Patent ID: 8659780
Filing Date: 2014-02-25
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus that is connected to a plurality of information processing apparatuses so as to communicate therewith, comprising: a buffering unit configured to receive print requests transmitted from the information processing apparatuses; an information storage unit configured to store information about documents that are requested to be printed in response to the print requests in an order in which the print requests are received by the buffering unit; a print processing unit configured to perform a printing process; and a print management unit, based on the print requests, configured to designate the documents to be in an order in which the information about the documents is stored in the information storage unit and to direct the print processing unit to print the designated documents, wherein when one print request includes information about a printing process applied to a plurality of documents, the print management unit designates the plurality of documents corresponding to the one print request to be in an order in the information storage unit and causes the print processing unit to perform the printing process for the designated plurality of documents until the print processing unit has finished the printing process applied to a last designated document, and the print processing unit performs the printing process in the order designated by the print management unit, and wherein when another print request is received by the buffering unit while the one print request is in progress in the print processing unit, the print management unit designates a document corresponding to the another print request after the print processing unit finishes the printing process applied to the last designated document corresponding to the one print request.