Patent ID: 8917407

Claim:
An image forming apparatus that is connected to a network, the apparatus comprising: a web server; an authentication management unit configured to: i) perform, when the web server receives a login request by a user at a terminal apparatus that is connected to the network, a user authentication on the basis of user information included in the login request, and ii) generate an authentication token for the user at the terminal apparatus when the user authentication is successful, wherein the web server is configured to transmit the authentication token to the terminal apparatus and add the authentication token to a request to the web server from the terminal apparatus until logout, a setting item management unit, wherein when the web server receives the request for job execution screen data, including the authentication token, composed of a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request from the terminal apparatus that is connected to the network, the setting item management unit is configured to: i) specify a client type of the terminal apparatus based on user agent information included in a header of the HTTP request, ii) specify the user at the terminal apparatus on the basis of the user information included in the authentication token, and iii) select a job setting item in association with the terminal apparatus and a user at the terminal apparatus from among all job setting items based on the client type and the user information; and a web server management unit configured to generate the job execution screen data that includes the job setting item selected by the setting item management unit and transmit the job execution screen data to the terminal apparatus via the web server, wherein the setting item management unit is further configured to: i) determine whether the client type of the terminal apparatus is a portable electronic device or a personal computer based on the user agent information included in the header of the HTTP request that is indicative of user agent information on a web browser for a built-in system, ii) store a size of a display of the terminal apparatus in association with the user agent information, and iii) automatically select the job setting item in association with the terminal apparatus based on the size, wherein a number of the job setting items that is selected when the client type is the portable electronic device is smaller than a number of the job setting items selected when the client type is the personal computer, and wherein a given job setting item from among the job setting items, in association with the terminal apparatus and the user at the terminal apparatus, includes an operation that has been used by the user a threshold number of times within a threshold period of time and is permitted for use based on the given job setting item being registered by an administrator.