JP2006186814A - Method of automatically additionally outputting identification information to printed matter in printed matter output apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To check and prevent illegal copy or alteration by suppressing mixed use of copies by adding identification information to printed matter of a printed matter output apparatus to provide new originality to the printed matter itself. <P>SOLUTION: Personal authentication information is acquired as inquisition of printed document identification information. The printed matter output apparatus instructs input of the personal identification. The personal authentication information inputted from an input means is registered and stored. The individual authentication information is collated with the registered personal authentication information and identified. Print processing is permitted in response to a result thereof. The personal identification information is composited as the print document identification information with the printed matter, and outputted by printing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for adding identification information in a printed matter output apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for automatically adding and outputting identification information for managing security of an output matter of a printed matter output apparatus connected alone or connected to a network.

  In recent years, the amount of information has increased dramatically as the digitization of offices has progressed. The performance of each function such as copying (copying), printing (printing), facsimile (FAX), PC-FAX, reading (scanner), etc. is improved in a multifunction device (hereinafter simply referred to as MFP) which is a printed material output device. In the output digitalized documents, the distinction between the original and the duplicate, or the information such as the creator and the owner becomes ambiguous. Further, it is not easy to identify individual documents, and the vulnerability is a problem from the viewpoint of information security.

In order to solve such problems, various security management methods and document management systems have been proposed.
According to Patent Literature 1, when printing (printing) from a host device, a user inquires management information from the administrator host device to a printer driver that creates print data for a print instruction. After that, if there is a user name of the inquired user in the management information, the local text is printed. In other words, by allowing the administrator to manage copy prevention, which is the purpose of ground text printing, copy prevention can be reliably performed. In addition, there has been proposed a printer system that can enhance the copy prevention power by making it easy to identify a user who has performed printing.

According to Patent Document 2, when print data is transmitted / received via a network, access right manager authentication, access right setting, and user access to a document are authenticated. In addition, when a user prints a document, the server also manages the generation of a print watermark, print log, and the server from which the printed document is sent together with the authentication of the print recipient. As described above, there has been proposed a printer system that can relatively easily manage confidentiality of print data transmitted and received via a network, management of access authority to a file to be printed, management by importance, and traceability.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-78752 JP 2004-280227 A

  However, there is a problem that it is not sufficient to prove the authenticity, existence, and falsification of the original of the printed material simply by printing various printing patterns together with the printed material (printing medium) to prevent illegal copying.

  For example, in the case of copying (copying) and printing (printing), no consideration is given to adding new originality to the copied material itself by adding identification information. In addition, when performing PC-FAX transmission, a copy of a document that has been successfully transmitted can be filed as paper with identification information. It is not considered to give originality to the copy.

In many cases, FAX received documents are usually given information such as the reception date and time, sender information, etc. to the header, but the information is basically up to the other party's device, and its reliability is not high.
According to Patent Document 1, printing is performed by adding a pattern for specifying various users to the local text printing, and according to Patent Document 2, a printing watermark is added and abuse of copying or illegality is performed. Copying provides a certain degree of prevention and suppression effect, but it is difficult to achieve a sufficient effect because it focuses on the merit for document management. As described above, information security vulnerability is a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and prints can be printed using functions such as copying (copying), printing (printing), FAX communication (PC-FAX communication, etc.), reading (scanner), and the like. When outputting, it is possible to give a new originality to the printed matter itself using the identification information, and to suppress mixed use of copying. It also aims to provide checks and prevention against illegal copying and tampering.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in a printed matter output device that prints and outputs a print on a recording medium, a print document identification information acquisition unit that acquires print document identification information;
When outputting the printed material that is the recording medium, a composite printing unit that composite prints the print document identification information on the printed material is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the print document identification information acquisition unit acquires personal authentication information, and the print product output device instructs the input of the personal authentication information by the printed material output device. Control for registering and storing the inputted personal authentication information, collating and identifying the personal authentication information inputted from the input means and the registered personal authentication information, and permitting print processing according to the result Means,
The personal identification information is combined with the printed matter as the print document identification information and printed out.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the print document identification information acquisition unit acquires time information generated from a built-in clock, combines the time information with the print as the print document identification information, and prints it out. The configuration.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the print document identification information acquisition means receives and acquires time information by an external radio wave, and combines the time information with the print as the print document identification information and prints it out.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided means for converting the print document identification information into copy check image data to be recorded as a copy check image. The print document identification information is synthesized as a copy check image on a printed matter. To print out.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the time information is time stamp information.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the time information is time code information.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the time stamp and the time code information are a scan reading time of a copy (copy) document.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the time stamp and the time code information are configured to be a time generated at the normal end of FAX transmission / reception.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the time stamp and the time code information are configured to be print (print) discharge times.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the personal authentication information is fingerprint information.

According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, the personal authentication information is voiceprint information.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the personal authentication information is iris information.
According to the invention described in claim 14, the printed matter output device is a copying machine.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the printed matter output device is a printing press.
According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the printed matter output device is a facsimile machine.

According to the invention described in claim 17, the printed matter output device is a multi-function recording device.
When copying (copying) with the above-described configuration, identification information is automatically added to the front or back surface of the printed output, which is a copy result, based on the obtainable information and output. When printing (printing) from the PC, identification information is automatically added to the front or back surface of the printed output based on information that can be acquired from the PC. Also, when performing FAX communication, identification information is automatically added to the front or back surface of the printed output as a result of FAX reception based on the information that can be acquired and the information obtained by FAX communication. When performing fax transmission from a PC (hereinafter simply referred to as “PC-FAX”), the identification information is automatically added to the information that can be acquired by the MFP and the PC, and the front or back side of the document to be confirmed for fax communication. Output as a record. With the above configuration, it is possible to check and prevent illegal copying or falsification of the output of printed matter.

  According to the invention of claim 18, in a printed matter output method for printing and outputting a print on a recording medium, when obtaining print document identification information for obtaining print document identification information and outputting the printed matter as the recording medium Is characterized in that the print document identification information is combined and printed on the printed matter.

  According to the invention described in claim 19, the print document identification information is acquired by acquiring personal authentication information, instructing input of the personal authentication information by the printed matter output method, and inputting the personal input by the input. Authentication information is registered and stored, the input personal authentication information and the registered personal authentication information are collated and identified, and print processing is permitted and controlled according to the result, and the personal identification information is identified as the print document. The information is combined with the printed matter and printed out.

  According to the invention of claim 20, the print document identification information acquisition acquires time information generated from a built-in clock, combines the time information with the print as the print document identification information, and prints it out. It is characterized by.

  According to the invention of claim 21, the print document identification information acquisition is performed by receiving and acquiring time information from an external radio wave, and the time information is combined with the printed matter as the print document identification information and printed. It is characterized by outputting.

  According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, the print document identification information is converted into copy check image data to be recorded as a copy check image, and the print document identification information is synthesized and printed out as a copy check image on a printed matter. It is characterized by that. By using the method described above, it is possible to prevent or prevent illegal copying or falsification of the output of the printed matter.

  According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for a printed matter output device that prints and outputs a print on a recording medium, the print document identification information acquiring function for acquiring print document identification information, and the recording medium. When outputting a printed matter, the program is provided to a computer with a composite printing function for synthetically printing the print document identification information on the printed matter.

  According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, the print document identification information acquiring function acquires personal authentication information, and inputs an instruction to input the personal authentication information by the printed material output device. Control for registering and storing the input personal authentication information, comparing and identifying the personal authentication information input from the input function and the registered personal authentication information, and permitting print processing according to the result This is a program provided to a computer that synthesizes the function and the personal identification information as the print document identification information into the printed matter and prints it out.

  According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, the print document identification information acquisition function acquires time information generated from a built-in clock, combines the time information with the print as the print document identification information, and prints it out. A program provided to a computer.

  According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, the print document identification information acquisition function receives and acquires time information from an external radio wave, and combines the time information with the print as the print document identification information. A program provided to a computer for printing out.

  According to a twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention, a function of converting the print document identification information into copy check image data recorded as a copy check image, and the print document identification information are combined and printed as a copy check image on a printed matter. It is a program provided to an output computer. With the above program, it is possible to check or prevent illegal copying or falsification of the output of printed matter.

When copying (copying) according to the present invention, by adding identification information, a new originality can be imparted to the copied material itself, and mixed use of copying can be suppressed.
Further, in addition to information that is normally given, the destination information and time stamp information acquired by FAX communication can be added to the document received by FAX, and the accuracy of truth can be further increased. It is also possible to perform original document weaving of received documents.

  In addition, when printing is performed, by adding identification information, originality can be imparted and abuse of copying can be suppressed. Furthermore, identification of individual documents is facilitated by personal authentication information and time stamp information.

  In addition, when performing PC-FAX transmission, a copy of a document that has been successfully transmitted can be filed as paper with identification information. The originality can be given to the copy.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
Example 1
For example, a basic method of using an MFP is to use an MFP alone or to use an MFP installed on a network.

  In addition, copying (copying), printing (printing), facsimile transmission / reception, PC-FAX transmission / reception, and the like are permitted by authorization permission, and printed matter identification information is synthesized and printed on a printed matter output after authorization. The print document identification information to be described later may be simply combined and printed in a specific area at the corner of the printed material, or may be printed in a copy-checking manner or on the entire printing surface so as to be in the way.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram when the MFP is used alone. The MFP 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a scanner unit 2, an MFP main unit 3, a FAX communication control unit 4 inside the MFP main unit 3, and a printer unit 5. The FAX communication control unit 4 is connected to a line network (for example, a public line network, a dedicated line network, etc.).

  Next, when the MFP 1 is installed and used on a network, as shown in FIG. 2, the client PC 6, the router 7, and the like and the MFP 1 are connected to a network (for example, LAN). The router 7 is connected to the Internet or the like.

Next, details of the MFP 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The client PC 6 is connected to the network such as the LAN described above and communicates with the MFP 1 so that the user can use the MFP 1. (It can also be used by directly operating the MFP 1 itself)
The scanner unit 2 of the MFP 1 has a reading mechanism unit 8 that captures various images and converts them into electronic data.

  The MFP main unit 3 includes a scanner control unit 9, a display operation control unit 10, a display operation unit 11, a FAX communication control unit B12, a LAN communication control 13, an Internet communication control 14, a time stamp control unit 15, a storage device control unit 16, The storage unit 17, the MFP control unit 18, and the time code acquisition unit 19 are included.

The reading mechanism control unit 9 controls the reading mechanism unit 8 of the scanner unit 2 to read various image data, and transfers the image data to the MFP 18.
The display operation control unit 10 controls an operation when using the MFP 1 described later.

  As one of the controls, in order to authenticate the identity, a password or biometric information, which is personal information, is input from input means (a keyboard, various sensors, etc.) provided in the display operation unit 11, and the input information is input to the MFP. Control for transfer to the control unit 18 is performed.

The FAX communication control unit 12 performs communication control in order to perform FAX communication via a line network.
The LAN communication control unit 13 controls LAN communication in order to perform communication between the MFP 1 and a device capable of LAN communication such as the client PC 6 installed on the network. The Internet communication control unit 14 controls communication when using the Internet, such as accessing the Internet.

  The time stamp control unit 15 has data that records the creation date and time of data created by copying (copying), printing (printing), PC-FAX, facsimile, reading (scanner), and the like. You can record the date and time.

It proves to a third party that the data existed at the time indicated by the time stamp and that the data has not been tampered with since the time when the time stamp was given.
The storage device control unit 16 controls the storage device unit 17 such as a hard disk. The storage unit 17 includes authentication information for each individual, identification information of the client PC 6 and the router 7 connected via the network, the user who used the MFP 1 in the past, the function used by the user, FAX, PC- The usage status of a FAX transmission destination or the like is stored as a log.

The MFP control unit 18 controls each function in the MFP main unit 1 and exchanges between the scanner unit 2 and the printer unit 5. Details will be described later.
The time code acquisition unit 19 has a function of receiving a time code of a radio clock transmitted from JJY (Standard Time Report).

By installing a function capable of receiving the time code of the radio timepiece, the following features can be provided.
When the scanner is operated, the authenticity of the information is ensured by reading the time code into the (scanner) image.

In this case, a method is provided that can specify the reading (scanning) execution time during the reading (scanner) operation. For example, the electronic document method (e-one document method) is required. The convenience of adding the element of the authenticity of the scanned image to ensuring the authenticity as a voucher is ensured. (Contributes to minimizing the room for alterations.)
The time code of the read (scanner) document can be confirmed by the image data of the held image data (Tiff / Jpeg / pdf format file etc.).

At the time of FAX transmission operation, the time code is taken into a read (scanner) image (according to transmission) to ensure the authenticity of the information.
Also, a method is provided that can specify two points at the time of scan execution and at the time of completion of transmission when executing FAX transmission. The time code of the FAX transmission document can be confirmed with the stored image data (Tiff / JPeg / pdf format file etc.). When output is performed on paper as a recording medium, a time code is added as a character string and printed.

At the time of FAX reception, the authenticity of the information is ensured by taking the time code into the received image.
Provided is a method capable of specifying when reception is completed at the time of FAX reception. The time code of the FAX received document can be confirmed with the stored image data (Tiff / JPeg / pdf format file etc.). When output is performed on paper as a recording medium, it is possible to print by adding a time code as a character string.

At the time of copying (copying) operation, the time code is taken into the scanner image accompanying copying (copying) to ensure the authenticity of the information.
In this case, a method is provided that can specify the scan execution time during the copy operation.

The copy operation is premised on output to paper as a recording medium, and can be printed with a time code added as a character string.
In the case where a scanner-captured document is held as a copy operation process, the time code can be confirmed by the held image data (Tiff / Jpeg / pdf format file or the like).

The authenticity of the information is ensured by incorporating the time code into the print data during the printing operation.
In this case, a technique is provided that can specify the time of printout during a print operation. The print operation is premised on output to paper, and can be printed with a time code added as a character string.

  When a printed document is held as a print operation process, the time code can be confirmed by the held print data (such as Raw / Emf / Ps format file).

In small and medium-sized offices, it is possible to acquire a highly accurate time acquisition method with official authentication power. (As a result, a highly reliable time server is obtained).
In addition, although it is a different dimension from time authentication, the potential needs from small and medium-sized offices can be satisfied by enabling the combined use.

  Equipped with a “DHCP server” function that manages network addresses (IP Address), it enables effective address management for devices such as PCs connected on the network without making troublesome settings in small and medium-sized offices. Can do.

  Next, the printer unit 5 includes a printer control unit 20 and a printing mechanism unit 21, and includes the printer control unit 20 and the printing mechanism unit 21. The printer control unit 20 acquires data necessary for printing from the MFP control unit 18 and outputs a printed matter as a printing result by controlling the printing mechanism unit 21.

Functions that can be printed out and used in the MFP 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A portion with a black circle in the figure indicates a function capable of printing additional information.
Additional information (copy check / time stamp) can be printed for the four functions of copying (copying), printing (printing), PC-FAX transmission, and FAX reception.

  As a function, additional information, copy restraint measures, and time stamps are printed with white circles. Here, FAX transmission and reading (scanner) are excluded from printing of additional information because there is no recording medium such as paper as a printed result in the output result.

  When copying (copying) using the MFP 1 equipped with the basic function, it is possible to add new originality to the copy itself (to the legal extent only) by adding print document identification information. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the mixed use of copying.

  In many cases, FAX received documents are usually given information such as the reception date and time, sender information, etc. to the header, but the information is basically up to the other party's device, and its reliability is not high. However, the accuracy of authenticity can be further improved by adding destination information or time stamp information acquired by FAX communication to a document received by FAX in addition to information normally given. Furthermore, it is possible to perform original document classification of received documents.

  Further, when printing (printing), by adding print document identification information, originality can be imparted and duplication of copying can be suppressed. Furthermore, identification of individual documents is facilitated by personal authentication information and time stamp information.

  In addition, when PC-FAX transmission is performed, a copy of a document that has been successfully transmitted can be filed as paper with print document identification information. The originality can be given to the copy.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing how to add print document identification information in each function of the MFP 1 such as copying (copying), printing (printing), facsimile transmission / reception, PC-FAX, reading (scanner).

In the figure, when the user makes a copy (copy), the copy is executed after performing the process (1) in the figure.
In the case of FAX transmission / reception, processing (4) is executed at the time of FAX reception, FAX reception processing is performed, and processing (5) is further executed.

In the case of PC-FAX (personal computer-facsimile) transmission, the transmission is executed after performing the process (2) in the figure, and the process (3) is further performed.
In the case of printing (printing), printing is executed after performing the process (6) in FIG.

In this example, print document identification information is not added during FAX transmission and reading (scanner), but print document identification information may be added.
When copying (copying) with the MFP 1, information such as a password, biometric information (fingerprint, voiceprint, iris), IC employee ID, etc. is acquired as personal authentication information by operating the operation panel (display operation unit 11) of the MFP 1. . Time stamp information and time code are acquired as time information. Then, it is added as output document identification information to the output (printed material) that is the result of copying (copying). When copying (copying), the MFP 1 can be operated alone, or an environment in which the MFP is connected to a network (such as a LAN) may be used. When used as a copy, the MFP 1 acquires in advance information such as personal authentication information, time stamp information, and time code information as information that can be acquired by itself.

  (1) Processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When copying (copying) is executed as shown in FIG. 5, it is necessary to determine whether or not to add print document identification information by (1) processing.

  In step S61, the necessity of automatic addition of print document identification information is selected from the operation panel (display operation unit 11) of the MFP 1. It should be noted that it may be a setting in which print document identification information is forcibly added by setting the system of the MFP 1 in advance.

  In step S62, the personal authentication information described above is acquired, and in step S63, time stamp information is acquired. Based on the information acquired in S63 and S64, step S64 executes a print document identification information automatic addition measure. Thereafter, copying (copying) is performed.

  Next, S62 will be described in detail. An example of acquiring personal authentication information is shown in FIG. For example, there is a method of performing personal authentication by using the operation panel (display operation unit 11) that is standardly installed in the MFP 1 and inputting the password shown in S71. In this case, on the assumption that a password is registered in the MFP 1 in advance, the user identifies an individual based on the authentication result, and uses that information as a component of the print document identification information.

  Also, as shown in fingerprint authentication in S72, voiceprint authentication in S73, and iris authentication in S74, various sensors that read biometric information are installed in the MFP 1, thereby authenticating using biometric information. For simplicity, personal authentication may be performed using an IC employee ID card or the like.

  In step S75 in the figure, print document identification information is acquired by the method shown in S71 to S74, and if authentication of the information is established, it is stored in the storage unit 17 as personal identification information. Here, when authentication is not performed, copying (copying) itself is not permitted. Further, the failure of authentication may be used as information and may be a constituent element of the print document identification information.

  Next, an example of acquiring the time stamp information in S63 is shown in FIG. For example, as shown in S81, using the internal clock of the MFP 1, time stamp information at the device level is used. Using an internal clock is an effective method because it can maintain a certain level of information consistency for small-scale operations.

  Further, if a radio wave reception function of, for example, a radio clock is installed in the MFP 1 as shown in S82 and the time information is used as time stamp information, the consistency of information between the inside and outside can be maintained regardless of the operation scale. it can.

  In addition, as shown in S83, an average value of the internal clocks of adjacent PCs is acquired and used as group level time stamp information, or a time stamp is specified using a time server specified and obtained from S84. Use information and other methods.

The time stamp information is acquired by the method such as S81 to S84 described above and stored in the storage device unit 17.
Next, FIG. 9 shows the processing of S64. In step S91, based on the determination result of automatic addition of print document identification information on the operation panel (display operation unit 11) of S61 described above, it is determined whether to perform a copy restraining measure or a header / footer adding measure. .

  If a copy check measure (YES) is to be taken, in step S92, the print document identification information is added as a copy check character by the copy check measure. For example, when the addition of the output to the surface is selected, the copy (copy) content and the copy check character can be output in a state of being synthesized on the surface.

  Here, the copy check printing is a print in which a copy check image is copied at the time of printing, and a copy check image that cannot be seen at the time of copying from the original can be combined and printed. In addition, when the copy is re-copied, the copy check image can be seen, and the use of the print is hindered.

  Therefore, the printed document identification information is not printed on the original, but the printed document identification information copied when copied is additionally printed on the copy. Then, it becomes possible to identify when and where the printed material is copied. This makes it possible to know when and who made the copy when the copy is made as a manuscript again, which is effective for security of confidential documents.

  Next, in the case of a header / footer addition measure (No), in step S93, the process proceeds to step S63, and a measure for adding print document identification information as header / footer information is performed.

  Next, the S92 copy check measure will be described with reference to FIG. Fixed character string (password, IC employee card, etc.) shown in S101 as a copy check image, time stamp information shown in S102, personal authentication information (password, IC employee card, biometric information, etc.) shown in S103, destination information shown in S104 In step S105, the copy check image is combined and reflected on the printed matter as a pattern.

  FIG. 12 shows an automatically generated example. In this example, a user name “TANAKA”, time “2004/09/30”, and the like are added as a copy check character string. Further, in order to conceal “TANAKA” and “2004/09/30” shown in FIG. 12, a ground pattern indicated by halftone dots is used in FIG. In addition, in order to make the character shown by the ground pattern easy to understand, it is shown by a solid line at the center.

  The S93 header / footer addition measure will be described. As in FIG. 10, the S111 fixed character string, the S112 time stamp information, the S113 personal authentication information, and the S114 partner information are acquired and reflected on the printed matter as headers / footers.

After the above processing is completed, as shown in FIG. 5, printing (printing) is performed by adding print document identification information by executing copying.
Note that the print document identification information can be added by designating the front or back surface of a copy (copy) output product by setting in advance, and the mode can be selected.

The information added at the time of copying (copying) is acquired from the personal authentication information and the time stamp information, but other information may be acquired.
If personal authentication is not established, copying (copying) itself is not permitted as described above, or a fixed character string such as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “2004/09/30” is used as a copy restraining character string as shown in FIG. It does not matter if it is added.
(Example 2)
In the second embodiment, it is assumed that the MFP 1 performs facsimile (FAX) reception. The configuration of the second embodiment is realized in the environment of the MFP 1 alone described in the first embodiment, and may be an environment in which the MFP is connected to a network (LAN or the like).

FIG. 5 shows a flow for executing the processes (4) and (5) at the time of FAX reception.
In order to perform FAX reception by the MFP 1 and add print document identification information to a printed output as a result of FAX reception, information that can be acquired by operation panel operation (operation display unit 11) of the MFP 1 and FAX communication are obtained. Print document identification information is generated using the obtained information.

  The process (4) shown in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S141 in FIG. 14, it is determined whether to automatically add print document identification information. When automatic addition is performed, the process (9) described with reference to FIG. 9 is performed, and the print document identification information is added to the recording medium using the copy check image as a pattern.

In addition, when adding print document identification information as header / footer information, the print document identification information is added as a header or footer to the margin of the recording medium that is the output product.
Next, the process (5) in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S142, FAX reception is executed, and the procedure is started by a reception start trigger.

  In step S143, information on a communication partner that can be acquired by FAX is acquired as partner information. An example of acquiring partner information in S143 will be described with reference to the process (12) shown in FIG. The information obtained by FAX communication is limited, and is basically about the S151 counterpart's FAX telephone number or S152 answerback instead. In addition, there is a case where destination information cannot be acquired.

  In step S144, the completion of reception is detected. If reception has been completed normally in step S145, the process proceeds to S146. If the setting is to perform automatic addition in step S146, the time stamp information at that time is obtained in step S147. get. As described in the process (8) above, a method of using the internal clock of the MFP 1 to obtain time stamp information at the device unit level can be used. In a small scale operation, a certain level of information consistency can be maintained. Further, for example, a radio wave reception function of a radio clock is installed in the MFP 1, and a method of using the time information as time stamp information can be used. By doing so, it is possible to maintain consistency of information inside and outside regardless of scale. In addition, a method of obtaining an average value of internal clocks of adjacent PCs to obtain group level time stamp information, a method of designating a time server and using time information obtained from the time server, or the like may be used. Good.

Thereafter, in step S148, a print document identification information automatic addition measure is applied based on the information, and the FAX received document is printed out.
If not normal in step S145, the process (13) is performed. S145 will be described with reference to the process (13) shown in FIG. If it cannot be received normally, the S161 retry process or the termination process due to the S162 timeout is performed. It is also possible to return to the next process without ending.

  The print document identification information that can be added at the time of printing is information that can be acquired from the destination information and the time stamp information. When the other party information cannot be acquired, for example, “UNKNOWN” or the like can be added as a fixed character string as shown in FIGS. Whether or not the print document identification information needs to be added is selected by an operation panel operation (operation display unit 11). Note that the setting may be forcibly added in advance by the system setting of the MFP 1.

In addition, when the addition of the output to the front surface is selected by the operation panel operation (operation display unit 11), the output is made in a state where the print content and the copy restraint character are combined. The weaving information can be added by designating the front or back surface of the FAX reception output product by setting in advance, and the mode can be selected.
(Example 3)
Printing (printing) according to the present invention is realized in an environment in which the MFP 1 and the PC 6 are connected to a network (such as a LAN). FIG. 5 shows a processing flow.

  When the MFP 1 performs printing (printing) via the PC 6, print document identification information is added to a printed output (recording medium) based on the printing (printing) result. Depends on pre-setting by operation panel operation (operation display unit 11) of MFP 1 or setting by driver of PC 6.

  Whether or not to automatically add print document identification information also depends on the selection on the operation panel of the MFP 1 or the setting by the driver of the PC 6. However, the operation may be forcibly added by the system setting of the MFP 1 in advance.

In the process (6) of FIG. 5, the print document identification information is automatically added to the information that can be acquired from the personal authentication information and the time stamp information, and the print (print) is executed.
An example of acquiring print document identification information will be described with reference to FIG. In step S171, whether or not to automatically add print document identification information is selected by the operation panel (display operation unit 11) of the MFP 1 or the PC 6. It should be noted that the print document identification information may be forcibly added by setting the system in advance using the MFP 1 and the PC 6.
In step S172, in the case of printing, there is a method of using the personal authentication function of the PC 6. In this case, the user does not need to be a registered user of the MFP 1. Further, an individual is specified by the authentication result of the PC 6, and the information is used as a component of the print document identification information. Further, when authentication is not established, it is possible to operate without permitting printing (printing) itself, and it is also possible to use failure of authentication as information as a component of the print document identification information.

  In step S173, time stamp information is acquired in the same manner as the process (8) described in FIG. A method of using the internal clock of the MFP 1 as time stamp information at the device level can be considered. A certain amount of information consistency can be maintained in a small-scale operation.

  Further, for example, a method of mounting a radio wave reception function of a radio clock in the MFP 1 and using the time information as time stamp information is conceivable. Regardless of the scale, it is possible to maintain consistency of information inside and outside the company.

  In addition, the average value of the internal clocks of neighboring PCs may be acquired and used as group level time stamp information, or time information may be obtained by designating a time server and using time information obtained therefrom. Also, the internal clock of the PC 6 itself can be used.

  In step S174, a print document identification information automatic addition measure is implemented based on the print document identification information acquired above. The print document identification information automatic adding measure performs the same process as the process (9) described in FIG.

  By the copy check measure, the print document identification information is added as a copy check character. For example, when the addition of the output to the front surface is selected, the output is performed as shown in FIG.

In order to add the print document identification information as the header / footer information, the print document identification information is added as a header or footer to the margin of the printed matter.
After S174, printing (printing) is performed, and print output with print document identification information added is performed.

Here, the print document identification information can be added by designating the front or back surface of the printed (print) output product (recording medium) by setting in advance, and the mode can be selected.
If personal authentication is not established, printing (printing) itself is not permitted as described above, or printing is performed with a fixed character string (for example, “CONFIDENTIAL” shown in FIG. 13).
Example 4
FIG. 5 shows a processing flow for PC-FAX transmission using the MFP 1 realized in an environment in which the MFP 1 and the PC 6 are connected on a network (LAN).

When PC-FAX transmission is performed using the MFP 1, it is basically unnecessary to print a transmission document.
However, there is a case where it is desired to keep a document that has been successfully transmitted as a copy. In this case, print document identification information is added to the transmission copy. In the case of PC-FAX transmission, print document identification information is generated based on information obtained by FAX communication and the setting of the PC 6 driver.

  The necessity of automatic addition of print document identification information depends on the selection on the operation panel (display operation unit 11) of the MFP 1 or the setting by the driver of the PC 6. However, forcibly added operation may be performed by setting the system of the MFP 1 in advance.

  In PC-FAX, personal authentication information is acquired, destination information is set, and transmission is executed. When the transmission ends normally, the time stamp information at that time is acquired. A print document identification information is automatically added based on the information, and a PC-FAX transmission copy is printed out.

The print document identification information for PC-FAX transmission will be described with reference to FIGS.
In step S181, the necessity of automatic addition of print document identification information is selected by the operation panel (display operation unit 11) of the MFP 1 or the PC 6. It should be noted that the print document identification information may be forcibly added by setting the system in advance using the MFP 1 and the PC 6.

  In step S182, there is a method of using the personal authentication function of the PC 6. In this case, the user does not need to be a registered user of the MFP 1. Further, an individual is specified by the authentication result of the PC 6, and the information is used as a component of the print document identification information. Further, when authentication is not established, it is possible to operate without permitting printing (printing) itself, and it is possible to use failure of authentication as information as a component of the print document identification information.

  An example of acquiring personal authentication information is shown. In the case of PC-FAX transmission, there is basically a method that resides in the personal authentication function of the PC. In this case, the user does not need to be a registered user of the MFP 1. An individual is specified by the authentication result, and the information is used as a component of the print document identification information. When the authentication is not established, an operation in which the PC-FAX transmission itself is not permitted is possible, and the failure of the authentication can be used as information as a component of the print document identification information.

In step S183, destination information is acquired in advance by an application such as the PC 6 or the like.
In step S191, PC-FAX transmission is executed. In step S192, PC-FAX partner information is acquired. In step S193, the PC-FAX transmission is completed, and in step S194, it is confirmed whether the transmission is normally completed.

In step S195, it is confirmed whether S181 in FIG. 18 is YES (automatic addition). If YES, the process proceeds to S196, and if NO, the process proceeds to return.
Next, in step S196, time stamp information is acquired. As a time stamp acquisition method, a method of using the internal clock of the MFP 1 as time stamp information at the device level can be considered. In a small scale operation, a certain level of information consistency can be maintained.

  Further, for example, a method of mounting a radio wave reception function of a radio clock in the MFP 1 and using the time information as time stamp information is conceivable. Regardless of the scale, it is possible to maintain consistency of information inside and outside the company.

  In addition, a method of obtaining an average value of internal clocks of adjacent PCs to obtain group level time stamp information, a method of designating a time server and using time information obtained therefrom to obtain time stamp information, and the like are also conceivable. Moreover, you may use the internal clock of own PC.

  Next, a copy restraint measure or a footer / header addition measure is implemented by the process (9) shown in FIG. In the case of copy restraint measures, print document identification information is added as copy restraint characters. If the addition of the output to the front surface is selected, the output is as shown in FIG. 12 in a state where the PC-FAX transmission contents and the copy check characters are combined.

In addition, when adding print document identification information as header / footer information, the print document identification information is added as a header or footer to the margin of the printed matter.
When the personal authentication is not established, the PC-FAX itself is not permitted, or “CONFIDENTIAL”, “UNKNOWN”, or the like is added as a fixed character string as shown in FIG.

  In step S187, a printed matter of the transmission completion document (print) with print document identification information is output. The print document identification information can be added by designating the front or back surface of the PC-FAX transmission output product according to a preset setting, and the mode can be selected.

The ground pattern may be a pattern such as “flower” or “wave”.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration when an MFP is used alone. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration when an MFP is used on a network. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration diagram of an MFP. FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating print document identification information for each MFP function. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating processing of MFP functions. (1) It is the figure which showed the flow of the process. (7) It is the figure which showed the flow of the process. (8) It is the figure which showed the flow of the process. (9) It is the figure which showed the flow of the process. (10) It is the figure which showed the flow of the process. (11) It is the figure which showed the flow of the process. It is the figure which showed the example of the synthetic | combination printing of a copy check character string and a ground pattern. It is the figure which showed the example of the synthetic | combination printing of a copy check character string and a ground pattern. (4) (5) It is the figure which showed the flow of the process. (12) It is the figure which showed the flow of the process. (13) It is the figure which showed the flow of the process. (6) It is the figure which showed the flow of the process. (2) It is the figure which showed the flow of the process. (3) It is the figure which showed the flow of the process.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Print output device / MFP (MFP)
2 ... Scanner unit 3 ... MFP main unit 4 ... FAX communication control unit 5 ... Printer unit 6 ... Client PC
7 ・ ・ ・ Router 8 ・ ・ ・ Reading mechanism section 9 ・ ・ ・ Scanner control section 10 ・ ・ ・ Display operation control section 11 ・ ・ ・ Display operation section 12 ・ ・ ・ FAX communication control section 13 ・ ・ ・ LAN communication control section 14 ... Internet communication control unit 15 ... Time stamp control unit 16 ... Storage device control unit 17 ... Storage device unit (HDD)
18 ... MFP control section (main)
19: Time code acquisition unit 20: Printer control unit 21: Printing mechanism unit

Claims (27)

In a printed matter output device that prints and outputs a print on a recording medium,
Print document identification information acquisition means for acquiring print document identification information;
When outputting a printed matter that is the recording medium, a synthetic printing unit that synthetically prints the printed document identification information on the printed matter;
A printed product output device. The print document identification information acquisition means acquires personal authentication information, and inputs means for instructing input of the personal authentication information by the printed matter output device;
Means for registering and storing the personal authentication information input by the input means;
Control means for collating and identifying the personal authentication information input from the input means and the registered personal authentication information, and permitting a printing process according to the result,
2. The printed matter output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the personal identification information is combined with the printed matter as the printed document identification information and printed out.   The print document identification information acquisition unit acquires time information generated from a built-in clock, combines the time information with the print as the print document identification information, and prints out the print information. Printed product output device.   2. The print document identification information acquisition unit receives and acquires time information by an external radio wave, and synthesizes the time information as the print document identification information on the printed matter and prints it out. The printed matter output device according to 1.   The print document identification information includes means for converting the copy document identification information into copy check image data to be recorded as a copy check image, and the print document identification information is synthesized and printed out as a copy check image on a printed matter. Item 5. The printed matter output device according to any one of Items 1 to 4.   The printed material output apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the time information is time stamp information.   5. The printed matter output apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the time information is time code information.   8. The printed material output apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the time stamp and the time code information are scanning and reading times of a copy (copy) document.   8. The printed matter output apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the time stamp and the time code information are times that are generated at a normal end of FAX transmission / reception.   The printed matter output apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the time stamp and the time code information are printing (print) discharge times.   The printed matter output apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the personal authentication information is fingerprint information.   The printed matter output apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the personal authentication information is voiceprint information.   The printed matter output apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the personal authentication information is iris information.   The printed matter output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printed matter output apparatus is a copying machine.   The printed matter output device according to claim 1, wherein the printed matter output device is a printing press.   The printed matter output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printed matter output apparatus is a facsimile apparatus.   The printed matter output device according to claim 1, wherein the printed matter output device is a multi-function recording device. In a printed matter output method for printing and outputting a print on a recording medium,
Obtain print document identification information to obtain print document identification information,
When outputting the printed material that is the recording medium, the print document identification information is combined and printed on the printed material.
A printed matter output method. The print document identification information acquisition acquires personal authentication information, instructs the input of the personal authentication information by the printed matter output method,
Registering and storing the personal authentication information input by the input,
The personal authentication information to be input and the registered personal authentication information are collated and identified, and according to the result, the print processing is permitted and controlled,
19. The printed matter output method according to claim 18, wherein the personal identification information is combined with the printed matter as the printed document identification information and printed out.   19. The printed material according to claim 18, wherein the print document identification information acquisition acquires time information generated from a built-in clock, and the time information is combined with the printed material as the print document identification information and printed out. output method.   19. The print document identification information acquisition is performed by receiving and acquiring time information from an external radio wave, combining the time information as the print document identification information with the printed matter, and printing out the print information. The printed matter output method described.   The print document identification information is converted into copy check image data to be recorded as a copy check image, and the print document identification information is combined with a printed material as a copy check image and printed out. The printed matter output method according to any one of the above. A program of a printed matter output device that prints and outputs a print on a recording medium,
A print document identification information acquisition function for acquiring print document identification information;
When outputting a printed matter that is the recording medium, a composite printing function for synthetically printing the print document identification information on the printed matter;
A program provided to a computer. The print document identification information acquisition function acquires personal authentication information, and an input function that instructs the print product output device to input the personal authentication information;
A function of registering and storing the personal authentication information input by the input function;
A control function for collating and identifying the personal authentication information input from the input function and the registered personal authentication information, and permitting a print process according to the result,
24. The program provided to the computer according to claim 23, wherein the personal identification information is combined with the printed matter as the print document identification information and printed out.   The print document identification information acquisition function acquires time information generated from a built-in clock, combines the time information with the printed matter as the print document identification information, and prints it out. program.   24. The computer according to claim 23, wherein the print document identification information acquisition function receives and acquires time information from an external radio wave, combines the time information with the print as the print document identification information, and outputs the print information. Provided program.   27. The function of converting the print document identification information into copy check image data recorded as a copy check image, and the print document identification information synthesized as a copy check image on a printed matter and printed out. A program provided to the computer according to Item 1.