JP2006264130A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer capable of allowing a user to be able to confirm at any time whether or not image data is completely erased from a memory device after the completion of the printing operation. <P>SOLUTION: This printer comprises a reception means for receiving image data, an image memory means for storing the received image data to a memory device, an image processing means for processing the image data stored in the memory means and an erasing means for erasing the image data stored in the memory means after the completion of the printing operation of the received image data. The printer further comprises an erasing information management means for holding information relating to whether or not the erasing operation of the image data is completed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, and more particularly to a confidential information erasure management system for a printing apparatus that prevents confidential information stored in a storage device from being used by a third party other than the principal.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printers and copiers that read image data, temporarily store the image data in a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk, read out the image data stored appropriately from the memory, and print it out are known. In such a printer, even after the printing of data is completed, the previously stored image data remains until new image data is read and overwritten on the hard disk. Therefore, the hard disk is removed from a device such as a printer, and image data leaks, which is a problem when handling confidential information.

  On the other hand, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a confidential document mode is provided, and when this mode is set, the image data is set to be deleted when the processing of the image data is completed. Yes.

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, the image data is set to be erased during the idle time of the apparatus.

In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3, a technique capable of confirming completion of overwriting work has been proposed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-223061 JP-A-9-284572 JP-A-2-271447

  However, when the image data is erased by the above-described conventional technique, the user is in a standby state during the erasure process, and is really confidential information only by confirming the erasure completion display when the erasure process is completed. It was a problem that the image data could not be completely erased.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that allows a user to confirm whether image data has been completely erased from a storage device at any time after the completion of printing processing. .

  A printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a receiving unit for receiving image data, an image storage unit for storing the received image data in a storage device, and image processing for processing the image data stored in the image storage unit After the print processing of the image data and the received image data is completed, the printing apparatus having the erasing device for erasing the image data stored in the image storage device retains information regarding whether the image data erasure processing is completed. An erasure information management means is provided.

  Further, in the printing apparatus, the erasure information management unit holds erasure information including a password, a file number, and erasure completion information.

  Further, when image data is received by the receiving means in the printing apparatus, a password is requested from the user, a file number is assigned to the received image data, and the assigned file number is given to the user. The management means holds the password and the file number.

  In the printing apparatus, when the erasing unit finishes erasing the image data, erasing completion information is held in the erasing information managing unit.

  Further, in the printing apparatus, when receiving an inquiry for confirmation of erasure from the user, the password and the file number are requested, and whether or not the erasure information management means has the same password and the file number. If there is a match, the erasure completion information is given to the user.

  In the printing apparatus, when the user's erasure confirmation is completed after completion of erasure, or when a certain period of time has elapsed after the completion of printing, the password, the file number, and the erasure completion information are stored in the erasure information management means. It is characterized by erasing from.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to confirm whether or not the erasure processing of the confidential data stored in the storage device is completed by inputting the password and the file number after the printing is completed.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an ink jet printer which is an embodiment of a printing apparatus according to the present invention. 1 includes a reception buffer memory unit 2, an image processing unit 3, an engine I / F unit 4, a hard disk 5, a device control unit 6, and a printer engine unit 7.

  When printing using the inkjet printer 100 according to the present embodiment, reference numeral 1 denotes a host computer, which is connected to the inkjet printer 100 via a network 101 and sends out image data. A reception buffer memory 2 temporarily stores image data sent from the host computer. Here, the image data on the reception buffer memory 2 is written and stored in the hard disk 5. Then, the image data is read again from the hard disk 5 and converted into raster data by the image processing unit 3. The rasterized image data is transferred from the engine I / F unit 4 to the printer engine unit 8, and printing processing is performed. When there is a designation that the image data is confidential data, the inkjet printer 100 performs an erasure process on the image data stored in the hard disk 5 immediately after the printing process.

  Here, the case where the hard disk 5 for storing image data is provided will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a non-volatile memory and a backup function capable of holding the stored image data even after being taken out from the apparatus main body. The same can be applied to the case of having an attached memory or the like.

  Each component of the inkjet printer 100 according to the present embodiment is controlled by the device controller 6. The device controller 6 analyzes the received image data, manages the status of the inkjet printer 100, and controls external processing requests.

  The operation unit 7 is a printer panel, which allows the user to make printer settings and displays the printer status to the user.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the hard disk 5 is divided into an erase information management area and a data storage area. The erasure information management area is an area for storing information used when the user confirms whether the erasure of confidential data has been completed, and the data storage area is an area for storing image data that is not confidential data. The data storage area is also used as an area for temporarily storing image data during printing processing.

  Next, a method for storing the erasure information when confidential data is received in the erasure information management area in the inkjet printer 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure when the inkjet printer 100 of FIG. 1 receives image data.

  If the user wants to print confidential data, the printer driver is designated to print confidential data, and the user is prompted to enter a password. When the inkjet printer 100 receives the image data in the reception buffer 2, the device control unit 6 analyzes the image data and determines whether the image data is confidential data. If it is determined that the image data received in step S1 is not confidential data, the printing process in step S3 is performed, and the process ends.

  If it is determined in step S 1 that the image data is confidential data, the device control unit 6 secures an area for storing the deletion information of the image data in the deletion information management area of the hard disk 5. Then, the file number for the assigned image data, the password added to the image data, and the erase completion information are stored in the erase information management area. At this time, the erasure completion information represents non-erasure. Further, a file number is returned to the user's host computer 1 during this processing. The user can confirm it on the host computer 1.

  Thereafter, the inkjet printer 100 performs the printing process in step S3, and erases the confidential data stored in the hard disk 5 in step S4 after the paper discharge is completed. Then, when the erasure is completed, the erasure information is retained by rewriting the erasure completion information in the erasure information management area from unerased to erasure completed in step S5.

  The contents of the erasure information management area are, for example, as shown in FIG. 4. In the erasure information management area, a file number for specifying image data, a password for specifying a user, and an erasure indicating whether the erasure of confidential data has been completed. Consists of completion information.

  Next, a procedure for confirming whether the erasure of confidential data has been completed will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example when the erasure confirmation is performed in the inkjet printer 100 according to the present embodiment.

  When the user requests erasure confirmation from the host computer 1 to the inkjet printer 100, the device control unit 6 recognizes the erasure confirmation request in step S11, and requests the user to input a password and a file number. When the input of the password and the file number in step S12 is confirmed, in step S13, the device control unit 6 searches whether there is an entry in the erase information management area that matches the input password and file number. If no match is found, the password and file number are requested again. If there is a match, erase completion information is displayed on the host computer in step S14.

  If the erasure completion information in step S15 is erasure completion, the erasure information confirmed from the erasure information management area is erased in step S16. If the erasure completion information has not been erased, the erasure information is retained until the user confirms that the erasure of the confidential data has been completed by erasure confirmation starting from step S11.

  Next, a processing procedure in the case where the erasure information is retained for a certain period will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the case where the erasure information is held only for a certain period in the inkjet printer 100 according to the present embodiment.

  When the confidential data erasure process is completed in step S101, the device control unit 6 rewrites the erasure management information of the erasure information to complete the erasure, and stores the time when the erasure is completed in the erasure information management area. When the period from the end of erasure becomes longer than the erasure information holding period preset in the ink jet printer 100 in step S102, the erasure information is erased in step S107. Erase information having a shorter period from the end of erasure than the erase information retention period is retained. The processing from step S103 to step S106 is omitted because it is the same as the processing from step S11 to step S14 in FIG.

  The contents of the erasure information management area are, for example, as shown in FIG. 7. In the erasure information management area, a file number for specifying image data, a password for specifying a user, and an erasure indicating whether the erasure of confidential data has been completed. In addition to the completion information, it is composed of an erasing time indicating the erasing end time.

<Second Embodiment>
This embodiment is different in that the erasure confirmation is performed from the host computer 1 in the first embodiment but from the inkjet printer 100 and the printer panel of the operation unit 7.

  After the printing is completed, the user can confirm the erasure on the printer panel by selecting the erasure confirmation menu from the printer panel of the operation unit 7 and inputting the requested password and file number. The procedure for confirming the erasure from the printer panel of the operation unit 7 is the same as the procedure for confirming the erasure in the host computer, so that the explanation is omitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the erasure confirmation process in the ink jet printer has been described as an example. However, when the image data is input from the outside and the image data is stored in the storage device, the erasure process is performed. The same processing is performed when operating as a copying machine.

It is a block diagram of the printing apparatus in an Example. It is a figure which shows an example of the division | segmentation divided | segmented in the hard disk 5 of FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure when the printing apparatus according to the embodiment receives image data. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of erase data stored in an erase information management area in FIG. 2. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example when the printing apparatus according to the embodiment performs erasure confirmation. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a case where the printing apparatus according to the embodiment holds erasure information only for a certain period. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of erase data stored in an erase information management area in FIG. 2.

Explanation of symbols

1 Host computer 2 Receive buffer 3 Image processing 4 Engine I / F
5 Hard Disk 6 Device Control Unit 7 Operation Unit 8 Printer Engine 100 Inkjet Printer 101 Network

Claims (6)

  Receiving means for receiving image data, image storage means for storing the received image data in a storage device, image processing means for processing the image data stored in the image storage means, and the received image data In the printing apparatus including an erasing unit for erasing the image data stored in the image storage unit after the printing process is completed, an erasing information management unit that holds information about whether the erasing process of the image data is completed is provided. A printing apparatus characterized by the above.   2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising erase information management means for holding erase information including a password, a file number, and erase completion information.   When image data that is confidential information is received by the receiving means, a file number is assigned to the received image data, the assigned file number is given to the user, and the deletion information management means adds the file number to the image data. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a password and the file number are held.   2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the erasing unit finishes erasing image data, erasing completion information is held in the erasing information management unit.   When receiving an inquiry for erasure confirmation from the user, request the password and the file number, determine whether or not the password and the file number coincide with each other in the erasure information management means, The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if there is, the erasure completion information is given to a user.   When erasure confirmation is completed after the completion of erasure, or when a certain period of time has elapsed after the end of printing, the erasure information consisting of the password, the file number, and the erasure completion information is erased from the erasure information management means. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus has a function of:

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