Patent ID: 8397169

Claim:
An image forming system, comprising: a management device; an image forming apparatus including an auxiliary storage device; a plurality of information processing devices; and the management device, the image forming apparatus, and the plurality of information processing devices being coupled to one another via a network; wherein the management device is configured to (i) acquire a box information file that includes a path to a document box created in the auxiliary storage device from the image forming apparatus via the network, (ii) compare a timestamp received from each of the plurality of information processing devices with a timestamp of the box information file retained by the management device, (iii) transmit the box information file, which is assigned a name that includes an image forming apparatus name and an identification code indicating the box information, to each of the plurality of information processing devices in its original format or a predetermined format after a conversion thereof, if the timestamp received from each of the plurality of information processing devices is older, and (iv) transmit information indicating that a file update is not necessary to the plurality of information processing devices, if the timestamp received from each of the plurality of information processing devices is newer; and the plurality of information processing devices are each configured to (i) transmit the timestamp of a current box information file to the management device, (ii) update the current box information file with the box information file that has been received from the management device before the document box is displayed on a display device of each of the plurality of information processing devices by the printer driver compatible with the image forming apparatus, and (iii) display the document box based on the updated box information file.