Patent ID: 7929164

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive a print job through a network; an ordinaryprint job queue configured to store a print job for conducting ordinary printing; a private print job queue configured to store a print job for conducting private printing; a key setting memory configured to store a key which is stored to determine whether the print job is a private printing or an ordinary printing; a comparator configured to compare the printing contents of the print job received by the receiving unit with the key stored in the key setting memory; a key judgment unit configured to judge whether an identical part is included in the key and the printing contents; a clock configured to count date and time; a time setting unit configured to set the time zone for private printing; an obtaining unit configured to obtain the time to receive the print job from the clock if the receiving unit receives a print job; a time judgment unit configured to judge whether the time obtained from the obtain unit is included in a time zone set by the time setting unit; and a processing unit configured to: store the received print job in the private print job queue if the key judgment unit judges that the identical part is included, store the received print job in the private print job queue if the key judgment unit judges that the identical part is not included and the time judgment unit judges that the obtained time is included in the set time zone, and store the received print job in the ordinary print job queue if the key judgment unit judges that the identical part is not included and the time judgment unit judges that the obtained time is not included in the set time zone.