Information processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, information processing system, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

To provide: an image forming apparatus in which measured paper physical property information is to be set; and an information processing apparatus capable of easily recognizing which storage part to be set with the information, of the image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: An image forming system 2 includes: a storage unit 232 that stores information on another image forming system 3 in a specific state or information on a state of an accommodating unit 21 that accommodates sheets; a detection unit 220 that measures information on sheet physical properties of the sheet; and a control unit 231 that narrows down the information on the other image forming system 3 or the information on the state of the accommodating unit 21 on the basis of the information on the other image forming system 3 in the specific state or the information on the state of the accommodating unit 21 and outputs information on an image forming apparatus 23 that accommodates the measured sheet or the information on the accommodating unit 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] In a printing factory or the like that owns a plurality of image forming apparatuses, if a recording material characteristic information detection device (inline media sensor) is connected to all of the image forming apparatuses, there is a problem of increased costs.

[0003] As a means of solving such problems, a system has been considered that measures recording material characteristic information using an inline media sensor connected inline to the image forming apparatus or a recording material characteristic information detection device (intelligent media sensor) connected to the image forming apparatus via USB (Universal Serial Bus) or the like, and sets that recording material characteristic information in the tray of another image forming apparatus on the network that does not have a recording material characteristic information detection device.

[0004] An image forming system that sets recording material characteristic information for a specific tray of an image forming apparatus is known as an image forming system that has an image forming apparatus installed on a network that does not have a recording material characteristic information detection device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] The image forming system described in Patent Document 1 comprises a paper information detection device having another image forming device with an internal paper sensor, a management server, and an image forming device that does not have an internal paper sensor or media detection device. The other image forming device passes paper stored in a storage unit (paper feed tray) through a transport path and has its internal paper sensor detect the paper information of the paper. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-196619 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the image forming system described in Patent Document 1 detects paper information of the paper by providing a paper sensor in the transport path along which the paper stored in each paper feed tray of the storage unit is transported. Therefore, the image forming system has a problem in that it is difficult to know which tray of which image forming device the recording material characteristic information measured by the recording material characteristic information detection device should be set for.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to make it possible to reuse physical property information of a recording medium measured by an image forming system for any tray of another image forming system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration. (1) An information processing device having a memory unit that stores information about another image forming device in a specific state or information about the state of a storage unit that stores a recording medium, a detection unit that measures information about the physical properties of the recording medium, and a control unit that narrows down the information about the other image forming device or information about the state of the storage unit based on the information about the other image forming device in the specific state or information about the state of the storage unit, and outputs information about the image forming device that stores the measured recording medium or information about the storage unit.

[0010] (2) The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information about the other image forming device or information about the state of the container.

[0011] (3) The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising an identification unit that identifies information about another image forming device in the specific state that satisfies a predetermined condition, or information about the state of the storage unit, from information about the other image forming device or information about the state of the storage unit.

[0012] (4) The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores information about the other image forming device or information about the state of the container unit.

[0013] (5) The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit narrows down the information about the other image forming device or the information about the state of the storage unit based on the information about the other image forming device in the specific state or the information about the state of the storage unit, and causes the display unit to display the information about the image forming device that stores the measured recording medium or the information about the storage unit.

[0014] (6) The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information relating to the other image forming device or the information relating to the state of the storage unit includes information relating to the other image forming device, information relating to recording media stored in the storage unit, or information relating to a job executed using the recording media.

[0015] (7) The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets information relating to the measured physical properties of the recording medium to information relating to an image forming device that stores the measured recording medium, or to an image forming device or storage unit that corresponds to information relating to the storage unit.

[0016] (8) The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the identification unit searches for information about the image forming device that stores the measured recording medium or information about the storage unit based on information about the other image forming device or information about the status of the storage unit.

[0017] (9) The information processing device of claim 1, wherein, when the information regarding the measured physical properties of the recording medium satisfies a predetermined condition, the control unit does not set the information regarding the measured physical properties of the recording medium to information regarding an image forming device that stores the measured recording medium, or to an image forming device or storage unit corresponding to information regarding the storage unit.

[0018] (10) The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when the information regarding the measured physical properties of the recording medium satisfies a predetermined condition, the control unit does not transmit the information regarding the measured physical properties of the recording medium to an image forming device that stores the measured recording medium or an image forming device corresponding to the information regarding the storage unit, or to the storage unit.

[0019] (11) The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the physical properties of the recording medium include any of information regarding the size, thickness, basis weight, type, surface properties, moisture content, stiffness, grain direction, and paper resistance of the recording medium.

[0020] (12) An image forming apparatus equipped with the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording medium, and wherein the control unit controls the image forming unit to form an image on the measured recording medium when the information regarding the measured physical properties of the recording medium satisfies a predetermined condition, based on the fact that the measured recording medium is accommodated in an image forming device that corresponds to information regarding the image forming device that accommodates the measured recording medium or information regarding the accommodation unit, or in the accommodation unit.

[0021] (13) An information processing system comprising: the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11; and an image forming device having an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording medium.

[0022] (14) An information processing method including: a storage step for storing information about another image forming apparatus in a specific state, or information about the state of a storage unit that stores a recording medium; a detection step for measuring information about the physical properties of the recording medium; an output step for narrowing down the information about the other image forming apparatus, or information about the state of the storage unit, based on the information about the other image forming apparatus in the specific state, or information about the state of the storage unit, and outputting information about the image forming apparatus that stores the measured recording medium, or information about the storage unit; an acquisition step for acquiring information about the other image forming apparatus, or information about the state of the storage unit; and an identification step for identifying information about the other image forming apparatus in the specific state that satisfies predetermined conditions, or information about the state of the storage unit, from the information about the other image forming apparatus, or information about the state of the storage unit.

[0023] (15) An information processing program that processes information by causing a computer to execute the following steps: storing information about another image forming apparatus in a specific state or information about the state of a storage unit that stores a recording medium; measuring information about the physical properties of the recording medium; narrowing down the information about the other image forming apparatus or information about the state of the storage unit based on the information about the other image forming apparatus in the specific state or information about the state of the storage unit, and outputting information about the image forming apparatus that stores the measured recording medium or information about the storage unit; acquiring information about the other image forming apparatus or information about the state of the storage unit; and identifying information about the other image forming apparatus in the specific state that satisfies predetermined conditions, or information about the state of the storage unit, from the information about the other image forming apparatus or information about the state of the storage unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to the present invention, the physical property information of the recording medium measured by the image forming system can be used for any tray of other image forming systems. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an image forming apparatus equipped with a paper physical property detection device. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an intelligent media sensor connected to an image forming apparatus via USB and used as a paper physical property detection device. [Figure 4] 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 1 is a process diagram illustrating an information processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of an operation display unit of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an example of a display state in a recording material physical property measurement mode. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of an operation display unit of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an example of a display state in a recording material physical property measurement mode. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of an operation display unit of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an example of a display state of a screen for searching for a tray in an external image forming apparatus. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of an operation display unit of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an example of a display state of a screen for a paper-empty tray search result. FIG. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an operation display unit of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an example of a display state of a screen in which data resulting from a paper-empty tray search is dropped down in a search filter. [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an operation display unit of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an example of a display state of a details screen. [Figure 12] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an operation display unit of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an example of a display state of a screen in which paper-empty tray search results are sorted in order of tray number. FIG. [Figure 13]1 is a schematic diagram showing an operation display unit of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an example of a display state of a screen asking whether measurement data should be set in the following MFP tray. [Figure 14A] 4 is a flowchart showing a process of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14B] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14C] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14D] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of an image forming apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14E] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of an image forming apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15A] 10 is a flowchart (part 1) showing a process of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15B] 10 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating the process of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an operation display unit of an image forming apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an example of a display state of a device configuration search screen. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an operation display unit of an image forming apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an example of a display state of a screen in which device configuration search data is dropped down in a search filter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] <Information Processing System> 1, the information processing system 100 includes an image forming system 2, which is an information processing device, and another image forming system 3. The image forming system 2 is connected to the other image forming system 3 via a network, a dedicated line, or the like, and can transmit and receive data to and from each other. The information processing system 100 may include a management server and / or a terminal device connected to the image forming system 2 and the other image forming system 3 via a network, a dedicated line, or the like.

[0028] <Image forming system> The image forming system 2 is configured with a storage unit 21, a paper physical property detection device 22, an image forming device 23, and a finisher 24. The image forming system 2 is an apparatus that measures the physical properties of paper or recording media using the paper physical property detection device 22 and can set the physical property information of the paper or recording media in other image forming systems 3 on the network that do not have the paper physical property detection device 22. The image forming system 2 displays, on the screen of an operation display unit 234 that sets the paper physical property information of the image forming system 2 that has the paper physical property detection device 22, image forming systems 2 for which paper physical property information should be set according to specific conditions and candidate trays 211 of the image forming systems 2 to which the measured paper should be replenished. The image forming system 2 can easily identify the image forming system 2 to be set and the tray 211 of the image forming system 2 by selecting a tray 211 displayed on the operation display unit 234.

[0029] <Paper> The paper used in the image forming system 2 and the other image forming system 3 is a recording medium capable of storing records. The paper may be any medium on which an image can be formed. The paper may be, for example, a recording medium such as fabric, plastic film, or glass plate. The following describes the case where paper is used as the recording medium.

[0030] <Paper properties> The paper physical properties are selected from at least one of information related to paper size (paper width, paper length), thickness, basis weight, weight, type (gloss coated paper, matte coated paper, plain paper, high-quality paper, rough paper, etc.), surface properties (based on the amount of optically reflected light), smoothness, moisture content, stiffness, tensile strength, elongation, grain direction, paper resistance, raw material, etc. Surface properties are physical properties indicated by, for example, the amount of optically reflected light, and include the unevenness of the paper surface detected by reflected light or diffused light, the distribution (variation) of the surface properties of the paper surface, and the paper type.

[0031] <Information> Here, "information" refers to information about other image forming systems 3, information about the state of the container 21, information about jobs to be executed using paper, and the like. Furthermore, "paper physical property information (recording material physical property information)" refers to information relating to the physical properties of paper (recording material). Paper physical property information includes, for example, paper durability, writing speed, reading accuracy, reusability, and environmental impact. For this reason, paper physical property information plays an important role in the printing, design, and manufacturing of paper.

[0032] <Image forming device> FIG. 2 is a front view showing an image forming system 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming system 2 shown in FIG. 2 is an apparatus having an image forming unit 233 (see FIG. 1) that forms an image on paper. The image forming system 2 is, for example, a large industrial multifunction machine system that has the functions of a copier, printer, scanner, etc. The image forming system 2 is made up of devices that form (record) an image on paper using an electrophotographic method, inkjet method, or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 2 includes a storage unit 21, a paper physical property detection device 22, an image forming device 23, and a finisher 24.

[0033] <Containment Unit> 2 is a device that stores various types of paper and feeds the paper during printing. As shown in Fig. 1 or 2, the storage unit 21 includes a tray 211, a control unit 212, a memory unit 213, a paper feed unit 214, and a communication unit 215.

[0034] 2 is a storage tray for storing paper sheets, and includes, for example, a manual feed tray 211a, a first tray 211b, a second tray 211c, and a third tray 211d. Manual feed tray 211a can manually feed paper of various sizes. Manual feed tray 211a is installed at the top of tray 211. First tray 211b, second tray 211c, and third tray 211d can accommodate paper of various sizes according to paper size.

[0035] The control unit 212 of the storage unit 21 shown in Fig. 1 has a CPU and a memory. The CPU is a control circuit configured with a multi-core processor or the like that controls each of the above-mentioned units and executes various arithmetic processing in accordance with a program. Each function of the storage unit 21 is realized by the CPU executing the corresponding program. The memory is a high-speed accessible main storage device that temporarily stores programs and data as a working area. For example, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), or the like is used as the memory.

[0036] The storage unit 213 of the housing unit 21 is a large-capacity auxiliary storage device that stores various programs including an operating system and various data. The storage unit 213 may be, for example, a hard disk, a solid state drive, a flash memory, or a ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0037] The paper feed unit 214 includes a plurality of trays 211, and feeds the paper stored in each tray 211 one by one and sends it out to a conveyance path of a conveyance unit (not shown).

[0038] The communication unit 215 is an interface for communicating with other devices. In addition, the storage unit 21 is provided with a conveying path (not shown) on which a plurality of conveying rollers are arranged, and a conveying unit (not shown) is provided that conveys the paper fed from each tray 211 and sends it to the paper physical property detection device 22 downstream.

[0039] <Paper property detection device> 1 is a measuring device that measures information about the paper physical properties of paper. The paper measured by paper physical property detecting device 22 is paper fed from a paper feed tray or a manual feed tray 211a above the paper feed tray. Paper physical property detecting device 22 includes, for example, a detection unit 220, a control unit 222, a memory unit 223, a communication unit 224, and a paper output tray 225 for property detection. Paper physical property detecting device 22 is installed between the storage unit 21 of image forming system 2 and image forming device 23. Paper physical property detecting device 22 is not installed in other image forming systems 3.

[0040] The detection unit 220 is a measuring device that measures the physical property values ​​of the paper transported from the storage unit 21 during the paper setting process. The detection unit 220 measures the physical property values ​​of the paper when the paper is changed, and discharges the paper from a physical property detection paper output tray 225 that is located above the image forming device 23. The detection unit 220 also measures variations in paper size and basis weight for each print. Here, the physical property values ​​of the paper refer to information relating to the physical properties. The detection unit 220 is made up of various sensors that detect physical properties such as the stiffness, grain direction, paper resistance, moisture content, and size of the paper.

[0041] The detection unit 220 may be, for example, an inline media sensor (not shown) that is disposed on the conveyance path or the like upstream of the image forming unit 233 in the image forming apparatus 23. The location where the inline media sensor is installed is not limited to the above-mentioned location, and it may be installed, for example, in the discharge section that discharges paper from the storage section 21 to the image forming device 23. The inline media sensor may also be placed on the manual feed tray 211a so that measurements can be taken manually.

[0042] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an intelligent media sensor 226 used as the paper physical property detection device 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the paper physical property detection device 22 may measure information about the paper physical properties of the paper using an intelligent media sensor 226 connected to the image forming device 23 via a USB (Universal Serial Bus). The intelligent media sensor 226 is an external measuring device placed on the image forming device 23, and is an offline-type recording material property information detection device for installation on the conveyance path (inline). The intelligent media sensor 226 is made up of a sensor formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section with a recess into which at least a portion of the paper can be inserted. When the paper is inserted into the recess, the intelligent media sensor 226 detects paper information about the paper inserted in the recess.

[0043] The paper physical property detection device 22 may be connected to a computer 231a and used to acquire, manage, and set the paper physical properties. Alternatively, the paper property detection device 22 may be a so-called surface property sensor that detects the properties of the paper. In addition, if the image forming device 23 is not equipped with a paper property detection device 22, an inline media sensor, an intelligent media sensor 226, a surface property sensor, etc., the paper property of the paper will be manually input into the operation display unit 234.

[0044] 1, the control unit 222 of the paper physical property detection device 22 has a CPU and a memory, similar to the control unit 212 of the storage unit 21. The control unit 222 controls the operation of components of the paper physical property detection device 22, such as a motor.

[0045] When the information regarding the paper properties of the measured paper satisfies predetermined conditions, the control unit 222 controls the image forming unit 233 to form an image on the measured paper based on the fact that the measured paper is stored in the image forming system 2 that corresponds to the information regarding the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper, the information regarding the storage unit 21, or the storage unit 21.

[0046] The storage unit 223 stores a correction table indicating the correspondence relationship between the physical property values ​​of paper used in correction control, a correspondence table used to set control parameters based on the physical properties of paper, a machine-learned model, and the like.

[0047] The communication unit 224 is an output unit that outputs the detection information detected by the detection unit 220 to the image forming device 23. The communication unit 224 is an interface for communicating with other devices. The communication unit 224 functions as an output unit by working in cooperation with the control unit 222, and outputs the corrected data to the image forming device 23.

[0048] <Image forming device> The image forming device 23 is a device that forms an image on paper. Here, as an example, the image forming device 23 is assumed to be an electrophotographic image forming device that forms a toner image, but is not limited to this and may be a device of another type, such as an inkjet type. The image forming device 23 includes a control unit 231, a storage unit 232, an image forming unit 233, an operation display unit 234, an acquisition unit 235, an identification unit 236, and a communication unit 237.

[0049] The control unit 231 of the image forming apparatus 23 is composed of the image forming system 2 and a computer 231a that controls the overall operation of the image forming system 2. The control unit 231 controls each unit of the image forming apparatus 23 and the operation of each unit of the storage unit 21, the paper physical property detection device 22, and the finisher 24 based on operations on the operation display unit 234 and signals received from the image forming system 2 connected to the image forming apparatus 23.

[0050] The control unit 231 narrows down the information about other image forming systems 3 and the information about the state of the storage unit 21 based on information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state or information about the state of the storage unit 21, and outputs information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper and information about the storage unit 21.

[0051] The control unit 231 narrows down the information about other image forming systems 3 and the information about the state of the storage unit 21 based on the information about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state or the information about the state of the storage unit 21, and displays the information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper and the information about the storage unit 21 on the display unit 234a.

[0052] In addition, the control unit 231 sets information regarding the paper properties of the measured paper to the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper, and to the image forming system 2 or the storage unit 21 that corresponds to the information regarding the storage unit 21.

[0053] In addition, if the information regarding the paper physical properties of the measured paper satisfies specified conditions, the control unit 231 does not set the information regarding the paper physical properties of the measured paper to the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper, and the image forming system 2 or the storage unit 21 that corresponds to the information regarding the storage unit 21. Here, "if a predetermined condition is satisfied" means that the paper physical properties of the paper are the same as before. In other words, if the paper physical properties of the paper are the same as before, the control unit 231 does not set information about the paper physical properties of the paper in the image forming system 2 or the storage unit 21.

[0054] In addition, if the information regarding the paper physical properties of the measured paper satisfies specified conditions, the control unit 231 does not send the information regarding the paper physical properties of the measured paper to the image forming system 2 or the storage unit 21 corresponding to the information regarding the image forming system 2 and storage unit 21 that stores the measured paper.

[0055] The computer 231a includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input / output circuit, etc. The CPU reads out a program corresponding to the processing content from the ROM, loads it into the RAM, and controls each component of the image forming system 2 in cooperation with the loaded program. At this time, various data stored in the storage unit 232 is referenced.

[0056] The computer 231a executes, using the information processing program 232a, the following steps: storing information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state, or information about the state of the storage unit 21 that stores paper; measuring information about the paper physical properties of the paper; narrowing down the information about other image forming systems 3, or information about the state of the storage unit 21, based on the information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state, or information about the state of the storage unit 21, and outputting information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper, or information about the storage unit 21; acquiring information about other image forming systems 3, or information about the state of the storage unit 21; and identifying information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state that satisfies specified conditions, or information about the state of the storage unit 21, from the information about other image forming systems 3, or information about the state of the storage unit 21. Here, "another image forming system 3 in a specific state" refers to another image forming system 3 when there is no paper.

[0057] The storage unit 232 of the image forming device 23 is a storage device that stores information about other image forming systems 3 in specific states, information about the state of the paper storage unit 21, information about other image forming systems 3, information about the state of the storage unit 21, etc. The storage unit 232 is configured, for example, with a non-volatile semiconductor memory (so-called flash memory) or a hard disk drive.

[0058] The information processing program 232a is a program that causes the computer 231a to execute various procedures to process information. The information processing program 232a causes the computer 231a to execute the following procedures to process information: a procedure for storing information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state and information about the state of the storage unit 21 that stores paper; a procedure for measuring information about the paper physical properties of the paper; a procedure for narrowing down the information about other image forming systems 3 and information about the state of the storage unit 21 based on the information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state or the information about the state of the storage unit 21, and outputting information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper or information about the storage unit 21; a procedure for acquiring the information about other image forming systems 3 and information about the state of the storage unit 21; and a procedure for identifying information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state that satisfies a predetermined condition or information about the state of the storage unit 21 from the information about other image forming systems 3 and information about the state of the storage unit 21, and processing information.

[0059] The image forming unit 233 is an image forming portion that forms an image on the paper supplied from the paper property detecting device 22 .

[0060] The operation display unit 234 is composed of, for example, a touch panel integrally provided with a display unit 234a and an input unit 234b. The operation display unit 234 includes an input unit 234b for inputting settings for a job to be performed using this image forming system 2, and a display unit 234a for displaying the contents of operations performed on the input unit 234b. The operation display unit 234 is disposed on the top surface of the image forming apparatus 230. Note that the operation display unit 234 may be configured to display images formed by the image forming system 2 and other images.

[0061] The display unit 234a displays information about other image forming systems 3, information about the state of the storage unit 21, information about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state, information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper, information about the storage unit 21, etc. The input unit 234b includes a keyboard, a mouse, and the like.

[0062] <Acquisition part> The acquisition unit 235 is a device that acquires information about other image forming systems 3 or information about the state of the container unit 21.

[0063] <Specific part> The identification unit 236 is a device that identifies information about another image forming system 3 that is in a specific state that satisfies a predetermined condition, or information about the state of the storage unit 21, from information about another image forming system 3 or information about the state of the storage unit 21. The identification unit 236 searches for information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper, or information about the storage unit 21, based on the information about the other image forming system 3 or information about the state of the storage unit 21. Here, the "predetermined condition" means, for example, that there is no paper in the tray 211 of the storage unit 21, that the tray 211 has been opened or closed, or that the paper in the tray 211 has been changed.

[0064] The communication unit 237 reads an image formed on paper in the image forming device 23 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 231 of the image forming device 23, and transmits the image data obtained by reading to another image forming system 3.

[0065] <Finisher> The finisher 24 is a device for detecting whether there is dirt on paper discharged from the image forming system 2 or whether there is dirt on printed paper. The finisher 24 is connected to the communication unit 215 of the storage unit 21, the communication unit 224 of the paper physical property detection device 22, and the communication unit 237 of the image forming device 23 via a network, a dedicated line, or the like.

[0066] <Other image forming systems> The other image forming system 3 shown in Fig. 1 differs from the image forming system 2 described above in that it does not include a paper physical property detection device 22 and a detection unit 220. The other image forming system 3 also includes a storage unit 21, an image forming device 23, and a finisher 24. Although Figs. 1 and 2 show a case where there is only one other image forming system 3, there may be at least one, and there may be more than one.

[0067] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an information processing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, the other image forming system 3 is equipped with a storage unit 31 having various trays 311. Paper data measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 is sent to the other image forming system 3 from the image forming system 2 equipped with the paper physical property detection device 22. Information on the status of the various trays 311 of the other image forming system 3 is sent to and stored in the storage unit 223 (see Figure 1) of the image forming system 2. The image forming system 2 searches for and sets which tray 311 to set the paper data measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 to, taking into account the status of the trays 311 of the other image forming system 3 that is not equipped with the paper physical property detection device 22.

[0068] <Information processing method> FIG. 5 is a process diagram showing an information processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the information processing method includes a storing step S1, a detecting step S2, an outputting step S3, an acquiring step S4, and an identifying step S5.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 1 or 5, in the storage step S1, information about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state or information about the state of the storage unit 21 that stores sheets is stored in the storage unit 232. In the detection step S2, the detection unit 220 measures information about the paper properties of the paper.

[0070] In the output step S3, the information about the other image forming systems 3 and the information about the state of the storage unit 21 is narrowed down based on the information 3a about the other image forming systems 3 in a specific state shown in Fig. 4 or the information about the state of the storage unit 21. The narrowed down information about the image forming systems 2 that store the measured paper or the information about the storage unit 21 is output from the communication unit 215 to the image forming system 2 and the other image forming systems 3.

[0071] In the acquisition step S4, the acquisition unit 235 acquires information about the other image forming systems 3 and information about the state of the container unit 21. In the identification step S5, the identification unit 236 identifies information about other image forming systems 3 that are in a specific state that satisfies specified conditions, or information about the state of the storage unit 21, from information about other image forming systems 3 and information about the state of the storage unit 21.

[0072] As shown in Figure 1 or 4, the image forming system 2 of the present invention thus has a memory unit 232 that stores information about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state or information about the state of the storage unit 21 that stores paper, a detection unit 220 that measures information about the paper physical properties of the paper, and a control unit 231 that narrows down the information about other image forming systems 3 or information about the state of the storage unit 21 based on information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state or information about the state of the storage unit 21, and outputs information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper or information about the storage unit 21.

[0073] According to this configuration, the image forming system 2 of the present invention has a control unit 231 that outputs information about the other image forming systems 3, information about the state of the storage unit 21, and information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper. This makes it easier for the image forming system 2 to recognize the other image forming systems 3 for which the measured paper physical property information should be set, and which storage unit 21 of the other image forming systems 3. Furthermore, by having the detection unit 220, it becomes possible to detect a storage unit 21 that has no paper and search for paper that should be stored in the storage unit 21.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 2 also has an acquisition unit 235 that acquires information about other image forming systems 3 or information about the state of the container unit 21.

[0075] According to this configuration, the image forming system 2 has the acquisition unit 235, and thus can acquire and share information about other image forming systems 3 and information about the state of the container unit 21.

[0076] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 2 has an identification unit 236 that identifies information 3a about another image forming system 3 that is in a specific state that satisfies predetermined conditions, or information about the state of the storage unit 21, from information about other image forming systems 3 or information about the state of the storage unit 21.

[0077] According to this configuration, the image forming system 2, by having the identification unit 236, can identify information 3a regarding other image forming systems 3 that are in a specific state that meets specified conditions, and information regarding the state of the storage unit 21.

[0078] 1 stores information about other image forming systems 3 or information about the state of the container 21. In addition, the storage unit 232 shown in FIG.

[0079] According to this configuration, the storage unit 232 can store information about other image forming systems 3 and information about the state of the container unit 21.

[0080] In addition, the control unit 231 shown in Figure 1 narrows down the information about other image forming systems 3 or the information about the state of the storage unit 21 based on the information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state or the information about the state of the storage unit 21, and displays the information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper or the information about the storage unit 21 on the display unit 234a.

[0081] According to this configuration, the control unit 231 can display, on the display unit 234a, information about the other image forming systems 3, information about the storage unit 21 of the image forming system 2, and information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper. Therefore, the control unit 231 can cause the display unit 234a to display information about the image forming system 2 and other image forming systems 3 other than the image forming system 2, making it possible to share and use information about multiple devices.

[0082] In addition, the information regarding other image forming systems 3 or the status of the storage unit 21 includes information regarding other image forming systems 3, information regarding the paper stored in the storage unit 21, or information regarding the job to be executed using the paper.

[0083] According to this configuration, the image forming system 2 can provide information on other image forming systems 3, information on the paper stored in the storage section 21, and information on jobs to be executed using the paper on the display section 234a, etc.

[0084] In addition, the control unit 231 shown in Figure 1 sets information regarding the paper properties of the measured paper to the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper, or to the image forming system 2 or storage unit 21 that corresponds to the information regarding the storage unit 21.

[0085] According to this configuration, the control unit 231 can set information about the measured paper properties of the paper and information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper in the image forming system 2 and the storage unit 21.

[0086] In addition, the identification unit 236 shown in Figure 1 searches for information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper, or information about the storage unit 21, based on information about other image forming systems 3, or information about the status of the storage unit 21.

[0087] According to this configuration, the identification unit 236 can search for information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper and the storage unit 21 based on information about other image forming systems 3 and information about the status of the storage unit 21.

[0088] In addition, when the information regarding the paper physical properties of the measured paper satisfies predetermined conditions, the control unit 231 shown in Figure 1 does not set the information regarding the paper physical properties of the measured paper to the information regarding the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper, or to the image forming system 2 or storage unit 21 that corresponds to the information regarding the storage unit 21. Here, the "predetermined condition" is, for example, "when paper is replenished" when paper is replenished.

[0089] With this configuration, when refilling paper, the control unit 231 does not set information about the measured paper properties of the paper in the image forming system 2 and the storage unit 21. This eliminates the hassle of work that occurs when the paper is changed when refilling paper.

[0090] In addition, when the information regarding the paper physical properties of the measured paper satisfies predetermined conditions, the control unit 231 shown in FIG. 1 does not send the information regarding the paper physical properties of the measured paper to the image forming system 2 or storage unit 21 that stores the measured paper, which corresponds to the information regarding the image forming system 2 or storage unit 21.

[0091] According to this configuration, the control unit 231 does not set information about the measured paper properties of the paper in the image forming system 2 and the container unit 21 when replenishing the paper, so that the setting can be performed efficiently.

[0092] The paper physical properties include any of the information related to the size, thickness, basis weight, type, surface properties, moisture content, stiffness, grain direction, and paper resistance of the paper.

[0093] According to this configuration, the paper physical properties include information on the size, thickness, basis weight, type, surface properties, moisture content, stiffness, grain direction, paper resistance, and the like of the paper. Here, surface properties are physical properties measured, for example, by the amount of optically reflected light, and include the unevenness of the paper surface detected by reflected light or diffused light, the distribution (variation) of the surface properties of the paper surface, and the paper type.

[0094] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 2 includes an image forming unit 233 that forms an image on paper, and when information about the paper physical properties of the measured paper satisfies a predetermined condition, the control unit 212 controls the image forming unit 233 to form an image on the measured paper based on the fact that the measured paper is stored in the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper or the information about the storage unit 21, or the storage unit 21. Here, the "predetermined condition" is, for example, "after paper refilling" when paper refilling has been completed.

[0095] According to this configuration, when paper is replenished, the control unit 212 can automatically restart the image forming unit 233 so that the image is formed on the measured paper.

[0096] As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 100 also includes an image forming system 2 having an image forming section 233 that forms an image on a sheet.

[0097] According to this configuration, the information processing system 100 includes the image forming system 2 and the image forming system 2. Therefore, the information processing system 100 can easily identify the image forming system 2 to which the measured paper physical property information should be set and which storage unit 21 of the image forming system 2.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 5, the information processing method of the present invention includes a storage step S1 for storing information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state or information about the state of the storage unit 21 that stores paper; a detection step S2 for measuring information about the paper properties of the paper; an output step S3 for narrowing down the information about other image forming systems 3 or information about the state of the storage unit 21 based on the information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state or information about the state of the storage unit 21, and outputting information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper or information about the storage unit 21; an acquisition step S4 for acquiring information about other image forming systems 3 or information about the state of the storage unit 21; and an identification step S5 for identifying information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state that satisfies predetermined conditions or information about the state of the storage unit 21 from the information about other image forming systems 3 or information about the state of the storage unit 21.

[0099] According to this configuration, the information processing method includes the specifying step S5, and thus it is possible to specify information about other image forming systems 3 that are in a specific state and that satisfy a predetermined condition, and information about the state of the container unit 21.

[0100] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the information processing program 232a of the present invention processes information by causing the computer 231a to execute the following steps: storing information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state, or information about the state of the storage unit 21 that stores paper; measuring information about the paper physical properties of the paper; narrowing down the information about other image forming systems 3, or information about the state of the storage unit 21, based on the information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state, or information about the state of the storage unit 21, and outputting information about the image forming system 2 that stores the measured paper, or information about the storage unit 21; acquiring information about other image forming systems 3, or information about the state of the storage unit 21; and identifying information 3a about other image forming systems 3 in a specific state that satisfies specified conditions, or information about the state of the storage unit 21, from the information about other image forming systems 3, or information about the state of the storage unit 21, to process information.

[0101] According to this configuration, the information processing program 232a of the present invention can process information by executing a procedure to identify information 3a about other image forming systems 3 that are in a specific state and satisfy a predetermined condition, or information about the state of the container unit 21. [Example]

[0102] Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display on the operation display unit 234 of the image forming system 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows an example of a display state of a recording material physical property measurement screen 234A. The first embodiment relates to the tray 311 without paper, and relates to the determination based on the presence or absence of paper.

[0103] First, the user turns on the power of the image forming system 2 having the paper physical property detection device 22. Then, the user operates the operation display unit 234 to select a recording material physical property measurement mode in the image forming system 2 having the paper physical property detection device 22. Then, a recording material physical property measurement screen 234A shown in Fig. 6 is displayed on the operation display unit 234. On the recording material physical property measurement screen 234A, operation display areas for a manual feed tray menu 234Aa, a "Tray 1" menu 234Ab, a "Tray 2" menu 234Ac, and a "Tray 3" menu 234Ad, a measurement execution button 234Ae, and a cancel button 234Af are displayed.

[0104] The operation display unit 234 is an operation panel configured with a touch panel display or the like. The recording material physical property measurement screen 234A includes operation points with multiple options. The recording material physical property measurement screen 234A may also be a radio button operation screen with buttons for selecting one from multiple items. The manual feed tray menu a, "Tray 1" menu 234Ab, "Tray 2" menu 234Ac, and "Tray 3" menu 234Ad on the recording material physical property measurement screen 234A are menus for selecting the tray 211 to be used (see FIG. 2).

[0105] The measurement execution button 234Ae on the recording material physical property measurement screen 234A is a button for measuring and displaying paper physical property information of the paper stored in the selected tray 211. The cancel button 234Af is a button for returning the recording material physical property measurement screen 234A to the previous screen.

[0106] When measuring the physical property information of paper, the paper to be measured is loaded into the manual feed tray 211a (or another tray 211), and the physical property information of the paper accommodated in the manual feed tray 211a is measured. The measurement results are then displayed on the recording material physical property measurement screen 234A. For example, the recording material physical property measurement screen 234A displays the search results for trays 211 without paper, the selected tray 211, the time when the tray 211 ran out of paper, the model and IP address of the image forming system 2, etc. Therefore, in the first embodiment, it is possible to make a determination based on the presence or absence of paper in the tray 211.

[0107] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the operation display unit 234 of the image forming system 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows an example of the display state of a recording material physical property measurement screen 234B. When the measurement of the paper physical property information is complete, the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B of the operation display unit 234 displays the measurement results of the paper physical properties in the manual feed tray 211a by the paper physical property detection device 22, as shown in Fig. 7, for example. The recording material physical property measurement screen 234B displays, as the measurement results, for example, the paper size, basis weight, and paper type. At the same time, the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B also displays a "Set" button 234Ba, a "Set to external device" button 234Bb, and a cancel button 234Bc.

[0108] The "Set" button 234Ba is a button that allows the user to set the measurement results of the paper physical properties displayed on the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B to the paper. The "Set to external device" button 234Bb is a button that allows the user to set tray receiving information to the tray 331 of an image forming system 3 other than the image forming system 2. The cancel button 234Bc is a button that returns the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B to the previous original screen.

[0109] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the operation display unit 234 of the image forming system 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows an example of the display state of an external image forming device tray search screen 234C. When the user taps the "Set to External Device" button 234Bb on the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B shown in Fig. 7, the operation display unit 234 displays an external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8. The external image forming device tray search screen 234C displays an empty tray button 234Ca, a no paper tray button 234Cb, an empty tray job suspended button 234Cc, a tray open / close button 234Cd, an open tray button 234Ce, a tray waiting for setting button 234Cf, and a device configuration button 234Cg. The empty tray button 234Ca, the no paper tray button 234Cb, etc. displayed on the image forming device tray search screen 234C are buttons for confirming the displayed items.

[0110] The paper-empty tray button 234Ca is a button for obtaining information on a paper-empty tray 311 that has no paper in it among other image forming systems 3 on the network. The no paper tray button 234Cb is a button for searching for a tray 311 in which no paper has been set. The paper-empty job-suspended tray button 234Cc is a button for searching for a paper-empty tray 311 in which a job is still in progress when the tray 311 has run out of paper and paper is used for printing.

[0111] The tray open / close button 234Cd is a button for searching for a tray 311 that has previously held paper, for example, by opening and closing the tray 311 within the last hour, or by refilling it with new paper after the paper has run out. When refilling paper, it is also possible to check whether the paper is the same by measuring the paper's physical properties with the paper physical property detection device 22. It is also possible to change the settings when changing paper.

[0112] The tray open button 234Ce is a button for searching for the tray 311 that is open. The setting waiting tray button 234Cf is a button for searching for a tray 311 waiting for setting. The device configuration button 234Cg is a button for obtaining information on the configuration of the tray 311 and the like in another image forming system 3 on the network.

[0113] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the operation display unit 234 of the image forming system 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows an example of a paper-empty tray search result screen 234D. When the user taps the paper-empty tray button 234Ca on the external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8, an external paper-empty tray search result screen 234D shown in Fig. 9 is displayed on the operation display unit 234. Note that the paper-empty tray search result screen 234D can also be sorted in order by items such as the tray number column 234Dc to make it easier to view.

[0114] The paper-empty tray search result screen 234D displays a table consisting of an MFP model column 234Da, an IP address column 234Db, a tray number column 234Dc, and an occurrence time column 234Dd, as well as a details button 234De, a settings button 234Df, and a search filter 234Dg corresponding to each column of the table.

[0115] The MFP model column 234Da is a display area that displays the models of other image forming systems 3 that are not equipped with the searched paper physical property detection device 22. The table in Fig. 9 displays a list of information about paper-empty trays 311 among other image forming systems 3 on the network that have no paper in the trays 311. For this reason, the determination is made based on the presence or absence of paper, and therefore trays 311 that contain paper are not displayed.

[0116] The IP address column 234Db is a display area that displays the IP addresses of the four other image forming systems 3. The tray number column 234Dc is a display area that shows the number of the tray 311 that is empty of paper among the various trays 311 in the other image forming system 3. The occurrence time column 234Dd is a display area that indicates the time when the tray 311 ran out of paper.

[0117] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the operation display unit 234 of the image forming system 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows an example of the display state of a screen in which the data on the paper-empty tray search result screen 234D has been narrowed down by the search filter 234Dg. As shown in FIG. 10, the paper-out tray search result screen 234H displays options narrowed down by the filter drop-down list of the search filter 234Dg. On the paper-out tray search result screen 234H, the MFP model field 234Ha displays "C1400" as the model name of this image forming system. The IP address field 234Hb displays 192.168.56.1 as the IP address of this image forming system. The tray number field 234Hc displays 9 as the tray number of this image forming system. The occurrence time field 234Hd displays the time when the paper-out event occurred. The details button He is a button for displaying detailed information about this image forming system. The settings button 234Hf is a button for making settings. The search filter 234Hg displays "C1400" as the selected search filter.

[0118] By the user tapping the details button 234De corresponding to each row of the table, detailed information about the paper in the selected tray 311 can be displayed on the details screen 234E, as shown in Fig. 11. In other words, by the user tapping the details button 234De, data about the paper to be stored in the tray 311 can be displayed.

[0119] The setting button 234Df is a button for selecting and setting or canceling the tray 311 of another image forming system 3 on the network. Therefore, the user can decide the tray 311 that he or she wants to use by tapping the setting button 234Df. Search filter 234Dg is a button for turning the search filter on or off. FIG. 11 shows an example of a details screen 234E displayed on the operation display unit 234 of the image forming system 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0120] When the user taps the details button 234De shown in Fig. 9, a details screen 234E shown in Fig. 11 is displayed. The details screen 234E displays physical property information of the paper to be placed in tray 311, physical property information of the paper currently stored therein, a selected tray display 234Ea, a back button 234Eb, and a settings button 234Ec. In other words, when the user taps the details button 234De, the displayed content changes depending on the results of measurement by the paper physical property detection device 22.

[0121] The image forming system 2 that has measured the physical properties of the paper can check and set the device information and the status of the tray 311 for other pre-registered image forming systems 3 and other image forming systems 3 on the network. This allows the image forming system 2 to perform optimal image formation based on the settings for other image forming systems 3 that do not have a paper physical property detection device 22. As a result, even if the other image forming system 3 does not have the paper physical property detection device 22, settings regarding the paper physical properties can be made, thereby reducing costs by the amount that the paper physical property detection device 22 is not provided.

[0122] The selected tray display 234Ea is a display mark that displays the tray 311 selected by the user tapping the setting button 234Df (see FIG. 9). The back button 234Eb is a button for returning the details screen 234E to the screen before it was displayed. The setting button 234Ec is a button for selecting and setting or canceling the paper in the tray 311 displayed on the details screen 234E.

[0123] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the operation display unit 234 of the image forming system 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows an example of a paper-empty tray search result screen 234I sorted in the order of the tray number column 234Ic. The paper-empty tray search result screen 234D shown in FIG. 9 can be sorted in order of the tray number column 234Ic, as shown in the paper-empty tray search result screen 234I in FIG. 12, or can be sorted in order of items in other columns.

[0124] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the operation display unit 234 of the image forming system 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows an example of the display state of the screen 234J. The user taps the selection button 234If on the first line of the paper-empty tray search result screen 234I shown in Fig. 12. Then, the screen 234J shown in Fig. 13 is displayed on the operation display unit 234. Then, when the user taps the OK button 234Ja on the screen 234J, the MFP model C1400 is set as the other image forming system 3. Here, the user can tap the cancel button 234Jb to cancel the MFP model C1400 set for the other image forming system 3.

[0125] FIG. 14A is a flowchart showing the image forming system 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Next, the case of setting the paper-empty tray in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 14A mainly and to FIGS. First, the user operates the operation display unit 234 of the image forming system 2 having the paper physical property detection device 22 (measuring instrument) shown in Fig. 1 to select a recording material physical property measurement mode (step S10). Then, the control unit 231 of the image forming system 2 switches the operation display unit 234 to a recording material physical property measurement screen 234A shown in Fig. 6.

[0126] Next, the user places paper in manual feed tray 211a (see FIG. 2) and taps measurement execution button 234Ae. This causes paper physical property detection device 22 to start measuring the physical properties of the paper (step S11). Control unit 231 switches the screen of operation display unit 234 to recording material physical property measurement screen 234B shown in FIG. 7, and displays the measurement results of the paper.

[0127] After measuring the paper physical properties, the user taps the "Set to External Device" button 234Bb on the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B (step S12). When the user taps the "Set to External Device" button 234Bb (Yes in step S12), the control unit 231 switches the operation display unit 234 to the external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8 and displays the search conditions. The control unit 231 determines whether the paper-empty tray button 234Ca has been tapped (step S14a).

[0128] If the user taps a button other than the "Set to external device" button 234Bb in step S12 (No in step S12), the control unit 231 sets the tray 311 of the image forming system 2 measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 (step S13). If the user taps a button other than the paper-empty tray button 234Ca in step S14a (No in step S14a), the control unit 231 executes processing according to the tapped button (step S15a).

[0129] In step S14a, if the paper-empty tray button 234Ca is tapped (Yes in step S14a), the control unit 231 searches the network for trays 311 in a paper-empty tray state of other image forming systems 3. Then, the control unit 231 displays a list of search results for paper-empty trays measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 on the paper-empty tray search result screen 234D, as shown in Fig. 9 (step S16a).

[0130] Next, the user selects and confirms the tray 311 of the other image forming system 3 to be set from the list of trays that are out of paper displayed on the paper-empty tray search result screen 234D (step S17). In this case, the user may narrow down the list using a filter function to make the list display on the paper-empty tray search result screen 234D easier to view.

[0131] Then, the control unit 231 transmits the measurement information of the paper measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 to the specified paper-empty tray of the other image forming system 3 and sets it (step S18). Note that, if the measurement result measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 is the same as the previous measurement result, the control unit 231 does not have to send the measurement information to the specified paper-empty tray 311 of the other image forming system 3. Also, if the measurement result measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 is the same as the previous measurement result, the control unit 231 does not have to set the measurement information in the other image forming system 3 on the setting side. This completes the setting of the paper-empty tray 311 of the other image forming system 3 that does not have the paper property detection device 22. [Example]

[0132] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment relates to a tray 311 with no paper setting, and is related to making a judgment based on whether or not paper is set. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the item names and occurrence conditions, but is otherwise the same as the first embodiment.

[0133] For example, when a new device such as another image forming system is purchased, initial settings are required. Therefore, in order to set up the paper for the other image forming system 3, the user operates the operation display unit 234 to display the recording material physical property measurement screen 234A shown in Fig. 6. Then, the user loads the paper to be measured into the manual feed tray (which may be the first tray or the second tray), and taps the measurement execution button 234Ae to measure the physical properties of the paper.

[0134] When the measurement of the paper physical properties is completed, the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B of the operation display unit 234 displays the measurement results of the paper physical properties in the manual feed tray 211a by the paper physical property detection device 22, as shown in FIG. Then, when the user taps the "Set to external device" button 234Bb on the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B, an external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8 is displayed on the operation display unit 234. Then, the user taps the tray with no paper setting button 234Cb on the external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8.

[0135] In this way, the image forming system 2 that has performed the measurement inquires of other image forming systems 3 that have been registered in advance or other image forming systems 3 on the network about device information and the status of the tray 311. Then, based on the information acquired via the network, the screen of the operation display unit 234 can display the search results (not shown) of the tray 311 with no paper setting that constitutes the select box.

[0136] Next, the flow of the second embodiment will be described. The flowchart of the second embodiment in Fig. 14B is obtained by replacing "tray without paper" in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 14A with "tray with no paper set." Differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be described mainly with reference to Fig. 14B and Fig. 7 and Fig. 8.

[0137] The processes of steps S10 and S11 are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 14A. When the user taps the "Set in external device" button 234Bb shown in Fig. 7 (Yes in step S12), the control unit 231 switches the operation display unit 234 to the external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8, and displays the search conditions. The control unit 231 determines whether the tray with no paper setting button 234Cb has been tapped (step S14b).

[0138] In step S14b, if the user taps a button other than the no paper tray button 234Cb (No in step S14b), the control unit 231 executes a process corresponding to the tapped button (step S15b).

[0139] In step S14b, if the no paper setting tray button 234Cb is tapped (Yes in step S14b), the control unit 231 searches the network for trays with no paper setting of other image forming systems 3. Then, the search result screen of the operation display unit 234 displays a list of search results for trays with no paper setting measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 (step S16b).

[0140] Next, the user selects and determines the tray 311 of the other image forming system 3 to be set from the list of trays with no paper setting displayed on the search result screen of the operation display unit 234 (step S17b). Then, the control unit 231 transmits the measurement information of the paper measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 to the specified tray with no paper setting of the other image forming system 3, and sets it (step S18b).

[0141] In this way, the present invention makes it possible to perform settings based on the physical properties of paper even if the tray 311 of another image forming system 3 that does not have a paper physical property detection device 22 is in a state where no paper is set. As a result, even if the other image forming system 3 does not have a paper property detection device 22, settings regarding the paper property can be made, thereby reducing costs by the amount that the paper property detection device 22 is not provided. [Example]

[0142] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The third embodiment relates to the tray 311 in which a job is stopped due to no paper, and is determined based on information about the job. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the item names and occurrence conditions, but is otherwise the same as the first embodiment.

[0143] For example, when tray 311 runs out of paper and needs to be replenished with paper, it is necessary to determine whether the paper being replenished is the same as the paper that was previously stored in tray 311. In this case, in image forming system 2 having paper physical property detection device 22, the recording material physical property measurement mode shown in Fig. 6 is selected. Then, the paper to be measured is loaded into manual tray 211a (or the first tray 211b, second tray 211c, etc.), and measurement execution button 234Ae is tapped to measure the paper physical properties.

[0144] Then, when the measurement of the physical properties of the paper is completed, the measurement results of the physical properties of the paper in the manual feed tray 211a by the paper physical property detection device 22 are displayed on the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B of the operation display unit 234, as shown in Fig. 7. Next, when the "Set to external device" button 234Bb on the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B is tapped, the external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8 is displayed on the operation display unit 234. Next, the paper-out job suspended tray button 234Cc on the external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8 is tapped.

[0145] In this way, the image forming system 2 that has performed the measurement inquires of other image forming systems 3 that have been registered in advance or other image forming systems 3 on the network about the status of the tray 311. Then, the screen of the operation display unit 234 displays the search results (not shown) of the Paper Out Job Suspended Tray button 234Cc that constitutes the select box, based on the information acquired via the network.

[0146] Fig. 15A is a flowchart (part 1) illustrating the image forming system 2 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 15B is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating the image forming system 2 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0147] Furthermore, a case where a tray is set when a job is stopped due to an out-of-paper condition in the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15A and 15B and mainly to FIGS. First, the user operates the operation display unit 234 of the image forming system 2 having the paper physical property detection device 22 shown in Fig. 1 to select a recording material physical property measurement mode (step S100). Then, the control unit 231 switches the screen of the operation display unit 234 to a recording material physical property measurement screen 234A shown in Fig. 6.

[0148] Next, the user places paper in manual feed tray 211a (see FIG. 2) and taps measurement execution button 234Ae to start measuring the paper physical properties using paper physical property detection device 22 (step S101). Control unit 231 switches the screen of operation display unit 234 to recording material physical property measurement screen 234B shown in FIG. 7, and displays the measurement results of the paper.

[0149] After measuring the paper physical properties, the user taps the "Set to external device" button 234Bb on the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B (step S102). When the user taps the "Set to external device" button 234Bb (Yes in step S102), the control unit 231 switches the operation display unit 234 to the external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8 and displays the search conditions. The control unit 231 determines whether the paper-out job suspended tray button 234Cc has been tapped (step S104).

[0150] If a button other than the "Set to external device" button 234Bb is tapped in step S12 (No in step S104), the physical properties of the paper measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 are set in the tray 311 of the image forming system 2 (step S103). If a button other than the paper-out job-suspended tray button 234Cc is tapped in step S104 (No in step S104), the control unit 231 executes processing according to the tapped button (step S105).

[0151] In step S104, if the tray button 234Cc for a paper-out job in a suspended state is tapped (Yes in step S104), the control unit 231 searches the network for the tray 311 of another image forming system 3 in a paper-out job in a suspended state. Then, the control unit 231 displays a list of the search results of the tray button 234Cc for a paper-out job in a suspended state on the operation display unit 234 (step S106).

[0152] Next, the user selects and confirms the tray 311 of the other image forming system 3 to be set from the list displayed on the screen of the operation display unit 34 (step S107). In this case, the user may narrow down the search results using the filter function to make the list display of the search results for the paper-out job suspended tray button 234Cc easier to see.

[0153] Then, the control unit 231 transmits and sets the measurement information of the paper measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 to the specified tray 311 of the other image forming system 3 (step S108). Note that if the measurement result measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 is the same as the previous measurement result, the control unit 231 does not have to send the measurement information to the specified tray 311 of the other image forming system 3. Also, if the measurement result measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 is the same as the previous measurement result, the control unit 231 does not have to set the measurement information in the other image forming system 3 on the setting side. Next, the process proceeds to step S109.

[0154] In step S109, control unit 231 determines whether the measured paper information is the same as before. If the measured paper information is not the same as before (No in step S109), control unit 231 notifies the user by displaying an error on operation display unit 234, indicating that different paper has been replenished during the job (step S110). If the measured paper information is the same as before (Yes in step S109), control unit 231 determines whether paper has been replenished in tray 311 (step S111).

[0155] In step S111, if paper has not been replenished in tray 311 (No in step S111), control unit 231 waits until paper is replenished. Then, if paper has been replenished in tray 311 (Yes in step S111), the process proceeds to step S112.

[0156] In step S112, the control unit 231 determines whether automatic continuation of the job is set. If automatic continuation of the job is set (Yes in step S112), the control unit 231 resumes the job (step S114) and ends the processing in FIG. 15B.

[0157] If automatic continuation of the job is not set (No in step S112), the control unit 231 displays whether or not to continue the job on the UI (User Interface) on the operation display unit 234 and accepts the decision of whether or not to continue the job (step S113). If an input is made to not continue the job (No in step S113), the control unit 231 performs processing such as canceling the job (step S115). If an input is made to continue the job (Yes in step S113), the control unit 231 resumes the job (step S114) and ends the processing of FIG. 15B.

[0158] In this way, the present invention makes it possible to make settings based on the physical properties of the paper even if the tray 311 of another image forming system 3 that does not have a paper physical property detection device 22 is out of paper and the job is stopped. [Example]

[0159] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The fourth embodiment relates to the tray 311 that was most recently opened and closed, and is made based on information about the tray 311. The fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the item names and occurrence conditions, but is otherwise the same as the first embodiment.

[0160] Next, the flow of the fourth embodiment will be described. The flowchart of the fourth embodiment in Fig. 14C is obtained by replacing "paper-empty tray" with "tray open / close" in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 14A. Differences between the fourth embodiment and the first embodiment will be described mainly with reference to Fig. 14C, but also with reference to Figs. 7 and 8.

[0161] The processes of steps S10 and S11 are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 14A. When the user taps the "Set to external device" button 234Bb shown in Fig. 7 (Yes in step S12), the control unit 231 switches the operation display unit 234 to the external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8, and displays the search conditions. The control unit 231 determines whether the tray open / close button 234Cd has been tapped (step S14c).

[0162] In step S14c, if the user taps a button other than the no paper tray button 234Cb (No in step S14c), the control unit 231 executes processing according to the tapped button (step S15c).

[0163] In step S14c, if the tray open / close button 234Cd is tapped (Yes in step S14c), the control unit 231 searches the network for opened / closed trays of other image forming systems 3. Then, the search result screen of the operation display unit 234 displays a list of search results of opened / closed trays measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 (step S16c).

[0164] Next, the user selects and determines the tray 311 of the other image forming system 3 to be set from the list of opened / closed trays displayed on the search result screen of the operation display unit 234 (step S17c). Then, the control unit 231 transmits the measurement information of the paper measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 to the specified opened / closed tray of the other image forming system 3 and sets it (step S18c).

[0165] In this way, the present invention makes it possible to make settings based on the physical properties of the paper even if the tray 311 of another image forming system 3 that does not have a paper physical property detection device 22 is opened and closed to replace the paper. [Example]

[0166] Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The fifth embodiment relates to the currently open tray 311, and is made based on information about the tray 331. The fifth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the item names and occurrence conditions, but is otherwise the same as the first embodiment.

[0167] In the fifth embodiment, the tray 311 is intentionally left open to make it easier to search from the image forming system 2 to be set. When refilling the tray 311 with paper, the user checks whether the paper is the same as before refilling. Also, the setting is changed when changing the paper. This makes it easier to search for the tray 311 to be set more clearly.

[0168] The flowchart of the fifth embodiment in Fig. 14D is obtained by replacing "tray empty" with "tray open" in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 14A. Differences between the fifth embodiment and the first embodiment will be described mainly with reference to Fig. 14D and Fig. 7 and Fig. 8.

[0169] The processes of steps S10 and S11 are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 14A. When the user taps the "Set to external device" button 234Bb shown in Fig. 7 (Yes in step S12), the control unit 231 switches the operation display unit 234 to the external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8, and displays the search conditions. The control unit 231 determines whether the tray open button 234Ce has been tapped (step S14d).

[0170] In step S14d, if the user taps a button other than the no paper tray button 234Cb (No in step S14d), the control unit 231 executes processing according to the tapped button (step S15d).

[0171] In step S14d, if the tray open button 234Ce is tapped (Yes in step S14d), the control unit 231 searches the network for open trays of other image forming systems 3. Then, the operation display unit 234 displays a list of search results for open trays measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 (step S16d).

[0172] Next, the user selects and determines the tray 311 of the other image forming system 3 to be set from the list of open trays displayed on the search result screen of the operation display unit 234 (step S17d). Then, the control unit 231 transmits the measurement information of the paper measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 to the specified open tray 311 of the other image forming system 3 and sets it (step S18d).

[0173] In this way, the present invention makes it possible to make settings based on the physical properties of the paper even if the tray 311 of another image forming system 3 that does not have a paper physical property detection device 22 is in an open state. [Example]

[0174] Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The sixth embodiment relates to a case where the image forming system 2 is in a mode waiting for external settings. The sixth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the item names and occurrence conditions, but is otherwise the same as the first embodiment.

[0175] In the sixth embodiment, the other image forming system 3 is in a setting waiting mode from the outside. Therefore, a setting waiting mode is added to the other image forming system 3, and the tray number to be set is selected. Then, the image forming system 2 on the setting side searches for the tray 311 of the other image forming system 3 in the setting waiting mode.

[0176] In this way, the tray 311 to be set in the setting waiting mode state can be more clearly searched for, and even if the tray 311 is in the setting waiting mode state, setting based on the physical properties of the paper becomes possible.

[0177] Next, the flow of the sixth embodiment will be described. The flowchart of the sixth embodiment in Fig. 14E is obtained by replacing "tray without paper" with "tray waiting for setting" in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 14. The sixth embodiment will be described in terms of differences from the first embodiment, mainly referring to Fig. 14E, but also to Figs. 7 and 8.

[0178] The processes of steps S10 and S11 are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 14A. When the user taps the "Set to external device" button 234Bb shown in Fig. 7 (Yes in step S12), the control unit 231 switches the operation display unit 234 to the external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8 to display the search conditions. The control unit 231 determines whether the setting waiting tray button 234Cf has been tapped (step S14e).

[0179] In step S14e, if the user taps a button other than the no paper tray button 234Cb (No in step S14e), the control unit 231 executes processing according to the tapped button (step S15e).

[0180] In step S14e, if the setting waiting tray button 234Cf is tapped (Yes in step S14e), the control unit 231 searches the network for setting waiting trays in other image forming systems 3. Then, the search result screen of the operation display unit 234 displays a list of the search results for setting waiting trays measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 (step S16e).

[0181] Next, the user selects and determines the tray 311 of the other image forming system 3 to be set from the list of trays waiting to be set displayed on the search result screen of the operation display unit 234 (step S17e). Then, the control unit 231 transmits the measurement information of the paper measured by the paper physical property detection device 22 to the specified tray waiting to be set of the other image forming system 3, and sets it (step S18).

[0182] In this way, the tray 311 to be set in the setting waiting mode can be searched for more clearly, and even if the image forming system 2 to be set is in the setting waiting mode from the outside, it can be set based on the physical properties of the paper. [Example]

[0183] Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. The seventh embodiment relates to narrowing down the models from a specific device configuration, and relates to searching by the device configuration on the set side.

[0184] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing the operation display unit 234 of the image forming system 2 according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, and shows an example of a device configuration search screen 234F. A printing factory has a plurality of devices, such as a plurality of image forming systems 2. Therefore, in order to identify the other image forming systems 3, the user operates the operation display unit 234 to display the recording material physical property measurement screen 234A shown in Fig. 6. Then, the user loads the paper to be measured into the manual feed tray (which may be the first tray, the second tray, or the like), and taps the measurement execution button 234Ae to measure the physical properties of the paper.

[0185] When the measurement of the paper physical properties is completed, the measurement results of the paper physical properties in the manual feed tray 211a by the paper physical property detection device 22 are displayed on the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B of the operation display unit 234, for example, as shown in Fig. 7. Next, when the user taps the "Set to external device" button 234Bb on the recording material physical property measurement screen 234B, the operation panel of the external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8 is displayed on the operation display unit 234. Next, the user taps the device configuration button 234Cg on the external image forming device tray search screen 234C shown in Fig. 8.

[0186] In this way, the image forming system 2 that has performed the measurement inquires of other image forming systems 3 that have been registered in advance or other image forming systems 3 on the network about device information and the status of the tray 311. In response, the screen of the operation display unit 234 displays a device configuration search screen 234F shown in Fig. 16 that comprises a selection box based on the information acquired via the network.

[0187] The device configuration search screen 234F displays an MFP model menu 234Fa, a connected finisher menu 234Fb, a paper feed unit menu 234Fc, a tray number menu 234Fd, a search execution button 234Fe, and a cancel button 234Ff. In this case, the MFP model menu 234Fa displayed on the device configuration search screen 234F displays a drop-down list with items limited by a search filter. This makes it possible to narrow down the trays 311 of other image forming systems 3 to be set. It is also possible to narrow down the options using a search filter.

[0188] The MFP model menu 234Fa displays the models of other image forming systems 3 that have been found, and is a menu for selecting other image forming systems 3. The connected finisher menu 234Fb is a menu that displays the models of finishers provided in other image forming systems 3. The paper feed unit menu 234Fc is a display area that displays the number and model of the paper feed units 214 provided in the other image forming system 3.

[0189] The tray number menu 234Fd is a menu that displays the model of the tray 311 provided in the other image forming system 3. The search execution button 234Fe is a button for executing a search for the paper physical properties of the tray 311 selected by operating the tray number menu 234Fd, for example. The cancel button 234Ff is a button for canceling the tray 311 displayed on the device configuration search screen 234F.

[0190] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the operation display unit 234 of the image forming system 2 according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, and shows an example of the display state of the screen when the data on the device configuration search screen 23F is dropped down using a search filter. As shown in FIG. 17, the paper-empty tray search result screen 234D allows a filter to be applied to the search for the tray 311, and the number of models of other image forming systems 3 to be displayed can be narrowed down using a filter drop-down list.

[0191] The image forming system 2 that performed the measurement checks the device information and the state of the tray 311 of other pre-registered image forming systems 3, as in the first embodiment. Then, when the user taps the OK button 234Ja on the following screen 234J for the measurement data shown in Fig. 15, the other image forming system 3 can be set to model C1400, for example.

[0192] Although the embodiments and Examples 1 to 7 of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and Examples 1 to 7, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0193] 2. Image forming system 3. Other imaging systems 3a information 23 Image forming device 231a Computer 212,222,231 Control section 232 Storage section 234a Display section 220 Detection unit 235 Acquisition Department 236 Specific part 21 Storage unit 100 Information Processing Systems 233 Image forming unit 232a Information Processing Program

Claims

1. a storage unit that stores information about other image forming apparatuses in a specific state or information about the state of a storage unit that stores a recording medium; a detection unit for measuring information regarding the physical properties of the recording medium; a control unit that narrows down the information about the other image forming apparatus or the information about the state of the storage unit based on the information about the other image forming apparatus in the specific state or the information about the state of the storage unit, and outputs the information about the image forming apparatus that stores the measured recording medium or the information about the storage unit, Information processing device.

2. an acquisition unit that acquires information about the other image forming apparatus or information about the state of the storage unit; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. a specifying unit that specifies, from the information on the other image forming apparatus or the information on the state of the storage unit, information on the other image forming apparatus in the specific state that satisfies a predetermined condition, or information on the state of the storage unit; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. the storage unit stores information about the other image forming apparatus or information about the state of the storage unit; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. the control unit narrows down the information about the other image forming apparatus or the information about the state of the storage unit based on the information about the other image forming apparatus in the specific state or the information about the state of the storage unit, and causes the display unit to display the information about the image forming apparatus that stores the measured recording medium or the information about the storage unit. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

6. the information about the other image forming apparatus or the information about the state of the storage unit includes information about the other image forming apparatus, information about recording media stored in the storage unit, or information about a job executed using the recording media; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

7. the control unit sets the information about the measured physical properties of the recording medium in information about an image forming apparatus that stores the measured recording medium, or in information about the storage unit, for the image forming apparatus or the storage unit that corresponds to the information about the storage unit. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

8. the identifying unit searches for information about the image forming device that stores the measured recording medium or information about the storage unit based on information about the other image forming device or information about the state of the storage unit. The information processing device according to claim 3 .

9. when the information about the measured physical properties of the recording medium satisfies a predetermined condition, the control unit does not set the information about the measured physical properties of the recording medium to the information about the image forming device that stores the measured recording medium, or to the image forming device or the storage unit that corresponds to the information about the storage unit; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

10. When the information about the measured physical properties of the recording medium satisfies a predetermined condition, the control unit does not transmit the information about the measured physical properties of the recording medium to an image forming apparatus that stores the measured recording medium or an image forming apparatus that corresponds to the information about the storage unit, or to the storage unit. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

11. The physical properties of the recording medium include any of information regarding the size, thickness, basis weight, type, surface properties, moisture content, stiffness, grain direction, and paper resistance of the recording medium. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

12. An image forming apparatus comprising the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording medium; When the information regarding the physical properties of the measured recording medium satisfies a predetermined condition, the control unit controls the image forming unit to form an image on the measured recording medium, based on the fact that the measured recording medium is accommodated in an image forming device or in the accommodation unit that corresponds to the information regarding the image forming device that accommodates the measured recording medium or the information regarding the accommodation unit. Image forming device.

13. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11; an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording medium; Equipped with Information processing system.

14. a storage step of storing information about other image forming apparatuses in a specific state or information about the state of a storage unit that stores a recording medium; a detection step of measuring information regarding the physical properties of the recording medium; an output step of narrowing down the information about the other image forming apparatus or the information about the state of the storage unit based on the information about the other image forming apparatus in the specific state or the information about the state of the storage unit, and outputting the information about the image forming apparatus that stores the measured recording medium or the information about the storage unit; an acquisition step of acquiring information about the other image forming apparatus or information about a state of the storage unit; a specifying step of specifying information about another image forming apparatus in the specific state that satisfies a predetermined condition or information about the state of the storage unit from the information about the other image forming apparatus or information about the state of the storage unit; Including, Information processing methods.

15. On the computer, a procedure for storing information about other image forming apparatuses in a specific state or information about the state of a storage unit that stores recording media; measuring information about physical properties of the recording medium; a step of narrowing down the information about the other image forming apparatus or the information about the state of the storage unit based on the information about the other image forming apparatus in the specific state or the information about the state of the storage unit, and outputting the information about the image forming apparatus that stores the measured recording medium or the information about the storage unit; a step of acquiring information about the other image forming apparatus or information about the state of the storage unit; a step of identifying information about another image forming apparatus in the specific state that satisfies a predetermined condition or information about the state of the container unit from the information about the other image forming apparatus or information about the state of the container unit; An information processing program that processes information by executing the above.

Images