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US-12625652-B2 - Image forming system and image forming apparatus

US12625652B2US 12625652 B2US12625652 B2US 12625652B2US-12625652-B2

Abstract

A management server stores box data received from an image forming apparatus as an export side, generates box configuration data that indicates the box data, upon receiving an import request of the box data from an image forming apparatus as an import side, transmits the box configuration data, and transmits the box data after the transmission of the box configuration data. The image forming apparatus as the import side transmits the import request, receives and saves the box configuration data and thereby registers the box configuration data to the box function, and receives and saves the box data after the receipt and the saving of the box configuration data. The image forming apparatus as the import side displays a list of the box data regardless of whether the box data has been received or not after registering the box configuration data.

Inventors

  • Shinya Ogawa
  • Yoshitaka Kishi
  • Yosuke MORISHITA
  • Kenichi Katsura

Assignees

  • KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20240409
Priority Date
20230413

Claims (4)

  1. 1 . An image forming system, comprising: a management server; and an image forming apparatus as an import side having a box function; wherein the management server (a) stores box data received from an image forming apparatus as an export side, (b) generates box configuration data that indicates the box data, (c) upon receiving an import request of the box data from the image forming apparatus as the import side, transmits the box configuration data to the image forming apparatus as the import side, and (d) transmits the box data to the image forming apparatus as the import side after the transmission of the box configuration data; the image forming apparatus as the import side (a) transmits the import request to the management server, (b) receives and saves the box configuration data and thereby registers the box configuration data to the box function, and (c) receives and saves the box data after the receipt and the saving of the box configuration data; the box function includes a function to display a list of the box data on the basis of the box configuration data; and the image forming apparatus as the import side displays the list of the box data regardless of whether the box data has been received or not after receiving and saving the box configuration data and thereby registering the box configuration data to the box function.
  2. 2 . An image forming apparatus having a box function, comprising: a communication device; a control unit configured to perform an action of the box function; and an import processing unit configured to (a) transmit an import request of a box to a management server, (b) receive and save box configuration data of the box from the management server and thereby register the box configuration data to the box function, and (c) receive and save box data of the box after the receipt and the saving of the box configuration data; wherein the box function includes a function to display a list of the box data on the basis of the box configuration data; and the control unit displays the list of the box data regardless of whether the box data has been received or not after receiving and saving the box configuration data and thereby registering the box configuration data to the box function.
  3. 3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the box function includes a function to display box data selected in the list of the box data; and if the box data selected in the displayed list of the box data has not been received and saved yet, the import processing unit receives and saves the selected box data more preferentially than another box data in the displayed list of the box data.
  4. 4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the box function includes a function to display box data selected in the list of the box data; and the import processing unit (a) further transmits an import request of another box to the management server, and (b) if box data selected in the displayed list of the box data has not been received and saved yet, receives and saves the selected box data more preferentially than box data of a box other than a box of which a list of box data is displayed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application relates to and claims priority rights from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-065739, filed on Apr. 13, 2023, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Present Disclosure The present disclosure relates to an image forming system and an image forming apparatus. 2. Description of the Related Art In an information processing system, an image forming apparatus as an export side transmits data to a server, the server transmits the data to an image forming apparatus as an import side, and the image forming apparatus as the import side receives and stores the data. An image forming apparatus has a box function. In the box function, one or plural pieces of box data (document data or the like) is/are registered in each of one or plural boxes, a user can cause to display a list of boxes, to display a list of the box data in a desired box, and to perform displaying of the box data in a desired box (i.e. displaying a document based on the document data or the like). When a box in such box function is exported from an image forming apparatus and imported to another image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus as the import side is usually prevented from using the box until transmission of the box data is finished. Therefore, if the box includes lots of box data, transmission of the box data takes long time and consequently long time is required until the box becomes available and it causes low usability. SUMMARY An image forming system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a management server and an image forming apparatus as an import side having a box function. The management server (a) stores box data received from an image forming apparatus as an export side, (b) generates box configuration data that indicates the box data, (c) upon receiving an import request of the box data from the image forming apparatus as the import side, transmits the box configuration data to the image forming apparatus as the import side, and (d) transmits the box data to the image forming apparatus as the import side after the transmission of the box configuration data. The image forming apparatus as the import side (a) transmits the import request to the management server, (b) receives and saves the box configuration data and thereby registers the box configuration data to the box function, and (c) receives and saves the box data after the receipt and the saving of the box configuration data. The box function includes a function to display a list of the box data on the basis of the box configuration data. Further, the image forming apparatus as the import side displays the list of the box data regardless of whether the box data has been received or not after receiving and saving the box configuration data and thereby registering the box configuration data to the box function. An image forming apparatus having a box function according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a communication device, a control unit, and an import processing unit. The control unit is configured to perform an action of the box function. The import processing unit is configured to (a) transmit an import request of a box to a management server, (b) receive and save box configuration data of the box from the management server and thereby register the box configuration data to the box function, and (c) receive and save box data of the box after the receipt and the saving of the box configuration data. The box function includes a function to display a list of the box data on the basis of the box configuration data. Further, the control unit displays the list of the box data regardless of whether the box data has been received or not after receiving and saving the box configuration data and thereby registering the box configuration data to the box function. These and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description along with the accompanied drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a block diagram that indicates a configuration of an image forming system in an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 shows a block diagram that indicates configuration of a management server 1 and an image forming apparatus 4 shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 shows a sequence diagram that explains a behavior of the image forming system shown in FIG. 1; and FIG. 4 shows a flowchart that explains a behavior of the image forming apparatus 4 as an import side in the image forming system shown in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, an embodiment according to an aspect of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to drawings. a FIG. 1 shows a block diagram that indicates configuration of an image forming system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the system shown in FIG. 1, a management server 1 is connect