A scanning network includes a central server configured to distribute a scan task. The scan task is associated with a scanning of an identified document. The scanning network further includes a plurality of imaging devices configured to receive and execute a scan task and a storage database configured to receive a document image created from execution of a scan task.

An information processing system includes a storage storing a first program for providing a function and a second program for executing a process for implementing the function; a storage storing, for each application for executing a sequence of processes, identification information identifying the application and information relating to the sequence of processes, the sequence-related information defining the second program for executing the process included in the sequence of processes; a unit for accepting a request from a device coupled to the system, the request including the identification information and electronic data-related information; and a process executer configured to execute the sequence of processes using electronic data based on the information included in the request, as the first program, which corresponds to the second program defined in the sequence-related information associated with the identification information included in the request, requests the second program to execute the predetermined process.

Disclosed is an image forming apparatus. The present image forming apparatus comprises: an input unit for receiving a scanning option; a communication unit for transmitting the received scanning option to another image forming apparatus; a scanning unit for scanning a first document according to the scanning option and generating first scanned data; and a control unit for receiving second scanned data in which a second document is scanned according to the scanning option in another image forming apparatus, and combining the first scanned data and the second scanned data.

An information processing apparatus is provided, which performs: acquiring an inspection result obtained by inspecting quality of a print product; receiving quality request data including an evaluation criterion; specifying a quality level of the print product based on the evaluation criterion included in the quality request data and the inspection result; creating quality report data including the inspection result and the quality level; and transmitting the quality report data to a predetermined external apparatus.

An image processing system includes plural image processing devices connected with each other by a network. In the one image processing device, in a case where a new job accepted by a job accepting unit may not be executed immediately, a control unit transmits image data related to the job to the other image processing device capable of image processing and causes the other image processing device to execute image processing. In the other image processing device, the control unit assesses whether or not an image processing result is to be returned to the one image processing device, and transmits the image processing result to the one image processing device to execute a final process if assessed to return the image processing result, but executes the final process of the image processing result in the other image processing device if assessed not to return the image processing result.

An example print system is described as including a manager engine that identifies an attribute of a job, a discovery engine that identifies a service printer available to store the job, a transfer engine that causes the job to transfer from a first printer to a second printer, and a remote job engine that maintains job retrieval information associated with the job.

A scan task system includes a plurality of imaging devices, including MFDs, dedicated scanners, or mobile phones with scanning or camera functions. The system notifies a user or a number of users when a particular document needs to be scanned and transmitted to a specific destination. A scan task is sent to available imaging devices, and will appear when the user logs in at any imaging device on the network. When a user executes the scan task at any one of the imaging devices, the scan task is removed from all devices. The scan task can be pre-programmed to appropriately file or send a scanned document when the scan is executed.

An information processing apparatus capable of switching execution of an inspection process depending on a transmission destination. The information processing apparatus includes at least one memory device that stores a set of instructions, and at least one processor that executes the set of instructions to: extract a character string from scan data obtained by scanning a document, control to execute an inspection process, which determines whether a predetermined character string registered beforehand is included in the extracted character string, in a case where a first transmission destination is designated as information about a transmission destination of the scan data, and control not to execute the inspection process in a case where a second transmission destination different from the first transmission destinations is designated as the information about the transmission destination of the scan data.

A job execution device, including: an operation panel; a communicator for communicating with another job execution device; and a hardware processor that: displays its own operation window and the operation window of the another job execution device on the operation panel; receives a setting of a distribution process for distributing a process for executing the job relating to a first function between the job execution device and the another job execution device by a predetermined operation, when a selection button of the first function exists in both of its own operation window and the operation window of the another job execution device; and instructs the job executor of the job execution device and the another job execution device to carry out the distribution process, when an entry of the job relating to the first function is received in a situation in which the distribution process is set.

A processing device includes a reception unit, a processing unit, and an output unit. The reception unit receives a process designated by a user. The processing unit performs the process received by the reception unit. The output unit outputs the process to an external apparatus capable of executing the process received by the reception unit. When the reception unit receives multiple processes, a process that is included in the multiple processes and in which an output from the processing device has to be obtained is performed in the processing device, and at least a part of a process that is included in the multiple processes and in which an output from the processing device does not have to be obtained is output to the external apparatus by the output unit.