Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an accumulating unit to accumulate a correspondence of tray classification information that represents a classification of sheet trays and tray identifiers including information for identifying the sheet trays, a determining unit to determine whether there are overlapping tray identifiers in the accumulating unit, the overlapping tray identifiers being tray identifiers that are common for same-tray classification information or different-tray classification information and a changing unit to, when the determining unit determines that there are overlapping tray identifiers, change the overlapping tray identifiers in the accumulating unit so that there are no overlapping tray identifiers.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has at least one tray for feeding or discharging a sheet, and includes an input tray ID holding unit which holds an input tray ID that is optionally input so as to identify the tray, an initial tray ID holding unit which holds an initial tray ID set beforehand so as to identify the tray, a tray ID comparing unit which compares the input tray ID and the initial tray ID, and a tray ID allocating unit which allocates a new tray ID to the tray to which the initial tray ID is allocated, when the input tray ID and the initial tray ID are found overlapped as a result of the comparison by the tray ID comparing unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an accumulating unit that accumulates therein a correspondence of tray classification information that represents a classification of each of sheet trays and tray identifiers that are information for identifying each of the sheet trays; a determining unit that determines whether there are overlapping tray identifiers in the accumulating unit, the overlapping tray identifiers being tray identifiers that are common for same tray classification information or different tray classification information; and a changing unit that, when the determining unit determines that there are overlapping tray identifiers, changes the overlapping tray identifiers in the accumulating unit so that there are no overlapping tray identifiers.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a control method therefor. The image forming apparatus includes at least one tray, a manual feed tray, a setting unit to set the at least one tray and the manual feed tray to be out of search, an acquiring unit to acquire tray information of the at least one tray when the at least one tray is set to be subject to the search and of the manual feed tray irrespective of whether the manual feed tray is set to be out of search upon receipt of an acquisition request from a request source, and a reporting unit to report the tray information to the request source.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has at least one tray for feeding or discharging a sheet, and includes an input tray ID holding unit which holds an input tray ID that is optionally input so as to identify the tray, an initial tray ID holding unit which holds an initial tray ID set beforehand so as to identify the tray, a tray ID comparing unit which compares the input tray ID and the initial tray ID, and a tray ID allocating unit which allocates a new tray ID to the tray to which the initial tray ID is allocated, when the input tray ID and the initial tray ID are found overlapped as a result of the comparison by the tray ID comparing unit.