A communication system includes a first electronic apparatus settable with first setting information for a plurality of items and a second electronic apparatus settable with second setting information for the plurality of items, and communicably connected to the first electronic apparatus. The first electronic apparatus includes first circuitry to transmit, to the second electronic apparatus, the first setting information including determination information set for each of the plurality of items to determine whether the first setting information is synchronized with the second setting information. The second electronic apparatus includes second circuitry to receive the first setting information, determine whether the first setting information is synchronized with the second setting information for each of the plurality of items based on the determination information, and reflect a value set for one of the plurality of items of the first setting information on the second setting information according to a determination.

An information processing apparatus includes an instructing unit, a response obtaining unit, and an execution unit. The instructing unit provides an instruction to display an approval request screen to an apparatus operated by a second user. The approval request screen is used for making a request to approve execution of setting changing processing for changing a setting of the information processing apparatus operated by a first user. The first and second users are authenticated by an authenticating unit. The response obtaining unit obtains a response made on the approval request screen from the second user. The execution unit executes the setting changing processing in accordance with the response obtained by the response obtaining unit.

A multifunction peripheral (MFP) acquires a display setting of an operation unit in the MFP, which is associated with a user at a client terminal, when accessed from the client terminal. The MFP performs control so that display of an operation screen of the MFP in the client terminal becomes display according to the acquired display setting of the operation unit.

A system and method for generating customized user interface on a multifunction peripheral. The multifunction peripheral has an intelligent controller with a processor and memory, and a document processing engine with functional subsystems subject to software control by the intelligent controller. The intelligent controller functions as a webserver operating through a network interface. A variety of device control applications are stored with each applications configured to engage a corresponding subset of the functional subsystems. Image files generate an interface image corresponding to a device control application on a touchscreen multifunction peripheral interface. The webserver receives selection data corresponding to at least one selected device control application from an associated web client and outputs a web page displaying image files corresponding to each selected device control application image to the web client via the network interface generating a preview image of a customized user interface.

Provided is an electronic device that greatly simplifies a setting operation when using an operation history. The electronic device of this disclosure includes a panel part, a system control part, a setting operation management part, and a function part. The system control part conducts a download of one of an individual operation history and an entire operation history for each selection item, as setting history of selection information, from a management server according to a procedure of a setting assistance application program which has been downloaded from the management server and which is assigned to each user. The setting operation management part manages the setting information included in the downloaded setting history for each the selection item. The function part executes a processing based on the setting information managed by the setting operation management part.

A display control device for displaying a screen in a display unit is provided. The display control device includes an obtaining portion configured to obtain size data indicating a size of a display surface of the display unit; and a processor configured to determine whether the size of the display surface is larger or smaller than a predetermined size based on the size data, to display a first screen including first objects in the display unit when the size of the display surface is larger than the predetermined size, and to display a second screen including second objects in the display unit when the size of the display surface is smaller than the predetermined size. The second screen corresponds to the first screen. The second objects are less than the first objects, and each of the second objects corresponds to any one of the first objects.

A system and method for selecting and registering applications associated with operation of a multifunction peripheral includes a processor, a network interface and a memory. A plurality of user selectable applications for operation of a multifunction peripheral controller is stored. Each customization group includes a plurality of electronic files, and each customization group corresponds to a unique business type. A plurality of device customization data sets, each data set corresponding to document processing in the multifunction peripheral are also stored. Indicia are displayed identifying customization groups by business type. At least one user selected application is identified. A customizations menu listing available customizations from the selected identified customization group is generated. A user selects one or more applications from the customizations menu. A determination is made as to whether each application associated with the user application selection input is registered. Each unregistered application is registered.

An example management server creates a group for synchronizing an application configuration, transmits a group identifier of the group to devices included in the group, maps configuration data of an application to the group identifier, stores the mapped configuration data, and transmits the configuration data to at least one device included in the group. When a configuration of an executed application is changed, a device checks whether a group identifier mapped to the application exists in a storage. When the group identifier exists, the device displays a message inquiring whether to propagate the changed configuration data of the application to the group to which the group identifier is assigned. When receiving a request to propagate the changed configuration data, the device provides the changed configuration data to a management server in a predetermined method. The group identifier is transmitted from the management server and stored in the storage.

A printing system comprising a controller for controlling the processing of print jobs, a plurality of input holders for holding print media to be printed upon, a print engine for disposing marking material on the print media, and a plurality of output holders for holding the print media when the marking material has been disposed on the print media by the print engine and the print media is ready for taking out by an operator. The controller is configured to establish and to maintain a plurality of physical configurations of the printing system. Each physical configuration comprises the print engine, at least one input holder out of the plurality of input holders and at least one output holder out of the plurality of output holders. Each physical configuration is disjunctive from the at least one other physical configuration of the plurality of physical configurations with respect to the at least one input holder of the at least one other physical configuration of the plurality of physical configurations and with respect to the at least one output holder of the at least one other physical configuration of the plurality of physical configurations. The invention also relates to a job submission device and a method for the printing system.

A system and method for selecting and registering applications associated with operation of a multifunction peripheral includes a processor, a network interface and a memory. A plurality of user selectable applications for operation of a multifunction peripheral controller is stored. Each customization group includes a plurality of electronic files, and each customization group corresponds to a unique business type. A plurality of device customization data sets, each data set corresponding to document processing in the multifunction peripheral are also stored. Indicia are displayed identifying customization groups by business type. At least one user selected application is identified. A customizations menu listing available customizations from the selected identified customization group is generated. A user selects one or more applications from the customizations menu. A determination is made as to whether each application associated with the user application selection input is registered. Each unregistered application is registered.