A CNN of an image forming apparatus includes: an encoder which compresses, for each tile image obtained by dividing an image into specific size pieces, information of the tile image; a decoder which restores the information of the tile image compressed by the encoder; and a blank sheet determination portion which determines whether the tile image corresponds to a blank sheet image. A segmentation image generation portion uses, when the blank sheet determination portion determines the tile image as being the blank sheet image, the blank sheet image for an image of a part corresponding to the tile image in a segmentation image, and uses, when the blank sheet determination portion determines the tile image as not being the blank sheet image, an output image of the decoder for an image of a part corresponding to the tile image in the segmentation image.

An information processing apparatus is communicably connected to one or more image forming apparatuses each including: an image forming device that forms an image on a recording medium; an image reading device that reads the image to obtain read image data; and an image forming controller that executes a first inspection and detects in the read image data an image defect corresponding to a predetermined inspection item at a first cycle, the information processing apparatus including: a processing controller that: acquires inspection source data based on the read image data obtained from at least one of the image forming apparatuses, and executes a second inspection to inspect the inspection source data.

An information processing device includes a processor configured to acquire a first characteristic value indicating a shape characteristic of a surface of a medium, and calculate, based on the first characteristic value, a contact angle of a droplet with respect to the medium.

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet feeding portion, a detecting portion, and a controller. The controller sets a state of the detecting portion at a first monitoring state in which a detection result of the detecting portion is acquired to detect presence or absence of the recording material by supplying the electric power to the detecting portion in a first cyclic period. In case that the detection result of the detecting portion changes in the first monitoring state, the controller switches the state of the detecting portion to a second monitoring state in which a detection result of the detecting portion is acquired by supplying the electric power to the detecting portion in a second cyclic period shorter than the first cyclic period.

Provided is a technique for allowing a user to easily check the status of an image scanning apparatus. An image scanning apparatus is configured to transmit original document image data by storing, sequentially in a buffer, line data obtained by line-by-line scanning of an original document and transmitting the stored line data to a host computer sequentially line by line, and includes a control unit configured to perform control to transmit original document image data including notification image data to the host computer in a case where it is detected that the apparatus status of the image scanning apparatus is not normal during processing executed in response to a scan command received from the host computer, the notification image data being a notification of an error occurrence.

A management apparatus that manages a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the management apparatus includes: a storage that stores histories of user operations on the image forming apparatuses for the plurality of image forming apparatuses, respectively; and a hardware processor that determines an image forming apparatus recommended to be operated from among the plurality of image forming apparatuses based on the histories of the user operations of the image forming apparatuses and outputs a notification indicating the determined recommended image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus includes a control device. The control device acts, when a built-in processor executes a control program, as a decider that decides whether the image forming apparatus has been used for business, depending on whether the terminal device that has requested a job to the image forming apparatus, or is to receive an output from the image forming apparatus, is registered in advance as a device for business use, or a device for private use, a used time detector that detects a time decided by the decider to have been used for business by the image forming apparatus, with respect to each of operation modes, and a transmitter that transmits information indicating the time used for business, with respect to each of the operation modes, detected by the used time detector, to a management computer installed in an office, through a network I/F.

An information processing apparatus includes a detector configured to detect tampering with at least one of a plurality of software components to be executed in accordance with a boot instruction, a storage unit configured to store information for enabling or disabling a function of detecting the tampering, and a rebooter configured to reboot the information processing apparatus on the basis of the information stored in the storage unit and on the basis of a time that elapses after receipt of the boot instruction.

During TRIM processing, an apparatus cannot read/write data from/to a semiconductor storage device, and thus cannot perform processing using the device. If the TRIM processing is executed irrespective of a user's intention, the user is to wait for completion of the TRIM processing before performing a desired function of the apparatus. The apparatus includes a nonvolatile storage unit having semiconductor areas, a control unit configured to count a value of at least one type of data, an execution unit configured to execute TRIM processing that notifies the storage unit of an unused area among the semiconductor areas and performs wear leveling on an area in use among the semiconductor areas, and a notification unit configured to provide a notification prompting the execution of the TRIM processing when the counted value of the data satisfies a condition for a threshold.

A method for printing defect detection includes processing and analyzing a difference image obtained by comparing an image scanned with a verifier to a reference image. The detected defects are grouped, and the grouping is refined. Confidence level values are then assigned to the refined groups, and analysis is performed to determine if one or more servicing actions should be taken.