JP2010271916A - Controller, image forming system and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent image formation based on an instruction from a controller when a security level of an information processor is below a reference. <P>SOLUTION: A terminal device writes image data to be transmitted to an image forming device into a storage part, and causes the storage part to store them, and transmits the image data stored in the storage part to the image forming device via a communication line. When the security level of the terminal device is below a predetermined reference, and connection to the communication line is not permitted, the terminal device does not write the image data to be transmitted to the image forming device, into the storage part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device, an image forming system, and a program.

  There is known a technique called a quarantine network that prevents a computer device having a problem with computer security from being connected to an intra network. For example, in Patent Document 1, the security countermeasure status of the user terminal is checked, and when the security countermeasure status satisfies the standard, the user terminal is connected to a regular VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) and the standard is not satisfied. In this case, a technique for connecting a user terminal to a quarantine VLAN is disclosed. Patent Document 2 discloses a system for inspecting whether or not a device connected to a network is permitted to connect to a business network, and for a device such as a printer without performing this inspection. A technique for connecting to an industrial network is disclosed.

JP 2006-252256 A JP 2007-126404 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for preventing image formation processing from being performed based on an instruction from a control device when the security level of an information processing device does not reach a standard.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, a control device includes: a writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to a storage unit; and a communication unit that stores the image data written to the storage unit. If the connection to the communication means is not permitted because the security level of the information processing apparatus and the transmission means for transmitting to the image forming apparatus via a predetermined level is not reached, the image formation And control means for controlling the image data instructed to be transmitted to the apparatus not to be written into the storage means by the writing means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the first aspect, the connection to the communication means is permitted because the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach a predetermined standard. If the instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to stop the image forming process, the control receiving unit receives an instruction whether to stop the image forming process. Control is performed so that image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus is not written into the storage means by the writing means.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device including: a transmission unit that transmits image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming device to the image forming device via a communication unit; If connection to the communication means is not permitted because the determined standard is not reached, image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus is not transmitted to the image forming apparatus. And a control means for controlling.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a control device includes a writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to a storage unit, and a communication unit that stores the image data written to the storage unit. Transmitting means for transmitting to the image forming apparatus via the information processing apparatus, and when the connection to the communication means is not permitted because the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach a predetermined standard, the storage means Control means for controlling not to transmit the image data written to the image forming apparatus to the image forming apparatus.

  An image forming system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to a storage unit, and a communication unit that stores the image data written in the storage unit. The transmission means for transmitting to the image forming apparatus via the information processing apparatus, and if the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach a predetermined standard, connection to the communication means is not permitted. A controller having information adding means for adding information indicating the security state of the information processing apparatus to image data written in the means, and an image corresponding to the image data transmitted from the transmitting means as a recording material Information indicating the security status is added to image data transmitted from the transmitting unit and the image data transmitted from the transmitting unit. And an image forming apparatus having an image forming control unit that controls the image forming unit not to form the image when the security state does not satisfy a predetermined condition. .

  An image forming system according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to a storage unit, and a communication unit that stores the image data written in the storage unit. When the connection to the communication unit is not permitted because the security level of the first transmission unit that transmits to the image forming apparatus via the information processing apparatus does not reach a predetermined standard A controller having information adding means for adding information indicating a security state of the information processing apparatus to image data written in the storage means; and image data transmitted from the first transmitting means. When information indicating the security state is added, the image includes second transmission means for transmitting information indicating the security state to the determination device. If it is determined that the security state of the information processing apparatus does not satisfy a predetermined condition based on the information indicating the security state transmitted from the image forming apparatus and the second transmission unit, image formation is performed. And a determination device having a third transmission means for transmitting information instructing to stop the processing to the image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus adds the image data transmitted from the first transmission means to the image data. When image forming means for forming a corresponding image on a recording material and information for instructing to stop the image forming process are transmitted from the third transmitting means, the image forming means forms the image. And image forming control means for controlling not to be performed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for communicating a computer with a writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to an image forming apparatus to a storage unit, and image data written in the storage unit. If the connection to the communication means is not permitted because the security level of the information processing apparatus and the transmission means that transmits to the image forming apparatus via the means does not reach a predetermined standard, This is a program for functioning as control means for controlling the writing of the image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus not to be written into the storage means by the writing means.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for transmitting, to a computer, a transmission unit that transmits image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to the image forming apparatus, and a security level of the information processing apparatus If the connection to the communication unit is not permitted because the image does not reach a predetermined standard, the image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus is not transmitted to the image forming apparatus. It is a program for making it function as a control means to control.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for communicating a computer with a writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to an image forming apparatus to a storage unit, and image data written in the storage unit. If the connection to the communication means is not permitted because the security level of the information processing apparatus and the transmission means that transmits to the image forming apparatus via the means does not reach a predetermined standard, This is a program for causing an image data written in a storage means to function as a control means for controlling so as not to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus.

According to the first and seventh aspects of the present invention, when the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach the standard, the image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus is not written to the storage means, and Data can be prevented from being transmitted to the image forming apparatus.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach the standard, the user can select whether or not to stop the image forming process.
According to the third and eighth aspects of the invention, when the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach the standard, the image forming process is not performed on the image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus. Can do.
According to the fourth and ninth aspects of the invention, when the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach the standard, the image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus is written in the storage unit. It is possible to prevent image data from being transmitted to the image forming apparatus.
According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the invention, when the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach the standard, the image forming process is not performed based on the image data transmitted from the control apparatus. Can do.

The figure which shows the structure of the quarantine system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the quarantine server apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the function structure of the terminal device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process of the terminal device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of condition information stored in an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process of the terminal device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process of the terminal device which concerns on a modification. The sequence diagram which shows the process of the image forming apparatus which concerns on a modification, and a quarantine server apparatus.

<First Embodiment>
[Constitution]
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a quarantine system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the quarantine system 1 includes a terminal device 10, an image forming device 20, a quarantine server device 30, and a relay device 40. The terminal device 10 is connected to the communication line N via the relay device 40. A communication address “129.249.100.x” is assigned to the communication line N, and the image forming apparatus 20 and the quarantine server apparatus 30 are connected in addition to the relay apparatus 40. The relay device 40 relays transmission / reception of data between the image forming device 20 or the quarantine server device 30 connected to the communication line N and the terminal device 10.

(Configuration of terminal device)
Next, the configuration of the terminal device 10 will be described. The terminal device 10 functions as an example of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention, and a printer driver for controlling the image forming apparatus 20 is installed. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the terminal device 10. As shown in the figure, the terminal device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a memory 12, a communication unit 13, a storage unit 14, an operation unit 15, and a display unit 16. The CPU 11 controls each unit of the terminal device 10 by executing a program stored in the memory 12. The CPU 11 functions as an example of a control device according to the present invention by cooperating with the memory 12. The memory 12 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores programs and data executed by the CPU 11. The communication unit 13 transmits and receives data via the relay apparatus 40 with the image forming apparatus 20 or the quarantine server apparatus 30 connected to the communication line N. The storage unit 14 includes, for example, a hard disk, and stores programs such as an operation system and a printer driver, and various data. The storage unit 14 functions as an example of a storage unit according to the present invention. The operation unit 15 includes, for example, a mouse and a keyboard, and inputs an operation signal corresponding to a user operation to the CPU 11. The display unit 16 includes a liquid crystal display, for example, and displays an image according to the control of the CPU 11.

(Configuration of image forming apparatus)
Next, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 20 will be described. The image forming apparatus 20 has a plurality of functions such as a printer function, a scanner function, and a copy function. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the image forming apparatus 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 20 includes a CPU 21, a memory 22, a communication unit 23, a storage unit 24, a display operation unit 25, an image reading unit 26, and an image forming unit 27. Yes. The CPU 21 controls each unit of the image forming apparatus 20 by executing a program stored in the memory 22. The memory 22 includes, for example, a ROM and a RAM, and stores programs and data executed by the CPU 21. The communication unit 23 transmits / receives data to / from the terminal device 10 via the relay device 40. The storage unit 24 includes, for example, a hard disk and stores various data. The display operation unit 25 includes, for example, a touch panel, displays an image according to the control of the CPU 21, and inputs an operation signal according to a user operation to the CPU 21. The image reading unit 26 includes, for example, a scanner device, and reads an image of a document to generate image data. The image forming unit 27 includes a printer device that forms an image using, for example, an electrophotographic method, and forms and outputs an image corresponding to the image data on a sheet. The image forming unit 27 functions as an example of an image forming unit according to the present invention. In the following description, forming an image according to image data on a sheet is referred to as “printing”.

(Quarantine server device)
Next, the configuration of the quarantine server device 30 will be described. The quarantine server device 30 has an inspection function for checking whether or not the security state of the terminal device 10 satisfies a predetermined standard. This security state is a state of countermeasures for ensuring safety from the viewpoint of computer security. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the quarantine server device 30. As shown in the figure, the quarantine server device 30 includes a CPU 31, a memory 32, a communication unit 33, and a storage unit 34. The CPU 31 controls each unit of the quarantine server device 30 by executing a program stored in the memory 32. The memory 32 includes, for example, a ROM and a RAM, and stores programs and data executed by the CPU 31. The communication unit 33 transmits / receives data to / from the terminal device 10 via the relay device 40. The storage unit 34 includes, for example, a hard disk, and stores quarantine policy information that is information for determining whether or not a predetermined standard is satisfied. The quarantine policy information is information for determining whether or not the terminal device 10 is in a state where there is no risk of harm or damage. In this quarantine policy information, for example, the level of permission to connect to the communication line N is listed for the patch application level of the operation system, the update status of the computer virus definition file in the virus scan, and the execution result of the computer virus scan. .

  Next, the functional configuration of the terminal device 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the terminal device 10. As shown in the figure, the terminal device 10 includes a printer driver unit 101 and an operation system unit 102 as functional configurations. The printer driver unit 101 is realized by the CPU 11 executing the printer driver stored in the storage unit 14. The printer driver unit 101 is a program that controls the image forming apparatus 20. The operation system unit 102 is realized by the CPU 11 executing the operation system stored in the storage unit 14. The operation system unit 102 includes a user interface unit 201, a spooler unit 202, a communication setting management unit 203, a connection management unit 204, and a communication control unit 205. The user interface unit 201 controls the operation unit 15 or the display unit 16 to exchange information with the user. The spooler unit 202 writes image data to be printed in the storage unit 14 and temporarily stores the image data, and sequentially transmits the image data stored in the storage unit 14 to the image forming apparatus 20. The communication setting management unit 203 manages communication settings when the communication unit 13 performs communication. The connection management unit 204 manages whether connection to the communication line N is permitted. The communication control unit 205 controls communication by the communication unit 13 according to the communication setting managed by the communication setting management unit 203.

[Operation]
Next, an operation according to the first embodiment will be described. First, in the quarantine system 1, the CPU 31 of the quarantine server device 30 receives the security status of the terminal device 10 from the operation system unit 102 of the terminal device 10 to be connected to the communication line N (for example, the patch application level of the operation system, Information indicating the update status of computer virus definition files in computer virus scans, computer virus scan execution results, etc.) is acquired. Subsequently, based on the acquired information indicating the security status of the terminal device 10 and the quarantine policy information stored in the storage unit 34, the CPU 31 satisfies the predetermined criteria for the security status of the terminal device 10. Determine whether or not. Specifically, the CPU 31 indicates the security status of the terminal device 10, for example, the degree of application of the operating system patch, the update status of the computer virus definition file in the computer virus scan, the execution result of the computer virus scan, etc. It is determined whether or not the level indicated has been reached. If all the levels have been reached, it is determined that a predetermined standard is satisfied. If even one of the levels has not been reached, the predetermined standard is satisfied. Judge that it is not.

  For example, when the security state of the terminal device 10 satisfies a predetermined standard, a communication address in the communication line N, for example, “129.249.100.aaa” is assigned to the terminal device 10. In this case, the terminal device 10 can be connected to the communication line N using the communication address “129.249.100.aaa”. As described above, the fact that the security state satisfies a predetermined standard means that the security level of the terminal device 10 has reached a predetermined standard. This security level is the degree of safety when the terminal device 10 is connected to the communication line N and used. For example, when an appropriate security measure is taken for the terminal device 10, the security level becomes high. On the other hand, for example, when an appropriate security measure is not applied to the terminal device 10, the security level is lowered.

  On the other hand, when the security state of the terminal device 10 violates a predetermined standard, the terminal device 10 is assigned a communication address in the isolated communication line n, for example, “192.168.10.aaa”. In this case, the storage unit 14 of the terminal device 10 stores isolation notification information indicating that the terminal device 10 has been isolated from the communication line N because the security state of the terminal device 10 has not reached a predetermined standard. The As described above, when a communication address in the isolated communication line n is assigned, it is not possible to connect to the communication line N, but to be connected to the isolated communication line n. That is, the terminal device 10 is isolated from the communication line N. The isolated communication line n is physically the same as the communication line N, but is logically different. When connected to the isolated communication line n, the quarantine server apparatus 30 can be accessed but the image forming apparatus 20 cannot be accessed. Therefore, the terminal device 10 cannot access the image forming apparatus 20 until the security level is improved by the quarantine server apparatus 30 and the communication address of the communication line N is assigned. The improvement of the security level is realized by performing a process such as applying the latest security patch when the latest security patch is not applied.

  Here, the configuration has been described in which the CPU 31 of the quarantine server device 30 performs a process of determining whether or not the security state of the terminal device 10 satisfies a predetermined standard. However, the operation system unit of the terminal device 10 has been described. 102 may perform this processing. In that case, the operation system unit 102 of the terminal device 10 acquires the quarantine policy information from the quarantine server device 30, and the security status of the terminal device 10 is determined in advance based on the acquired quarantine policy information and the security status of the terminal device 10. What is necessary is just to determine whether the defined standard is satisfied.

  Next, an operation when a print instruction is issued in the terminal device 10 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing of the terminal device 10. When the user operates the operation unit 15 of the terminal device 10 and issues a print instruction, the printer driver unit 101 determines whether the operation system unit 102 is permitted to connect to the communication line N. An inquiry is made (step SA11). In response to this inquiry, the operation system unit 102 returns information indicating whether the connection to the communication line N is permitted to the printer driver unit 101 as an inquiry result. Specifically, the operation system unit 102 returns, as an inquiry result, information indicating that connection to the communication line N is permitted when the above-described isolation notification information is not stored in the storage unit 14. When the quarantine notification information is stored, information indicating that connection to the communication line N is not permitted is returned as an inquiry result.

  Subsequently, the printer driver unit 101 determines whether connection to the communication line N is permitted based on the inquiry result returned from the operation system unit 102 (step SA12). For example, when an inquiry result indicating that the connection to the communication line N is permitted from the operation system unit 102 is returned (step SA12: YES), the printer driver unit 101 performs the image forming apparatus 20 in the print instruction described above. Print data is created based on the image data designated to be transmitted to the spooler 202 and transmitted to the spooler unit 202 (step SA13). This print data includes, for example, image data and a print request. The image data may indicate a document image created by a document creation program stored in the storage unit 14, for example, or may be stored in advance in the storage unit 14. . In this case, the spooler unit 202 writes the transmitted print data in the storage unit 14 and temporarily stores it, and then transmits it from the communication unit 13 to the image forming apparatus 20. That is, the spooler unit 202 functions as an example of a writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus 20 to the storage unit 14, and transmits image data written in the storage unit 14 to the communication unit. It functions as an example of a transmission unit that transmits to the image forming apparatus 20 via the line N (communication unit). The image forming apparatus 20 performs print processing based on the print data transmitted from the terminal device 10. As a result, an image corresponding to the image data included in the print data is formed on the paper and output.

  On the other hand, when the inquiry result indicating that the connection to the communication line N is not permitted is returned from the operation system unit 102 (step SA12: NO), the printer driver unit 101 cancels the creation of the print data described above. (Step SA14). In this case, since print data is not supplied to the spooler unit 202, no print data is stored in the storage unit 14. In other words, the printer driver unit 202 determines that the connection to the communication line N (communication means) is not permitted because the security level of the terminal device 10 does not reach a predetermined standard, and thus the image forming apparatus 20. It functions as an example of a control unit that controls the spooler unit 202 not to write the image data instructed to be transmitted to the storage unit 14. Since the printer driver unit 101 is isolated from the communication line N due to a problem in the security state of the terminal device 10, the printer driver unit 101 displays a message on the display unit 16 indicating that the creation of print data has been stopped ( Step SA15), this process is terminated.

  Here, let us consider a case where, even when connection to the communication line N is not permitted, creation of print data is not stopped and the created print data is transmitted to the spooler unit 202. In that case, the storage unit 14 stores print data created when there is a problem in the security state. For example, when the terminal device 10 is infected with a computer virus, the print data created before the security level is improved may be infected with the computer virus. Therefore, in this case, print data with low safety is stored in the storage unit 14. When the security level of the terminal device 10 is improved and the connection to the communication line N is permitted, print data with low security stored in the storage unit 14 is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 20. In the present embodiment, in order to prevent such a situation, print data is not stored in the storage unit 14 when connection to the communication line N is not permitted.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The quarantine system 1 according to the second embodiment functions as an example of an image forming system according to the present invention. The hardware configuration of the quarantine system 1 according to the second embodiment is the same as the configuration according to the first embodiment. However, the storage unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 20 stores condition information D indicating the execution conditions of the printing process. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the condition information D. In the condition information D, information indicating conditions for permitting execution of the printing process is listed regarding the security state of the terminal device 10. For example, in the example shown in the figure, when the security status of the terminal device 10 meets all the conditions such as “not infected with a computer virus” and “the latest security patch for printing processing is applied”, Execution of the printing process is permitted. Note that the user can rewrite the condition information D by operating the display operation unit 25.

[Operation]
Next, an operation according to the second embodiment will be described. Note that the process for determining whether the security status of the terminal device 10 satisfies a predetermined criterion and isolating it from the communication line N when the predetermined criterion is violated is described above. The same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, here, an operation when a print instruction is issued in the terminal device 10 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing of the terminal device 10. When the user operates the operation unit 15 of the terminal device 10 and issues a print instruction, the printer driver unit 101 connects the operation system unit 102 to the communication line N as in steps SA11 and SA12 described above. An inquiry is made as to whether or not the connection is permitted (step SB11), and based on the inquiry result returned from the operation system unit 102, it is determined whether or not the connection to the communication line N is permitted (step SB12). For example, when an inquiry result indicating that the connection to the communication line N is permitted from the operation system unit 102 is returned (step SB12: YES), the printer driver unit 101 prints the print data in the same manner as in step SA13 described above. Is transmitted to the spooler unit 202 (step SB13). In this case, the spooler unit 202 writes the transmitted print data in the storage unit 14 and temporarily stores it, and then transmits it from the communication unit 13 to the image forming apparatus 20.

  On the other hand, when an inquiry result indicating that the connection to the communication line N is not permitted from the operation system unit 102 is returned (step SB12: NO), the printer driver unit 101 performs the image forming apparatus 20 in the print instruction described above. The print data is created based on the image data designated to be transmitted to (step SB14). Subsequently, the printer driver unit 101 adds security information indicating the security state of the own apparatus to the created print data, and transmits it to the spooler unit 202 (step SB15). In this case, the spooler unit 202 writes the transmitted print data in the storage unit 14 together with the security information and temporarily stores it. That is, the printer driver unit 101 stores in the storage unit 14 when connection to the communication line N (communication means) is not permitted because the security level of the terminal device 10 does not reach a predetermined standard. It functions as an example of an information adding unit that adds information indicating the security state of the terminal device 10 to the stored image data. The security information includes information indicating that the terminal apparatus 10 is isolated from the communication line N in addition to information indicating the security state of the terminal device 10. When the security level of the terminal device 10 is improved and the communication address of the communication line N is given, the spooler unit 202 transmits the print data and security information stored in the storage unit 14 from the communication unit 13 to the image forming apparatus 20. Send to.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing of the image forming apparatus 20. When print data is transmitted from the terminal device 10, the CPU 21 of the image forming apparatus 20 receives the print data via the communication unit 23 (step SB21). Subsequently, the CPU 21 interprets the received print data (step SB22) and determines whether security information is added to the print data (step SB23). When security information is not added to the print data (step SB23: NO), the CPU 21 supplies a print image (bitmap format image data) corresponding to the image data included in the print data to the image forming unit 27. Then, the printing process is executed (step SB24). As a result, an image corresponding to the print image is formed on the paper and output.

  On the other hand, when security information is added to the print data (step SB23: YES), the CPU 21 specifies the security state of the terminal device 10 based on this security information. Further, the CPU 21 reads the condition information D stored in the storage unit 24 (step SB25). Subsequently, based on the condition information D read from the storage unit 24, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the security state of the terminal device 10 is compatible with the print process execution condition (step SB26). For example, if the security status of the terminal device 10 satisfies all the conditions of the condition information D shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 21 determines that the security status of the terminal device 10 matches the execution condition of the printing process (step SB26: YES). In this case, the CPU 21 proceeds to step SB24 described above and executes a printing process.

  On the other hand, the security status of the terminal device 10 satisfies all the conditions of the condition information D shown in FIG. 7, for example, the terminal device 10 is infected with a computer virus or the latest security patch related to printing processing is not applied. If not, the CPU 21 determines that the security state of the terminal device 10 does not conform to the print process execution condition (step SB26: NO). In this case, the CPU 21 stops the printing process (step SB27). That is, when the information indicating the security state of the terminal device 10 is added to the image data transmitted from the terminal device 10 and the security state does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the CPU 21 The image forming unit 27 functions as an example of an image forming control unit that performs control so that an image corresponding to the image data is not formed on a sheet. When the printing process is canceled, information indicating the cause of the cancellation of the printing process is stored in the storage unit 24 as a log.

[Modification]
The above is the description of the embodiment, but the contents of this embodiment can be modified as follows. Further, the following modifications may be combined as appropriate.
(Modification 1)
In the first embodiment described above, when the connection to the communication line N is not permitted, the printing process is stopped. However, the user may select whether to stop the printing process. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing processing of the terminal device 10 according to this modification. Since the processing of steps SC11 to SC13 in the figure is the same as steps SA11 to SA13 of the first embodiment described above, the processing after step SC14 will be described here. In step SC12, when the inquiry result indicating that the connection to the communication line N is not permitted is returned from the operation system unit 102 (step SC12: NO), the printer driver unit 101 enters the security state of the terminal device 10. A message indicating that the communication line N is isolated due to a problem is displayed on the display unit 16 to allow the user to select whether or not to cancel the printing process (step SC14). That is, the printer driver unit 101 cancels the image forming process when the connection to the communication line N (communication means) is not permitted because the security level of the terminal device 10 does not reach a predetermined standard. It functions as an example of an instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction as to whether or not to do so. At this time, when the operation unit 15 is operated by the user and the execution of printing is instructed (step SC15: NO), the printer driver unit 101 proceeds to step SC13 described above, creates print data, and creates a spooler unit. 202. On the other hand, when the operation unit 15 is operated by the user and an instruction to cancel printing is given (step SC15: YES), the printer driver unit 101 stops the creation of print data (step SC16) and ends this processing. To do.

(Modification 2)
In the second embodiment described above, the image forming apparatus 20 determines whether or not the security state of the terminal device 10 is suitable for the print processing execution condition. However, the quarantine server apparatus 30 may perform this determination. . In this case, the quarantine server device 30 functions as an example of a determination device according to the present invention, and the storage unit 34 stores the condition information D described above. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing processing of the image forming apparatus 20 and the quarantine server apparatus 30 according to this modification. Since the processes of steps SD21 to SD24 in the figure are the same as steps SB21 to SB24 of the second embodiment described above, the processes after step SD25 will be described here. In step SD23, when security information is added to the print data (step SD23: YES), the CPU 21 transmits this security information from the communication unit 23 to the quarantine server device 30 to determine whether or not to execute the printing process. (Step SD25). That is, when the information indicating the security state of the terminal device 10 is added to the image data transmitted from the terminal device 10, the CPU 21 transmits the information indicating the security state to the quarantine server device 30. It functions as an example of means.

  When security information is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 20, the CPU 31 of the quarantine server apparatus 30 receives this security information via the communication unit 33 (step SD26). Subsequently, the CPU 31 specifies the security state of the terminal device 10 based on the received security information, and determines whether or not the specified security state matches the print processing execution condition stored in the storage unit 34. (Step SD27). Then, the CPU 31 gives a determination result instructing execution of the printing process when it matches the execution condition of the printing process, and a determination result instructing stop of the printing process when it does not match the execution condition of the printing process. Transmission is performed from the communication unit 33 to the image forming apparatus 20 (step SD28). That is, if the CPU 31 determines that the security state of the terminal device 10 does not satisfy a predetermined condition based on the information indicating the security state transmitted from the image forming apparatus 20, the CPU 31 performs the image forming process. It functions as an example of a transmission unit that transmits information instructing cancellation to the image forming apparatus 20.

  When the determination result is transmitted from the quarantine server device 30, the CPU 21 of the image forming apparatus 20 receives the determination result via the communication unit 23 (step SD29). Subsequently, the CPU 21 determines whether or not to stop the printing process based on the received determination result (step SD30). For example, when the determination result instructing execution of the printing process is received, the CPU 21 determines that the printing process should be executed (step SD30: NO), and proceeds to the above-described step SD24 to perform the printing process. On the other hand, when the determination result instructing to stop the printing process is received, the CPU 21 determines that the printing process should be stopped (step SD30: YES), and stops the printing process similarly to the above-described step SB27 (step S30). SD31). In other words, when the information for instructing to stop the image forming process is transmitted from the quarantine server device 30, the CPU 21 does not perform the process of forming an image according to the image data on the paper by the image forming unit 27. Control as follows.

(Modification 3)
In the first embodiment described above, when the connection to the communication line N is not permitted, the creation of the print data is stopped. However, even when the connection to the communication line N is not permitted, the terminal If the security status of the apparatus 10 meets the above-described print processing execution conditions, print data may be created. In this case, the condition information D described above is stored in the storage unit 14 of the terminal device 10. When the connection to the communication line N is not permitted in step SA12 described above, the printer driver unit 101 of the terminal device 10 determines its own device based on the condition information D stored in the storage unit 14. In step SA13, the print data is generated and transmitted to the spooler unit 202. In step SA13, the print data is generated.

(Modification 4)
In the first embodiment described above, when the inquiry result indicating that the connection to the communication line N is not permitted is returned from the operation system unit 102, the creation of the print data is stopped. Alternatively, print data may be created. In this case, when the inquiry result indicating that the connection to the communication line N is not permitted from the operation system unit 102 is returned from the operation system unit 102, the printer driver unit 101 of the terminal device 10 transmits the created print data to the image forming apparatus. 20 is controlled not to be transmitted. For example, the printer driver unit 101 does not transmit the created print data to the spooler unit 202. In other words, the printer driver unit 101 determines that the connection to the communication line N (communication means) is not permitted because the security level of the terminal device 10 does not reach a predetermined standard, and thus the image forming apparatus 20. Control is performed so that image data instructed to be transmitted to is not transmitted to the image forming apparatus 20.

  Even when the inquiry result indicating that the connection to the communication line N is not permitted from the operation system unit 102 is returned, the printer driver unit 101 creates print data in the same manner as in step SA13 described above. It may be transmitted to the spooler unit 202. The print data transmitted to the spooler unit 202 is written into the storage unit 14 by the spooler unit 202. In this case, the printer driver unit 101 controls the print data written in the storage unit 14 not to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus 20 by the spooler unit 202. That is, if the security level of the terminal device 10 does not reach a predetermined standard, and the connection to the communication line N (communication means) is not permitted, the printer driver unit 101 stores in the storage unit 14. Control is performed so that the data of the written image is not transmitted to the image forming apparatus 20.

Further, when the print data is stored in the spooler unit 202, the security level of the terminal device 10 may be changed. In this case, the print data stored in the spooler unit 202 may not be transmitted uniformly. As a result, even if the print data is changed to data with low safety when stored in the spooler unit 202, safety can be ensured. If there is print data created when the security level of the terminal device 10 satisfies a predetermined standard, the print data is determined to be highly secure data and transmitted to the image forming apparatus 20. May be.
Furthermore, when the security level of the terminal device 10 does not satisfy a predetermined standard, it may be confirmed to the user whether or not to transmit print data. When the user selects to transmit, the print data is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 20. In this case, there is no need to create print data again.

(Modification 5)
In the embodiment described above, the processing performed by the CPU 21 of the image forming apparatus 20 may be performed by the cooperation of the CPU 21 and other hardware, or may be performed by one or a plurality of hardware instead of the CPU 21. Also good. Further, the processing performed by the CPU 11 of the terminal device 10, the CPU 21 of the image forming apparatus 20, and the CPU 31 of the quarantine server apparatus 30 may be realized by a single program or a plurality of programs. Each program executed by the CPU 11 of the terminal device 10, the CPU 21 of the image forming apparatus 20, and the CPU 31 of the quarantine server apparatus 30 is a magnetic recording medium such as a magnetic tape or a magnetic disk, an optical recording medium such as an optical disk, or a magneto-optical recording. It may be provided in a state where it is stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a medium or a semiconductor memory. It is also possible to download this program via a communication line such as the Internet.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Quarantine system, 10 ... Terminal device, 11 ... CPU, 12 ... Memory, 13 ... Communication part, 14 ... Memory | storage part, 15 ... Operation part, 16 ... Display part, 101 ... Printer driver part, 102 ... Operation system part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 201 ... User interface part, 202 ... Spooler part, 203 ... Communication setting management part, 204 ... Connection management part, 205 ... Communication control part, 20 ... Image forming apparatus, 21 ... CPU, 22 ... Memory, 23 ... Communication part, 24 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS Storage part 25 ... Display operation part 26 ... Image reading part 27 ... Image formation part 30 ... Quarantine server apparatus 31 ... CPU, 32 ... Memory, 33 ... Communication part, 34 ... Storage part.

Claims (9)

A writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to a storage unit;
Transmitting means for transmitting image data written in the storage means to the image forming apparatus via communication means;
If the connection to the communication unit is not permitted because the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach a predetermined standard, the image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus is And a control means for controlling the writing means not to write to the storage means. Instruction accepting means for accepting an instruction as to whether or not to stop the image forming process when the connection to the communication means is not permitted because the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach a predetermined standard. With
When the instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to stop the image forming process, the control unit writes the image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to the storage unit by the writing unit. The control device according to claim 1, wherein control is performed so as not to occur. Transmitting means for transmitting data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to the image forming apparatus via a communication means;
If the connection to the communication unit is not permitted because the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach a predetermined standard, the image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus is And a control unit that controls to prevent transmission to the image forming apparatus. A writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to a storage unit;
Transmitting means for transmitting image data written in the storage means to the image forming apparatus via communication means;
If the connection to the communication unit is not permitted because the security level of the information processing device does not reach a predetermined standard, the image data written in the storage unit is stored in the image forming device. And a control means for controlling so as not to transmit. A writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to a storage unit;
Transmitting means for transmitting image data written in the storage means to the image forming apparatus via communication means;
When the connection to the communication unit is not permitted because the security level of the information processing device has not reached a predetermined standard, the image data written in the storage unit is included in the data of the information processing device. A control device having information adding means for adding information indicating a security state;
An image forming unit that forms an image on a recording material according to image data transmitted from the transmission unit;
When the information indicating the security state is added to the image data transmitted from the transmission unit, and the security state does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the image forming unit stores the image data. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming control unit that controls image formation so as not to be performed. A writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to a storage unit;
First transmission means for transmitting image data written in the storage means to the image forming apparatus via communication means;
When the connection to the communication unit is not permitted because the security level of the information processing device has not reached a predetermined standard, the image data written in the storage unit is included in the data of the information processing device. A control device having information adding means for adding information indicating a security state;
An image having second transmission means for transmitting information indicating the security state to the determination device when information indicating the security state is added to the image data transmitted from the first transmission means. A forming device;
If it is determined that the security state of the information processing apparatus does not satisfy a predetermined condition based on the information indicating the security state transmitted from the second transmission unit, the image forming process is stopped. The determination device having a third transmission means for transmitting the instructing information to the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes:
An image forming unit for forming an image on a recording material according to image data transmitted from the first transmitting unit;
An image forming control unit that controls the image forming unit not to form the image when information instructing to stop the image forming process is transmitted from the third transmitting unit. An image forming system. Computer
A writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to a storage unit;
Transmitting means for transmitting image data written in the storage means to the image forming apparatus via communication means;
If the connection to the communication unit is not permitted because the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach a predetermined standard, the image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus is A program for causing a writing means to function as a control means for controlling not to write to the storage means. Computer
Transmitting means for transmitting data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to the image forming apparatus via a communication means;
If the connection to the communication unit is not permitted because the security level of the information processing apparatus does not reach a predetermined standard, the image data instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus is A program for functioning as control means for controlling not to transmit to an image forming apparatus. Computer
A writing unit that writes data of an image instructed to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus to a storage unit;
Transmitting means for transmitting image data written in the storage means to the image forming apparatus via communication means;
If the connection to the communication unit is not permitted because the security level of the information processing device does not reach a predetermined standard, the image data written in the storage unit is stored in the image forming device. A program for functioning as a control means to prevent transmission.

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