Service providing system, cooperation processing method, and information processing system

A computer-implemented method executed in a service providing system providing a service for cooperating with an image forming apparatus to execute a series of processes for performing printing, the method comprising:

• executing, by a computer, the series of processes for performing printing in the image forming apparatus;
• accepting, from a terminal device over a communication channel, a print execution request to execute printing in the image forming apparatus;
• issuing a print instruction to be provided to the image forming apparatus, based on a flow setting and a parameter setting of the series of processes for performing printing included in the print execution request;
• and
• distributing, over the communication channel, the print instruction to the image forming apparatus based on a print instruction acquisition request to acquire the print instruction received from the image forming apparatus over the communication channel, the print instruction acquisition request being generated according to information input to a screen of a user interface included in the image forming apparatus by a user, wherein
• the executing of the series of processes includes issuing the print instruction and storing the issued print instruction in a storage device.

An information processing system comprising:

• an image forming apparatus;
• a service providing system configured to provide a service for cooperating with an image forming apparatus to execute a series of processes for performing printing;
• and
• a terminal device, wherein
• the service providing system includes:
• a plurality of processors configured to execute, by a computer, the series of processes for performing printing in the image forming apparatus;
• a flow controller configured to accept, from the terminal device over a communication channel, a print execution request to execute printing in the image forming apparatus, and to cause the plurality of processors to issue a print instruction to be provided to the image forming apparatus, based on a flow setting and a parameter setting of the series of processes for performing printing included in the print execution request;
• and
• a print instruction distributor configured to distribute, over the communication channel, the print instruction to the image forming apparatus based on a print instruction acquisition request to acquire the print instruction received from the image forming apparatus over the communication channel, wherein
• the plurality of processors include a print instructor configured to issue the print instruction and to store the issued print instruction in a storage device of the print instruction distributor, and wherein
• the image forming apparatus includes a screen of a user interface configured to accept information input by a user to generate the print instruction acquisition request, and wherein
• the terminal device includes an external application configured to input the print execution request to the flow controller included in the service providing system.