Image forming apparatus and image forming system
An image forming apparatus communicably connected to another image forming apparatus through a network includes a printer unit, a communication unit enabling a connection with another image forming apparatus, and a control unit that executes a first operating system (OS) operating on the first image forming apparatus and a control program operating on the first OS and performing a process relating to image formation, and enables a second OS performing other processes in parallel with the operation of the first OS to be operable. The control unit selects and determines another image forming apparatus in which the second OS is operable based on a process state relating to the image formation of the image forming apparatus operating the second OS, transmits an operating state of the second OS at that time point to the other image forming apparatus, and executes the second OS on the other apparatus.
1. An image forming apparatus that is connected to be communicable with a network having a plurality of additional image forming apparatuses different from each other, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a printer unit that forms an image based on image data and outputs the image onto a sheet;
a communication unit that enables a connection with the network; and
a control unit that can execute a first operating system activating on the image forming apparatus and a control program activating on the first operating system and performing a process relating to image formation, and the control unit enables operation of a second operating system performing a process other than the process relating to image formation in parallel with the operation of the first operating system,
wherein the control unit selects and determines one of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses in which the second operating system is operable based on a process state relating to the image formation of the image forming apparatus being executed, transmits an operating state of the second operating system to the one of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses, and switches processing of the second operating system to the one of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses,
wherein, in the one of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses in which the second operating system executes in accordance with the switching, an operation screen server is operable which provides information of a second operation screen in the second operating system to a further one of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses that is connected to the one of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses through the network and receives an operation input for the provided second operation screen, and
wherein the control unit includes an operation screen client that receives the information of the second operation screen in the second operating system that is provided by the operation screen server operating in the one of the plurality of additional image forming apparataus and enables an operation input for the second operation screen, and the control unit stops the second operating system on the one of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses in accordance with a connection state between the operation screen server and the operation screen client and executes the second operating system in the image forming apparatus in which the second operating system executed before the switching again.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit executes the second operating system in parallel with the operation of the first operating system.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit provides information of the second operation screen in the second operating system to the one of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses, and operates the operation screen server receiving an operation input for the second operation screen provided to the one of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit receives information of a second operation screen in the second operating system that is provided by the operation screen server executed in the one of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses, and operates an operation screen client that enables an operation input for the second operation screen.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines the process state relating to the image formation based on an input job.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control unit performs the determination before executing the input job in accordance with a state of hardware resources that is based on the input job.
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in the case in which the second operating system is executed by the one of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses in accordance with the switching, the control unit stops the second operating system on the one of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses in accordance with a state of the image forming apparatus in which the second operating system executed before the switching and executes the second operating system by using the image forming apparatus in which the second operating system executed before the switching again.
8. An image forming system comprising:
the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 as a first image forming apparatus;
a second image forming apparatus; and
a network that connects the first image forming apparatus and the second image forming apparatus to be communicable with each other,
the second image forming apparatus including
a printer unit that forms an image based on image data and outputs the image onto a sheet,
a communication unit that enables a connection with at least the first image forming apparatus through the network, and
a control unit that can execute a first operating system activating on the image forming apparatus and a control program activating on the first operating system and performing a process relating to image formation, and the control unit enables operation of a second operating system performing other processes other than the image formation in parallel with the operation of the first operating system; and
wherein the control unit of the second image forming apparatus receives an operating state of the second operating system transmitted from the first image forming apparatus and executes the second operating system.
9. The image forming system according to claim 8 ,
wherein the control unit of the second image forming apparatus includes an operation screen server which provides information of the second operation screen in the second operating system to another image forming apparatus of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses that is connected to the second image forming apparatus through the network and receives an operation input for the second operation screen that is provided for the another image forming apparatus of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses, and
wherein the control unit of the first image forming apparatus in which the second operating system was operable before the switching includes an operation screen client that receives the information of the second operation screen in the second operating system that is provided by the operation screen server operating in the another image forming apparatus of the plurality of additional image forming apparatuses and enables an operation input for the second operation screen is operable, and the control unit of the second image forming apparatus, when the transmission is received and the second operating system is executed, provides information of the second operation screen for the first image forming apparatus in which the second operating system was operable before the switching.