Printing system, image forming apparatus and proxy response method

An image forming apparatus which can work as a base unit in a printing system, the printing system comprising a plurality of image forming apparatuses being communicable to each other through at least a wired network and a host apparatus being communicable to the plurality of the image forming apparatuses through at least a wireless network, each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses being configured to work in one of a waiting state in which print processing can be performed and a power saving state in which electric power is not supplied at least to an interface section thereof connected to the wireless network, the plurality of image forming apparatuses including an image forming apparatus as a sub-unit and an image forming apparatus as a base unit, the image forming apparatus as the sub-unit including a control section configured to, on changing from the waiting state to the power saving state, request another of the image forming apparatuses connected to the wired network to make a proxy response to the host apparatus for the image forming apparatus as the sub-unit,

• the image forming apparatus as the base unit comprising:
• a print processing section configured to perform print processing in the waiting state;
• an interface section connected to the wireless network, electric power not being supplied at least to the interface section in the power saving state;
• and
• a control section configured to,
• in response to receiving a request to make the proxy response from the image forming apparatus as the sub-unit, receive a packet sent through the wireless network from the host apparatus to the image forming apparatus as the sub-unit having requested the proxy response,
• determine whether a communication error has occurred on receiving the packet, and
• on determining that the communication error has occurred on receiving the packet, instruct another of the image forming apparatuses connected to the wired network to receive a packet sent from the host apparatus.

A proxy response method for use in a printing system, the printing system comprising a plurality of image forming apparatuses being communicable to each other through at least a wired network and a host apparatus being communicable to the plurality of the image forming apparatuses through at least a wireless network, each of the image forming apparatuses being configured to work in one of a waiting state in which print processing can be performed and a power saving state in which electric power is not supplied at least to an interface section thereof connected to the wireless network, wherein the plurality of image forming apparatuses include an image forming apparatus as a sub-unit and an image forming apparatus as a base unit, the image forming apparatus as the sub-unit including a control section configured to, on changing from the waiting state to the power saving state, request another of the image forming apparatuses connected to the wired network to make a proxy response to the host apparatus for the image forming apparatus as the sub-unit, the image forming apparatus as the base unit including a control section configured to, in response to receiving a request to make the proxy response from the image forming apparatus as the sub-unit, make the proxy response,

• the proxy response method comprising:
• operating the image forming apparatus as the base unit to, in response to receiving a request to make the proxy response from the image forming apparatus as the sub-unit, receive a packet sent through the wireless network from the host apparatus to the image forming apparatus as the sub-unit having requested the proxy response,
• operating the image forming apparatus as the base unit to determine whether a communication error has occurred on receiving the packet, and
• operating the image forming apparatus as the base unit to, on determining that the communication error has occurred on receiving the packet, instruct another of the image forming apparatuses connected to the wired network to receive a packet sent from the host apparatus.