Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Shinichi Kudo

Kazunori Kobayashi

Yuusuke Noguchi

Tomohiro Yamamoto

Yoshiya Itoh

Akeo Maruyama

Tetsuo Ohtsuka

Michio Sumiyoshi

Hiroshi Yokoyama

Shogo Hyakutake

Tomokazu Mitsudome

Yuuji Koyanagi

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

A copy machine managing system comprises at least one copy machine provided with a collecting unit for collecting and storing management information and a transferring unit for transferring the management information to an external unit, the management information being used for managing the copy machine, a facsimile machine connected with the copy machine so as to establish a local area network, the facsimile machine collecting the management information of the copy machine via the local area network, and a managing unit connected with the facsimile machine via a public service telephone line. The managing unit receives the management information from the facsimile machine via the public service telephone line so it can manage the copy machine by using the management information. The management information is converted into a facsimile communication signal by the facsimile machine so that the management information can be transmitted via the public service telephone line.

Copy machine managing system and facsimile machine used therein

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Shinichi Kudo