US 7,542,159 B2
Image forming device and network system
Akihiro Yamada, Nagoya (Japan)
Assigned to Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Nagoya (Japan)
Filed on Aug. 01, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/631,784.
Claims priority of application No. 2002-227305 (JP), filed on Aug. 05, 2002.
Prior Publication US 2004/0024744 A1, Feb. 05, 2004
Int. Cl. G06F 7/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 358—1.15  [707/1; 358/1.13] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image forming device comprising:
a communicating portion connected to a network and capable of performing bi-directional communications;
an image forming portion forming images based on image data, the image forming portion having a plurality of functions;
a storage portion storing settings image data, the settings image data indicating a settings image that lists at least one setting item among a plurality of setting items, the plurality of setting items corresponding to the plurality of functions possessed by the image forming portion, respectively,
an edit image data providing portion controlling the communicating portion to provide the network with edit image data, the edit image data indicating an edit image that enables a user to identify at least one setting item desired to be listed in the settings image from among the plurality of setting items;
a settings image data editing portion receiving, from the network via the communicating portion, an edit instruction that is inputted in association with the edit image and that indicates at least one setting item identified by the user, and editing the settings image data, based on the edit instruction, to include only the at least one setting item identified by the user in the settings image and to exclude at least one setting item not identified by the user from the settings image, the settings image data editing portion updating the settings image data stored in the storage portion with the edited settings image data; and
a settings image data providing portion controlling the communicating portion to provide the network with the settings image data edited by the settings image data editing portion, the edited settings image data indicating an edited settings image that lists only the at least one setting item identified by the user among the plurality of setting items, the at least one setting item listed in the edited settings image being used for performing settings related to the corresponding at least one function possessed by the image forming portion, the edited settings image enabling the user to perform settings related to the at least one function corresponding to the at least one setting item identified by the user.