Image-formation device firmware having modular upgrade capability
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorMaria F. Zarco
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Abstract
A method of one embodiment of the invention is disclosed that includes providing an image-formation device having firmware with a modular upgrade capability. The method also includes providing a user-accessible manner by which to install further capabilities within the firmware of the image-formation device, via the modular upgrade capability of the firmware.
Claims48
A method comprising:
- providing an image-formation device having firmware with a modular upgrade capability, such that the firmware is capable of being modularly upgraded without necessarily erasing or overwriting existing installed modules within the firmware, wherein the image-formation device is initially provided having the firmware with an upgrade module providing the modular upgrade capability of the firmware but with no image-formation module such that the firmware initially has no image-formation capabilities;
- and,
- providing a user-accessible manner by which to install further capabilities within the firmware of the image-formation device via the modular upgrade capability of the firmware.
A method comprising:
- booting up an image-formation device, wherein the image-formation device is initially provided having firmware with an upgrade module providing modular upgrade capability but with no image-formation module such that the firmware initially has no image-formation capabilities;
- and,
- initially upgrading the firmware of the image-formation device so that the image-formation device has the image-formation capabilities,
- wherein the firmware is capable of being modularly upgraded without necessarily erasing or overwriting existing installed modules within the firmware.
An image-formation device comprising:
- a non-volatile memory capable of storing modular firmware having a firmware upgrade module, wherein the modular firmware is capable of being modularly upgraded without necessarily erasing or overwriting existing installed modules within the firmware, wherein the image-formation device is initially provided having the modular firmware with the firmware upgrade module but with no image-formation module such that the modular firmware initially has no image-formation capabilities;
- an image-formation mechanism capable of forming an image onto media;
- and,
- a controller operatively coupled to the non-volatile memory and to the image-formation mechanism and capable of executing the image-formation module of the modular firmware to cause the image-formation mechanism to form the image onto the media.
An image-formation device comprising:
- a non-volatile memory capable of storing firmware, such that the firmware is capable of being modularly upgraded without necessarily erasing or overwriting existing installed modules within the firmware, wherein the image-formation device is initially provided having the firmware with a firmware upgrade module providing modular upgrade capability but with no image-formation module such that the firmware initially has no image-formation capabilities;
- an image-formation mechanism capable of forming an image onto media;
- a controller operatively coupled to the non-volatile memory and to the image-formation mechanism and capable of executing the image-formation module of the firmware to cause the image-formation mechanism to form the image onto the media;
- and,
- means for initially acquiring and installing the image-formation module within the firmware so that the controller is able to cause the image-formation mechanism to form the image onto the media.
A computer-readable and writable medium having modular firmware for an image-formation device stored thereon comprising a firmware upgrade module programmed to at least initially acquire and install at least one image-formation module within the modular firmware so that the image-formation device is able to form images onto media, the modular firmware initially having no image-formation modules,
- wherein the modular firmware is capable of being modularly upgraded without necessarily erasing or overwriting existing installed modules within the modular firmware, and
- wherein the image-formation device is initially provided having the firmware with the firmware upgrade module but without the at least one image-formulation module such that the firmware initially has no image-formation capabilities.
A computer-readable medium connectable to a connector of an image-formation device and having stored thereon at least one image-formation module providing at least one corresponding modular firmware capability, the module acquirable by modular firmware of the image-formation device while the medium is connected to the connector of the image-formation device for installation within the image-formation device,
- wherein the modular firmware is capable of being modularly upgraded without necessarily erasing or overwriting existing installed modules within the modular firmware, and
- wherein the image-formation device is initially provided having the modular firmware with a firmware upgrade module but without the at least one image-formulation module such that the firmware initially has no image-formation capabilities.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.