Patent ID: 8763017

Claim:
An information processing system, comprising: an image forming apparatus including a virtual user application and a hardware resource, wherein the virtual user application of the image forming apparatus is configured to operate the hardware resource of the image forming apparatus; and a communications device including a communication part configured to perform communications with the image forming apparatus, and an application program which prepares operation screen data, and wherein the communication part of the communications device sends a display request to the image forming apparatus in response to receiving a request to display an operation screen, and wherein the display request corresponds to the operation screen data of the application program, receives, from the image forming apparatus, a report of input to the operation screen at the image forming apparatus, reports the report of input to the application program, sends, to the virtual user application of the image forming apparatus, an operation request for the hardware resource, wherein the operation request is unique to the image forming apparatus in a process of the application program of the communications device executed in response to the report of input, such that the hardware resource is operated by the virtual user application in response to receipt of the operation request from the communication part, reports, to the application program, an event received from the image forming apparatus, the event being generated by the hardware resource by executing an operation according to the input to the operation screen at the image forming apparatus, and sends an update request to the image forming apparatus in response to a request for updating part of the operation screen received from the application program according to the event.