Image forming system, image forming apparatus, and communication processing method that reflects drawing in support terminal to checking terminal at time of remote maintenance connection

An image forming system having an image forming apparatus, a support terminal for remote maintenance of the image forming apparatus, and a checking terminal for image checking, wherein

• the image forming apparatus includes
• a connecting part configured to connect with the support terminal in a session of a specific protocol and further configured to connect with the checking terminal,
• an operation acquiring part configured to acquire first operational information corresponding to operation of the support terminal connected by the connecting part and second operational information corresponding to operation of the checking terminal,
• a drawing mode switching part configured to switch to a drawing mode that performs drawing using drawing data received from the support terminal, wherein the drawing data comprises contents that have been drawn in the support terminal, and wherein said switch is initiated by the first operational information or the second operational information acquired by the operation acquiring part, and
• an image transmitting part configured to acquire the drawing data comprising the contents drawn in the support terminal and transmit the drawing data to the checking terminal when being switched to the drawing mode by the drawing mode switching part;
• the support terminal includes
• a first display part configured to display a) an emulated image emulated on an operation panel part of the image forming apparatus, and b) the drawing data comprising contents drawn in the support terminal, and
• a first operation transmitting part configured to transmit the first operational information, wherein the first operational information includes pointer data about movement and depression of a pointer on the emulated image and/or key data about depression of a key of the support terminal to the image forming apparatus in the session, and
• the checking terminal includes
• a second display part configured to display a) the emulated image emulated on the operation panel part of the image forming apparatus, and b) the drawing data received from the image forming apparatus that comprises the contents that have been drawn in the support terminal, and
• a second operation transmitting part configured to transmit the second operational information, wherein the second operational information includes pointer data about movement and depression of a pointer on the emulated image and/or key data about depression of a key of the checking terminal, to the image forming apparatus in the session.