Patent ID: 8345282
Filing Date: 2013-01-01
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. An image forming system comprising: two or more image forming apparatuses connected to a network; and a server that is connected to the network and manages the image forming apparatuses, wherein the server comprises: wherein each of the image forming apparatuses comprises: a detecting unit that detects a shortage and a stock of consumable goods and outputs the consumable-goods shortage information and the consumable-goods stock information of this image forming apparatus; an apparatus transmitting/receiving unit that transmits the consumable-goods shortage information and/or the consumable-goods stock information from the detecting unit to the server, and receives the stock retrieval information and/or the consumable-goods stock information from the server; a display unit and a control unit that causes the apparatus transmitting/receiving unit to transmit the consumable-goods shortage information if the detecting unit outputs the consumable-goods shortage information, and to transmit the consumable-goods stock information if the detecting unit detects a stock of consumable goods specified in the stock retrieval information received by the apparatus transmitting/receiving unit wherein the management control unit of the server causes the server transmitting/receiving unit to transmit the consumable-goods stock information to the image forming apparatus that transmitted the consumable-goods shortage information, and the control unit of the image forming apparatus causes the display unit to indicate the received consumable-goods stock information and the image forming apparatus transmitting the received consumable-goods stock information.