An information processing apparatus including a plurality of installed application programs activates, when a first application program is executed for using data, a second application program used to obtain the data from an external apparatus. A process of connection to the external apparatus is executed by executing the second application program, and a data format and attribute information stored in the external apparatus are obtained from the external apparatus by executing the second application program. The attribute information on data stored in the external apparatus is displayed on a screen of the second application program such that a result of a determination as to whether the data is usable by the first application program is recognizable based on a format stored in the memory and a format obtained from the external apparatus by executing the second application program.

A supporting program according to aspects of the present disclosures can be executed by a CPU of a PC and corresponds to a printer connected to the PC. When the PC receives a print instruction to cause the printer to perform printing through a general-use printing program implemented in the OS of the PC, in advance, the supporting program causes the PC to output a preceding operation command to cause the printer to perform a preceding operation before starting printing. The printer performs a preceding operation corresponding to the preceding operation command.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit configured to form an image on a print medium based on print data supplied from an information processing apparatus; a first communication interface configured to perform wireless communication with the information processing apparatus by a first communication method in which the number of connectable apparatuses is set; a second communication interface configured to perform wireless communication with the information processing apparatus by a second communication method; and a system controller. The system controller is configured to cause the second communication interface to transmit a notification to the information processing apparatus when the number of apparatuses which are connected by the first communication interface has reached the number of connectable apparatuses, the notification representing that the number of apparatuses which are connected by the first communication interface has reached the number of connectable apparatuses.

Systems and methods are provided though which a transaction, e.g., in a multi-tier, distributed application may be initiated from a portable or hand-held device, such as a smartphone. A computer system or systems, possibly remote from the device, may approve the transaction, complete it, or both, and the remote computer system or systems may cause a document to be printed, e.g., by a printer physically proximate to the device.

Aspects of the invention are illustrated by embodiments in which a drug prescription may be created electronically using a hand-held device. In such an embodiment, the prescription may be transmitted to one or more remote computer systems, such as an application server, for processing. If specified, the remote computer systems may cause a prescription to be printed, e.g., at a printer near the prescriber's location. The prescriber may sign the printed prescription and give it to a patient or pharmacy.

An information processing apparatus includes a user list providing unit configured to receive device identification information from a current device connected via a network and to send, to the current device, a user list including one or more user identifiers that are stored in a storage unit in association with the received device identification information; and a program list providing unit configured to receive a user identifier that is selected at the current device from the user identifiers in the user list and to send, to the current device, a program list including sets of program information stored in the storage unit in association with the received user identifier.

An image forming apparatus that executes a screen saver that provides information related with an accessory device connected to the image forming apparatus, and a method of controlling the image forming apparatus that executes a screen saver are provided. The method includes sensing an accessory device connected to the image forming apparatus, requesting execution of a screen saver corresponding to the sensed accessory device, searching for the screen saver corresponding to the sensed accessory device, and executing a found screen saver.

In a communication system, an image forming apparatus sends an address of a receiving section to an external device. The external device receives a selection of image data through plural thumbnails displayed on a display section, and wirelessly sends the selected image data to the image forming apparatus with the address. The image forming apparatus receives the selected image data sent with the address by the external device, and prints an image based on the selected image data. The image forming apparatus accepts a selection indicating whether a communication between the external device and the image forming apparatus is performed by a first communication system method or a second communication system method. The image forming apparatus performs sending and/or receiving the image data with the address by the first communication system method when the first communication system method is selected, and performs sending and/or receiving the image data with the address by the second communication system method when the second communication system method is selected.

A terminal device may be configured to acquire a first signal from a hardware of the terminal device, determine, by using the first signal, whether the distance between the terminal device and a communication device is less than or equal to a threshold value, and in a case where it is determined that the distance between the terminal device and the communication device is less than or equal to the threshold, supply a trigger instruction to an Operating System (OS) program of the terminal device even if a button that may be displayed on a display of the terminal device for supplying the trigger instruction to the OS program is not selected. The OS program may (1) display a notification screen on the display unit and (2) supply a change instruction to the first wireless interface.

According to the present invention, when a terminal apparatus is brought close to a printing apparatus serving as a processing apparatus, the terminal apparatus uses its own NFC unit to acquire, from the printing apparatus, information for communicating with each of one or more network connection units provided in the printing apparatus. Then, using a communication unit, the terminal apparatus then searches for the printing apparatus on a network in accordance with the acquired information. In the case where the terminal apparatus has successfully identified the printing apparatus as being present on the network, the terminal apparatus transmits a processing request to the printing apparatus successfully identified on the network via the communication unit.

An example image formation device includes a memory to store a program, and a controller to, by executing the program, perform pre-processing for an application to be installed, acquire information on an amount of resources necessary for execution of the application, acquire information on an amount of available resources, determine whether installation of the application is possible based on the information on the amount of resources necessary to execute the application and the information on the amount of available resources, and install the application in the memory when it is determined that the application is installable.