the port information selected by the user (S23). That is, if the port information includes information for communicating with the MFP 11 via the network 15, the update application 64 becomes able to transmit the update firmware 35′ to the MFP 11 via the network 15. As will be described later, if the port information includes information for communicating with the MFP 11 via the USBIF 28, 58, the update application 64 can transmit the firmware 35' for update to the MFP 11 via the USBIF 28, 58. That is, by installing the printer driver 72 described above in the terminal device 12, the terminal device 12 is able to not only issue print instructions to the MFP 11 but also update the firmware 35 of the MFP 11 via the LANIF 29. The update application 64 requests firmware information from the MFP 11 with which it communicated in S23 (S25). The MFP 11 responds with firmware information such as the type of firmware 35 of its own device, the version of the firmware 35, the model name of the MFP 11, and the product serial number (S27).

[0027] The update application 64 transmits firmware information acquired from the MFP 11 to the server 17 (S31). The server 17 determines whether the firmware 35 of the MFP 11 needs to be updated based on the information acquired from the update application 64 (S33). The product DB 74 of the server 17 stores, for example, the model name of each MFP 11, the latest version number of the firmware 35 for that model name, and the range of versions that require updating, all associated with each other. For example, if a value of 0.75 is stored as the latest version and a value of 0.00 is stored as the minimum value of the range and a value of 0.74 is stored as the maximum value of the range, this indicates that the firmware 35 for that model, which is between versions 0.00 and 0.74, needs to be updated to 0.75. The server 17 detects the range of versions that require updating for that model name based on the model name acquired in S31. If the version of the firmware 35 acquired in S31 falls within the range, the server 17 determines that an update is necessary. If the acquired version is the latest version, the server 17 determines that an update is not necessary. The server 17 transmits the result of the determination as to whether or not an update is necessary to the terminal device 12 (S35). Note that the information in the product DB 74 described above is an example. For example, the product DB 74 may simply contain information associating the firmware name with the latest version.

[0028] This time, the firmware 35 needs to be updated. Therefore, the server 17 notifies the update application 64 that an update is necessary (S35). The update application 64 requests the firmware 35' from the server 17 (S37) and acquires the latest version of the firmware 35' (S39). The update application 64 transmits the acquired latest version of the firmware 35' to the MFP 11 and issues an instruction to update the firmware 35 to the firmware 35' (S41). Note that the firmware update is not limited to an update to the latest version. For example, the update may be an update that rolls back to a previous version to avoid a problem with the latest version. Furthermore, the firmware 35' acquired from the server 17 may be only the data necessary to update the firmware 35 (difference data from the latest version), or may be all data of the latest version of the firmware that can replace the firmware 35.

[0029] Upon receiving the instruction of S41, the firmware 35 changes the flag value 43 from the first value to the second value before starting to update the firmware 35 (S43). The firmware 35 also stores USB configuration information 35A (see FIG. 1) set in its own program in the non-volatile storage area 44 (S43). The USB configuration information 35A is, for example, information to be transmitted to a device serving as a USB host, such as the terminal device 12, when the USB host is connected to the USBIF 28 of the MFP 11 in normal operation that executes the firmware 35, and is so-called USB descriptor information. The USB configuration information 35A includes, for example, information such as a device descriptor, a configuration descriptor, and an interface descriptor. Specifically, the USB configuration information 35A includes information such as the model name, USB ID, and product serial number of the MFP 11. The USB configuration information 35A stored in S43 is an example of the first USB configuration information of the present disclosure.

[0030] Furthermore, the USB configuration information 35A includes interface numbers and information on the USB classes corresponding to the interface numbers as interface descriptor information. For example, the USB configuration information 35A includes information on four interface numbers, 0 to 3. The USB configuration information 35A also associates each of the four interface numbers (e.g., IF0 to IF3) with a USB class, such as a printer class, a scanner class, and a vendor-definable function class (vendor function 1, vendor function 2). These functions are realized by the MFP 11 executing firmware 35 and are provided during normal operation. For example, when the terminal device 12 is connected to a normally operating MFP 11 via USB communication (USBIF 28, 58), the terminal device 12 determines, based on the USB configuration information 35A acquired from the MFP 11, which interface number of the USBIF 28, 58 should be used to transmit and receive data corresponding to functions such as printing and scanning.

[0031] The image forming apparatus of the present disclosure is not limited to a multifunction peripheral such as the MFP 11. For example, the image forming apparatus may be a printer, a fax machine, or a scanner. Therefore, the image forming function of the present disclosure is not limited to a printing function but may also be a fax function or a scanner function. Furthermore, the multiple functions including the image forming function may include image forming functions such as printing, faxing, and scanning, as well as other functions (not limited to image forming functions, but realized by executing firmware 35). The image forming system of the present disclosure is not limited to a printing system but may also be a scan system capable of only scanning, or a fax system capable of only faxing. The driver of the present disclosure is not limited to a driver capable of multiple functions such as printing, scanning, and faxing, but may also be a driver capable of only printing or only scanning. The classes of vendor functions 1 and 2 may include, for example, a fax function class, a function class for accessing the EWS (Embedded Web Server) of the MFP 11, and a scanner function class.

[0032] When the storage of the USB configuration information 35A by the firmware 35 is complete, the MFP 11 starts the process of updating the firmware 35 to the latest version using the firmware 35' (S45). The MFP 11 sequentially updates the programs included in the firmware 35 based on the firmware 35' acquired from the terminal device 12 (S45). If the update of the firmware 35 is successful, the MFP 11 starts up with the latest firmware 35 and resumes normal operation. However, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the update process is interrupted when the power to the MFP 11 is turned off during the update process of the firmware 35 (S47). Note that the cause of the interruption of the update process is not limited to being powered off, and it may also be, for example, a disconnection of communication between the MFP 11 and the terminal device 12.

[0033] After transmitting the update instruction in S41, the update application 64 requests firmware information from the MFP 11 after a predetermined time has elapsed (S49) to confirm completion of the update of the MFP 11. This predetermined time is, for example, a waiting time corresponding to the time required for the MFP 11 to update the firmware 35. The communication content in S49 is basically the same as that in S25. The update application 64 completes the update if it receives a response similar to that in S27 (such as version information). However, in this embodiment, the MFP 11 is powered off. Therefore, the update application 64 receives no response from the MFP 11 (see the cross in FIG. 2), detects a timeout, and terminates the update process (S51). For example, when the update application 64 executes the update instruction in S41, it displays the progress of the transmission of the firmware 35' as a progress bar on the LCD 53. When the transmission is complete, the update application 64 sets the progress of the progress bar to "90%." Because S49 is not responding, the progress bar remains at 90%, causing the user to believe that the firmware update is not complete.

[0034] Next, in S53, the MFP 11 is powered on again. Because the second value is set in the flag value 43, the boot loader 37 selects activation of the recovery program 36. The MFP 11 executes the recovery program 36 in the CPU 21 and enters recovery operation (S55). The recovery operation is an example of the second operation of the present disclosure. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the recovery operation is indicated by a dotted rectangle. The recovery program 36 restricts the functions of the MFP 11 during the recovery operation; for example, it displays the message "In recovery mode" on the touch panel of the user IF 27 and does not accept any operations from the user IF 27. Furthermore, the recovery program 36 does not communicate via the LANIF 29, but only communicates via the USBIF 28.

[0035] The user checks the display and manual of the MFP 11 and determines that recovery via USB connection is necessary. The user then connects the USBIFs 28 and 58 with the USB cable 14 (see FIG. 1 ), executes the driver installer 71 downloaded in S17, for example, installs the printer driver 72 in the terminal device 12, and configures USB communication (S19′ in FIG. 3 ). S19′ is an example of the installation process disclosed herein. For example, during the installation process, the driver installer 71 receives an instruction to use the USBIF 28 and detects the MFP 11 connected to the USBIF 28. The driver installer 71 stores information such as the USB ID and printer name acquired from the MFP 11 in the non-volatile storage area 65, including the information in port information used for communication via the USB cable 14 when issuing a print instruction to the MFP 11 (S19′, S65). When the recovery program 36 detects the terminal device 12 connected to the USBIF 58 via the Plug and Play (PnP) function, the recovery program 36 configures USB communication with the OS 63 (S65). In this configuration, the recovery program 36 reads out the USB configuration information 35A stored in the non-volatile storage area 44 by the firmware 35, i.e., information such as interface descriptors used in normal operation (S64), and transmits the read USB configuration information 35A to the terminal device 12 (S65). The USB configuration information 35A transmitted in S65 is an example of the second USB configuration information of the present disclosure.

[0036] Furthermore, in the above-described installation process, OS 63 associates printer driver 72 to be installed, acquired USB configuration information 35A, the printer name of MFP 11, etc., and stores them in nonvolatile storage area 65. Furthermore, based on the interface descriptor included in USB configuration information 35A stored in nonvolatile storage area 65, OS 63 transmits print instructions, etc., to MFP 11 via the associated printer driver 72 using an interface according to the type of data.

[0037] Once the installation is complete, the user executes the update application 64 (S23'). The update application 64 communicates with the server 17 and the MFP 11 and instructs the MFP 11 to update the firmware (S25', S27', S31 to S39, S41'). Communication with the MFP 11 is performed via the USBIF 28. The recovery program 36 responds with the model name of the firmware information based on the USB configuration information 35A stored in the non-volatile storage area 44 in S43 (S27').

[0038] Furthermore, the recovery program 36 responds with, for example, a value of 0.00 as the version of the firmware information (S27'). As a result, the server 17 determines that an update is definitely necessary (S33), and the update of the firmware 35 is executed (S41'). The recovery program 36 may also respond with the version of the firmware 35 before the update.

[0039] When the recovery program 36 acquires the firmware 35' from the terminal device 12 (S41'), it updates the program included in the firmware 35 whose update failed based on the firmware 35', as in S45 (S85). S85 is an example of the firmware update process of the present disclosure. When the update is complete, the recovery program 36 updates the flag value 43 from the second value to the first value (S87). The recovery program 36 restarts the MFP 11 (S89). The boot loader 37 executed after the restart selects execution of the firmware 35 because the flag value 43 is set to the first value. The MFP 11 operates normally with the updated firmware 35 (S91).

[0040] Restarting the MFP 11 temporarily disconnects the USB communication between the terminal device 12 and the MFP 11. After restarting, the MFP 11 configures the USB communication with the terminal device 12 (S93). The firmware 35 transmits the USB configuration information 35A set in its own program to the OS 63 (S93).

[0041] In S65, the recovery program 36 transmits the USB configuration information 35A stored in the firmware 35 before the update to the OS 63. In S93, the updated firmware 35' transmits the USB configuration information 35A set in itself to the OS 63. If the USB configuration information 35A stored in the nonvolatile storage area 65 in S65 and the USB configuration information 35A acquired in S93 satisfy a relationship of complete match, the OS 63 continues the USB communication. If the USB configuration information 35A does not match, the OS 63 does not continue the USB communication. However, even if the configuration is such that the USB configuration information 35A set in the updated firmware 35' is identical to the USB configuration information 35A set in the firmware 35 before the update, the OS 63 continues the USB communication. After transmitting the update instruction in S41', the update application 64 requests firmware information from the MFP 11 (S49') after a period of time required for the update has elapsed, and then the update application 64 can obtain the firmware information from the firmware 35 (S97). The above-described relationship of complete match is an example of the predetermined relationship of the present disclosure.

[0042] For example, the update application 64 executes the update instruction in S41′ and, upon completing transmission of the firmware 35′, sets the progress bar displayed on the LCD 53 to “90%.” Then, upon receiving the response in S97, the update application 64 sets the progress bar to “100%” and displays a message such as “Update Completed.” This allows the user to recognize that the firmware update has been completed successfully. If the update application 64 determines that the update has been completed successfully based on the version of the acquired firmware information, it terminates the update process (S98). The MFP 11 operates normally with the updated firmware 35 and becomes able to accept printing instructions, etc. (S99). In this way, by making the USB configuration information 35A at the time of installation of the printer driver 72 that performs USB communication identical to the USB configuration information 35A transmitted by the updated firmware 35′, the OS 63 can continue USB communication and the recovery of the firmware 35 can be completed successfully.

[0043] For example, firmware 35 may have different specifications for different models of MFP 11 with different functions. Furthermore, even within a single product series, models with different functions may be developed. The USB configuration information 35A transmitted by firmware 35 when it executes USB communication varies depending on the function. In response to this, recovery program 36 is configured to transmit USB configuration information 35A stored by firmware 35 before the update in S65. This eliminates the need to develop recovery programs 36 with USB configuration information 35A appropriate for each model with different functions. In other words, the recovery program 36 can be used in common across different models of MFP 11. Furthermore, in S27′, recovery program 36 responds with the model name of the firmware information based on the USB configuration information 35A stored in nonvolatile storage area 44 in S43. This eliminates the need for recovery program 36 itself to retain model name information.

[0044] Furthermore, when a recovery operation is performed, the firmware 35 is in a state where the update has been interrupted midway, and the program data may be corrupted. This makes it difficult for the recovery program 36 to obtain the USB configuration information 35A from the firmware 35 during the recovery operation. Therefore, the pre-update firmware 35 stores the USB configuration information 35A in the nonvolatile storage area 44 after receiving an update request from the terminal device 12 in S41 during normal operation and before starting the update in S45. This allows the recovery program 36 to obtain and transmit the USB configuration information 35A from the nonvolatile storage area 44 when performing USB communication with the terminal device 12 during the recovery operation (S65). In other words, USB communication can continue. The firmware 35 may also delete the USB configuration information 35A from the nonvolatile storage area 44, for example, at the time of responding in S97.

[0045] Furthermore, USB communication may be continued even if the USB configuration information 35A stored in the nonvolatile storage area 65 in S65 and the USB configuration information 35A acquired by the terminal device 12 in S93 satisfy a predetermined relationship other than a complete match. For example, the predetermined relationship may be that the USB configuration information 35A stored in the nonvolatile storage area 65 and the USB configuration information 35A acquired by the terminal device 12 in S93 partially match. The "partial" may be, for example, a portion necessary for the OS 63 to execute USB communication with the MFP 11. In this case, the pre-update firmware 35 and the updated firmware 35' do not need to have the same USB configuration information 35A; it is sufficient that the USB configuration information satisfies the predetermined relationship. In this case, the USB configuration information 35A may be changed during normal operation of the MFP 11. The firmware 35 stores the changed USB configuration information 35A in the nonvolatile storage area 44 before starting the update in S45.

[0046] Although the configuration in which model-specific USB configuration information 35A is not set in the recovery program 36 and its advantages have been described, it is also possible to set model-specific USB configuration information 35A equivalent to firmware 35 in the recovery program 36 and transmit the USB configuration information 35A set in the recovery program 36 itself in step S65 or the like. Even in this configuration, the USB configuration information 35A can be made to match, USB communication can continue, and the update can be completed. Note that model name information that differs for each model may be set in the recovery program 36.

[0047] As described above, the first embodiment provides the following effects. When performing installation processing during recovery operation, the MFP 11 of this embodiment transmits to the terminal device 12 the USB configuration information 35A that is transmitted during normal operation to execute the updated firmware 35 (S93). As a result, the USB configuration information 35A during installation processing and the USB configuration information 35A transmitted during normal operation from the MFP 11 that successfully updated in recovery operation satisfy a predetermined relationship, so the update application 64 can acquire the firmware information (S97) and the update processing can be completed normally.

[0048] Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following description, the same content as in the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate. The configuration of the printing system 10 of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

[0049] 4, the terminal device 12 installs the printer driver 72 using the driver installer 71 that has received an instruction to use the USBIF 28 (S13' to S19', S65). In S65, the OS 63 associates the USB configuration information 35A acquired from the MFP 11 in normal operation with the MFP 11 and stores the information in the non-volatile storage area 65 (S19'). In S65, the firmware 35 transmits the USB configuration information 35A programmed therein. Next, the update application 64 executed in the terminal device 12 communicates with the MFP 11 and the server 17 and updates the firmware 35 (S23' to S41'), as in the first embodiment. At this time, the terminal device 12 communicates with the MFP 11 via the USBIFs 28 and 58 (S25', S27', S41'). As in the first embodiment, the firmware 35 of the MFP 11 stores the USB configuration information 35A in the nonvolatile storage area 44 (S43), and then starts updating the firmware 35, but the update fails (S47) because the MFP 11 is powered off, etc. The update application 64 is unable to confirm the update and detects a timeout (S49', S51).

[0050] 5, when the terminal device 12 executes the update application 64 (S23′) and turns on the power of the MFP 11 while the MFP 11 is connected via the USB cable 14 (S53, S55), the terminal device 12 executes configuration (S64, S65). In this configuration, the recovery program 36 reads out the USB configuration information 35A stored in S43 during normal operation from the nonvolatile storage area 44 and transmits it to the OS 63 (S65). As a result, the USB configuration information 35A stored in the nonvolatile storage area 65 during the installation process (S65) and the USB configuration information 35A received prior to the update of the firmware 35 (S93) satisfy a predetermined relationship, and the OS 63 continues the USB communication. As a result, the update application 64 can transmit the update firmware 35′ to the MFP 11 (S41′), update the firmware 35, and terminate normally (S25′ and subsequent steps).

[0051] In the second embodiment, S19' is an example of an installation process, and S41' and S85 are examples of a firmware update process.

[0052] As described above, the second embodiment provides the same effects as the first embodiment. For example, by transmitting the USB configuration information 35A stored in the nonvolatile storage area 44 at the time of installation to the terminal device 12 during recovery operation, the MFP 11 can cause the OS 63 to continue USB communication, and recovery of the firmware 35 can be continued.

[0053] Note that, when the update application 64 receives an instruction to start the update process from the user in S23′, it may acquire information from the MFP 11 connected to the USBIF 58, similar to the driver installer 71, and perform USB communication with the MFP 11 using the acquired information. The update application 64 may store the acquired information in the nonvolatile storage area 65, and if the update of the firmware 35 does not end normally, when it receives another instruction to start the update process from the user, it may acquire information from the MFP 11 connected to the USBIF 58, and if the USB configuration information 35A stored in the nonvolatile storage area 65 and the acquired USB configuration information 35A completely match, it may continue USB communication, but if they do not match, it may not continue USB communication. Even with this configuration, because the USB configuration information 35A stored in the nonvolatile storage area 65 and the acquired USB configuration information 35A are identical, it is possible to continue USB communication to update the firmware 35.

[0054] Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. For example, the MFP 11 may be configured to be able to update the firmware 35 using a method other than the update application 64. The MFP 11 may be configured to be able to update the firmware 35 by reading the firmware 35' from a USB memory connected to the USBIF 28 during normal operation, for example. In this case as well, if the firmware 35 changes the flag value 43 from the first value to the second value before updating the firmware 35, as in step S43, then even if updating the firmware 35 fails, a recovery operation can be performed by the recovery program 36, and recovery of the firmware update using the recovery program 36 becomes possible. The memory of the present disclosure is not limited, but non-volatile memory (such as NVRAM or HDD) is particularly preferred. Furthermore, the storage area for storing the USB configuration information 35A is not limited to the nonvolatile storage area 44. For example, if the transition from recovery operation to normal operation does not involve an operation of turning the power on and off, such as a reboot, the USB configuration information 35A may be stored in a volatile area.

[0055] Furthermore, in S23 and S23', the update application 64 uses the port information stored by the driver installer 71, but the method for acquiring the port information is not limited to this. For example, the update application 64 may acquire information equivalent to the port information by making an inquiry to the printer driver 72, and communicate with the MFP 11. The update application 64 may acquire information equivalent to the port information by making an inquiry to the OS 63 or an application other than the update application 64, and communicate with the MFP 11. Alternatively, the update application 64 may acquire information equivalent to the port information from a data source other than the port information stored in the driver installer 71, and communicate with the MFP 11. For example, the update application 64 may acquire information equivalent to the port information from the registry of the Windows (registered trademark) OS, setting information of an application other than the update application 64, or the like.

[0056] In the first embodiment, the LANIF 29 is used as the communication interface of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The communication interface may be a wireless LANIF or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) IF. In the above embodiments, the first operation of the present disclosure is a normal operation, and the second operation is a recovery operation. However, this is not limiting. The second operation may be, for example, a safe mode in which the MFP 11 starts up while restricting some of the normal operation functions. In this case, too, the occurrence of communication errors can be reduced by making the USB configuration information 35A sent from the MFP 11 in the safe mode the same as the USB configuration information 35A sent during normal operation. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the "first condition for preventing operation" of the present disclosure is a condition for executing a process for rewriting firmware 35. However, this is not limiting. The first condition for preventing operation can be a condition for executing a mode that does not allow normal operation, such as the above-described condition for executing safe mode. That is, USB communication can be continued by transmitting USB configuration information that has a predetermined relationship with USB configuration information 35A transmitted from MFP 11 to terminal device 12 during normal operation from MFP 11 to terminal device 12 during safe mode. As a result, similar to the first and second embodiments in which the firmware update process could be successfully executed by continuing USB communication between MFP 11 during normal operation and MFP 11 during recovery operation and terminal device 12, the predetermined process, such as firmware update, can be successfully executed by continuing USB communication between MFP 11 during normal operation and MFP 11 during recovery operation and terminal device 12. Furthermore, the control device of the present disclosure is not limited to the CPU 21. The control device may be an ASIC or other logic integrated circuit, or may be configured in which a CPU, an ASIC, and other logic integrated circuit work together. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10 Printing system (image forming system), 11 MFP (image forming device), 12 Terminal device, 21 CPU (control device), 22 Memory, 28 USBIF (interface), 29 LANIF (communication interface), 35 Firmware (first program), 36 Recovery program (second program), 37 Boot loader, 44 Non-volatile storage area (storage area), 72 Printer driver.

Claims

1. an image forming apparatus; A terminal device; An image forming system comprising: the image forming apparatus, A USB interface; Memory and Equipped with the image forming apparatus, By executing the firmware stored in the memory, the image forming apparatus normally operates as the image forming apparatus having a plurality of functions including an image forming function; The terminal device an installation process for installing a driver for the image forming apparatus in association with the image forming apparatus; and storing USB configuration information transmitted from the image forming apparatus via the USB interface in association with the image forming apparatus during the installation process; The terminal device and the image forming device that have executed the installation process A firmware update process for updating the firmware of the image forming apparatus can be executed via the USB interface, the image forming apparatus, When the firmware update process is successful, the updated firmware is executed to perform the normal operation, and the USB configuration information is transmitted to the terminal device connected to the USB interface during the normal operation. the image forming apparatus, If the firmware cannot be executed as a result of the firmware update process, a recovery operation is performed. The image forming system includes: When the image forming apparatus is performing the recovery operation, the installation process and the firmware update process can be executed between the terminal device and the image forming apparatus via the USB interface; The terminal device storing the USB configuration information transmitted from the image forming apparatus when performing the installation process during the recovery operation in association with the image forming apparatus; the image forming apparatus, If the firmware update process during the recovery operation is successful, the updated firmware is executed to perform the normal operation, and the USB configuration information is transmitted to the terminal device via the USB interface; The terminal device when a predetermined relationship exists between the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming apparatus when the installation process is executed with the image forming apparatus during the recovery operation and the USB configuration information transmitted during the normal operation from the image forming apparatus that has been successfully updated in the firmware update process during the recovery operation, the firmware update processing device receives information indicating success of the firmware update process from the image forming apparatus via the USB interface and normally terminates the firmware update process; and when a predetermined relationship does not exist between the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming apparatus when the installation process is executed with the image forming apparatus during the recovery operation and the USB configuration information transmitted during the normal operation from the image forming apparatus that has been successfully updated in the firmware update process during the recovery operation, the firmware update processing device does not perform communication via the USB interface, the image forming apparatus, the normal operation cannot be performed during the recovery operation, but when the installation process is performed during the recovery operation, information that satisfies the predetermined relationship with the USB configuration information to be transmitted during the normal operation in which the updated firmware is executed is transmitted to the terminal device via the USB interface; The terminal device Since the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming device when the installation process was executed with the image forming device during the recovery operation and the USB configuration information transmitted during normal operation from the image forming device that was successfully updated in the firmware update process during the recovery operation satisfy the specified relationship, the image forming system receives information indicating the success of the firmware update process from the image forming device via the USB interface and successfully completes the firmware update process.

2. an image forming apparatus; A terminal device; An image forming system comprising: the image forming apparatus, A USB interface; Memory and Equipped with the image forming apparatus, By executing the firmware stored in the memory, the image forming apparatus normally operates as the image forming apparatus having a plurality of functions including an image forming function; The terminal device an installation process for installing a driver for the image forming apparatus in association with the image forming apparatus; and storing USB configuration information transmitted from the image forming apparatus via the USB interface in association with the image forming apparatus during the installation process; The terminal device and the image forming device that have executed the installation process A firmware update process for updating the firmware of the image forming apparatus can be executed via the USB interface, The terminal device the installation process is executed between the image forming device and the image forming device, and if a predetermined relationship is satisfied between the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming device during the installation process and the USB configuration information received from the image forming device prior to the firmware update, the firmware for update can be transmitted to the image forming device in the firmware update process; and if the predetermined relationship is not satisfied between the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming device during the installation process and the USB configuration information received from the image forming device prior to the firmware update, communication via the USB interface is not performed; the image forming apparatus, If the firmware update process is successful, the updated firmware is executed to perform the normal operation. the image forming apparatus, If the firmware cannot be executed as a result of the firmware update process, a recovery operation is performed. The image forming system includes: the firmware update process can be executed between the terminal device and the image forming device via the USB interface while the image forming device is performing the recovery operation; the image forming apparatus, the normal operation cannot be performed during the recovery operation, but when the firmware update process is performed during the recovery operation, information that satisfies the predetermined relationship with the USB configuration information that would be transmitted in the case of the normal operation is transmitted to the terminal device via the USB interface; the image forming apparatus, If the firmware update process during the recovery operation is successful, the updated firmware is executed to perform the normal operation. The terminal device An image forming system in which the installation process is performed between the image forming device during normal operation before the recovery operation, and the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming device during the installation process and the USB configuration information received from the image forming device prior to the firmware update process during the recovery operation satisfy the specified relationship, so that the firmware for update can be sent to the image forming device in the firmware update process.

3. A USB interface; Memory and An image forming apparatus comprising: the image forming apparatus, By executing the firmware stored in the memory, the image forming apparatus normally operates as the image forming apparatus having a plurality of functions including an image forming function; When performing an installation process in a terminal device connected via the USB interface, USB configuration information is transmitted to the terminal device via the USB interface, and the installation process is a process of installing a driver for the image forming device in association with the image forming device; the image forming apparatus, a firmware update process can be executed between the terminal device that stores the USB configuration information transmitted from the image forming apparatus in the installation process in association with the image forming apparatus and the terminal device, to update the firmware of the image forming apparatus via the USB interface; the image forming apparatus, When the firmware update process is successful, the updated firmware is executed to perform the normal operation, and the USB configuration information is transmitted to the terminal device connected to the USB interface during the normal operation. the image forming apparatus, If the firmware cannot be executed as a result of the firmware update process, a recovery operation is performed. In the recovery operation state, the installation process and the firmware update process can be executed between the terminal device and the image forming apparatus via the USB interface, and the terminal device stores the USB configuration information transmitted from the image forming apparatus when performing the installation process during the recovery operation in association with the image forming apparatus; the image forming apparatus, and when the firmware update is successful through the firmware update process during the recovery operation, the terminal device performs the normal operation by executing the updated firmware and transmits the USB configuration information to the terminal device via the USB interface; when a predetermined relationship exists between the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming device when the installation process was executed with the image forming device during the recovery operation and the USB configuration information transmitted during the normal operation from the image forming device that was successfully updated through the firmware update process during the recovery operation, the terminal device receives information indicating the success of the firmware update process from the image forming device via the USB interface and normally terminates the firmware update process; and when a predetermined relationship does not exist between the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming device when the installation process was executed with the image forming device during the recovery operation and the USB configuration information transmitted during the normal operation from the image forming device that was successfully updated through the firmware update process during the recovery operation, the terminal device does not perform communication via the USB interface. the image forming apparatus, An image forming device in which normal operation is not possible during the recovery operation, but when performing the installation process during the recovery operation, information that satisfies the specified relationship with the USB configuration information sent during the normal operation to execute the updated firmware is sent to the terminal device via the USB interface, and the terminal device receives information indicating the success of the firmware update process from the image forming device via the USB interface, since the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming device when the installation process was performed with the image forming device during the recovery operation, and the USB configuration information sent during the normal operation from the image forming device that was successfully updated in the firmware update process during the recovery operation, satisfy the specified relationship, and the image forming device then normally terminates the firmware update process.

4. A USB interface; Memory and An image forming apparatus comprising: the image forming apparatus, By executing the firmware stored in the memory, the image forming apparatus normally operates as the image forming apparatus having a plurality of functions including an image forming function; When performing an installation process in a terminal device connected via the USB interface, USB configuration information is transmitted to the terminal device via the USB interface, and the installation process is a process of installing a driver for the image forming device in association with the image forming device; the image forming apparatus, a firmware update process can be executed between the terminal device and the image forming device, the terminal device storing the USB configuration information transmitted from the image forming device in the installation process in association with the image forming device, and the firmware of the image forming device is updated via the USB interface; the terminal device executes the installation process between the terminal device and the image forming device; and if a predetermined relationship is satisfied between the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming device during the installation process and the USB configuration information received from the image forming device prior to the firmware update, the terminal device can transmit the firmware for update to the image forming device in the firmware update process; and if the predetermined relationship is not satisfied between the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming device during the installation process and the USB configuration information received from the image forming device prior to the firmware update, the terminal device is configured not to perform communication via the USB interface; the image forming apparatus, If the firmware update process is successful, the updated firmware is executed to perform the normal operation. performing a recovery operation when the image forming apparatus is unable to execute the firmware as a result of executing the firmware update process; In the recovery operation, the firmware update process can be executed between the terminal device and the device via the USB interface; the normal operation cannot be performed during the recovery operation, but when the firmware update process is performed during the recovery operation, information that satisfies the predetermined relationship with the USB configuration information that would be transmitted in the case of the normal operation is transmitted to the terminal device via the USB interface; If the firmware update process during the recovery operation is successful, the image forming device operates normally by executing the updated firmware, and the terminal device executes the installation process between the image forming device during normal operation before the recovery operation, and the USB configuration information stored in association with the image forming device during the installation process and the USB configuration information received from the image forming device prior to the firmware update process during the recovery operation satisfy the specified relationship, so the image forming device can send the firmware for update to the image forming device in the firmware update process.

5. the image forming apparatus, During the normal operation, the USB configuration information to be transmitted in the case of the normal operation is stored in a storage area of ​​the memory that can be accessed during the recovery operation; 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein during the recovery operation, the USB configuration information stored during the normal operation is obtained from the memory and transmitted to the terminal device.

6. the image forming apparatus, The image forming apparatus of claim 5, wherein after receiving a request from the terminal device to execute the firmware update process during the normal operation, the USB configuration information to be transmitted in the case of the normal operation is stored in the memory area before starting the firmware update.

7. the image forming apparatus, a communication interface that executes communication using a communication method different from that of the USB interface; The image forming apparatus of claim 6, wherein the firmware update process can be executed with the terminal device via the communication interface during the normal operation, and the USB configuration information to be transmitted in the case of the normal operation is stored in the memory area before starting the firmware update in the firmware update process via the communication interface.

8. The memory includes: A boot loader and a recovery program are stored, the image forming apparatus, An image forming device as described in any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein when a startup operation is received after the firmware becomes unable to be executed as a result of executing the firmware update process, the image forming device detects the state in which the firmware becomes unable to be executed by executing the boot loader, and performs the recovery operation by executing the recovery program.

9. A USB interface; Memory and a control device; An image forming apparatus comprising: The control device When executing a first program, the image forming apparatus is operated in a first operation having a plurality of functions including an image forming function; When the first program is not executed and the second program is executed, the image forming apparatus is operated in a second operation; During the first operation, first USB configuration information is transmitted as USB configuration information to the terminal device via the USB interface; During the second operation, second USB configuration information is transmitted as the USB configuration information to the terminal device via the USB interface; during the second operation, unless the second USB configuration information that satisfies a predetermined relationship with the first USB configuration information is transmitted to the terminal device that has received the first USB configuration information from the image forming apparatus that is in the first operation, the image forming apparatus is unable to communicate with the terminal device via the USB interface; When, during the second operation, a connection is established via the USB interface with the terminal device that receives the first USB configuration information from the image forming device that is performing the first operation, the image forming device communicates via the USB interface with the terminal device that received the first USB configuration information from the image forming device that is performing the first operation by transmitting the second USB configuration information that satisfies the specified relationship with the first USB configuration information transmitted by the image forming device that is performing the first operation.

10. The control device When a condition that makes the first operation impossible occurs during the first operation, the first USB configuration information is stored in the memory; The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein in the second operation, the first USB configuration information stored in the memory is acquired and transmitted to the terminal device as the second USB configuration information.

11. The USB configuration information is 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising information on an interface number of an interface descriptor in the USB communication standard and a USB class corresponding to the interface number.

12. the image forming apparatus, An image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 11, wherein the image forming apparatus transmits to the terminal device via the USB interface information that is the same as the USB configuration information transmitted during normal operation as information that satisfies the specified relationship.

Images