An image history storage method that accumulates and stores image data to at least two image history storage computers among a plurality of computers connected via a network to one or a plurality of image forming apparatuses that accumulate the image data and attribute information related to that image data, the method comprising:
- a step of requesting identification information in which, using identification information for the one or the plurality of image forming apparatuses that exist on the network, the at least two image history storage computers access an image forming apparatus corresponding to the identification information via the network, and request the attribute information accumulated in the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus;
- a step of sending attribute information in which the attribute information accumulated in the image forming apparatus that responded to the request of the image history storage computer that requests the attribute information is sent from the image forming apparatus via the network to the image history storage computer;
- a step of filtering attribute information in which, using filtering information that exists on the network, which is filtering information for judging whether or not to request sending of the image data, in the image history storage computer that requests the attribute information, based on the attribute information from the image forming apparatus that responded to the request of the image history storage computer, and the filtering information, a judgment is performed of whether or not to make a request to the image forming apparatus to send image data corresponding to the attribute information;
- a step of requesting image data in which, when judged in the image history storage computer that requests the attribute information that it is necessary to request sending of image data corresponding to the attribute information from the image forming apparatus that responded to the request of the image history storage computer, the image history storage computer that judged that the sending request is necessary requests to the image forming apparatus, via the network, for image data corresponding to target attribute information that is the target for which the sending request was judged necessary among the attribute information accumulated in the image forming apparatus that responded to the request of the image history storage computer;
- a step of sending image data in which, from the image forming apparatus that responded to the request of the image history storage computer that requests image data corresponding to the target attribute information, image data that is accumulated in the image forming apparatus and corresponds to the target attribute information is sent to the image history storage computer via the network;
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- a step of accumulating and storing image data in which, in the image history storage computer that requests image data corresponding to the target attribute information, image data corresponding to the target attribute information from the image forming apparatus that responded to the request of the image history storage computer is received, and accumulated and stored.