Patent ID: 11875069
Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a main memory storing:
mode information indicating whether the image forming apparatus is set to a contract mode;
a first upper limit to which printing can be performed during a prescribed period of time set according to the contract and implemented by the image forming apparatus when set to the contract mode;
a second upper limit to which printing can be performed during the prescribed period of time set in a case that the image forming apparatus is not connected to a network;
a first actual print sheet number actually printed during the prescribed period of time; and
a second actual print sheet number actually printed during the prescribed period of time in the case that the image forming apparatus is not connected to the network; and

a controller configured to perform:
a first printing permission process in a case that the mode information indicates the contract mode, the image forming apparatus is communicably connected to a server, and the first actual print sheet number is less than the first upper limit when the controller receives a print job even in a case that a first sum of a specific print sheet number specified in advance in the print job and the first actual print sheet number is greater than the first upper limit, the first printing permission process permitting printing for a specific sheet number as a permission print sheet number; and
a second printing permission process in a case that the mode information indicates the contract mode, the image forming apparatus is not communicably connected to the server, and the second actual print sheet number is less than the second upper limit when the controller receives the print job even in a case that a second sum of the specific print sheet number and the second actual print sheet number is greater than the second upper limit, the second printing permission process permitting printing for the specific sheet number as the permission print sheet number.