Information processing apparatus, system, and method that provide job reservation with a time-out feature

An information processing method for an information processing apparatus for executing a job, the information processing method comprising the steps of:

• accepting user information to identify a user;
• deciding an order of users requesting use of the information processing apparatus based on the acceptance of the user information;
• notifying one user of permission to use the information processing apparatus in accordance with the order decided in the deciding step;
• executing a job instructed by another user who has not received the permission to use the information processing apparatus and is different from the one user who has received the permission, after notifying the one user of the permission and before receiving a response to the permission from the one user;
• receiving the response to the permission from the one user;
• prohibiting the another user from using the information processing apparatus, when the response to the permission from the one user has been received;
• executing a job instructed by the one user who has received the permission;
• and
• notifying a next user of the permission to use the information processing apparatus in accordance with the order decided in the deciding step, if the job instructed by the one user who has received the permission is executed in the executing step.

An information processing apparatus for executing a job, the information processing apparatus comprising:

• a notification device configured to notify a user of a permission to use the information processing apparatus;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• decide an order of users requesting use of the information processing apparatus;
• control said notification device to notify one user of a permission to use the information processing apparatus in accordance with the decided order;
• enable the information processing apparatus to execute a job instructed by another user who has not received the permission to use the information processing apparatus and is different from the one user who has received the permission, after notifying the one user of the permission and before receiving a response to the permission from the one user;
• control the information processing apparatus to execute the job instructed by the one user who has received the permission after receiving the response to the permission from the one user;
• and
• control said notification device to notify a next user of a permission to use the information processing apparatus, in accordance with the decided order.