Quickly transmitting and acquiring device information is enabled. A data collection server has a receiver that receives device information related to device states; an evaluator configured to determines if the received device information is first device information that is not an object of priority transmission, or second device information that is an object of priority transmission; and a transmitter configured to send the received device information to a management server that manages the device information. The transmitter transmits the second device information to the management server with priority over the first device information.

A job management server, which is connected to a Web application server and a job processing apparatus via a network, comprises: a registration unit which registers, when a job received from the Web application server is added with information indicating that a request source of the job is the job processing apparatus, the job in a first job queue, and to register, when the job is not added with the information, the job in a second job queue having a lower priority than the first job queue; and a transmission unit which transmits the job registered in the first job queue in response to a request from the job processing apparatus while a user utilizes a Web application via the job processing apparatus.

A method for printing digital images on at least one input roll of media in order to form at least one output roll by means of a roll-to-roll printing system is disclosed. The roll-to-roll printing system includes a digital image queue including an entry for each digital image to be printed. The method includes registering in an entry of the digital image queue a first digital item identifying the digital image and digital items of print properties of the digital image, printing the digital image according to the order of the entry in the digital image queue, and registering in the entry a second digital item identifying an input roll on which the digital image is going to be printed and a third digital item identifying an output roll on which the printed digital image is going to be wound. A roll-to-roll printing system is configured to apply the method.

A job management server, which is connected to a Web application server and a job processing apparatus via a network, comprises: a registration unit which registers, when a job received from the Web application server is added with information indicating that a request source of the job is the job processing apparatus, the job in a first job queue, and to register, when the job is not added with the information, the job in a second job queue having a lower priority than the first job queue; and a transmission unit which transmits the job registered in the first job queue in response to a request from the job processing apparatus while a user utilizes a Web application via the job processing apparatus.

An information providing apparatus includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit receives, from a terminal device connected to the information providing apparatus via a communication path, operation state information indicating an operation state of the terminal device. If it is determined, based on the operation state information, that the terminal device is in a specific operation state associated with an image processing operation, the transmitting unit transmits to the terminal device one or plural pieces of specific information associated with an image processing operation executable after the specific operation state has been completed. When transmitting the plural pieces of specific information to the terminal device, the transmitting unit transmits the plural pieces of specific information to the terminal device in accordance with priorities. The priorities are assigned to the plural pieces of specific information in accordance with the specific operation state.

An information processing device includes: a replacement processing unit that replaces, when a second time as a time until a distance between a second terminal device that has transmitted a second information processing request having a lower priority and the information processing device becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value is shorter than a first time as a time until the distance between a first terminal device that has transmitted a first information processing request having a higher priority and the information processing device becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, priorities for executing first information processing request and the second information processing request such that the second information processing request having the lower priority is processed earlier than the first information processing request having the higher priority.

An image forming apparatus that is connected to a network includes a communication part that communicates image forming data, which is to be printed on a medium, through the network, a communication status obtaining part that obtains a communication status of the communication part, a determination part that determines, based on the communication status of the communication part, which of a first process or a second process is executed on the image forming data received by the communication part, the determined process being defined as the data process, a receipt data processing part that processes the image forming data in either the first process or the second process that is determined by the determination part.

An image forming apparatus includes a generating unit, a print instruction providing unit, and a display. The generating unit generates print data of a sample sheet if a request for outputting the sample sheet is received while print data formed of plural pages is being generated. The print instruction providing unit provides a print instruction for the print data of the sample sheet after providing a print instruction for the print data that has been generated. The display displays, based on the print data of the sample sheet, an attribute of the sample sheet.

In accordance with an embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a communication section, an operation input section and a control section. The communication section receives print data from an external device. The operation input section receives a print execution instruction indicating an instruction on the execution of the printing of the print data and a print execution reservation instruction indicating an instruction on a reservation of the print execution. The control section registers the print execution reservation instruction received by the operation input section if a print job is being executed and the number of the print execution reservation instructions subjected to reservation registration is smaller than given value, and starts executing a print operation corresponding to the print execution reservation instruction received by the operation input section in a case of the presence of the print execution reservation instruction subjected to reservation registration after a print job is completed.

An information processing apparatus includes an event detection unit detecting at least one event; a registration unit registering corresponding information in which the event, which is detected by the event detection unit, is associated with a program; and a display unit displaying a screen, which is generated by the program, in accordance with the event, which is detected by the event detection unit, based on the corresponding information which is registered in the registration unit.