Tandem image forming system
AssigneeKonica Corporation
InventorTadashi Suzue
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus is provided with an interface connected to a network so as to send or receive data; a memory to store a resident communication program to communicate with another image forming apparatus through the network, wherein the resident communication program establishes channel information regarding data communication among a plurality of image forming apparatus connected with the network based on data regarding other image forming apparatus sent through the network; a recording device to form an image on a recording medium based on image data; and an overall control device to control overall the image forming apparatus comprising the interface, the memory and the recording device.
Claims11
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- an interface connected to a network so as to send or receive data;
- a memory to store a resident communication program to communicate with another image forming apparatus through the network, wherein the resident communication program establishes channel information regarding data communication among a plurality of image forming apparatus connected with the network based on data regarding other image forming apparatus sent through the network;
- a recording device for forming an image on a recording medium based on image data;
- and
- an overall control device for controlling overall the image forming apparatus comprising the interface, the memory and the recording device.
An image forming system, comprising:
- a plurality of image forming apparatus each connected to a network capable of conducting a broadcast communication;
- each of the plurality of image forming apparatus comprising a resident communication program to communicate with another image forming apparatus through the network, wherein the resident communication program establishes channel information regarding data communication among a plurality of image forming apparatus connected with the network based on data regarding other image forming apparatus sent through the network;
- and
- each of the plurality of image forming apparatus sending image data to or receiving the image data from other image forming apparatus on the basis of the channel information through the network and sharing image formation with others so as to conduct the image formation in parallel together with others.
An image forming method of outputting images in parallel by a plurality of image forming apparatus connected to a network capable of conducting a broadcast communication, comprising steps of:
- sending data regarding an image forming apparatus itself through the network;
- receiving data regarding other image forming apparatus sent through the network;
- establishing channel information regarding data communication among a plurality of image forming apparatus by a resident communication program based on the received data regarding the other image forming apparatus sent through the network;
- sending the channel information to the other image forming apparatus through the network;
- and
- outputting images in parallel by the plurality of image forming apparatus based on the channel information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.