JP2003228472A - Image-forming and reading system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image-forming and reading system, capable of increasing user's convenience by saving the labor of setting a user ID and password through a printer panel device. <P>SOLUTION: The image-forming and reading system comprises a printer scanner 140 and a host computer 130, and has accumulation printing function for performing a specific accumulated printing job by setting a user ID through a printer driver 133, transmitting the data to the printer and then having the user ID input through the printer panel device 113, when printing is performed through the host computer 130. The image-forming and -reading system has the function of performing user authentication by way of having the separately printed user ID scanned by a scanner 120, when the accumulation printing is performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming / reading system including a printer, a scanner and a host computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming / reading system composed of a printer, a scanner and a host computer, when printing from the host computer, a user ID is set by a printer driver, data is transmitted to the printer, and then a panel device of the printer is used. There is known a storage printing function of inputting the user ID and printing a stored specific job.

Similarly, in an image forming / reading system composed of a printer, a scanner and a host computer, when printing from the host computer, the printer driver sets a user ID and a password, transmits data to the printer, and then the printer. There is known a confidential print function for inputting the user ID and password from the panel device and printing a stored specific job.

By the way, at present, in the storage / confidential printing, it is necessary for the user to input the user ID and password from the panel device of the printer after sending the data to the printer.

[0005]

As described above, in the conventional storage / confidential printing, after sending data to the printer,
The user selects the user I from the printer panel device.
Although it was necessary to input D and a password, the operability of the panel device of the printer was often not good, which was troublesome for the user.

Therefore, in the present invention, the trouble of setting the user ID and the password from the panel device of the printer is omitted,
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming / reading system that can improve user convenience.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a printer, a scanner, and a host computer, and when printing from the host computer, a user ID is set by a printer driver. After sending the data to the printer by the printer, the user ID is input from the panel device of the printer, and in the image forming / reading system having the storage printing function for printing the stored specific job, the separate printing is performed at the time of the storage printing. The most important feature is the image forming / reading system having a function of authenticating the user by reading the user ID with a scanner.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the printer comprises a printer, a scanner, and a host computer. When printing from the host computer, a user ID and password are set by the printer driver, data is transmitted to the printer, and then the printer panel is displayed. In the image forming / reading system having the confidential printing function of printing the stored specific job by inputting the user ID and the password from the apparatus, the user I who has printed separately during the confidential printing
An image forming and reading system having a function of performing user authentication by reading D and a password with a scanner is the most main feature.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
The main feature of the described image forming / reading system is the image forming / reading system in which it is possible to select whether to use the storage printing function or the confidential printing function by the panel device.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming and reading system centering on a controller of a printer. The image forming / reading system includes a controller 100,
Engine 112, panel device 113, disk device 11
4, a scanner 120, and a host computer 130 which is an upper device of the printer. The printer and the scanner 120 form a printer scanner 140.

The engine 112 of the printer is a device that actually prints. The panel device 113 of the printer is
Notify the user of the current status of the printer and give a mode instruction. The disk device 114 of the printer stores various data such as font data, programs, and print data, and is composed of a floppy disk device or a hard disk device. Scanner 120
Is a device for reading a document. The host computer 130 is connected to the printer scanner 140 and sends a printer setting command and print data to the printer scanner 140.

The structure of the controller 100 is as follows. Reference numeral 101 denotes a controller 10 according to a program in the program ROM 104, a mode instruction from the panel device 113, and a command from the host computer 130.
0 is a CPU that controls the whole. An IC card 102 supplies font data and programs from the outside. Reference numeral 103 denotes a non-volatile storage device that stores the contents of the mode instruction from the panel device 113, and is an NVRAM.
Is.

Reference numeral 104 is a program ROM in which a control program for the controller 100 is stored. 10
A font ROM 5 stores font pattern data and the like. Reference numeral 106 denotes a RAM used as a work memory of the CPU 101, an input buffer for input data, a page buffer for print data, a memory for download fonts, and the like. 107 is the engine 11
2 is an engine interface for communicating commands and statuses with 2 and print data.

Reference numeral 108 denotes a panel interface for communicating commands and statuses with the panel device 113. A disk interface 109 communicates with the disk device 114. 110 is the scanner 1
20 is a scanner interface for communicating with 20. 1
Reference numeral 11 denotes a host interface for communicating with the host computer 130, which is normally a Centro I / F or R.
It is S232C.

When the controller 100 receives data (character code, control code, control command) from the host computer 130 through the host interface 111, the data is temporarily stored in the input buffer. Next, the data held in the input buffer is taken out, and the head address of the font pattern for each character of the data, the width of the font pattern, the height of the font pattern, the print position, etc. are fetched in the page buffer. Stores page layout information.

Then, when the page buffer is completed for one page, the data in the page buffer is subsequently expanded in the frame buffer as a bitmap. When the expansion is completed, a paper feed tray selection command, a paper discharge tray selection command, and a print command are sent to the engine 112 through the engine interface 107, and the expanded bitmap data in the frame buffer is output as video data.

On the other hand, the engine 112 is the controller 10
Paper feed is performed from the designated paper feed tray according to the paper feed tray selection command, the paper discharge tray selection command, and the print command sent from 0, and printing is performed according to the video data and output to the designated paper discharge tray. Image data captured by the original scan of the scanner 120. It is taken into the RAM 106 via the scanner interface 110.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram in the host computer 130. When the application 131 prints data, the OS (operating system) 13
The intermediate print data peculiar to the OS created via the step 2 is sent to the printer driver 133. Printer driver 13
3 converts the received intermediate print data into a printer control command (final print data) unique to the printer scanner 140, and sends it to the print manager 134.

Next, the print manager 134 temporarily spools the print data and then sends the print data to the printer scanner 140. Here, the print manager 134 has an advantage that the print processing of the application 131 can be ended earlier by temporarily spooling the print data, and the release of the application 131 is speeded up. After that, the print manager 134 sends the print data to the printer scanner 140 via the printer monitor 135. The printer monitor 135 can also obtain information such as printer status from the printer scanner 140.

The details of the processing will be described below. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the first processing example of the present invention. First, the user sets the user ID with the printer driver 133 (S1) and sets the printing method to storage printing. After that, when data is printed from the application 131, the printer scanner 140 stores print data (S2).
Also, the user can use the printer driver 133
The print mode is set, a different printer is designated, and the user ID is printed on the printer (S3).

The print result may be printed in, for example, a bar code format or may be printed in another pattern, but it is necessary to match the format read by the printer scanner 140 side. It is safer for the user to print this user ID with another printer, but the user ID may be printed on the same printer scanner 140.

Next, the user is the printed user ID.
Is placed as an original on the printer scanner 140, and the user ID scan mode is set on the panel device 113 (S4). After setting, by scanning this document (S5), the printer scanner 140 discriminates the user ID from the read data, and the print job accumulated with this user ID is actually printed on paper and output (S6). ).

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the second processing example of the present invention. The user sets the user ID and password in the printer driver 133 (S11), and sets the printing method to confidential printing. After that, when data is printed from the application 131, the printer scanner 140 stores print data (S12). Further, the user sets the user ID password print mode by the printer driver 133, designates an arbitrary printer, and prints the user ID and password on the printer (S13). The print result may be printed in, for example, a barcode format or another pattern, but it is necessary to match the format read by the printer scanner 140 side.

Next, the user is the printed user ID.
/ The password is placed as an original on the printer scanner 140, and the user ID / password scan mode is set on the panel device 113. After setting, by scanning this document (S15), the printer scanner 140
Discriminates the user ID / password from the read data, and actually prints the confidential printing job stored with this user ID / password on paper and outputs it (S1).
6).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the third processing example of the present invention. In steps S21 to S23, the same processing as steps S1 to S3 in FIG. 3 is performed. Then, the printer scanner 140 side sets in advance whether the user ID scan mode is valid or invalid (S24). If the user ID scan mode is valid, the same processes as steps S4 to S6 of FIG. 3 are performed at steps S25 to S27. If it is invalid, the user inputs the user ID / password from the panel device 113 to give a print instruction (S28) and print (S29). When it is invalid, the conventional normal processing is performed.

[0026]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the printer, the scanner, and the host computer are used, and when printing from the host computer, the user ID is set by the printer driver and the data is sent to the printer. In the image forming / reading system having the storage printing function of inputting the user ID from the panel device of the printer after printing, and printing the stored specific job, the user ID separately printed at the time of storage printing By scanning with a scanner to perform user authentication and print a target print job, it is possible to save the trouble of setting a user ID from the panel device of the printer and improve user convenience.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the printer, the scanner, and the host computer are provided. When printing from the host computer, the user ID and password are set by the printer driver, data is transmitted to the printer, and then the printer is used. From the panel device of the user I
In an image forming / reading system having a confidential printing function of inputting D and a password and printing a specific stored job, the user can read the separately printed user ID and password with a scanner at the time of confidential printing. By authenticating and printing the target print job, the user I
It is possible to save the trouble of setting D and the password and improve the convenience of the user.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in the image forming / reading system according to the first or second aspect, it is possible to select whether to use the storage printing function or the confidential printing function by the panel device. The function can be selected according to the purpose, and user convenience can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming and reading system centered on a controller of a printer.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram in a host computer.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a first processing example of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a second processing example of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a third processing example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 controller 112 engine 113 panel device 114 disk unit 120 scanner 130 Host computer 140 Printer Scanner

Front page continued (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04N 1/00 107 H04N 1/44 1/44 B41J 29/00 Z F term (reference) 2C061 AP01 AP07 CL08 HH08 HJ06 HK11 HN05 HN08 HN15 2C087 AB05 BB01 BB10 BC14 BD01 BD02 BD52 DA14 5B021 AA02 BB01 BB04 CC05 NN18 QQ04 5C062 AA05 AA14 AB02 AB17 AB22 AB40 AC02 AC04 AC21 AF12 BC03 5C075 CA90 EE02 FF90

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printer, a scanner, and a host computer. When printing from the host computer, a user ID is set by a printer driver, data is transmitted to the printer, and then the user ID is input from a panel device of the printer. In an image forming / reading system having a storage printing function for printing a specific stored job, the user authentication is performed by reading a separately printed user ID with a scanner at the time of storage printing. Image forming and reading system. 2. A printer, a scanner, and a host computer, wherein when printing from the host computer, a user ID and password are set by the printer driver, data is transmitted to the printer, and then the user ID is set from the panel device of the printer. In an image forming / reading system that has a confidential printing function that allows you to enter a password and print a specific stored job, you can perform user authentication by reading a separately printed user ID and password with a scanner when performing confidential printing. An image forming and reading system having a function of performing. 3. The image forming / reading system according to claim 1, wherein it is possible to select whether to use a storage printing function or a confidential printing function by a panel device.