Patent ID: 11886762
Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  Y | IPC G

Claim 16:
17. The printing control system according to claim 10, wherein
the parent units and the child units are separated into a plurality of groups, at least one of the parent units is connectable, at least one of the child units is connectable, the first plurality of image forming apparatuses of the connectable parent units and the second plurality of image forming apparatuses of the connectable child units belong to a group of the plurality of groups,
the first memory of each of the parent units further stores parent unit information items of other parent units, the parent unit information items including: information of at least one other parent units that belongs to a same group that the parent unit belongs to; and information of each of the parent units that belongs to the respective groups to which the parent unit does not belong to,
the parent unit controller of a first parent unit of the parent units further causes the first parent unit, the first parent unit storing the at least one print data item on the first memory, to transmit the job list information item to the other parent units which are identified by the parent unit information saved in the first the parent unit, the job list information item including the job name of the at least one print data items stored on the first memory,
after a second parent unit of the parent units obtains the job list information item transmitted from the first parent unit, the parent unit controller of the second parent unit causes the second parent unit to transmit the obtained job list information item to the other parent unit that is identified by the parent unit information saved in the second parent unit, and that belongs to a same group that the second parent unit belong to, and the other parent unit receiving the job list information item from the second parent unit stores the job list information item on the first memory of the other parent unit,
the child unit controller of the first child unit further causes the first child unit to transmit the job list request to the parent unit stored in the parent unit connection information item saved in the first child unit, and
the parent unit controller of the parent unit obtaining the job list request, further causes the parent unit to transmit the job list response to the first child unit as a reply to the obtained job list request, the job list response including the job list information item which is stored on the first memory of the parent unit and requested by the first child unit.