An image forming apparatus includes: a first memory for temporarily storing therein image data output to an image forming unit; a data processing processor for reading the image data; a second memory for temporarily storing therein the image data; and a main processor for causing the data processing processor to sequentially read the image data, wherein the data processing processor includes: data transfer units; a transfer control unit; and a table, the main processor sets a start address and a size and instructs the transfer control unit to activate the data transfer units, the transfer control unit divides a size of image data and sets a start address and a size of divided image data, the data transfer units read corresponding image data and output it to the second memory, and the transfer control unit subsequently controls the data transfer units and notifies the transfer completion to the main processor.

A monitoring apparatus determines a monitoring mode of a network device which is not registered in a central management apparatus based on capability information of the relevant network device and registers the relevant network device in the central management apparatus. When monitoring information is not yet transmitted from a network device of which a monitoring function is enabled to the central management apparatus or invalid, the central management apparatus is requested to start communication with the relevant network device. Based on a result of the communication, a registration state, communication information, and device information of the relevant network device managed by the monitoring apparatus are updated.

A system and method for monitoring of document processing devices for scheduling of service includes a processor, associated memory and a network interface. The network interface is in data communication with a plurality of identifiable multifunction peripherals. Contact data maps each multifunction peripheral to at least one designated contact is stored in the memory. The network interface receives status data from each of the plurality of multifunction peripherals which is stored in the memory. A statistical engine, including the processor and memory calculates trend data from stored status data and generates alerts corresponding to identified multifunction peripherals in accordance with an analysis of the trend data. The network interface communicates the alerts to at least one designated contact in accordance with each identified multifunction peripheral and the contact data.

An image reading apparatus includes a first processor to control a communication device to receive a plurality of screen data divided into a plurality of layers from an information processing apparatus, and store the received plurality of screen data in a storage device, and a second processor to control a reading device to read an image from the medium and display a screen based on the plurality of screen data on the display device. The second processor transmits a request signal to the first processor when, while a screen based on screen data of a first predetermined layer among the plurality of screen data is displayed on the display device, displaying a screen based on screen data of a second predetermined layer is requested. The first processor reads the screen data of the second predetermined layer to transmit the screen data to the second processor based on the request signal.

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 an inter-shaft distance measuring device for measuring a distance between two shafts or an amount of a change in the distance that includes: measuring elements that are respectively in contact with peripheral surfaces of the two shafts at a time of measurement and that are used as measurement references; a moving mechanism that includes an elastic member and that holds the measuring elements to move the measuring elements relatively and adds a force in opposite directions separating the measuring elements by an elastic force of the elastic member; and a measurer that measures the change in the distance between the measuring elements. In a state at the time of the measurement, the measuring elements between the two shafts add a pressing force by the moving mechanism respectively to the two shafts in directions widening the distance, and the state at the time of the measurement is maintainable.

A method is disclosed. For example, the method executed by a processor of a multi-function device (MFD) includes monitoring operating parameters of a component in the MFD, calculating a life set point for the component based on the operating parameters, and changing a default life set point for the component stored in a memory of the MFD to the life set point that is calculated based on the operating parameters.

Provided is a management apparatus includes: an acquisition unit acquiring remaining-quantity information indicating a remaining quantity of a consumable included in the image forming apparatus; a database storing the remaining-quantity information and image forming apparatus identification information in association with each other, and storing user identification information and a usage history of the image forming apparatus by the user in association with each other; a calculation unit reading the usage history from the database based on externally-designated user identification information, calculating a predicted usage quantity of the consumable in an image forming apparatus having externally-designated apparatus identification information based on the read usage history, reading the remaining-quantity information from the database based on the externally-designated apparatus identification information, generating required information on the consumable based on the read remaining-quantity information and the calculated predicted usage quantity; and a notification unit notifying the required information generated by the calculation unit.

In a consumables ordering system, an image forming apparatus notifies a management system about a consumable whose remaining quantity is under a specific threshold. When a consumable whose remaining quantity is under the threshold is autonomously notified from the image forming apparatus, the management system checks the consumable whose remaining quantity is under the threshold in a specific image forming apparatus other than an autonomously notifying apparatus (S122), and notifies the autonomously notifying apparatus about the consumable autonomously notified from the autonomously notifying apparatus, and ordering information as information necessary for placing an order for the consumable checked in S122 (S129). The autonomously notifying apparatus displays the ordering information notified from the management system, and places an order for the consumable for which the ordering information is displayed in response to an instruction.

A printed-matter inspection system includes a processor for evaluating quality of printed matter, and a display apparatus. The processor is configured, by reading a program for execution, to: for each of multiple pages in a job, if the page is an inspection target, compare, for inspection, a scanned image with a reference image, the scanned image being obtained through scanning of printed matter in the page, the reference image being generated by using rasterized data for the page; and, in display of the result of the inspection on the display apparatus, display the scanned image for the page that is an inspection target, and display, for a page that is not an inspection target, a dummy page and information indicating that the page is not an inspection target, the dummy page being a substitute of the scanned image.