Control for user management information in image forming apparatus

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store user management information;

a printing unit configured to, in a case where a printing job includes first image data and second image data, print the first image data in the printing job on a paper;

an output unit which outputs the paper on which the first image data is printed and is connected to a feeding unit in another image forming apparatus equipped with a printing unit configured to print the second image data;

a determining unit configured to determine whether or not the image forming apparatus is in a system operating state of being constructed in such a manner as to supply the paper via the output unit to the other image forming apparatus;

an obtaining unit configured to, in a case where it is determined by the determining unit that the image forming apparatus is in the system operating state, obtain user management information of the other image forming apparatus from the other image forming apparatus;

a generating unit configured to combine the obtained user management information of the other image forming apparatus with the user management information stored in the storage unit to generate combination user management information used at the system operating state; and

a storing unit configured to store the generated combination user management information in the storage unit.

2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the user management information includes combination setting information which indicates whether or not the user management information is combined with user management information in the other image forming apparatus in a case of the system operating state, and

the generating unit generates the combination user management information using the combination setting information.

3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determining unit determines that the image forming apparatus is in the system operating state in a case where the connection with the other image forming apparatus is confirmed.

4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determining unit determines that the image forming apparatus is in the system operating state in a case where the connection with the other image forming apparatus can be confirmed, and at least one of events that

a sending/receiving unit does not exist as a construction element in the other image forming apparatus,

in a user interface in the other image forming apparatus, an input operation is possible and a printing job is not in a state of being capable of being inputted to the apparatus, and

in a user setting in the other image forming apparatus, a setting of operating the apparatus in the system operating state is made,

can be confirmed.

5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where the determining unit determines that the image forming apparatus is not in the system operating state, when the combination user management information is stored in the storage unit, the combination user management information is deleted from the storage unit.

6. An image forming system constructed by connecting the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the combination user management information is generated in each of a plurality of image forming apparatuses constituting the image forming system.

7. An image forming system constructed by connecting the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the combination user management information is generated only in one of image forming apparatuses constituting the image forming system, and

the generated combination user management information is supplied to the remaining image forming apparatuses by the one image forming apparatus.

8. A control method of user management information in an image forming apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store user management information;

a printing unit configured to, in a case where a printing job includes first image data and second image data, print the first image data in the printing job on a paper; and

an output unit which outputs the paper on which the first image data is printed and is connected to a feeding unit in another image forming apparatus equipped with a printing unit configured to print the second image data, the control method comprising the steps of:

determining whether or not the image forming apparatus is in a system operating state for functioning as a single image forming system of being constructed in such a manner as to supply the paper via the output unit to the other image forming apparatus;

in a case where it is determined by the determining step that the image forming apparatus is in the system operating state, obtaining user management information of the other image forming apparatus from the other image forming apparatus;

combining the obtained user management information of the other image forming apparatus with the user management information stored in the storage unit to generate combination user management information used at the system operating state; and

storing the generated combination user management information in the storage unit.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform the control method according to claim 8 .