Patent ID: 6192202
Filing Date: 2001-02-20
Classification: G03G,H04N

Abstract:
An image forming system wherein a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to a controller for controlling the image forming apparatuses, each of the image forming apparatuses comprising:setting means for setting image formation of a desired copy number with use of said plurality of image forming apparatuses, with an image on an original being read;read means for optically scanning the original and reading an image;first memory means for storing image data read by the read means or image data transmitted from the controller; andfirst transmission means for transmitting the image data read by the read means to the controller, said controller comprising:second memory means for storing the image data transmitted by the first transmission means;second transmission means for transmitting the image data stored in the second memory means to an image forming apparatus other than the image forming apparatus which has read the original;first control means for executing, when the reading by the read means has been finished, a control to distribute a predetermined minimum image formation copy number to the image forming apparatus to which the second transmission means has transmitted the image data, and to distribute a remainder image formation copy number, which is obtained by subtracting the minimum image formation copy number from a desired image formation copy number set by said setting means, to the image forming apparatus which has read the original; andsecond control means for executing a control to suspend image formation in the image forming apparatus which has read the original, when image formation of said predetermined minimum image formation copy number distributed by the first control means is finished, to redistribute the predetermined minimum image formation copy number to the image forming apparatus to which the second transmission means has transmitted the image data, and to redistribute a remainder image formation copy number, which is obtained by subtracting the minimum image formation copy number from the suspended image formation copy number, to the image forming apparatus which has read the original.