Patent ID: 8373869

Claim:
A charging system including an image forming apparatus having a charging list table, associated therewith, which lists charging information associated with users and is necessary for a charging process, and an external server connected with said image forming apparatus via a network for executing a job process in cooperation with said image forming apparatus, said image forming apparatus including: a first controller for executing a job process while executing a charging process job by job within a range of a balance included in said charging list table; and a first data transmission and reception device for transmitting and receiving data to and from said external server, wherein said first controller (i) determines whether an instruction to execute a job process is given that requests said external server to execute said job, (ii) generates, when the instruction to execute is given, a charging list sub table associated with said external server within the range of the balance in said charging list table associated with the image forming apparatus, (iii) updates the balance in said charging list table according to the generation of said charging list sub table, and (iv) transmits said generated charging list sub table together with the job process that requests said external server to execute, to said external server via said first data transmission and reception device, and said external server including: a second data transmission and reception device for transmitting and receiving data to and from said image forming apparatus; and a second controller for executing the job process that requests said external server to execute, independently of said first controller of said image forming apparatus within a range of a balance included in said charging list sub table generated by said image forming apparatus and received by said second data transmission and reception device.