Patent ID: 8289545

Claim:
A monitoring system including a plurality of image processing apparatuses and a management apparatus which manages the plurality of image processing apparatuses, each of the plurality of image processing apparatuses having an instruction unit configured to transmit a maintenance request to the management apparatus in response to a user's instruction, comprising: a first image processing apparatus which is one of the plurality of image processing apparatuses, comprising: a first request identifying information issuing unit configured to issue request identifying information in response to the user's instruction when the user's instruction input through the instruction unit included in the first image processing apparatus is detected; a first transmission unit configured to transmit a first maintenance request including the request identifying information issued by the first request identifying information issuing unit and apparatus identifying information of the first image processing apparatus to the management apparatus; and a notification unit configured to notify a second image processing apparatus which is connected to the first image processing apparatus through a network of the request identifying information; and the second image processing apparatus, comprising: a second request identifying information issuing unit configured to issue request identifying information in response to the user's instruction when the user's instruction input through the instruction unit included in the second image processing apparatus is detected; a first reception unit configured to receive the request identifying information notified from the notification unit; a storing unit configured to store the request identifying information in a storage when the first reception unit receives the request identifying information; and a second transmission unit configured to transmit, when the user's instruction input through the instruction unit included in the second image processing apparatus is detected and the request identifying information has been stored in the storage, a second maintenance request including the request identifying information stored in the storage and apparatus identifying information of the second image processing apparatus to the management apparatus without issuance of new request identifying information by the second request identifying information issuing unit, wherein the first and the second maintenance requests include the same request identifying information issued by the first request identifying information issuing unit, and wherein the first and second image processing apparatuses have a print function.