US 2018/0004469 A1 · COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

Abstract

In a communication system, an image forming apparatus sends an address of a receiving section to an external device. The external device receives a selection of image data through plural thumbnails displayed on a display section, and wirelessly sends the selected image data to the image forming apparatus with the address. The image forming apparatus receives the selected image data sent with the address by the external device, and prints an image based on the selected image data. The image forming apparatus accepts a selection indicating whether a communication between the external device and the image forming apparatus is performed by a first communication system method or a second communication system method. The image forming apparatus performs sending and/or receiving the image data with the address by the first communication system method when the first communication system method is selected, and performs sending and/or receiving the image data with the address by the second communication system method when the second communication system method is selected.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An image forming apparatus communicating with a communication device and printing a received image data, comprising:

a wireless communicating unit;
a noncontact communicating unit;
a selection accepting unit that accepts a selection by a user of a first communication connection method of executing a communication connection based on a noncontact communication to the communication device brought close to the noncontact communicating unit or a communication connection based on identification information which the wireless communicating unit has or a second communication connection method of stopping a sending of the identification information from the noncontact communicating unit and executing a communication connection based on the identification information which the wireless communicating unit has without executing a communication connection based on the noncontact communication;
a switching unit that switches a communication connection method based on the selection accepted by the selection accepting unit;
and
a controlling unit that controls, after a communication connection to one communication device is executed by means of either of the first and second communication connection methods, not to execute a communication connection to another communication device.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Communication system, communication method, and image forming apparatus

Life of this patent

Communication system, communication method, and image forming apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10