JP2006227760A - Image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the data of any confidential document and private document from being left in an image formation apparatus even when the print of the confidential document and private document is interrupted due to any error, and a user leaves without noticing it. <P>SOLUTION: A printer 1 being an image formation apparatus is connected to a network such as a LAN 12, and the printer 1 receives a request for a print job from a host 13 on a network, and executes print. At the time of receiving a request for the print job of a document whose privacy should be protected, the printer 1 permits printing by the input of a password. When any error is generated during the print execution of the document whose privacy should be protected, the error is released, and a host 13 as the request origin of the job is inquired of whether or not retry should be executed through a network. When the instruction of retry is made as a result, the retry of the job is executed, and when the instruction of retry non-execution is made, the job is canceled, and the job data are erased. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a multifunction peripheral that performs printing while maintaining confidentiality when printing a document that is not desired to be seen by others, such as confidential documents and confidential documents.

  Conventionally, as an image forming apparatus capable of printing confidential documents, confidential documents, and the like while maintaining confidentiality, there has been one as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-98413. When the image forming apparatus is connected to a host via a LAN and prints a confidential document or a confidential document, the image forming apparatus receives type information, image information, authentication information, or the like indicating the confidential document or the confidential document from the host. And stored in the storage unit. When a password that matches the password included in the authentication information is input from the operation unit, printing permission is issued and the stored confidential document and confidential document are printed. It is.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, when printing of a confidential document or a confidential document is interrupted due to an error such as out of toner or jam (paper jam), printing is performed. No further printing is performed until the permission is released and the password is entered again.

  In this way, it is possible to prevent others from printing confidential documents and confidential documents without permission, and in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, printing may be interrupted due to an error or the like. However, the confidentiality of confidential documents, confidential documents, and the like is maintained by preventing other people from resuming the printing interrupted after the error is canceled.

JP 2004-98413 A (FIGS. 1 and 10)

  However, in the conventional image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, printing is interrupted due to an error or the like during the printing of a confidential document or a confidential document, and the user does not notice it and thinks that the printing has been completed. In this case, there is a problem that confidential document data and confidential document data remain in the memory of the image forming apparatus even after the error is cleared. As described above, when the confidential data remains in the memory, there is a problem in terms of security and the memory is wasted.

  In view of the above-described problems, the printing of a confidential document or a confidential document is interrupted due to an error or the like, and the data of the confidential document or the confidential document is formed even if the user leaves without noticing it. It is intended to prevent it from remaining in the memory of the device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is
An image forming apparatus that is connected to a network and receives a print job request from a host on the network and executes printing.
Means for determining whether or not the received job is for a document that requires confidentiality, and means for determining whether to retry after canceling the error when an error occurs during printing of a document that requires confidentiality And means for executing retry of the job when it is determined to retry, and means for canceling the job and deleting the job data when it is determined not to retry.

The invention according to claim 2 of the present application is the invention according to claim 1,
The means for determining whether or not to retry makes an inquiry to the request source of the job via the network and determines whether or not to retry based on a response to the inquiry. It is characterized by that.

The invention according to claim 3 of the present application is the invention according to claim 1,
The means for determining whether or not to retry accepts the input of a password, and when a valid password is input, it is determined that a retry will be performed, and after the error is released, the valid password is not input even after a predetermined time has elapsed. It is characterized by determining not to retry.

The invention according to claim 4 of the present application is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
When the job is canceled after a predetermined time elapses after the error is released, the unoutput data after the error occurrence is returned to the request source of the job.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when an error occurs during printing of a document requiring confidentiality, it is determined whether or not to retry after canceling the error, and when it is determined to retry, the job is retried. However, when it is determined not to retry, the job is canceled and the job data is deleted.
As a result, printing is interrupted due to an error during printing confidential documents, confidential documents, etc., and the confidential document data and confidential document data remain in the memory of the image forming apparatus even if the user leaves without noticing it. It becomes possible to prevent becoming.

In the invention according to claim 2, the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 inquires of the request source of the job whether or not to retry via the network, and there is an instruction to retry the inquiry. In this case, the job is retried, and when there is an instruction not to retry the inquiry, the job is canceled and the job data is deleted.
As a result, printing is interrupted due to an error during printing confidential documents, confidential documents, etc., and the confidential document data and confidential document data remain in the memory of the image forming apparatus even if the user leaves without noticing it. It becomes possible to prevent becoming.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, after the error is cleared, an input of a password is accepted, and when a valid password is input, the job is retried to cancel the error. Later, if a valid password is not entered after a predetermined time, the job is canceled and the job data is deleted.
As a result, printing is interrupted due to an error during printing confidential documents, confidential documents, etc., and the confidential document data and confidential document data remain in the memory of the image forming apparatus even if the user leaves without noticing it. It becomes possible to prevent becoming.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, when the job is canceled after a predetermined time has elapsed after the error is released, Since the non-output data is returned to the request source of the job, the user can restore the canceled document after the error occurs at any time even after deleting the data after sending the job data. It becomes like this.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing another operation procedure of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing still another operation procedure of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 1 that is an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 2 that includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and executes various controls, and includes various input keys, a display, and the like. 3, a storage unit 4 that stores print data, a printing unit 5 that prints jobs on output paper, and the like, and is connected to the LAN 12 via the transmission / reception unit 6, and print jobs from the host 13 on the LAN 12. Receive and print.

  The printer 1 includes a job information recognition unit 7, a failure detection unit 8, a password management unit 9, a retry processing unit 10, and a cancellation processing unit 11 as other functions. The job information recognition unit 7 detects whether or not the received job is a job that requires confidentiality such as confidential documents and confidential documents. The failure detection unit 8 detects the occurrence of an error such as out of toner or jam during printing. The password management unit 9 detects whether or not the password input from the operation unit 3 is valid and manages the password.

  The retry processing unit 10 executes a job retry after an error occurs and printing is interrupted. If an error occurs during printing of a job that requires confidentiality and no retry is executed after the error is canceled, the cancel processing unit 11 forcibly cancels the job to maintain confidentiality, and the storage unit The confidential data remaining in 4 is deleted.

  When printing a confidential document such as a confidential document or a confidential document, the printer 1 receives from the host 13 print data including confidential information, type information indicating that the document is a confidential document, authentication information, and the like. Store in the storage unit 4. When a password that matches the password included in the authentication information is input from the operation unit 3, printing permission is issued, and the stored confidential document and confidential document are printed.

Also, if printing such as out of toner or jam occurs during printing of confidential documents or confidential documents and printing is interrupted, printing permission is canceled and the password is entered again from the operation unit 3 until the password is input again. It is configured not to print.

  The printer 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, and prevents others from executing confidential documents and confidential documents without permission, and even if printing is interrupted due to an error or the like, an error is generated. The printing that is interrupted after the release is prevented from being resumed by another person so that confidentiality of confidential documents, confidential documents, etc. is maintained.

  Further, in the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, even if printing is interrupted due to an error or the like during printing of a confidential document or confidential document, the data of the confidential document or confidential document remains forever even if the user leaves without noticing it. Do not remain in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus.

  Next, an operation procedure of the printer 1 that is the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described based on a flowchart. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. When print data including confidential information, type information indicating that it is a confidential document, authentication information, etc. is received from the host 13, it is stored in the storage unit 4. When a password that matches the password included in the authentication information is input from the operation unit 3, the stored confidential document and confidential document are printed (step S1).

  During printing, the failure detection unit 8 monitors whether or not an error such as a jam has occurred (step S2), and if no error occurs, the job is terminated as it is. If an error occurs, whether or not the error has been canceled. If the error is canceled, the job information recognition unit 7 determines whether the job is a confidential document or a confidential document based on the type information (step S4). As a result, if the confidential document or the confidential document is not printed, the retry process of step 7 is immediately performed. If the confidential document or the confidential document is printed, the request source of the job is transmitted via the transmission / reception unit 6 and the LAN 12. A message for inquiring whether or not to retry a certain host 13 is transmitted (step S5).

  A response from the host 13 is received, and it is determined whether or not to retry (step S6). If the retry is instructed, the retry processing unit 10 performs the retry of the remaining print data (step S7). If the retry is not instructed, the cancel processing unit 11 cancels the job and stores it in the storage unit 4. The stored print data is deleted (step S8).

  According to this operation procedure, when printing is interrupted due to an error or the like during printing of a confidential document or confidential document, be sure to always make a retry inquiry to the user after canceling the error, and retry the job based on the response. Since the data is canceled, the confidential document and confidential document data do not remain in the storage unit 4 of the image forming apparatus. Further, when the user gives an instruction to retry, the user can immediately go to the place where the printer 1 is installed and obtain the printed matter so that the confidential document cannot be seen by others.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing another operation procedure of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the flowchart of FIG. 3, the processes in steps S11 to S14 are the same as the processes in steps S1 to S4 in the flowchart of FIG. An error occurs during printing, and then the error is canceled. The job information recognition unit 7 determines whether the job is a confidential document or a confidential document. For example, a timer is started to measure the elapsed time after the error is released (step S15).

  Then, it is determined whether or not a password for retrying the job has been input from the operation unit 3 (step S16). If the password has been input, the input password is included in the authentication information of the job. Is determined by the password management unit 9 (step S17). As a result, if they match, the retry processing unit 10 performs a retry of the remaining print data (step S18).

  On the other hand, if no password is input or the passwords do not match in steps S16 and S17, it is determined whether or not the timer started in step S15 indicates that a predetermined time has passed (step S19). If YES, the cancel processing unit 11 cancels the job and deletes the print data stored in the storage unit 4 (step 20).

  According to this operation procedure, when printing of a confidential document or confidential document is interrupted due to an error or the like, the job is automatically canceled if no retry is executed after a certain period of time has elapsed after the error is cleared. Therefore, the confidential document and confidential document data do not remain in the storage unit 4 of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing still another operation procedure of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the processes in steps S31 to S40 are the same as the processes in steps S11 to S20 in the flowchart of FIG. 3, and description thereof is omitted here.

  When printing is interrupted due to an error or the like while printing a confidential document or confidential document, if the retry is not executed even after a certain period of time has passed after the error is canceled, the cancel processing unit 11 cancels the job. At this time, before deleting the print data stored in the storage unit 4, the unoutput data after the occurrence of the error is returned to the host 13 which is the request source of the job (step 41).

  According to this operation procedure, when printing of a confidential document or confidential document is interrupted due to an error or the like, the job is automatically canceled if no retry is executed after a certain period of time has elapsed after the error is cleared. At the same time, since the non-output data after the error occurrence is returned to the request source of the job, the user can restore the canceled document after the error occurrence at any time even if the user deletes the data after sending the job data .

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating another operation procedure of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing still another operation procedure of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer 2 ... Control part 3 ... Operation part 4 ... Storage part 5 ... Printing part 6 ... Transmission / reception part 7 ... Job information recognition part 8 ... Failure detection part 9 ... Password management part 10 ... Retry processing part 11 ... Cancel processing part 12 ... LAN
13 ... Host

Claims (4)

An image forming apparatus that is connected to a network and receives a print job request from a host on the network and executes printing.
Means for determining whether or not the received job is for a document that requires confidentiality, and means for determining whether to retry after canceling the error when an error occurs during printing of a document that requires confidentiality And an image forming apparatus comprising: means for executing retry of the job when it is determined to retry; and means for canceling the job and deleting job data when it is determined not to retry. apparatus.   The means for determining whether or not to retry makes an inquiry to the request source of the job via the network and determines whether or not to retry based on a response to the inquiry. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The means for determining whether or not to retry accepts the input of a password, and when a valid password is input, it is determined that a retry will be performed, and after the error is released, the valid password is not input even after a predetermined time has elapsed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that no retry is made.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the job is canceled after the error is released, unoutput data after the error is returned to the request source of the job. 5. .

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