Patent ID: 7979019

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: image scanning means for scanning a document so as to acquire image data that represents an image on the document; image forming means for copying, in accordance with the image data, the image onto a sheet carried to the image forming means; information judging means for judging whether or not restriction information for restricting how many generations of the copying is allowed to be made from the document is contained in either (i) a storage device provided in the document, or (ii) the image data acquired by the image scanning means; a cassette for containing a regulatory-information-containing sheet containing regulatory information; a normal cassette for containing a normal sheet containing no regulatory information; and sheet selection means (a) for, when the information judging means has judged that the restriction information is contained, selecting the cassette for containing the regulatory-information-containing sheet so as to carry the sheet contained in the cassette to the image forming means and (b) for, when the information judging means has judged that no restriction information is contained, selecting the normal cassette for containing the normal sheet so as to carry the sheet contained in the normal cassette to the image forming means, the regulatory information serving as information for causing the image forming apparatus or another image forming apparatus to recognize that the image formed on the regulatory-information-containing sheet is prohibited or restricted from being copied onto another sheet.