Patent ID: 7599919

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a storage device for storing a plurality of data while compiling them into a database, a reader for reading a search sheet having at least one search item or search keyword selected by a user thereon, a data searcher for specifying the search item based on a search sheet image read by the reader and searching data corresponding to the specified search item in the storage device or specifying the search keyword based on the search sheet image read by the reader and searching data corresponding with the specified search keyword, a display device for displaying a search result given by the data searcher a receiver for receiving an instruction to print the search sheet for selecting at least search item or search keyword from a plurality of search items or a plurality of search keywords, a printer for printing the search sheet if the instruction to print the search sheet is received by the receiver, and a two-dimensional code generator for generating a two-dimensional code including position information for specifying the positions of the check boxes or those of the search keywords on the image read by the reader, wherein: the printer prints a search sheet including a plurality of search items or a plurality of search keywords and check boxes corresponding to the plurality of search items or the plurality of search keywords, the reader reads the search sheet having the check box corresponding to the search item or search keyword, by which the user desires a search to be executed, checked by the user, and the data searcher specifies the search item corresponding to the check box checked by the user and searches data corresponding to the specified search item in the storage device or specifies the search keyword corresponding to the check box checked by the user and searches data corresponding with the specified search keyword, the printer prints the two-dimensional code generated by the two-dimensional code generator at a specified position of the search sheet, the reader reads the two-dimensional code printed at the specified position of the search sheet by the printer, and the data searcher analyzes the two-dimensional code read by the reader, specifies the search item or search keyword corresponding to the check box checked by the user on the search sheet image based on the position information included in the analyzed two-dimensional code and searches data corresponding to the specified data search or corresponding with the specified search keyword in the storage device.