JP2005066875A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively prevent the unauthorized use of an image forming apparatus by accurately grasping a place where the image forming apparatus is used in an unauthorized manner, from printed matter which is created by the unauthorized use of the image forming apparatus, when the image forming apparatus is used in the unauthorized manner. <P>SOLUTION: This image forming apparatus is equipped with a radio communication part 7 for receiving positional data from a GPS satellite 24, a positional data imaging means 27 for encrypting the positional data from the GPS satellite 24 so as to add them to image data, and an engine part 3 for printing the image data onto a recording material. The positional data are received from the GPS satellite 24 on power-up. Additionally, the positional data are periodically received from the GPS satellite 24 during the passage of an electric current after the power-up. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine thereof, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that can easily identify a used place.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, an image forming apparatus capable of printing a high-quality color image on a recording material (sheet-like paper, plastic film, etc.) has been developed, and such an image forming apparatus has been widely used in general. Yes. As a result, such an image forming apparatus may be used for counterfeiting banknotes and securities.
[0003]
In order to prevent such counterfeiting of banknotes and securities, information (model and serial number, date and time of forgery) for identifying the user of the image forming apparatus that has been counterfeited is visually checked. A technology has already been devised that allows a person who has been involved in counterfeiting to be traced based on invisible image information that has been struck onto the printing surface in a size that is indistinguishable (patent) Reference 1). Such a conventional technique is intended to prevent counterfeiting of banknotes and securities by facilitating the control of unauthorized users of image forming apparatuses involved in counterfeiting.
[0004]
In addition, the actual use position information of the image forming apparatus obtained by using the GPS is compared with the installation position information of the image forming apparatus recorded in advance in the storage unit in the image forming apparatus, and the position information is shifted. If the image forming apparatus exceeds the predetermined range, it is necessary to stop the operation of the image forming apparatus and to perform counterfeiting of banknotes or the like with an image forming apparatus illegally acquired by a person other than the original user by theft or the like A technique for preventing this problem has already been devised (see Patent Document 2).
[0005]
In addition, when an operation for changing the operation date and time of the image forming apparatus to perform forgery of banknotes or securities is performed, the operation on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus is changed. While displaying the date and time, the date and time data based on the world standard time issued from the clock means installed inside the device is printed with the output image, and the date and time data based on the world standard time is printed by the unauthorized user ( A technique for using tracking information of forgers has also been devised (Patent Document 3).
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-7-170359 (see page 2 and FIG. 1)
[Patent Document 2]
JP 2001-334728 A (see pages 2 to 3, see FIG. 2)
[Patent Document 3]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-117453 (see page 2)
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the prior art of Patent Document 1, when an image forming apparatus is illegally used (forgery of banknotes, etc.) at a place different from the installation place registered due to theft or the like, the image forming apparatus is illegally used. Since the location could not be specified, it was difficult to effectively control unauthorized use.
[0008]
Further, in the prior art of Patent Document 2, when the image forming apparatus is illegally used in a place different from the original installation place due to theft or the like, the image forming apparatus is stopped and cannot be used. Although the effect of preventing unauthorized use is greater than that of the prior art, if the person with knowledge about the mechanical structure or electrical knowledge is an unauthorized user, the unauthorized user can cancel the suspended state of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus may be illegally used. In such a case, it becomes difficult to track the unauthorized user from the printed material.
[0009]
The prior art of Patent Document 3 can accurately specify the date and time when the image forming apparatus was illegally used. However, similar to the prior art of Patent Document 1, the image forming apparatus is registered by theft or the like. If the image forming apparatus is illegally used (forgery of banknotes, etc.) at a place different from the installation place, the place where the image forming apparatus is illegally used cannot be identified.
[0010]
Therefore, the present invention enables an image forming apparatus to accurately grasp a place where the image forming apparatus is illegally used from a printed matter created by the unauthorized use of the image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is illegally used. Provide technology that can effectively prevent unauthorized use of.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention of claim 1 is a wireless communication means for receiving position data from a GPS satellite, position data imaging means for encrypting position data from the GPS satellite and adding it to image data, and image data as a recording material. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit for printing.
[0012]
The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, position data is received from the GPS satellite when the power is turned on.
[0013]
The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 2, position data is periodically received from the GPS satellite during energization after power-on.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0015]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a scanner unit 2, an engine unit (image forming unit) 3, a finisher unit 4, a user operation unit 5, an external storage unit (HDD) 6, wireless communication. Unit (wireless communication means) 7 and control unit 8.
[0016]
Among these, the scanner unit 2 optically reads the image information of the original on the platen glass or the image reading glass by the image reading CCD 10, and sends the A / A to the memory copy unit 12 of the control unit 8 connected via the interface 11. The D-converted image data is output.
[0017]
The engine unit 3 is connected to the control unit via an interface 9, and the recording unit (sheet-like paper, plastic film, etc.) conveyed from a paper feeding cassette (not shown) is connected to the scanner unit 2, the external personal computer 13, Printing (image formation) is performed based on image data sent to the laser scanning unit 19 from 14, 15 or the like. In the present embodiment, the electrophotographic engine unit 3 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the engine unit may be replaced with an inkjet image forming unit.
[0018]
The finisher unit 4 is, for example, a stapler that stacks a plurality of printed recording materials and is connected to the engine unit 3 via the interface 16.
[0019]
The user operation unit 5 includes a key input unit 17 such as a numeric keypad, a liquid crystal display unit 18 that displays various types of information, and an LED display unit 20 that displays a function being executed. The user operation unit 5 is connected to the control unit 8 via the interface 21 so that various control signals can be exchanged with the control unit 8.
[0020]
The external storage means 6 is connected to the control unit 8 via the interface 22 and is controlled by the control unit 8 to store image data and other various data.
[0021]
The wireless communication unit 7 is connected to the control unit 8 via the interface 23, and is controlled to operate by the control unit 8. The wireless communication unit 7 is configured to transmit and receive data to and from the GPS satellite 24. The position data sent from 24 is sent to the control unit 8.
[0022]
The control unit 8 includes a CPU 25, a memory copy unit 12 that temporarily stores image data, a memory 26 such as a ROM and a RAM, and a position data image that encrypts position data from the GPS satellite 24 and adds it to the image data. And a conversion means 27. The control unit 8 is connected to the scanner unit 2, the engine unit 3, the user operation unit 5, the external storage unit 5, the wireless communication unit 7 and the printer controller 30 via the interfaces 11, 9, 21, 22, 23 and 28. They are connected, and control signals can be exchanged between them. Among these, the memory copy unit 12 temporarily stores the image data transmitted from the scanner unit 2, the image data transmitted from the printer controller 30 of the external personal computer 13, and the image data transmitted from the position data imaging unit 27. The image data is exchanged with the external storage device 6, and the image data is sent to the engine unit 3. The control unit 8 is connected to a network via the LAN connection board 31 so that various data can be exchanged with a plurality of personal computers 13, 14, and 15 connected via the network.
[0023]
As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment having such a configuration first receives position data from the GPS satellite 24 when the power is turned on (step S1). The received position data is converted into image data encrypted by the position data imaging means 27, and the encrypted image data is added to the image data from the scanner unit 2 or the like (step S2). Here, it is conceivable that the position data imaging means 27, for example, causes the position data to be mixed into the image on the printing surface as a fine dot pattern that is invisible, and by decoding the dot pattern in the image, It can be understood as numerical data of latitude and longitude. Making the position data into a minute dot pattern that cannot be visually recognized means that the position data is converted into encrypted image data. As an example of the image data obtained by encrypting the position data, a case where the position data is converted into a small zip code or the like having a small data size that cannot be visually recognized is conceivable.
[0024]
Thereafter, when the image forming apparatus 1 is energized (step S3) and a predetermined time has elapsed since the power was turned on (step S4), position data is acquired from the GPS satellite 24, and the position data is converted by the position data imaging means 27. It is encrypted and added to the image data (step S2).
[0025]
When the energization of the image forming apparatus 1 is stopped, reception of position data from the GPS satellite 24 is also stopped.
[0026]
According to the present embodiment having such a configuration, the printed location can be known by enlarging and decoding the encrypted position data in the printed image with a magnifying lens or the like. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when a banknote or the like is forged (i.e., improperly used) using the image forming apparatus 1, the place where the banknote or the like is forged can be known from the printed image, and image formation is performed. Since unauthorized users of the apparatus 1 can be accurately tracked, unauthorized use of the image forming apparatus 1 can be effectively prevented.
[0027]
In the above-described embodiment, it is exemplified that the dot data is encrypted so that the position data cannot be visually recognized. However, as an example of encrypting the position data and adding it to the image data, the position data is used as a watermark pattern. It can also be described on the printed surface.
[0028]
In the above-described embodiment, the image data captured by the scanner unit 2 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present invention (for forgery of banknotes, etc.) is transferred to other printers connected via a network. A case where printing is executed by another image forming apparatus such as a copying machine is also conceivable. Therefore, in such a case, the position data received from the GPS satellite 24 is converted into image data by the position data imaging means 27 and added to the header of the image file, and the image data with the position data added is changed to another data. When printing is performed by the image forming apparatus, the location where the image is illegally read can be specified with high accuracy by analyzing the position data converted into image data of the printed matter.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
In the present invention described above, position data from a GPS satellite is received, and the received position data is encrypted and added to the image data. Therefore, the encrypted position data is decoded from the printing surface. As a result, the installation location of the image forming apparatus at the time of printing can be known with high accuracy, and counterfeiters (unauthorized users) such as banknotes can be reliably traced. As a result, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to prevent counterfeiting (unauthorized use) of banknotes and the like using the image forming apparatus.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operating state of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 3 ... Scanner part, 7 ... Wireless communication part (wireless communication means), 24 ... GPS satellite, 27 ... Position data imaging means

Claims (3)

Wireless communication means for receiving position data from a GPS satellite;
Position data imaging means for encrypting position data from the GPS satellite and adding it to image data;
Image forming means for printing image data on a recording material;
An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein position data is received from the GPS satellite when the power is turned on. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the position data is periodically received from the GPS satellite during energization after the power is turned on.

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