JP2005031153A - Image forming apparatus and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize one-dimensional management to be processed in an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: A radio tag unit having a built-in memory storing the management information is stuck to a recording medium. The image forming apparatus performs radio communication with the radio tag unit stuck to the recording medium and reads out the management information and writes the management information updated accompanying the image information processing into the memory of the tag unit. The management information includes, for example, the information on the level of importance and author of the image information and the execution of the image formation processing is limited based on the information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technique for managing image information processed by an image forming apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms a copy image by transferring a toner latent image on a transfer member to a recording sheet medium typified by plain paper stored in a sheet feeding unit and then thermally fixing the image. Management of copied image information is a very important problem from the viewpoint of information browsing / reuse and ensuring confidentiality.
[0003]
When the image information of the copy source is electronic data, various incidental information such as the importance of the image information, author / owner, creation time, keywords, etc. can be collectively managed by creating a database of electronic information. Since central management and search of image information can be easily performed, this is very effective from the viewpoint of information browsing / reuse. In addition, it is very easy to prevent a third party from illegally accessing electronic information by providing priority information, a password, etc. regarding information disclosure as incidental information. As described above, several inventions have been made for managing image information of electronic data (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-255119 A
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, image information originally printed on a paper sheet instead of electronic data, or image information once electronic data is printed on a recording sheet medium by an image forming apparatus, is as described above. The incidental information cannot be included in the image information, so that it is very difficult to reuse the printed image information.
[0006]
For example, when electronic data is printed, the original electronic data cannot be searched. Therefore, even when the printed image information is to be reused as electronic information, the printed image information is not displayed. In addition to the time and effort required to digitize again, even if the original electronic data is subsequently changed or modified, the result is not reflected in the previously printed image information, so it was printed. Centralized management of information including image information was virtually impossible.
[0007]
Certain types of original image information may be highly confidential, and unauthorized third parties may copy and print the original image information using an image forming device. Therefore, it is conceivable to perform information leakage or illegal reuse.
[0008]
In order to prevent such information leakage and fraud, it is conceivable to operate such that only the original can be viewed without permitting printing of highly confidential image information. However, in this case, since a plurality of viewers cannot browse the original at the same time, the work efficiency may be deteriorated. In addition, if the original was printed on a paper sheet, a third party could take out the original with malicious intent, and this was not always sufficient in terms of ensuring confidentiality.
[0009]
SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to realize unified management of image information processed in an image forming apparatus.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus that performs an image forming process on a recording medium having a wireless tag unit with a built-in rewritable memory, and a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the wireless tag unit. There is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: writing means for writing predetermined management information into the memory via the communication means when performing the image forming processing.
[0011]
According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the image forming apparatus further includes an attaching unit that attaches the wireless tag unit to a recording medium to which the wireless tag unit is not attached.
[0012]
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the means for selecting whether or not to write the management information to the memory during the image forming process, and the operation of the writing means according to the selection result by the selection means. And a means for controlling.
[0013]
According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the wireless tag unit is attached to a reading unit that optically reads a document image and a recording medium of the document image set in the reading unit, Read means for reading the predetermined management information in the memory of the tag unit, and image formation control means for controlling execution of the image forming process based on the predetermined management information read by the read means. Furthermore, it is preferable to have.
[0014]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information management system including the image forming apparatus, wherein the image tag unit affixed to an image-formed recording medium output by the image forming apparatus is periodically The position of the recording medium is monitored by performing wireless communication, and detecting means for detecting that the recording medium is taken out of the specific area, and the recording medium is out of the specific area by the detecting means. There is provided an information management system characterized by having an informing means for informing that it has been taken out.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
1 to 3 are diagrams showing a configuration of a color printer as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Based on these, a basic configuration will be described.
[0017]
(Configuration of color reader)
First, the configuration of the color reader unit will be described.
[0018]
FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus. Here, 101 is a CCD, 211 is a substrate on which the CCD 101 is mounted, 200 is a control unit for controlling the entire image forming apparatus, 212 is a printer processing unit including a part excluding the image processing unit 101 in FIG. Reference numeral 201 denotes a platen glass (platen), and 202 denotes a document feeder (DF). Note that a mirror surface pressure plate (not shown) may be mounted instead of the document feeder 202.
[0019]
Reference numerals 203 and 204 denote light sources (halogen lamps or fluorescent lamps) that illuminate the original; 205 and 206, reflectors that collect light from the light sources 203 and 204 on the original; 207 to 209, mirrors; and 210, reflected light from the original or A lens for condensing the projection light on the CCD 101, 214 is a carriage that houses the halogen lamps 203 and 204, reflectors 205 and 206, and the mirror 207, 215 is a carriage that houses the mirrors 208 and 209, and 213 is another device. External interface (I / F). The carriage 214 is moved at a speed V and the carriage 215 is moved at a speed V / 2 in a direction perpendicular to the electrical scanning (main scanning) direction of the CCD 101, thereby scanning the entire surface of the document (sub scanning). )
[0020]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 200 operates with a CPU 301 having an I / F for exchanging information for controlling the digital image processing unit 212, the external I / F 213, and the printer control I / F 253, respectively. The unit 302 and the memory 303 are configured. The operation unit 302 is configured by a liquid crystal with a touch panel for inputting processing execution contents by the operator, information on processing for the operator, and notification of warnings and the like.
[0021]
The external I / F 213 is an interface for exchanging image information, code information, and the like with the outside of the image processing apparatus. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a facsimile apparatus 401, a LAN interface apparatus 402, an external large-capacity storage A device 403 or the like can be connected. Note that, for the procedure control of the exchange of image information and code information with the facsimile apparatus 401, the LAN interface apparatus 402, and the external mass storage apparatus 403, the facsimile apparatus 401, the LAN interface apparatus 402, and the external mass storage apparatus that are connection apparatuses. This is performed by mutual communication between the 403 and the CPU 301 of the control unit 200.
[0022]
A wireless tag unit information receiving unit 217 for performing wireless communication with a wireless tag unit attached to a recording sheet medium (recording medium) is disposed below the platen glass 201. Details of this will be described later.
[0023]
Next, the digital image processing unit 212 will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the digital image processing unit 212.
[0024]
The document on the platen glass reflects light from the light sources 203 and 204, and the reflected light is guided to the CCD 101 and converted into an electrical signal. If the CCD 101 is a color sensor, the RGB color filter may be inlined in RGB order on a 1-line CCD, or it may be a 3-line CCD with an R filter, G filter, and B filter arranged for each CCD. Alternatively, the filter may be on-chip or the filter may be configured separately from the CCD.
[0025]
Then, the electric signal (analog image signal) is input to the image processing unit 212, and clamp & Amp. & S / H & A / D unit 102 samples and holds (S / H), clamps the dark level of the analog image signal to the reference potential, and amplifies it to a predetermined amount (the above processing order is not limited to the notation order), and A / D-converted and converted into, for example, an RGB 8-bit digital signal. Subsequently, the RGB signal is subjected to shading correction and black correction by the shading unit 103.
[0026]
The corrected RGB signal is further input to the stitching & MTF correction & document detection unit 104. When the CCD 101 is a three-line CCD, the connection & MTF correction & document detection unit 104 adjusts the amount of delay for each line by adjusting the delay amount for each line according to the reading speed because the connection position of the connection processing differs between the lines. The signal timing is corrected so that the reading positions are the same. Furthermore, since the MTF for reading changes depending on the reading speed and the magnification, the change is corrected. In the document detection, the document size is recognized by scanning the document on the platen glass.
[0027]
The input masking unit 105 corrects the spectral characteristics of the CCD 101 and the spectral characteristics of the light sources 203 and 204 and the reflectors 205 and 206 by the input masking unit 105 for the digital signal whose reading position timing is corrected. The output of the input masking unit 105 is input to a selector 106 that can be switched to an external I / F signal. The signal output from the selector 106 is input to the color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion unit 107 and background removal unit 115. After the background is removed, the signal input to the background removal unit 115 is input to the black character determination unit 116 that determines whether the document is a black character in the document, and generates a black character signal from the document. In the color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion unit 107 to which the output of the other selector 106 is input, the color space compression determines whether the read image signal is within a range that can be reproduced by the printer. If not, the image signal is corrected so that it can be reproduced by the printer.
[0028]
Subsequently, background removal processing is performed, and RGB signals are converted to CMY signals by LOG conversion. The timing of the output signal of the color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion unit 107 is adjusted by a delay 108 in order to correct the signal and timing generated by the black character determination unit 116. The moire removal unit 109 removes moire from these two types of signals, and 110 performs a scaling process in the main scanning direction. Reference numeral 111 denotes a UCR & masking & black character reflection unit. The CMY signal of the signal processed by the scaling processing unit is generated as a CMYK signal by UCR processing, and the masking processing unit corrects the signal to the output of the printer and determines the black character. The determination signal generated by the unit 116 is fed back to the CMYK signal. The signal processed by the UCR & masking & black character reflecting unit 111 is subjected to density adjustment by the γ correction unit 112 and then subjected to smoothing or edge processing by the filter unit 113.
[0029]
(Configuration of printer unit)
With reference to FIG. 2 again, the configuration of the printer unit will be described.
[0030]
A photosensitive drum (hereinafter simply referred to as “photosensitive member”) 225 as an image carrier is provided so as to be rotated in the direction of arrow A by a motor (not shown). A primary charger 221, an exposure device 218, a black developing unit 219, a color developing unit 223, a transfer charger 220, and a cleaner device 222 are disposed around the photosensitive member 225.
[0031]
The black developing device 219 is a developing device for monochrome development, and develops the latent image on the photoreceptor 225 with K toner. The color developing unit 223 includes three developing devices 223Y, 223M, and 223C for full color development. The developing devices 223Y, 223M, and 223C develop the latent images on the photoreceptor 225 with Y, M, and C toners, respectively. When developing toner of each color, the developing unit 223 is rotated in the direction of arrow R by a motor (not shown), and the developing device for that color is aligned so as to contact the photoconductor 225.
[0032]
The toner images of the respective colors developed on the photosensitive member 225 are sequentially transferred to a belt 226 as an intermediate transfer member by the transfer charger 220, and the four color toner images are superimposed. The belt 226 is stretched around rollers 227, 228 and 229. Among these, the roller 227 is coupled to a driving source (not shown) and functions as a driving roller that drives the belt 226, the roller 228 functions as a tension roller that adjusts the tension of the belt 226, and the roller 229 serves as a secondary transfer device. The transfer roller 231 functions as a backup roller. The transfer roller attaching / detaching unit 250 is a drive unit for adhering or releasing the transfer roller 231 to or from the belt 226. A belt cleaner 232 is provided at a position facing the roller 227 across the belt 226. The belt cleaner attaching / detaching unit 268 is a drive unit for causing the belt cleaner 232 to adhere to or detach from the belt 226. When the belt cleaner 232 is moved in the wearing direction by the belt cleaner detaching unit 268, the residual toner on the belt 226 is scraped off by the blade.
[0033]
The recording sheet media stored in the cassettes 240 and 241 and the manual paper feed unit 253 are nipped by the registration roller 255 and the paper feed roller pairs 235, 236, and 237, that is, the contact portion between the secondary transfer device 231 and the belt 226. To be sent to. At this time, the secondary transfer device 231 is in contact with the belt 226 by driving the transfer roller attaching / detaching unit 250 in the contact direction. The toner image formed on the belt 226 is transferred onto the recording sheet medium at this nip portion, thermally fixed by the fixing device 234, and discharged outside the device. Each of the cassettes 240 and 241 and the manual paper feed unit 253 has sheet absence detection sensors 243, 244, and 245 for detecting the presence or absence of a recording sheet medium. Each of the cassettes 240 and 241 and the manual paper feed unit 253 has paper feed sensors 247, 248, and 249 for detecting a pickup failure of the recording sheet medium.
[0034]
In the color printer having the above configuration, image formation is performed as follows.
[0035]
First, the recording sheet medium conveying operation in the sheet feeding unit will be described. The recording sheet media stored in the cassettes 240 and 241 and the manual paper feed unit 253 are conveyed onto the paper feed path 266 one by one by the pickup rollers 238 239 and 254. When the recording sheet medium on the sheet feeding path 266 is conveyed to the registration roller 255 by the pair of sheet feeding rollers 235, 236, and 237, the registration sensor 256 immediately before that detects the passage of the recording sheet medium. In this embodiment, when the passage of the recording sheet medium is detected by the registration sensor 256, the conveyance operation is interrupted after an appropriate time has elapsed. As a result, the recording sheet medium comes into contact with the stopped registration roller 255, and the conveyance is stopped. At this time, the position of the recording sheet medium is fixed so that the end portion in the traveling direction of the recording sheet medium is perpendicular to the conveyance path. The sheet feed path conveyance direction is corrected when the sheet medium conveyance direction is deviated from the conveyance path and skew occurs. This process is referred to as normal sheet feeding registration. Paper registration is essential for minimizing the inclination of the image forming direction with respect to the subsequent recording sheet medium. After taking the paper registration, the registration roller 255 is activated to supply the recording sheet medium to the secondary transfer device 231.
[0036]
Next, a procedure for forming an image on the recording sheet medium supplied to the secondary transfer device 231 will be described. First, a voltage is applied to the charging device 221 to negatively charge the surface of the photoreceptor 225 uniformly at a predetermined charged portion potential. Subsequently, exposure is performed by an exposure device 218 composed of a laser scanner so that an image portion on the charged photoconductor 225 has a predetermined exposure portion potential, and a latent image is formed. The exposure device 218 forms a latent image corresponding to the image by turning on and off based on the image signal.
[0037]
A developing bias set in advance for each color is applied to the developing rollers of the black developing device 219 and the color developing device 223, and the latent image is developed with toner when passing through the position of the developing roller and visualized as a toner image. Is done. The toner image is transferred to the belt 226 by the transfer device 220, and further transferred to the recording sheet medium conveyed from the paper feeding unit by the secondary transfer device 231, and then to the fixing device 234 via the fixing conveyance belt 230. It is conveyed. In the fixing device 234, in order to compensate for the toner adsorption force and prevent image disturbance, the fixing device 234 is charged by the pre-fixing chargers 251 and 252, and further the toner image is thermally fixed by the fixing roller 233, and then the paper discharge flapper 257 is used. As a result, the transport path is switched to the paper discharge path 358 side, and the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 242 as it is.
[0038]
At this time, various image information can be written to the wireless tag unit by the wireless tag unit information writing device 273 on the recording sheet medium. Further, as described above, it is preferable that the wireless tag unit attaching device 272 is further provided, thereby enabling the wireless tag unit to be attached to the recording sheet medium. These processes will be described in detail later.
[0039]
At the time of full-color printing, toners of four colors are superimposed on the belt 226 and then transferred to a recording sheet medium. The toner remaining on the photosensitive member 225 is made to be easily cleaned by a preliminary cleaning device (not shown), and is removed and collected by the cleaner device 222. Finally, the photosensitive member 225 is removed by a static eliminator (not shown). Then, the charge is uniformly discharged to near 0 volts to prepare for the next image forming cycle.
[0040]
The image forming timing of the color printer is controlled with a predetermined position on the belt 226 as a reference. The belt 226 is wound around rollers including a driving roller 227, a tension roller 228, and a backup roller 229, and a predetermined tension is applied by the tension roller 228.
[0041]
Between the driving roller 227 and the roller 229, a reflective sensor 224 that detects the reference position is disposed. The reflective sensor 224 detects a marking such as a reflective tape provided at the end of the outer peripheral surface of the belt 226 and outputs an I-top signal.
[0042]
The outer peripheral length of the photosensitive member 225 and the peripheral length of the belt 226 are an integer ratio represented by 1: n (n is an integer). With this setting, the photosensitive member 225 rotates an integer during one revolution of the belt 226 and returns to the same state as before the circumference of the belt 226. Therefore, when the four colors are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 226, (The belt rotates four times), it is possible to avoid color misregistration due to uneven rotation of the photosensitive member 225.
[0043]
In the intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus as described above, after the I-top signal is detected, exposure is started by the exposure device 218 including a laser scanner after a predetermined time has elapsed. Further, as described above, since the photosensitive member 1 rotates an integer during one round of the belt 226 and returns to the same state as before the belt, the toner image is always formed at the same position on the belt 226. Although the toner image size also changes depending on the paper size, there is a range on the belt 226 where the toner image is never placed.
[0044]
Further, in the case of a short paper size image, the belt 226 has a belt length capable of forming a toner image for two images, and particularly for two sheets in order to form a color image in which four colors are superimposed. The productivity can be improved by making it possible to form the image in the time required for only four belt rotations.
[0045]
Next, the operation when an image is formed on the back surface of the recording sheet medium will be described in detail. When an image is formed on the back surface of the recording sheet medium, image formation on the front surface of the recording sheet medium is first performed. Since the image forming operation on the surface has been described in detail above, the description is omitted here. However, in the case of image formation only on the surface, the paper discharge flapper 257 is formed after the toner image is thermally fixed by the fixing device 234 after image formation. As a result, the transport path is switched to the paper discharge path 258 side and is discharged as it is to the paper discharge tray 235. However, when the back side image is subsequently formed, the transport path is switched to the back side path 259 side by the paper discharge flapper 257. The recording sheet medium is once conveyed into the double-side reversing path 261 by the rotational driving of the reversing roller 260 in conjunction therewith. Thereafter, the recording sheet medium is conveyed in the duplex reversing path 261 by the width of the sheet medium in the feed direction, and then the traveling direction is reversed by the duplex reversing path guide 269 by the reverse rotation driving of the reversing roller and the driving of the duplex path conveying roller 262 The image is switched and conveyed to the duplex path 263 with the image surface formed on the surface facing downward.
[0046]
Subsequently, when the recording sheet medium is conveyed on the double-sided path 263 toward the refeed roller 264, the refeed sensor 265 immediately before the recording sheet medium detects the passage of the recording sheet medium. In this embodiment, when the re-feed sensor 265 detects the passage of the recording sheet medium, the conveying operation is interrupted after an appropriate time has elapsed. As a result, the recording sheet medium comes into contact with the stopped re-feed roller 264, and the conveyance is temporarily stopped. Thus, the sheet refeeding path conveyance direction correction is performed when skew feeding occurs due to the conveyance direction of the recording sheet medium deviating from the conveyance path in the sheet refeeding path. This process is generally referred to as re-feed registration. The re-feed registration is indispensable in order to minimize the inclination of the image forming direction with respect to the back surface of the recording sheet medium thereafter. After the re-feeding registration, the re-feeding roller 264 is activated to transport the recording sheet medium onto the paper feed path 266 again with the front and back sides reversed. The subsequent image forming operation is the same as the above-described surface image forming operation, and is therefore omitted here. The recording sheet medium on which images are formed on both the front and back surfaces is directly switched to the discharge path 258 by the discharge flapper 257 and is discharged to the discharge tray 235 as it is. With the operation as described above, in this embodiment, it is possible for the operator to automatically form an image on both sides of the sheet medium without resetting the front and back of the sheet medium.
[0047]
Next, the configuration of the wireless tag unit that can be attached to the recording sheet medium in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.
[0048]
First, the internal configuration of the wireless tag unit will be described with reference to FIG. By using the wireless communication circuit 501 and the antenna circuit 502, the wireless tag unit 500 can input and output information with the outside by wireless communication.
[0049]
Further, the wireless tag unit 500 records various external information obtained through wireless communication in the nonvolatile memory 503, and uses the wireless communication circuit 501 and the antenna circuit 502 for recording various information recorded in the nonvolatile memory 503. Can be sent to the outside. The wireless communication circuit 501 and the nonvolatile memory 503 are controlled by the CPU 504.
[0050]
The wireless communication circuit 501, the nonvolatile memory 503, and the CPU 504 operate by being supplied with power by the battery circuit 505 or the power generation circuit 506 as necessary. Note that the power generation circuit 506 is an electric circuit having a coil-like configuration, and can generate power by self-power generation by electromagnetic induction from an external device.
[0051]
Each of the series of circuits 501 to 506 constituting the wireless tag unit 500 is formed of a thin and minute unit, and as shown in FIG. It is possible to affix to a simple paper sheet. FIG. 7 illustrates an example in which a wireless tag unit is attached to a recording sheet medium.
[0052]
Note that the wireless tag unit can be attached to the recording sheet medium by the wireless tag unit attaching device 272 in synchronization with the image forming process, or can be performed in advance before image formation.
[0053]
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a wireless tag unit attaching operation by the wireless tag unit attaching device 272 according to the present embodiment. The attaching operation of the wireless tag unit is performed after the toner image on the recording sheet medium is thermally fixed by the fixing device 234. The adhesive is applied to the film on the surface of the RFID tag unit, and then the adhesive application surface of the RFID tag unit is pressed onto the recording sheet medium when the recording sheet medium passes through the lower part of the RFID tag unit attaching device 272. Thus, the wireless tag unit is attached to the recording sheet medium.
[0054]
On the other hand, when the wireless tag unit is attached to the recording sheet medium in advance, it is not necessary to provide the wireless tag unit attaching device 272 in the image forming apparatus, but on the other hand, when the toner image is thermally fixed after the image formation. In order to prevent the RFID tag unit from being destroyed by pressurization and heating, it is necessary to perform a heat treatment prevention on the film surface.
[0055]
Now, for the wireless tag unit affixed to the recording sheet medium described above, various information relating to image formation is wirelessly used as management information by using the wireless tag unit information writing device 273 in synchronization with the image forming process. It is recorded in the nonvolatile memory 503 in the tag unit. Specific information included in the management information will be described with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG.
[0056]
The image information name 901 is information for uniquely specifying the image information itself, and it is possible to specify what is the image information recorded on the recording sheet medium.
[0057]
The image information address 902 is information indicating the storage address of the electronic data when the image information is stored in the external device in the form of electronic data. In the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, electronic information corresponding to image information is stored in the external large-capacity storage device 403 at a time, and the CPU 301 of the control unit 200 has a web server function so that all of the information is stored. Since the electronic information is centrally managed by the URL address, the image information address 902 here corresponds to the corresponding URL address information.
[0058]
The image information importance 903 is information that serves as an index for restricting / prohibiting re-copying of image information that has been mainly formed.
[0059]
The image information author name 904 is information for specifying the author of the image information on which the image is formed.
[0060]
The image information owner name 905 is information for specifying a person who owns and uses the recording sheet medium itself in which the image information formed on the recording sheet medium is described.
[0061]
The image information recording date and time 906 is information for indicating the date and time when the image formation of the image information was last performed on the recording sheet medium.
[0062]
The specific information regarding the image formation as the management information is synchronized with the image formation on the recording sheet medium, and the wireless tag unit information writing device 273 wirelessly in the wireless tag unit attached to the recording sheet medium. Writing is executed by performing mutual wireless communication with the communication circuit 501. Note that the power supply to the wireless tag unit at this time is performed by causing the electromagnetic induction circuit of the wireless tag unit information writing device 273 to approach the power generation circuit 506 in the wireless tag unit as shown in FIG. The electromagnetic induction is generated, and as a result, power generation is performed. As a result, the wireless communication circuit 501, the nonvolatile memory 503, and the CPU 504 can be activated.
[0063]
As for these pieces of information, in the case of forming an image of digitized image information on a recording sheet medium, an image information name 901, an image information address 902, an image information importance 903, an image information author name, and the like. Since the information 904 and the image information owner name 905 are recorded together with the original computerized image information, they are recorded in the nonvolatile memory 503 in the wireless tag unit as they are. Further, the image information recording date and time 906 is recorded in the nonvolatile memory 503 in the wireless tab unit at the time of image formation based on the date and time information managed by the CPU 301 of the image forming apparatus in the image forming apparatus in this embodiment. Is done.
[0064]
On the other hand, in the case where image information that has not been digitized is formed on a recording sheet medium, all image information (provided that the image information address 902 is information obtained by digitizing the original image information). Therefore, this is excluded) is recorded in the non-volatile memory 503 in the wireless tag unit by the operator inputting each via the operation unit 302.
[0065]
When the recording sheet medium with the RFID tag unit attached is read as a document via the color reader unit, first, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 11, the RFID tag unit is synchronized with the reading of the document. By performing mutual wireless communication with the information receiving unit 217 and the wireless communication circuit 501 in the wireless tag unit attached to the recording sheet medium, information related to image formation recorded in the attached wireless tag unit is read. Note that the power supply to the wireless tag unit at that time is based on electromagnetic induction by the electromagnetic induction circuit of the wireless tag unit information receiving unit 217 as described in FIG. 11, but the wireless tag unit information writing device 273 described above is detailed. Since this is the same as the description of the power supply by, the description is omitted here.
[0066]
As a result, the acquired image information name 901 and image information address 902 (however, this is recorded only when the original image information is electronic data, and cannot be acquired otherwise). The image information importance 903, the image information author name 904, and the image information owner name 905 are recorded in the nonvolatile memory 503 in the wireless tag unit. The image information recording date 906 is recorded in the non-volatile memory 503 in the wireless tag unit at the time of image formation based on date information managed by the CPU 301 that performs print control of the image forming apparatus.
[0067]
Note that there is a case where recording to the nonvolatile memory 503 in these RFID tag units is not necessary. For example, the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment may be used when temporarily printing image information that is not very important. Even in such a case, it is appropriate to print the recording sheet medium to which the wireless tag unit is attached or to attach the wireless tag unit to the image-formed recording sheet medium and record the management information. That's not true.
[0068]
Therefore, in this embodiment, the operator can select whether or not it is necessary to record management information on the wireless tag unit of the recording sheet medium via the operation unit 302. FIG. 12 shows an example of an input screen for performing selection in that case. In this example, as shown in the figure, “Do you want to duplicate tag information?” Is displayed on the lower part 1201 of the operation unit 302. Then, the operator selects to record the management information in the RFID tag unit by pressing the corresponding operation button 1202, and if the operation proceeds to the printing operation without pressing the operation button 1202, the management information is recorded in the RFID tag unit. Is not done.
[0069]
Here, a recording sheet medium to which a wireless tag unit is attached is stored in advance in one of the cassettes 240 and 241, and a recording sheet medium to which no wireless tag unit is attached is stored in one cassette. . Depending on whether the operation button 1202 is pressed, it is possible to selectively feed a recording sheet medium with a wireless tag unit attached thereto or a recording sheet medium without a wireless tag unit attached thereto. According to such control, it is possible to record the RFID tag unit information on the recording sheet medium only when necessary.
[0070]
The selection of whether or not to record the RFID tag unit information on the recording sheet medium described above is performed by activating the RFID tag unit pasting apparatus 272 for the recording sheet medium to which the RFID tag unit is not attached. This can also be realized by switching whether or not the wireless tag unit is attached.
[0071]
Now, in the present embodiment, when re-copying a recording sheet medium having a wireless tag unit in which information related to image formation is stored in the internal nonvolatile memory 503 as described above, The execution of re-copying by the operator can be restricted or prohibited according to the content of information relating to image formation stored in the nonvolatile memory 503 in the unit. Hereinafter, an embodiment of that case will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0072]
First, in step S1301, the operator reads a recording sheet medium having a wireless tag unit in which information related to image formation is stored in the nonvolatile memory 503 as a document through the color reader unit. At this time, the wireless tag unit information receiving unit 217 and the wireless communication circuit 501 in the wireless tag unit attached to the recording sheet medium perform wireless communication with each other, thereby forming an image recorded in the attached wireless tag unit. Read information.
[0073]
Subsequently, in step S1302, it is determined whether or not the operator is prohibited from performing re-copying based on the image information importance 903 in the read information relating to image formation. If the image information importance 903 is equal to or less than a predetermined importance reference value, it is determined that the image can be re-copied at this point, and the process proceeds to step S1306 and the image forming operation is executed as usual. . On the other hand, if the image information importance level 903 is equal to or higher than a predetermined importance level reference value, re-copying is not permitted at this point, and the process proceeds to step S1303 and further determination is performed.
[0074]
Next, in step S1303, it is determined whether or not the operator is prohibited from performing re-copying based on the image information recording date and time 906 in the read information relating to image formation. As described above, the image information recording date and time 906 indicates the date and time when the image formation of the image information was last performed. This image information recording date and time 906 is compared with the current date and time managed by the CPU 301 of the image forming apparatus. If the current date and time has passed a predetermined re-copying prohibition period from the image information recording date and time 906, it is determined that re-copying of the image is possible at this point, and the process proceeds to step S1306. On the other hand, if the current date and time has not passed the predetermined re-copying prohibition period from the image information recording date and time 906, re-copying at this point is not permitted and the process moves to step S1304 and further determination is performed.
[0075]
In step S1304, it is determined whether or not the re-copying of the operator is prohibited by the image information author name 904 and / or the image information owner name 905 in the read image formation information. Here, for example, the operation unit 302 displays a screen for inputting an authentication password corresponding to the image information author name 904 or the image information owner name 905 as shown in FIG. This password is registered in advance in the image forming apparatus in the present embodiment by the image information author or the image information owner. The operator inputs one of the passwords from this screen, and at that time, it is determined that the image can be re-copied, and the process proceeds to step S1306. On the other hand, if the password is not entered, the process proceeds to step S1305, where the copy prohibition display as shown in FIG. 15 is made on the operation unit 302 and the recopying is completely prohibited.
[0076]
It should be noted that with respect to image information re-copied on the recording sheet medium through the above flow, it is necessary to consider the possibility of re-copying the recording sheet medium. Therefore, for the image recorded on the recording sheet medium, it is necessary to inherit the image forming information equivalent to the RFID tag unit attached to the recording sheet medium on which the original image of the copy is recorded. In the present embodiment, in consideration of such points, if the wireless tag unit is attached to the document image, the wireless tag unit copied the same information is attached to the recording sheet medium after image formation, Alternatively, the same information is rewritten on the wireless tag unit attached to the recording sheet medium via the wireless tag unit information writing device 273, so that the re-copying of image information is performed in the same manner. It becomes possible.
[0077]
In the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, when the original image information for image formation is digitized data, the management stored in the nonvolatile memory 503 in the wireless tag unit of the recording sheet medium. Based on the information, it is possible to acquire electronic data related to image information recorded on the target recording sheet medium. A flowchart in that case is shown in FIG.
[0078]
First, in step S1601, the operator reads a recording sheet medium on which a wireless tag unit having management information stored in the nonvolatile memory 503 is attached as a document through the color reader unit. At this time, the wireless tag unit information receiving unit 217 and the wireless communication circuit 501 in the wireless tag unit attached to the recording sheet medium perform wireless communication with each other, so that the management information recorded in the attached wireless tag unit is stored. Read.
[0079]
In step S1602, the corresponding electronic data is searched from the electronic information in the external mass storage device 403 based on the image information name 901 and the image information address 902 in the read management information.
[0080]
In addition, as described above, in the present embodiment, since all the electronic information is centrally managed by the URL address by having the web server function by the CPU 301 of the control unit 200, an efficient search is performed. Is possible. If the corresponding electronic information is retrieved, the process proceeds to step S1605, and a message to that effect is displayed on the operation unit 302 as shown in FIG. In accordance with the guidance displayed on the operation unit 302, the operator can select either the copy of the original image itself or the output of the latest information of the electronic image information retrieved from the supplementary information related to the original image. . On the other hand, if the electronic information related to the corresponding image cannot be searched here, the original information is printed from an image forming apparatus other than the image forming apparatus in the present embodiment, or the image formation of the present embodiment is performed. There is a possibility that electronic information outside the external mass storage device 403 attached to the device has been output.
[0081]
Accordingly, in the subsequent step S1603, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 18, other image forming apparatuses 1802, 1803 connected to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1801 in the present embodiment via the LAN interface apparatus 402 via the LAN. The same search processing as that performed in step S1602 is executed for the server apparatuses 1804 and 1805 having the mass storage devices connected to the LAN. In that case, it is necessary to perform a search from a larger amount of electronic information as compared with the processing in step S1602, but it is connected to other image forming apparatuses 1802 and 1803 in this embodiment or on the LAN. Each of the server devices 1804 and 1805 having a large-capacity storage device has a web server function so that all electronic information is centrally managed by the URL address, so that efficient search can be performed. If the corresponding electronic information is found here, the process proceeds to step S1605, and the same image forming process as described above is performed. On the other hand, if no search is made here, the process proceeds to step S1604, and the read original image itself is unconditionally copied.
[0082]
Now, by using the image forming apparatus described so far in the present embodiment, image information management capable of performing security management for preventing leakage of image information in a certain closed area as described below. It becomes possible to construct a system. FIG. 19 schematically illustrates the concept. Hereinafter, this image information management system will be described in detail as a second embodiment with reference to FIG.
[0083]
First, the configuration of the image information management system in this embodiment will be described. The system of the present embodiment is assumed to be used in a document management room that handles relatively confidential information documents. In FIG. 19A, an image forming apparatus 1901 attaches a wireless tag unit to the recording sheet medium described in the first embodiment described above, and records information relating to image formation in the internal nonvolatile memory 503. It is an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above. Conventionally, in a document management room that handles many highly confidential information documents, only information documents can be browsed, and copying of the documents is often prohibited. This is because the copied document has a high risk of being taken out by a malicious third party, and there is a high possibility that important information leaks. However, if the operation is performed such that only the original can be browsed, a plurality of viewers cannot browse the original at the same time, so that the work efficiency may deteriorate. Therefore, in the present embodiment, image information is copied to a recording sheet medium to which a wireless tag unit is attached using an image forming apparatus 1901 as necessary on the premise of browsing in a document management room. The wireless tag units of these copied recording sheet media 1902-1905 include (1) image information name, (2) importance of image information, and (3) possession of image information, as described in the previous embodiment. Three types of information (user name) are described.
[0084]
Furthermore, in this embodiment, wireless tag unit monitoring devices 1906 to 1908 for monitoring the state of a document copied inside and outside the document management room are installed at important points. The wireless tag unit monitoring devices 1906 to 1908 periodically perform wireless communication with the wireless tag unit in which the above information is recorded, so that the recording sheet medium to which the wireless tag unit is attached is located outside or inside the document management room. Monitor what the condition is.
[0085]
As shown in FIG. 19B, when a user tries to take one of the recording sheet media 1902 to 1905 out of the room, the indoor wireless tag unit monitoring device 1908 in the vicinity of the document management room entrance / exit is used for recording. At the same time that the recording sheet medium including the wireless tag unit affixed to the sheet medium is detected to be taken out of the room, the alarm device 1909 is activated to issue a warning to the user carrying the target recording sheet medium. On the other hand, the information is also notified to the operator who is the administrator of the reading room, and the operator uses the information at the time of image formation recorded in the wireless tag unit to determine which document is the recording sheet medium to be taken out. Since it is recorded and it is possible to instantly recognize how important information is and who was using it, it is possible to quickly cope with the situation according to the contents.
[0086]
Further, as shown in FIG. 19C, when the user ignores the warning and tries to forcibly leave the room while carrying the recording sheet medium, the automatic lock mechanism 1910 is activated, The entrance / exit of the management room is automatically locked, making it impossible for the user to leave.
[0087]
In addition, the wireless tag unit is attached to the recording sheet medium in the present embodiment at two locations on the upper right end and lower left end of the recording sheet medium as shown in FIG. These two RFID tag units can communicate with each other, and recording of the RFID tag unit for the purpose of taking a recording sheet medium outside by a malicious third party due to fluctuations in the communication strength. It is possible to detect abnormalities such as peeling from the sheet medium and destruction of the unit. In such a case, the RFID tag unit that detects the abnormality notifies the operator, who is the administrator of the reading room, to that effect via the indoor RFID tag monitoring devices 1906 to 1907, and the operator recognizes that the RFID tag unit in which the abnormality has occurred. Since the pasted recording sheet medium is the one on which the document was recorded, how important information it was, and who was using it, it was possible to instantly recognize it. Can be performed promptly.
[0088]
In the above-described embodiment, the power supply mechanism of both the battery circuit 505 and the power generation circuit 506 is provided as the internal configuration of the wireless tag unit. However, depending on the use of the wireless tag, any of them can be realized. Therefore, in that case, it may of course be the configuration of only one of the power feeding mechanisms.
[0089]
In the above-described embodiment, the password is input to authenticate that the operator is the author and the owner, but the wireless tag unit is attached to the recording sheet medium. When the operator carries a wireless tag for authenticating the user, the information of the tag and the author and owner information recorded in the wireless tag unit on the recording sheet medium are automatically collated to identify the person himself / herself. It is also possible to perform authentication.
[0090]
In the above-described embodiment, the wireless tag unit is attached using an adhesive. However, it is of course possible to attach the wireless tag unit by thermally fusing a resin or the like.
[0091]
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the wireless tag unit information receiving unit 217 is provided in the color reader unit, and information stored in the wireless tag unit is read in synchronization with image reading. The information receiving unit does not need to be configured as a part of the color reader unit, and may be a reading unit separate from the image forming apparatus, for example. By doing so, information stored in the RFID tag unit can be read and electronic information can be searched regardless of image copying.
[0092]
According to the embodiment described above, a recording sheet is provided with an ultra-compact and thin RFID tag unit having a rewritable nonvolatile memory and capable of transmitting and receiving information stored in the nonvolatile memory by wireless communication. Affix to the medium in advance. Alternatively, such a wireless tag unit is attached in synchronization with the image forming operation. When a host wireless unit that can transmit and receive information stored in the nonvolatile memory in the wireless tag unit by wireless communication is used, when the image is formed on the recording sheet medium, Importance of image information, author / owner, creation time, or original image information is digitized to non-volatile memory in the RFID tag unit attached to the recording sheet medium by mutual wireless communication with the tag unit In the case where the information has been recorded, various incidental information such as address information represented by a URL is recorded, so that the recording sheet medium on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus can be managed in the same way as electronic information. Image information can be browsed and reused because it can be easily searched and searched.
[0093]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, in view of the possibility that image information recorded on the recording sheet medium by attaching the wireless tag unit may not be necessary, the recording sheet medium on which the wireless tag unit is attached Whether or not to perform image formation and recording various information in the nonvolatile memory in the RFID tag unit,
(1) Image formation is performed on a recording sheet medium to which a wireless tag unit is previously attached.
(2) If necessary, the wireless tag unit is attached to the recording sheet medium in synchronization with image formation.
This can be selected by the following specific method.
[0094]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, when image formation is performed on an image original read by the optical reading unit, when the target image original is a recording sheet medium to which a wireless tag unit is attached, optical recording is performed. By having a wireless communication receiver capable of receiving information stored in the non-volatile memory of the wireless tag unit affixed to the recording sheet medium in synchronization with the execution of reading image information by the automatic image reading means Depending on the information from the wireless tag unit received by the wireless communication receiver,
(1) The information is added by the wireless tag unit also in the copy image formation.
(2) Determine permission / prohibition of the image forming operation itself;
(3) Furthermore, an operator authentication unit for authenticating that the operator who performs the image forming operation is the author or the owner of the recording sheet medium after the image formation is provided, and the operator performs the recording. The image forming operation is permitted only when it is authenticated that the image information recorded on the sheet medium is the same as the author or the owner of the image information.
It is possible to switch image forming operations such as
[0095]
In the above-described embodiment, the unique ID information transmitted by the RFID tag unit attached to the image-formed recording sheet medium is periodically received to detect the position and state of the RFID tag unit in an arbitrary area. A tag information detecting means for performing a copy of a document that is permitted to be viewed only within a specific area, using an image forming apparatus on a recording sheet medium in which a wireless tag unit is embedded, and The wireless tag units embedded in the recording sheet medium or the tag information detection means communicate with each other to periodically monitor the state of the recording sheet medium including the wireless tag unit, and the viewer's fraud This makes it possible to prevent damage to the recording sheet medium and take it out of the area.
[0096]
(Other embodiments)
The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, the present invention can take an embodiment as a system, apparatus, method, program, storage medium, or the like. In addition, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device.
[0097]
In the present invention, a software program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is directly or remotely supplied to a system or apparatus, and the computer of the system or apparatus reads and executes the supplied program code. Including the case where it is also achieved by. In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, the form does not need to be a program.
[0098]
Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. That is, the scope of the claims of the present invention includes the computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.
[0099]
In this case, the program may be in any form as long as it has a program function, such as an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied to the OS.
[0100]
As a recording medium for supplying the program, for example, flexible disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD-R).
[0101]
As another program supply method, a client computer browser is used to connect to an Internet homepage, and the computer program itself of the present invention or a compressed file including an automatic installation function is downloaded from the homepage to a recording medium such as a hard disk. Can also be supplied. It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the claims of the present invention.
[0102]
In addition, the program of the present invention is encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, distributed to users, and key information for decryption is downloaded from a homepage via the Internet to users who have cleared predetermined conditions. It is also possible to execute the encrypted program by using the key information and install the program on a computer.
[0103]
In addition to the functions of the above-described embodiments being realized by the computer executing the read program, the OS running on the computer based on the instruction of the program is a part of the actual processing. Alternatively, the functions of the above-described embodiment can be realized by performing all of them and performing the processing.
[0104]
Furthermore, after the program read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion board or The CPU or the like provided in the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
[0105]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, unified management of image information processed in the image forming apparatus can be realized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing unit in an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of an external interface.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a wireless tag unit in the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating an exterior example of a wireless tag unit in the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a state of attachment to the RFID tag unit recording sheet medium in the embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing an attaching operation of a wireless tag unit to a recording sheet medium using the wireless tag attaching device in the embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining details of information relating to image formation stored in a nonvolatile memory in the wireless tag unit according to the embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a mechanism of power feeding to the wireless tag unit by the wireless tag unit information writing device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 11 shows acquisition of information relating to image formation stored in a nonvolatile memory in the wireless tag unit by wireless communication between the wireless tag unit information receiving unit and the wireless tag unit in the embodiment, and information to the wireless tag unit at that time It is the figure which showed the mechanism of electric power feeding typically.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen for selecting whether or not an operator needs to record information on a wireless tag unit on a recording sheet medium.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing for restricting or prohibiting the execution of re-copying by an operator according to the content of information relating to image formation stored in a nonvolatile memory in the wireless tag unit.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for inputting an authentication password corresponding to an image information author name and an image information owner name.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that displays the prohibition of execution of re-copying by the operator to the operator;
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a series of processing when searching for corresponding electronic data based on information relating to image formation stored in a non-volatile memory in the RFID tag unit attached to the recording sheet medium. .
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed to the operator when selecting output of a copy of a document image itself or the latest information of electronic image information retrieved from supplementary information regarding the document image; .
FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing a concept of execution of image information search processing via a network.
FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing a concept of an image information management system capable of performing security management for preventing leakage of image information in a specific area.
FIG. 20 is a diagram schematically showing a state where a wireless tag unit is attached to a recording sheet medium according to the second embodiment.

Claims (22)

An image forming apparatus that performs image forming processing on a recording medium to which a wireless tag unit including a rewritable memory is attached,
Communication means for performing wireless communication with the wireless tag unit;
A writing unit that writes predetermined management information to the memory via the communication unit when the image forming process is performed;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an attaching unit that attaches the wireless tag unit to a recording medium to which the wireless tag unit is not attached. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attaching unit attaches the wireless tag unit to the recording medium in synchronization with the image forming process. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attaching unit attaches the wireless tag unit to the recording medium in advance prior to the image forming process. further,
Selection means for selecting whether or not to write the management information to the memory during the image forming process;
Write control means for controlling the operation of the writing means according to the selection result by the selection means;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: further,
Reading means for optically reading a document image;
Reading means for reading the predetermined management information in the memory of the wireless tag unit when the wireless tag unit is attached to a recording medium of the document image set in the reading means;
Image forming control means for controlling execution of the image forming process based on the predetermined management information read by the reading means;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus includes: The predetermined management information includes information indicating importance of the image information,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming control unit prohibits execution of the image forming process when the importance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The predetermined management information includes information indicating a date and time when the image forming process of the document image was last performed,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming control unit prohibits execution of the image forming process when a predetermined copy prohibition period has not elapsed since the date and time. The predetermined management information includes information of at least one of the author and owner of the image information,
Further comprising authentication means for authenticating a user based on the information of the author and / or owner,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming control unit prohibits execution of the image forming process when the authentication unit does not authenticate. The predetermined management information includes address information of a storage location of electronic data related to the image information,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an acquisition unit configured to acquire the electronic data based on the address information. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus that performs an image forming process on a recording medium to which a wireless tag unit including a rewritable memory is attached,
A wireless communication step for establishing wireless communication with the wireless tag unit;
A writing step of writing predetermined management information in the memory by the wireless communication when performing the image forming process;
A control method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: 12. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a pasting step of pasting the wireless tag unit on a recording medium to which the wireless tag unit is not pasted. 13. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the attaching step attaches the wireless tag unit to the recording medium in synchronization with the image forming process. 13. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein in the pasting step, the wireless tag unit is pasted on the recording medium in advance prior to the image forming process. further,
A selection step of selecting whether to write the management information in the memory during the image forming process;
A write control step for controlling execution of the write step according to a selection result of the selection step;
15. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: The image forming apparatus further includes reading means for optically reading a document image,
A step of reading out the predetermined management information in the memory of the RFID tag unit when the RFID tag unit is affixed to a document image recording medium set in the reading means;
An image formation control step for controlling execution of the image formation process based on the read predetermined management information;
16. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: The predetermined management information includes information indicating importance of the image information,
The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the image forming control step prohibits execution of the image forming process when the importance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The predetermined management information includes information indicating a date and time when the image forming process of the document image was last performed,
18. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the image forming control step prohibits execution of the image forming process when a predetermined copy prohibition period has not elapsed since the date and time. . The predetermined management information includes information of at least one of the author and owner of the image information,
Further comprising an authentication step of authenticating a user based on the author and / or owner information;
The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the image forming control step prohibits execution of the image forming processing when authentication is not performed in the authentication step. The predetermined management information includes address information of a storage location of electronic data related to the image information,
20. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising an acquisition step of acquiring the electronic data based on the address information. An information management system including the image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The position of the recording medium is monitored by periodically wirelessly communicating with the image tag unit attached to the image-formed recording medium output by the image forming apparatus, and the recording medium is taken out of a specific area. Detection means for detecting
Informing means for informing that the recording medium has been taken out of the specific area by the detecting means;
An information management system comprising: A plurality of image tag units are affixed to the recording medium,
Means for detecting the fluctuation of the communication intensity at the time of the communication between the plurality of image tag units,
When the fluctuation of the communication intensity is detected, it is determined that the RFID tag unit has been peeled off from the recording medium or is destroyed, and means for informing the fact;
The information management system according to claim 21, further comprising:

Images