An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a first storage portion to which a first heating unit configured to heat the sheet of the first storage portion is detachably attached, a second storage portion to which a second heating unit configured to heat the sheet of the second storage portion is detachably attached, and an input portion configured for an operator to input information on attachment of the first heating unit to the first storage portion, and information on attachment of the second heating unit to the second storage portion.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a sheet conveyed from a sheet storing unit by a sheet conveying unit, and a registering unit that registers detected sheet thickness information and detected sheet surface characteristics information. Based on information, distinct front and back surfaces of a conveyed predetermined sheet and a type of the conveyed predetermined sheet is determined. If the predetermined sheet type matches a type of an upcoming sheet on which the image will be formed and the determined front and back surfaces matches front and back surfaces of the upcoming sheet, an image is formed on the predetermined sheet. If the predetermined sheet type matches the upcoming sheet type and the determined front and back surfaces do not match the upcoming sheet front and back surfaces, information is displayed conveying that the predetermined sheet front and back surfaces are inverted.

A maintenance guide generation method includes: detecting occurrences of a plurality of errors; determining, on a basis of the detecting, whether the plurality of errors have occurred; when the determining determines that the plurality of errors have occurred, reading, for each of the plurality of errors, a maintenance guide corresponding to the error and including a plurality of maintenance steps; and generating a combined maintenance guide by combining the maintenance guides in a predetermined order while removing a duplicate maintenance step of the maintenance steps of the maintenance guides.

A system, method, and apparatus provide an improvement to user guided operation or troubleshooting of a device by illuminating an area of the device for the user's attention. Embodiments may include a plurality of lights. Each light is positioned respectively in a predetermined location in the printing apparatus, which may comprise known locations for paper jams to occur. Embodiments may also include a voice recognition module and a controller module connected to the plurality of lights. The controller module may be configured to: receive, from the voice recognition module, a user generated message requesting identification of the location of the paper jam; identify which of the predetermined locations has the paper jam; and activate a selected one of the plurality of lights, wherein the selected one of the plurality of lights is positioned to illuminate the predetermined location with the paper jam.

A processing apparatus to which an option is mountable, the processing apparatus including: a power supply unit; a device that (i) is controlled by the option mounted to the processing apparatus or controls the option and that (ii) performs a process corresponding to an inspection of whether or not the device operates normally; and a switching unit that switches on and off supply of electric power from the power supply unit to the device. Here, while the switching unit is receiving an instruction to initiate the process, the switching unit switches on the supply of electric power from the power supply unit to the device, while the switching unit is not receiving the instruction, the switching unit switches off the supply of electric power from the power supply unit to the device, and the device performs the process upon receiving electric power supplied from the power supply unit by the switching unit.

An image forming apparatus includes an image transfer device, an image fixing device disposed downstream with respect to the image transfer device in a sheet conveying direction, one or more sheet sensors disposed along a sheet conveying path, a control panel, and a controller. The image fixing device is configured to fix a toner image transferred onto a sheet by the image transfer device. The controller is configured to determine whether or not a jammed sheet is at least partially positioned between the image transfer device and the image fixing device based on a detection result of the one or more sheet sensors. The controller is further configured to control the control panel to display different procedures to handle the jammed sheet, depending on the determination whether or not the jammed sheet is at least partially positioned between the image transfer device and the image fixing device.

An image forming system includes: a sheet feeder; an image former that forms an image on a paper sheet; a conveyor that conveys a paper sheet to a sheet ejection destination; a switcher that switches sheet ejection destinations; a reader that optically reads a paper sheet, and outputs a read image; an abnormal sheet detector that detects an abnormal paper sheet by analyzing the read image; a storage; a display; and a hardware processor that performs: ejection destination switch control to control the switcher to eject an abnormal paper sheet and a succeeding paper sheet to a second ejection destination different from a regular ejection destination; storage control, for each of the abnormal paper sheet and the succeeding paper sheet, to associate sheet information, the read image, and a stacking order with one another, and store them into the storage; and display control to cause the display to display them.

An image forming apparatus includes an engine controller configured to control an operation of the image forming apparatus; an image processing controller including a constant log storage configured to temporarily store a log of the engine controller; a network controller configured to store the log, which is stored in the constant log storage, in another device via a network or in a storage of the image forming apparatus, according to a command from the engine controller; a communication line configured to communicably couple the engine controller to the image processing controller, and to communicably couple the image processing controller to the network controller; and an exclusive-use communication line configured to communicably couple the engine controller to the network controller, and to be used to report the command from the engine controller to the network controller.

A control device for controlling an electronic device over a communication network; the electronic device comprises data storage having control parameters and associated access levels which control operation of the electronic device; circuitry which generates a control setup message including the control parameters and access levels; and a network interface for sending the control setup message. The control device comprises: circuitry for determining an access level of a user logged in to the control device; a network interface for receiving the control setup message; control interface setup circuitry for generating a set of control parameters, extract control parameters having an access level equal to or lower than the access level of the user logged in to the control device; and a graphic generating circuitry for generating a graphical control interface comprising control graphics enabling control of different states of operation of the electronic device corresponding to the extracted control parameters.

An image forming apparatus includes a storage, circuitry, and an information provider. The storage is configured to temporarily store one or more sheets to be removed without being used in the image forming apparatus. The circuitry is configured to determine whether a manual operation is performed on the image forming apparatus and whether the one or more sheets stored in the storage exceed a given value in number or height. The information provider is configured to provide information urging removal of the one or more sheets from the storage in response to determination by the circuitry that the manual operation is performed and that the one or more sheets stored in the storage exceed the given value in number or height.