Patent ID: 8953202
Filing Date: 2015-02-10
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus for holding image information therein, the image forming apparatus being one of a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to a network and being configured to communicate with remaining ones of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, the image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming section configured to form an image in accordance with the image information; a memory configured to store management information, the management information including an item of information that identifies one of remaining ones of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, the one of remaining ones of the plurality of image forming apparatuses holding the image information therein; an information management section configured to perform a synchronization processing in which the management information in the plurality of image forming apparatuses is updated to become identical; and an image formation controlling section configured to obtain the image information held in the one of remaining ones of the plurality of image forming apparatuses identified by the item of information, and then drive the image forming section to form the image in accordance with the obtained image information, wherein the synchronization processing includes: wherein the information management section performs only a process in accordance with the second update data received from the one of remaining ones of the plurality of image forming apparatuses that sent the second lock request, the process being performed from when the second lock request is received until the second unlock request is received.