Patent ID: 8681357

Claim:
An image forming system, comprising: an image forming apparatus coupled to a network; a host terminal device coupled to the network and configured to (i) provide an interface to allow a user to log-in, and (ii) cause the image forming apparatus to execute a job associated with the logged-in user; a directory server device coupled to the network and configured to include registration information data on one of a domain group and a domain user, wherein: the host terminal device transmits authentication information corresponding to the logged-in user to the directory server device; and the directory server device performs the authentication corresponding to the logged-in user based on the received authentication information and the registration information data on the one of the domain group and the domain user; and a user-manager server device coupled to the network and configured to (i) store authorization information on one of a local group and a local user, (ii) responsive to determining that an authentication corresponding to the logged-in user has been successful, transmit to the host terminal device the authorization information and a job ticket indicating one or more permissions with respect to image forming apparatus functions that may be performed by a logged-in user; wherein: the host terminal device is further configured to generate a job execution instruction responsive to the authorization information, and transmit the job execution instruction and the job ticket to the image forming apparatus; the image forming apparatus is further configured to (i) determine if the job ticket is valid and (ii) responsive to a determination that the job ticket is valid, execute the job specified by the job execution instruction; the user-manager server device includes second registration information data on one of the local group and the local user that is separate from the registration information data on the directory server device, wherein the local group consists of local users and domain users, and wherein the local group consisting of the local users and the domain users is set; and the user-manager server device is configured to (i) set the authorization information based on the second registration information data if the logged-in user belongs to the local group, (ii) set the authorization information based on the registration information data if the logged-in user does not belong to the local group, and (iii) generate, if the logged-in user belongs to the local group and to the domain group, and there is a plurality of authorization information applied to the logged-in user, the authorization information that prohibits use of a function, wherein the function is prohibited for use by at least one of the plurality of authorization information.