Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Akeo Maruyama

Kazunori Kobayashi

Yuusuke Noguchi

Tomohiro Yamamoto

Yoshiya Itoh

Shinichi Kudo

Tetsuo Ohtsuka

Michio Sumiyoshi

Hideki Itoh

An image forming system includes one or more image forming apparatuses and a management apparatus. The management apparatus includes: a software component retention part configured to retain one or more software components in a storage unit, the software components each being configured to generate output format data in a data format interpretable by a printer engine of a corresponding one or more of the image forming apparatuses from application data; a determination part configured to determine, based on the specified image forming apparatus, one of the software components to be used to generate the output format data corresponding to the specified image forming apparatus; and a transmission part configured to transmit the generated output format data to the specified image forming apparatus. The specified image forming apparatus includes an image forming part to form a predetermined image on an image forming medium based on the transmitted output format data.

Image forming system and method, management apparatus, and recording medium

An image forming system includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses, a management apparatus configured to manage and operate the image forming system, and a plurality of communication control apparatuses each configured to control data communication between the management apparatus and a corresponding image forming apparatus, wherein the management apparatus includes a software component storing unit configured to store one or more software components in a predetermined storage area of a storage device of the management apparatus, the one or more software components being each configured to generate print data recognizable by a corresponding image forming apparatus and a selecting unit configured to select a software component from the one or more software components in response to the print request, the selected software component being used to generate print data corresponding to the image forming apparatus selected as a printing apparatus.

Image forming system using a management apparatus to manage software components

An information processing apparatus is disclosed that is connected to a device and generates data processable by the device based on device information about the device. The information processing apparatus includes a processing content setting unit that specifies, based on the device information, processing content to be executed by the device; a command retrieving unit that, if the processing content specified by the processing content setting unit contains unknown information, retrieves a command corresponding to the unknown information from the device information; and a data generating unit that generates, based on the command retrieved by the command retrieving unit and the processing content, data processable by the device.

Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and recording medium

A printer server generates print data in a format dependent on a printer connected to a network, from application data to be printed out by an application. The printer server includes a processor that processes intermediate data based on an additive attribute indicating an attribute relating to the generation and security added to the intermediate data at the time of generating the intermediate data. A print data converter converts the intermediate data processed into print data in a format dependent on a printer.

Printer server, client terminal, image forming apparatus, print data generating method, and computer product

An electronic mail transmitting apparatus can transmit a document via electronic mail by a simple operation. The document is prepared by a specific application such as a word processor application and an instruction for the electronic mail transmission is input through the specific application. The specific application preparing document data has a function to send a print instruction to print the document data. A printer driver is activated by the print instruction of the application program. The printer driver converts the document data provided by the specific application into a predetermined data format and transmits the converted document data via electronic mail.

Electronic mail transmitting apparatus having a printer driver for transmitting electronic mail and method for transmitting electronic mail by a printer driver

A peripheral device on a network has a client function to retrieve data and or to update data in another network resource. The peripheral device also has its own device dependent functions such as printing, copying, faxing and scanning. The peripheral device outputs data retrieved from another network resource and or inputs new data for updating the data existing in another network resource. The retrieving and updating functions are performed by a client control unit of the peripheral device.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Akeo Maruyama