Patent ID: 8294926

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a data processing unit processing input image data; a display unit displaying a display image in a display area based on an input signal and detecting an operation on said display area; a first storage unit storing data for displaying display images of a plurality of operation units including a display image displayed on an operation unit of another image forming apparatus; and a control unit controlling an operation of own image forming apparatus based on an input instruction; said control unit including: a selection window display unit causing said display area to display a selection window for selection of a display image of each said operation unit based on data stored in said first storage unit, a selection unit receiving any selection of each said display image of said operation unit based on an instruction from a user, an operation window display unit causing said display area to display a display image of an operation unit selected by said selection unit, a detection unit detecting an operation performed on said display area to a range corresponding to the display image of said operation unit, and an instruction unit causing said data processing unit to execute processing corresponding to the operation to the range detected by said detection unit, wherein when said selection unit receives the selection of the operation unit of said another image forming apparatus by selecting information for identifying said another image forming apparatus through said operation window display unit of own image forming apparatus, said operation window display unit causes the display image of the selected operation unit of said another image forming apparatus to be displayed in said display area, said detection unit detects an operation to a region corresponding to the display image of the selected operation unit of said another image forming apparatus, said operation being provided to the display area where the display image of the selected operation unit of the another image forming apparatus is displayed, and said instruction unit causes said data processing unit to perform processing corresponding to the detected operation to said region corresponding to the display image of said selected operation unit of said another image forming apparatus.