Image forming system including means for inhibiting or releasing one of a plurality of image forming apparatuses
US6078759A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 29, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jun 20, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 29, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N2201/0082
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a communications line for connecting the image forming apparatus to other image forming apparatuses to create a system of a plurality of image forming apparatuses; a device for setting a connected printing mode to allocate and print jobs to be printed by the plurality of image forming apparatuses; a device for executing printing in the connected printing mode by the plurality of image forming apparatuses; and a device for releasing the use of the image forming apparatus under the connected printing mode when the image forming apparatus receives a print command while a printing operation is being executed by the plurality of image forming apparatuses under the connected printing mode.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.