Provided is a distributed type image forming system which reduces storage capacity of server. An encryption addition part encrypts a document data for outputting by pull print with a symmetric key, encrypts the symmetric key by a public key of a user who is permitted to output of the document data, and adds the encrypted symmetric key to the document data. A division part divides document data into a job block and a user block having the symmetric key encrypted by the public key of the user and generates the blockchain of document data. A key decoding part decrypts the symmetric key included in the user block with the secret key of the user. A block acquisition part acquires other blocks from preserving apparatuses. A document reproduction part packs each block to reproduce document data. An output part outputs the reproduced document data.

An imaging method, an imaging device and an imaging system are provided. The imaging method includes: when receiving a terminal identification sent by a mobile terminal and directed to the mobile terminal, sending, by an imaging device, an imaging request message to a cloud server. The imaging request message includes the terminal identification and a communication parameter for communicating with the mobile terminal, used for the cloud server to verify identity of the mobile terminal according to the terminal identification and, after the identity verification is successfully passed and according to the communication parameter, to determine one imaging device, among all imaging devices that send imaging request messages, to perform an imaging task, and to send an imaging job to the one imaging device: and when receiving the imaging job sent by the cloud server, performing, by the imaging device, the imaging task according to the imaging job.

Provided is an image forming system for pull printing and does not need a server. A division part generates a blockchain of a document data by generating identification information of the document data for pull print, by dividing into blocks, and by calculating and including a previous hash value of a previous block in order. A storing and transmitting part transmits each of divided blocks. A storing part that stores received block. An outputting and transmitting part transmits the stored block according to the instructions. An identification information acquisition part acquires the identification information of the document data. A block acquisition part acquires each of the block of the document data corresponding to the identification information. A document reproduction part packs each of the block and reproduces to the document data. An image forming part outputs the document data.

A high-compression file format can be designated even in a case where an external device and an image communication apparatus communicate with each other according to a set communication protocol.

An image forming apparatus includes a storage device and a control device. The storage device stores a document. The control device includes a processor and functions, through the processor executing a control program, as a character recognizer and a tag generator. The character recognizer analyzes the document stored in the storage device and recognizes characters contained in the document. The tag generator analyzes, based on a recognition result of the character recognizer, a sequence of characters contained in the document and generates a tag expressing a feature of descriptive content of the document.

An image output method including capturing an image of code pattern including device information specifying an image output device, obtaining the device information from the image of code pattern, obtaining user information specifying a user, and outputting the device information, and the user information or a permission information for temporarily permitting the use of the image output device to an external device, by an information processing device; authenticating the user based on the user information, by a processor; and executing image output processing by the image output device specified based on the device information when authenticating the user based on the user information or when the permission information is sent from the information processing device.

Provided is an image forming apparatus that suppresses degradation of performance of processing up to completion of printing while suppressing the occurrence of moire. A data-compression unit stores identification data indicating the presence or absence of periodicity obtained by analyzing printing data, and printing data correlated with the identification data in a first memory area of a RAM. A color-conversion-processing unit that performs a speculative process, causes printing data that has undergone a color conversion process corresponding to printer printing to be stored in a second memory area of a RAM. A screen-processing unit that performs a speculative process, performs an AM screen process on printing data. In addition, a system-control unit causes the image-forming unit to move from a printing pre-start position to a printing start position based on a determination result of a printing color in a color conversion process corresponding to a first printer printing by the color-conversion-processing unit by a speculative process.

This invention makes it possible to, in a pull transfer communication protocol, to interrupt forwarding of information on the server side at a timing desired by a user. To achieve this, a client includes a first request unit for transmitting a content request to the server and the server includes a first response unit for transmitting content requested from the first request unit to the client. The client further includes a second request unit for requesting the server to make a response if a predetermined status has occurred, and the server further includes a second response unit for deferring, if the request made by the second request unit is received, a response if the predetermined status has not occurred, and transmitting the response to the client if the predetermined status has occurred.

A management apparatus included in a system including a plurality of MFPs receives a use history of a user from at least one MFP among the plurality of MFPs. The management apparatus, based on the use history, designates a group including one or more MFPs among the plurality of MFPs as MFPs being preferentially requested information related to a job issued by the user. Then, the management apparatus updates a group, which is stored in the storage device and previously designated, to be a designated group.

An information processing apparatus that changes a state of a monitoring process that waits for image data from an image processing apparatus between a working state and a non-working state as necessary. The information processing apparatus includes a first transmission unit that transmits identification information about the information processing apparatus to the image processing apparatus, a reception unit that receives image data that is generated by scanning a document by the image processing apparatus and is transmitted from the image processing apparatus using the identification information, a second transmission unit that transmits the received image data to a predetermined application in the information processing apparatus, and a setting unit that sets as to whether the second transmission unit transmits the received image data to the predetermined application. The setting unit sets so as to transmit the received image data to the predetermined application based on transmission of the identification information.