Patent ID: 8462373
Filing Date: 2013-06-11
Classification: G03G,H04N

Abstract:
1. A first image forming apparatus configured to be connected to a second image forming apparatus, the first and second image forming apparatuses each including a printing unit, the first image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of image reading units, in the first image forming apparatus, each reading an image of an original and respectively outputting first and second image data; an image processing unit that performs image processing on each of the first and second image data based on a respective parameter set according to a respective read characteristic of a respective one of the plurality of image reading units that outputs the respective image data; a storing unit that stores the first and second image data; a printing unit that prints the first and second image data processed by the image processing unit; and a communication unit that exchanges the first and second image data stored in the storing unit with the second image forming apparatus, wherein the communication unit sends the first and second image data respectively output by the image reading units to the second image forming apparatus for sharing printing of the first and second image data, wherein the communication unit directly connects a first memory of the first image forming apparatus to a second memory of the second image forming apparatus such that communication is performed directly between an input of the first memory and an input of the second memory, and wherein the image processing unit is further configured to perform the image processing on each of the first and second image data based on the respective parameter, which is determined for each of the plurality of image read units according to both a first read characteristic of a first image reading unit of the plurality of image reading units, and a second read characteristic of a second image reading unit of the plurality of image reading units.