Image forming apparatus, shared data management method and shared data management system

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a plurality of hardware resources provided to carry out image formation;
• a plurality of application programs performing respective processing of the plurality of application programs related to the image formation;
• a storage device storing rewritable shared data which is used by the plurality of application programs in common;
• and
• a shared-data control unit selecting any of the plurality of application programs as destinations of updating-start notification and notifying a start of updating of the shared data to the selected application programs when acquisition and updating of the shared data is inhibited in response to a write-lock request received from one of the plurality of application programs, and the shared-data control unit notifying an end of the updating of the shared data to the selected application programs when the acquisition and updating of the shared data is allowed in response to an unlock request received from said one of the plurality of application programs.

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a plurality of hardware resources provided to carry out image formation;
• a plurality of application programs performing respective processing of the plurality of hardware resources related to the image formation;
• a storage device storing rewritable shared data which is used by the plurality of application programs in common;
• and
• a shared-data control unit inhibiting, prior to receiving inputs of an operator into one of the plurality of application programs, acquisition and updating of the shared data by other application programs than said one of the plurality of application programs, and notifying a start of updating of the shared data by said one of the plurality of application programs to the plurality of application programs, and
• the shared-data control unit allowing the acquisition and updating of the shared data in response to an unlock request received from said one of the plurality of application programs, and notifying an end of the updating of the shared data by said one of the plurality of application programs to the plurality of application programs.

A shared data management method for an image forming apparatus which includes a plurality of hardware resources provided to carry out image formation, a plurality of application programs performing respective processing of the plurality of hardware resources related to the image formation, and a storage device storing rewritable shared data which is used by the plurality of application programs in common, the method comprising the steps of:

• inhibiting, prior to receiving inputs of an operator into one of the plurality of application programs, acquisition and updating of the shared data by other application programs than said one of the plurality of application programs;
• notifying a start of updating of the shared data by said one of the plurality of application programs to the plurality of application programs;
• allowing the acquisition and updating of the shared data in response to an unlock request received from said one of the plurality of application programs;
• and
• notifying an end of the updating of the shared data by said one of the plurality of application programs to the plurality of application programs.

A shared data management system including at least one external network device and an image forming apparatus connected to said at least one external network device via a network, and performing management of shared data used by the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of hardware resources provided to carry out image formation;
• a plurality of application programs performing respective processing of the plurality of hardware resources related to the image formation;
• a storage device storing rewritable shared data which is used by the plurality of application programs in common;
• and
• a shared-data control unit suspending one of a write-lock request or a read-lock request that is received from one of the plurality of application programs when acquisition and/or updating of the shared data is inhibited, and after the acquisition and/or updating of the shared data is allowed the shared-data control unit inhibiting the acquisition and/or updating of the shared data by other application programs than said one of the plurality of application programs in accordance with the suspended one of the write-lock request or the read-lock request for said one of the plurality of application programs.

A shared data management system including at least one external network device and an image forming apparatus connected to said at least one external network device via a network, and performing management of shared data used by the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of hardware resources provided to carry out image formation;
• a plurality of application programs performing respective processing of the plurality of application programs related to the image formation;
• a storage device storing rewritable shared data which is used by the plurality of application programs in common;
• and
• a shared-data control unit selecting any of the plurality of application programs as destinations of updating-start notification and notifying a start of updating of the shared data to the selected application programs when acquisition and updating of the shared data is inhibited in response to a write-lock request received from one of the plurality of application programs, and the shared-data control unit notifying an end of the updating of the shared data to the selected application programs when the acquisition and updating of the shared data is allowed in response to an unlock request received from said one of the plurality of application programs.

A shared data management system including at least one external network device and an image forming apparatus connected to said at least one external network device via a network, and performing management of shared data used by the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of hardware resources provided to carry out image formation;
• a plurality of application programs performing respective processing of the plurality of hardware resources related to the image formation;
• a storage device storing rewritable shared data which is used by the plurality of application programs in common;
• and
• a shared-data control unit inhibiting, prior to receiving inputs of an operator into one of the plurality of application programs, acquisition and updating of the shared data by other application programs than said one of the plurality of application programs, notifying a start of updating of the shared data by said one of the plurality of application programs to the plurality of application programs, and
• the shared-data control unit allowing the acquisition and updating of the shared data in response to an unlock request received from said one of the plurality of application programs, and notifying an end of the updating of the shared data by said one of the plurality of application programs to the plurality of application programs.