The present disclosure discloses methods and systems for managing multiple scan requests received at a multi-function device. The method includes receiving a scan request from a remote computing device of a remote user. Before executing the scan request, two conditions are checked. It is checked if document is present on a scanning platform of the multi-function device and further it is checked if one or more activities on a user interface of the multi-function device, are being performed. Based on the presence of the document on the scanning platform and the one or more activities on the user interface, the scan request received from the remote user is disallowed. This way, multiple scanned requests are managed at the multi-function device.

A server device includes communication means, information storage means, and output means. The communication means communicates with an information processing device that includes a display unit for displaying a symbol and a sending unit for sending information relating to the failure of the own device. The information storage means stores the information relating to the failure sent from the information process device. The output means outputs information relating to the failure stored in an access destination specified by the symbol to a user terminal that reads the symbol.

An image forming apparatus includes a first detector detecting an operation sound based on a sound wave received by a receiver; a second detector detecting basis weight of recording material based on an ultrasonic wave transmitted from a transmitter and received by the receiver; a switching unit that switches destination of a reception signal from the receiver between a first path to the first detector and a second path to the second detector; and a controller that controls the switching unit such that the reception signal is output to the first path at a first timing and to the second path at a second timing. When a predetermined condition is satisfied, the controller controls the switching unit such that the reception signal is output to the second path at the first timing or to the first path at the second timing.

An image forming apparatus includes a printing unit, a verification unit, an insertion unit, and a display unit. The printing unit prints an image on a recording sheet. The verification unit verifies the image printed by the printing unit. The insertion unit inserts an insertion sheet, on which an identifier is printed, to partition a plurality of recording sheets, on each of which the image is printed, for each bundle of a predetermined number of sheets. The display unit displays the number of recording sheets on each of which an image associated with the identifier and determined as a normal image by the verification unit is printed.

An image forming apparatus includes a control device. The control device acts, when a built-in processor executes a control program, as a decider that decides whether the image forming apparatus has been used for business, depending on whether the terminal device that has requested a job to the image forming apparatus, or is to receive an output from the image forming apparatus, is registered in advance as a device for business use, or a device for private use, a used time detector that detects a time decided by the decider to have been used for business by the image forming apparatus, with respect to each of operation modes, and a transmitter that transmits information indicating the time used for business, with respect to each of the operation modes, detected by the used time detector, to a management computer installed in an office, through a network I/F.

An information processing system includes a reading device configured to perform reading processing for reading an original, and one or more controllers configured to function as an acquisition unit that acquires a number of processing operations per unit time period of the reading processing, and an acquisition unit that acquires operation rate information about the reading device based on the number of processing operations per unit time period of the reading processing and a predetermined number of processing operations of the reading processing.

A virtual calibration system uses a reference printing device to add new printing devices and perform verification operations. The reference printing device is defined using color printing resources from an initial printing device. Policies define environmental specification information regarding the operating conditions for a printing device in the system. When a new printing device is added, the new printing device performs a match calibration using the color printing resources provided by the reference printing device. If the match calibration is acceptable, then the new printing device is added to the virtual calibration system. The reference printing device also instructs the printing devices to perform quality checks and to provide environmental information. Using the environmental information, the reference printing device determines if an issue is impacting color printing that is not related to the color printing capabilities of the printing device.

A server device includes communication means, information storage means, and output means. The communication means communicates with an information processing device that includes a display unit for displaying a symbol and a sending unit for sending information relating to the failure of the own device. The information storage means stores the information relating to the failure sent from the information process device. The output means outputs information relating to the failure stored in an access destination specified by the symbol to a user terminal that reads the symbol.

A mediation server mediating between a terminal device and a communication device may be configured to: receive a permission request from a user terminal, the permission request is for requesting permission for the user terminal to communicate with the communication device via the mediation server; specify the communication information in a memory by using specifying information included in the permission request; send a receipt notification to an administration terminal by using the communication information; in a case where the administration terminal that has received the receipt notification from the mediation server accepts a predetermined operation, store authentication information to the memory; and in a case where the authentication information is stored in the memory in association with the device identification information, send a first storage notification to the user terminal.

A system and method for maintenance and supplying of a fleet of multifunction peripheral devices includes two or more networked devices including a decision engine. Devices discover one another and one device is designated as a server. The server creates a virtual lobby accessible by other devices and its decision engine is enabled. The server invites other devices into its virtual lobby, and these devices join the lobby in response. Devices provide their device state information to the lobby. The enabled decision engine generates recommendations for consumable replenishment, device servicing or device configuration, relaying the recommendations to a system administrator's tablet or smartphone. The administrator may accept, reject, modify or implement received suggestions. Consumable supplies or servicing recommendations can be done automatically if enabled. Administrator actions are fed back to the server for machine learning to improve future suggestions.