Server apparatus, image forming system, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

An image forming system comprising a server apparatus that receives a job including image output from an information terminal and a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the server apparatus and the plurality of image forming apparatuses being communicably connected to each other, wherein:

• the server apparatus includes:
• a memory to store:
• internal information of each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses which are categorized into one or more groups;
• and
• a job received from a first information terminal in association with identification information of the first information terminal, and
• first circuitry to:
• receive, from one image forming apparatus from among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, identification information of a second information terminal that is brought close to the one image forming apparatus;
• determine whether the identification information of the first information terminal matches the identification information of the second information terminal;
• based on a determination that the identification information of the first information terminal matches the identification information of the second information terminal, select an image forming apparatus that is to execute the job stored in the memory in association with the identification information of the first information terminal from among the plurality of image forming apparatuses that belong to a same group to which the one image forming apparatus belongs;
• and
• instruct the selected image forming apparatus to execute the job,
• wherein, in the selecting of the image forming apparatus that is to execute the job, the first circuitry:
• determines, based on the internal information of the one image forming apparatus, whether the one image forming apparatus is available for execution of the job stored in the memory in association with the identification information of the first information terminal;
• based on a determination that the one image forming apparatus is available, determines whether there is a possibility that the one image forming apparatus stops operating halfway through the job;
• and
• based on a determination that there is no possibility that the one image forming apparatus stops operating halfway through the job, selects the one image forming apparatus as the image forming apparatus that is instructed to execute the job, and
• each of the plurality of image forming apparatus includes:
• second circuitry to:
• in response to receiving an instruction to execute the job from the server apparatus, output a notification indicating that the image forming apparatus is to execute the job;
• receive identification information of a third information terminal from the third information terminal that is brought close to the image forming apparatus;
• determine whether the identification information of the second information terminal matches the identification information of the third information terminal;
• and
• in response to a determination that the identification information of the second information terminal matches the identification information of the third information terminal, execute the job in accordance with the instruction received from the server apparatus.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program that, when executed, causes a sever apparatus that is communicably connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses and an information terminal that transmits a job including image output to perform a method comprising:

• storing internal information of each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses which are categorized into one or more groups;
• storing a job received from a first information terminal in association with identification information of the first information terminal;
• receiving, from one image forming apparatus from among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, identification information of a second information terminal that is brought close to the one image forming apparatus, and determine whether the identification information of the first information terminal matches the identification information of the second information terminal;
• based on a determination that the identification information of the first information terminal matches the identification information of the second information terminal, selecting an image forming apparatus that is to execute the stored job in association with the identification information of the first information terminal from among the plurality of image forming apparatuses that belong to a same group to which the one image forming apparatus belongs;
• and
• instructing the selected image forming apparatus to execute the job,
• wherein, the selecting of the image forming apparatus that is to execute the job includes:
• determining, based on the internal information of the one image forming apparatus, whether the one image forming apparatus is available for execution of the job stored in the memory in association with the identification information of the first information terminal;
• based on a determination that the one image forming apparatus is available, determining whether there is a possibility that the one image forming apparatus stops operating halfway through the job;
• and
• based on a determination that there is no possibility that the one image forming apparatus stops operating halfway through the job, selecting the one image forming apparatus as the image forming apparatus that is instructed to execute the job.