Image forming system, information processing apparatus, document processing method and printer driver for viewing in an image forming apparatus

An information processing apparatus configured to be connected to an image forming apparatus via a network, comprising:

• a memory that records in itself, a printer driver to configure operation setting for an image forming apparatus that holds one or more than one memory area capable of storing a document;
• a display;
• a controller that makes the display show a setting screen to specify operation settings for the image forming apparatus that matches the printer driver recorded in the memory, when the printer driver is activated, and further makes the display show in the setting screen, an instruction portion to give an instruction to show the documents stored in a memory area of the image forming apparatus;
• a transmitter that transmits a request to show the documents stored therein to the image forming apparatus, when the instruction portion is used by user;
• a receiver that receives reference information to select a document among those stored therein, which is returned from the image forming apparatus in response to the request,
• wherein the controller of the information processing apparatus further makes the display show a selection screen to select a document among those stored therein based on the reference information received from the image forming apparatus;
• wherein the printer driver is configured to hold authentication information;
• and
• when the setting screen is displayed by activating the printer driver while a first document is displayed on the display of the information processing apparatus and when a second document is then selected via the selection screen displayed in response to the request to show the documents stored in the image forming apparatus, the transmitter of the information processing apparatus transmits to the image forming apparatus the first document and a request to merge the first document and the second document.

A document processing method implemented by an image forming system in which an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus are configured to interconnected via a network, comprising:

• the information processing apparatus's:
• making a display show a setting screen to specify operation settings for an image forming apparatus that holds one or more than one memory area capable of storing a document, when a printer driver for the image forming apparatus is activated, and further making the display show in the setting screen, an instruction portion to give an instruction to show the documents stored in a memory area of the image forming apparatus;
• transmitting a request to show the documents stored therein to the image forming apparatus, when the instruction portion is used by user, and
• the image forming apparatus's:
• receiving the request from the information processing apparatus;
• transmitting to the information processing apparatus, reference information to select a document among those stored therein, in response to the received request,
• wherein a selection screen to select a document among those stored therein is further displayed on the display based on the reference information received from the image forming apparatus;
• wherein the printer driver is configured to hold authentication information;
• and
• when the setting screen is displayed by activating the printer driver while a first document is displayed on the display of the information processing apparatus and when a second document is then selected via the selection screen displayed in response to the request to show the documents stored in the image forming apparatus, the information processing apparatus transmits to the image forming apparatus the first document and a request to merge the first document and the second document.

A printer driver to configure operation setting for an image forming apparatus that holds one or more than one memory area capable of storing a document, recorded in a non-transitory computer readable recording medium to make a computer of an information processing apparatus, execute:

• making a display show a setting screen to specify operation settings and further making the display show in the setting screen, an instruction portion to give an instruction to show the documents stored in a memory area of the image forming apparatus;
• transmitting a request to show the documents stored therein to the image forming apparatus, when the instruction portion is used by user;
• receiving reference information to select a document among those stored therein, returned from the image forming apparatus in response to the request;
• making the display show a selection screen to select a document among those stored therein based on the received reference information;
• holding authentication information;
• and
• transmitting to the image forming apparatus, a first document and a request to merge the first document and a second document, if the setting screen is displayed by activating the printer driver while the first document is displayed on the display, then the second document is selected via the selection screen displayed by transmitting the request to the image forming apparatus.