Patent ID: 7755779

Claim:
An image forming apparatus connected to a server apparatus and a client computer via a network, the image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit for image formation, and having a standby mode, and an energy-saving mode in which less electric power is consumed than in the standby mode, wherein waiting time to restart image formation from the standby mode is shorter than that from the energy-saving mode, and the image forming apparatus further comprising: a detecting device that periodically detects a status of the image forming apparatus; a receiving device that receives from the client computer an inquiry about a status of the image forming apparatus; and a first control device configured to, when the inquiry is received by said receiving device and the image forming apparatus is in the standby mode, send the status detected by said detecting device to the client computer, and before the image forming apparatus shifts to the energy-saving mode, transmit the status detected by said detecting device and an agency request command to the server apparatus and thereafter shift to a halt state, wherein, after receiving the agency request, the server apparatus responds to the inquiry from the client computer on behalf of said first control device; and a second control device configured to output to said first control device a command for resuming from the halt state, in a case where there is any change between a latest status detected by said detecting device while the image forming apparatus is in the energy saving mode and the status detected earlier before the image forming apparatus shifts to the energy-saving mode, in the absence of an image forming request, wherein said first control device transmits the latest status to the server apparatus, after resuming from the halt state responding to the command output by said second control device, and thereafter shifts back to the halt state, without the image forming apparatus shifting to the standby mode.