Patent ID: 8806594

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, which communicates through a communication medium with an authenticating server having storage that stores user identification information, the image forming apparatus comprising: a processor and memory operatively coupled to cooperate to function as: a read unit configured to read information stored in a storing medium; a receiving unit configured to receive user identification information; an obtaining unit configured to obtain storing medium identification information based on the information read by the read unit; a deletion requesting unit configured to, when it is determined that the obtained storing medium identification information indicates that the storing medium is temporarily allocated to a first user and the obtained storing medium identification information is already stored in the storage of the authenticating server in correspondence to user identification information of a second user, transmit to the authenticating server a request to delete the storing medium identification information stored corresponding to the user identification information of the second user, causing an authentication by using the storing medium by the second user to fail; and a first registration requesting unit configured to transmit a request including (a) the obtained storing medium identification information and (b) the user identification information received by the receiving unit, to the authenticating server, in order to store the obtained storing medium identification information into the storage in correspondence to the received user identification information, as storing medium identification information for the storing medium temporarily allocated to the first user.