Patent ID: 8584137
Filing Date: 2013-11-12
Classification: G06F,H04N

Abstract:
1. An image processing system comprising: a storage; a plurality of image processing devices; and a job divider operable to divide an unprocessed job into a plurality of partial jobs that can be processed separately, and store the partial jobs into the storage, wherein each of the plurality of image processing devices includes: a first judging part operable to judge whether one of the plurality of partial jobs stored in the storage can be processed by an own device by accessing the storage at a predetermine cycle; a transmitter operable to, if the first judging part judges that the one of the plurality of partial jobs can be processed by the own device, transmit first information, which indicates a condition with respect to the own device's capabilities and/or status with which the own device processes the partial job, to the storage and cause the storage to store the first information; an obtaining part operable to obtain from the storage second information, which indicates a condition with respect to capabilities and/or status with which another one of the plurality of image processing devices processes the partial job, stored to the storage by the another one image process device; a second judging part operable to judge whether the own device should process the partial job, in accordance with a standard that is common to the plurality of image processing devices, by comparing the first information with the second information by accessing the storage, after the transmitter transmits the first information to the storage; and a job processor operable to process the partial job if the second judging part judges that the own device should process the partial job; wherein the second judging part deletes the second information that has been stored in the storage by other image processing devices among the plurality of image processing devices, to indicate to the other image processing devices that the own device is to process the partial job, and when the first information stored in the storage can be processed by the own device, the second judging part performs the judgment on whether the own device should process the partial job, and when the first information transmitted by the own device, which is second information to the other image processing devices, has been deleted from the storage by any other image processing device among the plurality of image processing devices, the second judging part does not perform the judgment.