Patent ID: 7957015

Claim:
A control system for a printing or copying system, comprising: a first printer and a second printer; at least one operating unit for input and output of operating information of the printing or copying system and which is connected via an external network connection with said first printer in which is provided a first control unit that controls the first printer, and comprises a control panel server internal to said first printer which the at least one operating unit accesses as a client to output control data from the first printer containing internal control variables of said first printer not otherwise accessible by the operating unit; graphical elements of a graphical user interface stored in a memory of the first printer, said graphical elements being transferred into the at least one operating unit and loaded there for display; the first printer comprising an internal network; the control panel server being connected via said internal network with a network agent via which a data exchange takes place with a plurality of sub-controllers of said first printer; at least one second control unit in the second printer which controls a plurality of sub-controllers of said second printer; a data line via which the first and second control units are connected with one another and via which the control data is transferred from said first control unit to said second control unit with aid of a data transfer protocol; the at least one operating unit outputting the control data in addition to the operating information, the control data also being used to set system parameters of the second printer; the first and the second control units containing a distributed object model with objects aiding access to the operating information and to the control data; and values of the internal control variables being output from the first printer with aid of the at least one operating unit, the values being administered with aid of a management information base.