Image forming apparatus having a plurality of ports to which portable memory is attachable

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a print engine;
• a user interface;
• a memory interface having a plurality of ports, each port being configured to receive a portable memory removably attached thereto;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• perform a portable memory using process comprising:
• storing specific data for the portable memory using process in a dedicated memory, the dedicated memory being a portable memory set as a storage destination to store the specific data in the portable memory using process when attached to a dedicated port among the plurality of ports;
• and
• performing a process using the specific data stored in the dedicated memory in response to an operation received via the user interface;
• prior to the portable memory using process, set one of the plurality of ports as the dedicated port;
• in response to a target portable memory being attached to one of the plurality of ports, determine whether the target portable memory is the dedicated memory and the port to which the target portable memory has been attached is the dedicated port;
• provide a notification when determining that the target portable memory is the dedicated memory but the port to which the target portable memory has been attached is not the dedicated port;
• and:
• when the dedicated memory is attached to one of the plurality of ports, and the dedicated port is not yet set, cause the user interface to display processes different from the portable memory using process as available choices of processes using the dedicated memory.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a print engine;
• a user interface;
• a memory interface having a plurality of ports, each port being configured to receive a portable memory removably attached thereto;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• perform a portable memory using process comprising:
• storing specific data for the portable memory using process in a dedicated memory, the dedicated memory being a portable memory set as a storage destination to store the specific data in the portable memory using process when attached to a dedicated port among the plurality of ports;
• and
• performing a process using the specific data stored in the dedicated memory in response to an operation received via the user interface;
• prior to the portable memory using process, set one of the plurality of ports as the dedicated port;
• in response to a target portable memory being attached to one of the plurality of ports, determine whether the target portable memory is the dedicated memory and the port to which the target portable memory has been attached is the dedicated port;
• provide a notification when determining that the target portable memory is the dedicated memory but the port to which the target portable memory has been attached is not the dedicated port;
• when determining that the target portable memory is not the dedicated memory and the port to which the target portable memory has been attached is not the dedicated port, cause the user interface to display a first choice for the portable memory using process and a second choice for a process different from the portable memory using process, the first choice being a choice to receive an instruction to set, to the dedicated port, the port to which the target portable memory not set as the dedicated memory has been attached;
• when the first choice has been selected, set to the dedicated memory the target portable memory not set as the dedicated memory, and set to the dedicated port the port to which the target portable memory has been attached;
• and
• when the second choice has been selected, set the target portable memory that is not set as the dedicated memory to be used in the different process associated with the second choice.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a print engine;
• a user interface;
• a memory interface having a plurality of ports, each port being configured to receive a portable memory removably attached thereto;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• perform a portable memory using process comprising:
• storing specific data for the portable memory using process in a dedicated memory, the dedicated memory being a portable memory set as a storage destination to store the specific data in the portable memory using process when attached to a dedicated port among the plurality of ports;
• and
• performing a process using the specific data stored in the dedicated memory in response to an operation received via the user interface;
• prior to the portable memory using process, set one of the plurality of ports as the dedicated port;
• in response to a target portable memory being attached to one of the plurality of ports, determine whether the target portable memory is the dedicated memory and the port to which the target portable memory has been attached is the dedicated port;
• provide a notification when determining that the target portable memory is the dedicated memory but the port to which the target portable memory has been attached is not the dedicated port;
• store identification information in the target portable memory, thereby setting the target portable memory as the dedicated memory;
• determine that the target portable memory storing the identification information is set as the dedicated memory;
• store determination information associated with the identification information, and setting information indicating which port among the plurality of ports is set as the dedicated port;
• determine that the target portable memory storing the identification information associated with the determination information is set as the dedicated memory;
• generate an encryption key associated with the target portable memory to be set as the dedicated memory, the encryption key being the determination information;
• generate management information for the specific data to be stored in the dedicated memory, encrypt the generated management information with the encryption key, and store the encrypted management information in the target portable memory to be set as the dedicated memory, the encrypted management information being the identification information;
• when the encrypted management information stored in the target portable memory is decryptable with the encryption key, determine that the target portable memory, storing the encrypted management information decryptable with the encryption key, is set as the dedicated memory;
• and
• when updating the management information, decrypt the encrypted management information with the encryption key, update the decrypted management information, and encrypt the updated management information with the encryption key.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a print engine;
• a user interface;
• a memory interface having a plurality of ports, each port being configured to receive a portable memory removably attached thereto;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• perform a portable memory using process comprising:
• storing specific data for the portable memory using process in a dedicated memory, the dedicated memory being a portable memory set as a storage destination to store the specific data in the portable memory using process when attached to a dedicated port among the plurality of ports;
• and
• performing a process using the specific data stored in the dedicated memory in response to an operation received via the user interface;
• prior to the portable memory using process, set one of the plurality of ports as the dedicated port;
• in response to a target portable memory being attached to one of the plurality of ports, determine whether the target portable memory is the dedicated memory and the port to which the target portable memory has been attached is the dedicated port;
• provide a notification when determining that the target portable memory is the dedicated memory but the port to which the target portable memory has been attached is not the dedicated port;
• store identification information in the target portable memory, thereby setting the target portable memory as the dedicated memory;
• determine that the target portable memory storing the identification information is set as the dedicated memory;
• and
• set invalid the identification information stored in the target portable memory set as the dedicated memory, thereby cancelling a dedicated-memory setting for the target portable memory set as the dedicated memory.