JP2007267206A - Image processor, image processing method and image processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a solution for clarifying whether image data recorded in a portable recording medium has been encrypted and notifying a user of the necessity of data decryption. <P>SOLUTION: This solution comprises a connection detection module for detecting a connected portable recording medium, a check module for checking the presence or absence of image data stored in the detected portable recording medium, a judgment module for checking whether or not image data has been encrypted and a display module for displaying a mark to the effect that image data has been judged as an encrypted image by the judgment module. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and an image processing program, and more particularly to a technique for displaying image data stored in a portable storage medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “multifunction machine”) in which functions of each apparatus such as a printer, a copy machine, a facsimile machine, and a scanner are housed in one casing is known. Such a multi-function peripheral is equipped with a storage device for storing images and document data.

  In recent years, in multifunction peripherals, there is a tendency to increase the opportunities to directly connect and use portable storage media (portable storage media) such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory and card-type media.

  However, in general, a portable storage medium can be easily carried, but has a high possibility of being stolen or lost. In such a case, the image and document data in the portable storage medium may be browsed by other users using a general electronic device such as an image forming apparatus or a PC (Personal Computer).

  In order to solve such a problem, a technique for preventing unauthorized use of data is disclosed.

  For example, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, image data captured by a digital camera is stored in a removable memory card after the image memory area is encrypted. When the detachable memory card is inserted into the printer device, a list of reduced images is displayed. When the user selects a desired reduced image, a printing process is performed after the decoding process.

JP 2002-320174 A

  However, with the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, all image data stored in the removable memory card is encrypted. Further, there is no description about acquisition of a decryption key used for decryption processing. By the way, normally, there are cases where important data and relatively unimportant data are stored in a portable recording medium used by a user, and only important data is often encrypted. That is, in the invention shown in Patent Document 1, when image data that has been subjected to encryption processing and image data that has not been subjected to encryption processing are stored in a portable recording medium, There is a problem that it is difficult to confirm whether the image data is encrypted.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is necessary to clarify whether or not encryption processing is performed on image data stored in a portable recording medium and to perform decryption processing. An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and an image processing program that allow a user to recognize a certain situation.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 includes a connection detection means for detecting connection of a portable recording medium, and the portable recording medium detected by the connection detection means. Confirmation means for confirming whether or not image data is stored; determination means for determining whether or not the image data confirmed by the confirmation means has been encrypted; and confirmation by the confirmation means Display processing means for displaying the processed image data as a list and displaying that the encryption processing is performed on the image determined to be encrypted by the determination means And.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a decryption processing means for performing a decryption process on the image data determined to be encrypted by the determination means in the first aspect of the invention. , Further provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the second aspect, an input of a decryption key used for a decryption process for the image data determined to be encrypted by the determination means. Input receiving means for receiving from the user, wherein the decryption processing means performs decryption processing on the image data using the decryption key received by the input accepting means. It is characterized by.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the third aspect, the display processing unit performs a decryption process on the image data determined to be encrypted by the determination unit. A screen for accepting an input of a decryption key to be used is displayed, and the input accepting means accepts an input of the decryption key from the screen displayed by the display processing means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, a key for storing a decryption key used for a decryption process on the image data determined to be encrypted by the determination means. Storage means, wherein the decryption processing means performs decryption processing on the image data using the decryption key stored in the key storage means.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the first decryption used in the decryption process for the image data determined to be encrypted by the determination means. Key storage means for storing a key, and input for receiving from the user an input of a second decryption key used for the decryption process for the image data determined to have been encrypted by the determination means A receiving unit; and a selecting unit that selects either the first decryption key stored in the key storage unit or the second decryption key received by the input receiving unit; The decryption processing means performs decryption processing on the image data using the decryption key selected by the selection means.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the third to sixth aspects, the decryption processing means decrypts the image data with the decryption key accepted by the input acceptance means. And a deletion unit that deletes the image data that has not been subjected to the decoding process from the portable recording medium when the conversion process cannot be performed.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claim 7, wherein the image data is tried to be decrypted more than a predetermined number of times of re-execution with the decryption key received by the input receiving means. Re-execution count determining means for determining whether or not the deletion record is determined when the re-execution count determining means determines that the decryption process has been attempted more than the predetermined re-execution count. The image data is deleted from the medium.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the invention according to claim 8, wherein the input receiving means receives an input of the number of times of re-execution from the user, and the number of times of re-execution determining is input by the input receiving means. It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not a decoding process has been attempted on the image data more than the predetermined number of re-execution accepted.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the third to sixth aspects, a storage means for holding a management area in which a reference from an unauthorized user is suppressed, and the input receiving means When the decryption key that has received an input by the decryption processing unit cannot decrypt the image data, the image data that has not been decrypted from the portable recording medium is It further comprises movement processing means for moving to the management area of the storage means.

  The invention according to claim 11 is the invention according to claim 10, wherein the input accepting unit accepts input of user authentication information, and the user receives the input by the input accepting unit, and the user receives the input by the authentication information. Authentication means for authenticating whether or not it has an authority to refer to the image data moved by the movement processing means, and the movement process when it is authenticated by the authentication means that the authority is referred to And a reading means for reading out the image data moved by the means.

  The invention according to a twelfth aspect of the invention according to the tenth or eleventh aspect further includes notification means for notifying a user when the image data is moved by the movement processing means. It is characterized by that.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the second to twelfth aspects, a printing process for performing a printing process on the image data subjected to the decoding process by the decoding processing unit. And means.

  The invention according to claim 14 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the image data to be processed is in a PDF format.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection detection step for detecting connection of a portable recording medium, and whether or not image data is accumulated in the portable recording medium detected by the connection detection step. A confirmation step, a determination step for determining whether or not the image data confirmed in the confirmation step has been subjected to an encryption process, and a display process of the image data confirmed in the confirmation step as a list And a display processing step of displaying that the encryption processing has been performed on the image determined to have been subjected to the encryption processing by the determination step.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the fifteenth aspect, a decryption processing step of performing a decryption process on the image data determined to have been encrypted by the determination step; , Further comprising.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the sixteenth aspect, an input of a decryption key used for a decryption process for the image data determined to have been subjected to the encryption process by the determination step. An input receiving step for receiving the image data from the user, wherein the decryption processing step performs the decryption processing on the image data using the decryption key received by the input receiving step. It is characterized by this.

  The invention according to claim 18 is the invention according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the decryption key that has received an input in the input accepting step decrypts the image data in the decryption processing step. And a deletion step of deleting the image data that has not been subjected to the decoding process from the portable recording medium when the conversion process has not been performed.

  According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the fourteenth to seventeenth aspects, the image data is decrypted in the decryption processing step with the decryption key received in the input reception step. A moving process for moving the image data that has not been subjected to the decryption process from the portable recording medium to a management area in which reference from an unauthorized user of the storage means is suppressed, The method further comprises a step.

  The invention according to claim 20 is characterized in that the image processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 19 is executed by a computer.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it becomes clear whether or not the image data stored in the portable recording medium has been subjected to encryption processing, and when the image data is used, the decryption processing is performed. There is an effect that the user can recognize that it is necessary.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, since the decoding process is performed on the image data, the user can easily obtain the image data stored in the portable storage medium.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the decryption process is performed with the decryption key that has received the input from the user, the decryption process can be performed with the decryption key suitable for each image data. There is an effect that the property is improved.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the screen for accepting the input of the decryption key is displayed, there is an effect that the user can easily input the decryption key.

  According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the decryption process is performed with the decryption key stored in the key storage means, the user can easily perform the decryption process without setting the decryption key. There is an effect that can be.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 6, since the decryption key used for the decryption process is selected, the decryption process is performed with the decryption key associated with each image data, and safety is improved. There is an effect of improving.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the decryption process cannot be performed with the decryption key input by the user, the image data that is the target of the decryption process is deleted, so that an appropriate There is an effect that unauthorized use by a user who does not have a decryption key can be suppressed.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the image data is deleted when the predetermined number of re-execution times is decrypted, so that the safety can be improved.

  According to the ninth aspect of the invention, since the administrator can set the number of re-execution, it is possible to set an appropriate security level for the image data.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, when the decryption process cannot be performed with the decryption key input by the user, the image data subjected to the decryption process is moved to the management area. Thus, it is possible to prevent unauthorized use by a user who does not have an appropriate decryption key.

  According to the invention of claim 11, since the authenticated user can read and use the image data, there is an effect of improving convenience while maintaining safety.

  According to the twelfth aspect of the invention, since the administrator can recognize that the moving process has been performed on the image data, there is an effect that it is possible to quickly cope with the data.

  According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, since the image data subjected to the decoding process can be acquired on a paper medium, the convenience is improved.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, since the image data is in the PDF format, the encryption process and the decryption process can be easily performed, so that the safety is improved.

  According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, it becomes clear whether or not the image data stored in the portable recording medium has been subjected to encryption processing, and decryption processing is performed when the image data is used. There is an effect that the user can recognize that this is necessary.

  According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, since the decoding process is performed on the image data, there is an effect that the user can easily acquire the image data stored in the portable storage medium.

  According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, since the decryption process is performed with the decryption key that has received the input from the user, the decryption process can be performed with the decryption key suitable for each image data. There is an effect that the property is improved.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 18, when the decryption process cannot be performed with the decryption key input by the user, the image data that is the target of the decryption process is deleted. There is an effect that unauthorized use by a user who does not have a decryption key can be suppressed.

  According to the nineteenth aspect of the invention, since the administrator can recognize that the moving process has been performed on the image data, there is an effect that it is possible to quickly cope with the data.

  According to the invention of claim 20, the image processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 19 can be realized by using a computer by causing the computer to read and execute the image processing method. The same effects as those of these image processing methods are achieved.

  Exemplary embodiments of an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and an image processing program according to the present invention are explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
As a first embodiment of the present invention, the MFP 100 is a multi-function device 100, which includes a copy function, a facsimile (FAX) function, a print function, a scanner function, and an input image (a document image read by the scanner function or a printer or a FAX function). An example is shown in which the present invention is applied to a multifunction device 100 called a so-called MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) that combines functions such as (image) distribution.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a multi-function device 100 includes a monochrome line printer (B & W LP) 101, a color line printer (Color LP) 102, a memory card reader 103, a USB host 104, and a LAN I / F 105 serving as a network interface. And other hardware resources 106 such as a scanner, a facsimile, an HDD, and an NVRAM, a software group 110, and a multifunction machine starting unit 140. The software group 110 is configured to include a platform 120 and an application 130.

  The memory card reader 103 controls connection of a memory card M1, which is a kind of portable storage medium. The memory card M1 may be of any type, for example, an SD card. The USB host 104 controls connection of a USB memory M2 which is a kind of portable storage medium. The data held by the memory card M1 or the USB memory M2 will be described later.

  The platform 120 interprets a processing request from the application 130 and generates a hardware resource acquisition request, and a system resource that manages one or more hardware resources and arbitrates the acquisition request from the control service A manager (hereinafter referred to as SRM) 123 and an operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) 121 are configured.

  The control service includes a system control service (hereinafter referred to as SCS) 122, an engine control service (hereinafter referred to as ECS) 124, a memory control service (hereinafter referred to as MCS) 125, an operation panel control service (hereinafter referred to as OCS) 126, a fax. It is configured to have one or more service modules such as a control service (hereinafter referred to as FCS) 127, a network control service (hereinafter referred to as NCS) 128, and a user information management service (hereinafter referred to as UCS) 129.

  The platform 120 is configured to have an application program interface (hereinafter referred to as API) that can receive a processing request from the application 130 by a predefined function.

  The OS 121 is a general-purpose operating system such as UNIX (registered trademark), and executes the software of the platform 120 and the application 130 in parallel as processes.

  The process of the SRM 123 performs system control and resource management together with the SCS 122. For example, the process of the SRM 123 uses hardware resources of an engine such as a scanner unit and a printer unit, a memory, a hard disk device (HDD) file, and a host I / O (centro interface, network interface, IEEE 1394 interface, RS232C interface, etc.). Arbitration is performed according to the request from the upper layer, and execution control is performed.

  Specifically, the SRM 123 determines whether the requested hardware resource is available (whether it is not used by another request), and if it is available, the requested hardware resource can be used. Tell the upper layer to the effect. Further, the SRM 123 performs use scheduling of hardware resources in response to a request from an upper layer, and directly executes requested contents such as paper conveyance and image forming operation, memory allocation, file generation, etc. by a printer engine, for example.

  The process of the SCS 122 performs application management, operation unit control, system screen display, LED display, resource management, interrupt application control, and the like. Note that specific processing performed by the SCS 122 in the present embodiment will be described later.

  The process of the ECS 124 includes a monochrome line printer (B & W LP) 101, a color line printer (Color LP) 102, a memory card reader 103, a USB host 104, a LAN I / F 105, other hardware resources 106 such as a scanner and a facsimile. Control the engine.

  The MCS 125 process acquires and releases an image memory, uses a hard disk device (HDD), compresses and decompresses image data, and the like. The process of the OCS 126 controls an operation panel serving as information transmission means between the operator and the main body control.

  The process of FCS127 includes facsimile transmission / reception using PSTN or ISDN network from each application layer of system controller, registration / quotation of various facsimile data managed by BKM (backup SRAM), facsimile reading, facsimile reception printing, and fusion transmission / reception. Provide an application to do.

  The NCS 128 process is a process for providing a service that can be used in common to applications that require network I / O. Data received from the network side according to each protocol is distributed to each application, and data from the application Mediation when sending to the network side.

  The UCS 129 process manages user information, determines a storage device that stores user information in response to a request, acquires user information from the determined storage device, and supplies the user information to each application.

  The application 130 includes a printer application 111 that is a printer application having a page description language (PDL), PCL, and postscript (PS), a copy application 112 that is a copy application, and a fax application that is a facsimile application. 113, a scanner application 114 as a scanner application, a network file application 115 as a network file application, and a process inspection application 116 as a process inspection application.

  Each process of the application 130 and each process of the control service realize user services related to image forming processing such as copying, printers, scanners, and facsimiles while performing inter-process communication by calling functions, sending return values thereof, and sending and receiving messages. is doing.

  As described above, the MFP 100 according to the first embodiment includes a plurality of applications 130 and a plurality of control services, all of which operate as processes. In each of these processes, one or more threads are generated and parallel execution is performed in units of threads. The control service provides a common service to the application 130. For this reason, a large number of these processes perform a parallel operation and a parallel operation of threads to perform inter-process communication with each other. User services related to image forming processing such as copying, printers, scanners, and facsimiles are provided.

  The multifunction device activation unit 140 is executed first when the multifunction device 100 is powered on, and activates the application 130 and the platform 120. For example, the multifunction device activation unit 140 reads control programs and application programs from the HDD 103, transfers the read programs to a memory area secured on the SRAM or SDRAM, and activates them.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration of the multifunction peripheral 100 and the portable storage medium 150 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, the portable storage medium includes a storage unit 251. The storage unit 251 stores image data that has been subjected to encryption processing and image data that has not been subjected to encryption processing.

  Further, the image data according to the present embodiment means data to be printed by the multifunction peripheral 100, and includes a document file generated by an application. In this embodiment, a case where a PDF (Portable Document Format) file is used as an example of image data will be described. This PDF file has an advantage that data can be easily encrypted.

  The multi-function device 100 includes an input receiving unit 201, a nonvolatile storage unit 202, a portable storage medium management daemon 203, a portable storage medium processing module 204, and a printer application 205, and accumulates in the portable storage medium 150. After the displayed image data is displayed as a list, the image data is printed when selection is received from the user.

  The input receiving unit 201 receives information input by the user from the operation panel 10. For example, the input accepting unit 201 accepts input of authentication information such as a decryption key for image data subjected to encryption processing and a user ID and password when logging in as an administrator.

  Further, the input receiving unit 201 receives a setting of the maximum number of re-executions indicating the maximum number of times of receiving the input of the decryption key for the image data subjected to the encryption process when the administrator logs in. . Thereby, since the administrator can set the maximum number of re-executions, an appropriate security level can be set.

  The nonvolatile storage unit 202 stores a decryption key, a maximum number of re-executions, a decryption key reference setting value, and the like. In addition, in the present embodiment, the nonvolatile storage unit 202 is configured by NVRAM. However, the nonvolatile storage unit 202 may be any commonly used device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an optical disk, a memory card, and a RAM (Random Access Memory). It can be configured by storage means.

  Further, since the nonvolatile storage unit 202 holds the decryption key, when using this decryption key, the user can perform the decryption processing without setting the decryption key. This improves convenience.

  The decryption key reference setting value includes the decryption key input by the user on the operation panel 10 when performing decryption processing on the image data that has been encrypted in the multifunction device 100, and the nonvolatile key of the multifunction device 100. A setting indicating which of the decryption keys stored in the property storage unit 202 is used is held.

  The portable storage medium management daemon 203 includes a connection detection unit 211 and an application activation unit 212, and is resident while the multifunction device 100 is activated.

  The connection detection unit 211 monitors the connection of the portable storage medium 150 to the multifunction peripheral 100 while the portable storage medium management daemon 203 is resident. When the connection detection unit 211 detects the connection of the portable storage medium 150, the connection detection unit 211 outputs a message to that effect to the application activation unit 212.

  The application activation unit 212 performs a process of activating the portable storage medium processing module 204 when the connection detection unit 211 inputs that the connection is detected. As a result, the portable storage medium processing module 204 is activated, and processing to be described later is executed.

  The portable storage medium processing module 204 includes a re-execution frequency determination unit 221, a deletion unit 222, a selection unit 223, a decryption processing unit 224, a confirmation unit 225, a determination unit 226, a display processing unit 227, And a storage / reading unit 228, which performs processing using the image data stored in the connected portable storage medium 150.

  The confirmation unit 225 confirms whether image data is accumulated in the storage unit 251 of the connected portable storage medium 150. In addition, when image data is stored in the storage unit 251, the confirmation unit 225 generates list information of the image data.

  The determination unit 226 determines whether or not encryption processing has been performed for each image data confirmed by the confirmation unit 225. Any method may be used to determine whether or not the encryption process performed by the determination unit 226 is performed. For example, a flag indicating whether or not the encryption process stored in the header information of the image data is performed. You may refer to.

  The selection unit 223 uses either a decryption key stored in the non-volatile storage unit 202 or a decryption key input by the user when performing decryption processing on the encrypted image data. Select whether or not to use. In the present embodiment, the selection unit 223 refers to the decryption key reference setting value stored in the nonvolatile storage unit 202 and determines which one to use.

  The display processing unit 227 controls the operation panel 10 to perform display processing. Specifically, the display processing unit 227 performs display processing on a list of image data confirmed by the confirmation unit 225. The display processing unit 227 performs display processing for the administrator login screen when the administrator logs in. In addition, the display processing unit 227 performs display processing of the input reception screen when the user inputs the decryption key.

  The display processing unit 227 encrypts the image data that is determined to be encrypted by the determination unit 226 when the decryption key input by the user is selected by the selection unit 223. A display processing is performed to indicate that processing has been performed and a mark indicating the processing.

  FIG. 3 is a screen diagram illustrating an example of an image list displayed on the operation panel by the display processing unit 227. This figure is a diagram showing an example in the case of receiving an input of a decryption key from a user. Then, as shown in this figure, the display processing unit 227 performs a normal thumbnail display process for image data that has not been subjected to the encryption process. On the other hand, for the image data (image data 5) that has been subjected to encryption processing, a mark 301 indicating that encryption processing has been performed is displayed, and a field for displaying the file name below is displayed. (Encryption) and display processing.

  Further, when the decryption key stored in the non-volatile storage unit 202 is selected by the selection unit 223, the display processing unit 227 performs processing on the image data that is determined to be encrypted by the determination unit 226. After the decryption processing unit 224 performs the decryption process, the display process is performed.

  In this case, the display processing unit 227 displays a thumbnail image as usual for the image data, but displays (encrypted) in the field for displaying the file name. Thus, the user can confirm that the image data has been encrypted. Therefore, handling of the image data by the user becomes careful and safety is improved. If image data encryption processing cannot be performed with the decryption key, display processing similar to that performed when the decryption key input by the user is used is performed.

  Further, the present embodiment is not limited to displaying thumbnails and file names as an image list, and display designation may be made in another form. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a modified example of the image list displayed on the operation panel by the display processing unit 227. As shown in the figure, in the present modification, the display processing unit 227 displays a list of file names as an image list. Even in the case of this modification, the image data that has been subjected to encryption processing is displayed.

  Returning to the present embodiment, after the display processing unit 227 displays the screen shown in FIG. 3, it is input from the input receiving unit 201 that the image data that has been subjected to the user's decoding processing has been selected. In this case, the decryption key input acceptance screen is displayed.

  FIG. 5 is a screen diagram illustrating an example of a decryption key input reception screen that the display processing unit 227 performs display processing. By displaying the screen shown in the figure, the user can input the decryption key. That is, the decryption processing unit 224 described later can perform decryption processing with a decryption key suitable for each image data. Thereby, for example, even when one encryption key is leaked, the decryption process cannot be performed on all the image data, so that the safety is improved.

  Further, since the user can input the decryption key from the input reception screen, convenience is improved.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the decoding processing unit 224 performs a decoding process on the image data stored in the portable storage medium. The decryption key used for this decryption process is the decryption key selected by the selection unit 223. As a result, the user can refer to the encrypted image data stored in the portable storage medium 150.

  When the decryption key used for the decryption process is input from the user, the re-execution count determination unit 221 determines that the number of times the decryption key has been received (hereinafter referred to as the re-execution count) It is determined whether the number of times (hereinafter referred to as the maximum number of re-execution) has been exceeded. In other words, the user needs to input the correct decryption key within the maximum number of re-executions in order to refer to the image data that has been subjected to the encryption process. If it is determined that the maximum number of re-execution times has been exceeded, the re-execution frequency determination unit 221 outputs the fact and the image data name to the deletion unit 222.

  When the deletion unit 222 receives from the re-execution count determination unit 221 that a decryption key has been input exceeding the maximum re-execution count, the deletion unit 222 deletes the image data that is the target of the decryption process. As a result, a user who does not have a decryption key cannot try to decrypt the image data again by any method, so that theft or leakage of secret information can be prevented. improves.

  The accumulation / read unit 228 reads information stored in the nonvolatile storage unit 202 and writes information to the nonvolatile storage unit 202. For example, when the decryption key stored in the nonvolatile storage unit 202 is selected by the selection unit 223, the storage / reading unit 228 reads the decryption key and outputs the decryption key to the decryption processing unit 224.

  The printer application 205 performs print processing on the image data output from the portable storage medium processing module 204. The image data to be printed includes normal image data and image data that has been decrypted by the decryption processing unit 224 of the portable storage medium processing module 204.

  Next, processing from detection of the connection of the portable storage medium 150 to display of the image data list in the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of the above-described processing in the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment.

  First, the portable storage medium management daemon 203 is resident, and during this time, the connection detection unit 211 continues to check whether the portable storage medium 150 is connected (step S601). Then, when the connection detection unit 211 cannot detect the connection of the portable storage medium 150 (step S601: No), the connection detection unit 211 confirms whether the connection has been made again after a predetermined time.

  When the connection detection unit 211 detects the connection of the portable storage medium 150 (step S601: Yes), the application activation unit 212 performs a process of starting the portable storage medium processing module 204 (step S602).

  Then, the confirmation unit 225 secures an image list in the recording medium used for displaying on the operation panel 10 in a memory area (not shown), and initializes the list (step S603).

  Next, the confirmation unit 225 performs a process for detecting image data stored in the storage unit 251 of the portable storage medium (step S604).

  Then, when detecting the image data (step S604: Yes), the confirmation unit 225 adds information on the detected image data (hereinafter referred to as an image entry) to the image list in the storage medium (step S605). The information included in the image entry is information specifying image data such as a file name.

  Next, the determination unit 226 determines whether or not encryption processing has been performed on the image data in which information is added to the image list in the storage medium (step S606). When it is determined that the encryption process has not been performed (step S606: No), the determination unit 226 does not perform any particular process.

  If the determination unit 226 determines that encryption processing has been performed (step S606: Yes), the determination unit 226 sets an encrypted image flag for the image entry stored in the image list in the storage medium ( Step S607). Next, again in step S605, the confirmation unit 225 performs detection processing on the portable storage medium 150 to determine whether there is other image data (step S604).

  If the confirmation unit 225 does not detect new image data (step S604: No), the confirmation unit 225 displays an image list on the operation panel 10 based on the image list in the storage medium created by the above-described processing procedure. Processing is performed (step S608). The detailed processing procedure until display will be described later.

  According to the processing procedure described above, when the user connects the portable storage medium 150, a list of images stored in the portable storage medium 150 can be confirmed. The processing procedure described above shows an example of the processing procedure from the detection of the connection of the portable storage medium 150 to the display of the image data list in the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment. The processing procedure is not limited.

  Next, in the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment configured as described above, details of processing for displaying a list of image data on the operation panel 10 using the image list in the storage medium shown in step S608 of FIG. Explained. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of the above-described processing in the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment.

  First, the display processing unit 227 performs image entry detection processing from the image list in the storage medium generated by the processing procedure of FIG. 6 (step S701).

  Next, the display processing unit 227 determines whether or not an encryption processing flag is set in the image entry (step S702). If it is determined that the encryption processing flag is not set (step S702: No), the display processing unit 227 performs processing for displaying the thumbnail of the image data corresponding to the image entry on the operation panel 10 (step S703). ).

  When the display processing unit 227 determines that the encryption processing flag is set (step S702: Yes), the accumulation reading unit 228 acquires the decryption key reference setting value from the nonvolatile storage unit 202 (step S704). ).

  Next, the selection unit 223 refers to the obtained decryption key reference setting value, and selects either the user input or the stored decryption key as the input destination of the decryption key (step S705).

  When the selection unit 223 selects the stored decryption key, the accumulation reading unit 228 reads the decryption key from the nonvolatile storage unit 202 (step S706).

  Next, the decryption processing unit 224 performs decryption processing on the image data using the read decryption key (step S707).

  Then, the display processing unit 227 performs a display process of the image data that has been subjected to the decoding process (step S708).

  When the selection unit 223 selects user input, the display processing unit 227 acquires information on the image entry (for example, image data name) from the image list in the storage medium (step S709).

  Next, the display processing unit 227 performs display processing for the acquired image data name and a mark indicating that encryption processing has been performed (step S710). Then, again, the display processing unit 227 detects whether there is an image entry that has not been processed in the image list in the storage medium (step S701).

  If the display processing unit 227 determines that there is no unprocessed image entry in the image list in the storage medium, the display processing unit 227 ends the process.

  According to the above-described processing procedure, the image data that has been subjected to the encryption process can be subjected to a display process or a decryption process to that effect.

  In the above-described processing procedure, when the user inputs the decryption key, only the mark indicating that the encryption process is performed is displayed, and the actual image data is not displayed. In view of this, in the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment, processing from when an image data printing instruction is received from a user until printing is described in detail. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of the above-described processing in the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment. In the process described later, it is assumed that the decryption key reference setting value is input from the user.

  First, the input reception unit 201 receives selection of image data to be printed by the user from the image list on the operation panel 10 (step S801).

  The input receiving unit 201 confirms whether the selected image data has been subjected to encryption processing (step S802).

  Next, when the input receiving unit 201 confirms that the encryption process has been performed (step S802: Yes), the display processing unit 227 displays the decryption key input screen (step S803). The screen to be displayed is the screen shown in FIG. 5, for example.

  Then, the input receiving unit 201 receives an input of a decryption key for the input screen from the user (step S804).

  Next, the decryption processing unit 224 performs decryption processing on the image data with the decryption key that has received the input (step S805). A detailed decryption process procedure will be described later.

  Then, the display processing unit 227 displays the image data that has been subjected to the decoding process on the operation panel 10 (step S806). Note that after the image data is displayed, the input receiving unit 201 may receive an input for confirming whether or not the display-processed image data may be printed.

  Next, the printer application 205 performs a printing process on the image data displayed in step S806 or the image data determined not to be encrypted (step S802: No) (step S807).

  By performing the decoding process on the image data selected by the user according to the above-described processing procedure, the display process and the printing process can be performed.

  Next, in the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment configured as described above, the decryption process using the decryption key input by the user shown in step S806 in FIG. 8 will be described in detail. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of the above-described processing in the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment.

  First, the re-execution frequency determination unit 221 initializes the re-execution frequency (step S901). Next, the re-execution number determination unit 221 acquires the maximum re-execution number stored in the nonvolatile storage unit 202 from the accumulation reading unit 228 (step S902).

  Then, the decryption processing unit 224 performs decryption processing on the image data using the decryption key input by the user (step S903). The decryption key input by the user is the decryption key input in step S804 in FIG. 8 or the decryption key input in step S910 in FIG.

  Next, the decoding processing unit 224 determines whether or not decoding processing has been appropriately performed on the image data (step S904). If it is determined that the decryption process has been performed, the process ends.

  If the decryption processing unit 224 determines that the decryption process could not be performed (step S904: No), the display processing unit 227 performs an error screen display process indicating that the decryption key is not appropriate ( Step S905). The display processing unit 227 also performs display processing as to whether or not to retry on the error screen.

  Next, the input reception unit 201 receives an input as to whether or not to retry (step S906). The input receiving unit 201 ends the process when receiving an input indicating that the user does not retry.

  In addition, when the input reception unit 201 receives an input to retry, the re-execution count determination unit 221 increments the re-execution count (step S907). Then, the re-execution frequency determination unit 221 determines whether or not the incremented re-execution frequency exceeds the maximum re-execution frequency (step S908).

  If the re-execution number determination unit 221 determines that the re-execution number does not exceed the maximum re-execution number (step S908: No), the display processing unit 227 displays the decryption key input screen (UI). Is performed (step S909).

  FIG. 10 is a screen diagram illustrating an example of a re-input screen for a decryption key that is displayed by the display processing unit 227. By displaying the screen shown in this figure on the operation panel 10, the user can input the decryption key.

  Returning to FIG. 9, the input receiving unit 201 receives the input of the decryption key by the user on the decryption key input screen displayed in step S909 (step S910). When the input reception unit 201 receives an input of a decryption key, the decryption processing unit 224 performs a decryption process on the image data using the decryption key (step S903).

  When the re-execution number determination unit 221 determines that the re-execution number exceeds the maximum re-execution number (step S908: Yes), the display processing unit 227 displays an error screen indicating that the image data is to be deleted. Is displayed (step S911).

  FIG. 11 is a screen diagram showing an example of a screen on which the display processing unit 227 displays that the image is to be deleted. By displaying the screen shown in this figure, the user can recognize that the target image data has been deleted. Of course, the screen cannot be canceled.

  Returning to FIG. 9, after that, the deletion unit 222 deletes the image data (step S912).

  According to the processing procedure described above, when an appropriate decryption key is input, the decryption process can be performed. In addition, when an inappropriate decryption key is input a predetermined number of times, it is possible to prevent a malicious user from using the image data by deleting the image data.

  In the present embodiment, the user inputs the decryption key when performing the decryption process on the image data subjected to the encryption process. However, the present invention is not limited to the input of the decryption key. For example, a password may be used. In addition, other methods such as mounting another portable storage medium in which the decryption key is stored may be used instead of direct input by the user.

  According to the MFP 100 according to the above-described embodiment, a list of image data stored in the portable storage medium 150 is displayed, and a mark indicating that is added to image data that has been subjected to encryption processing. By displaying, it becomes clear whether or not the encryption process has been performed, and the user can be made aware that it is necessary to perform the decryptor process when using the image data.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction peripheral 1200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the MFP 100 according to the first embodiment described above, the image data storage unit 1201, the communication processing unit 1203, and the movement processing unit 1213 are added, the deletion unit 222 is deleted, and the input receiving unit 201 is processed. Is changed to a different input receiving unit 1202, changed to a storage reading unit 1211 having a different process from the storage reading unit 228, and changed to a display processing unit 1212 having a different process from the display processing unit 227. It is different in point. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The image data storage unit 1201 includes a management area that cannot be referred to by the user, and stores image data in the management area. The management area can be referred to only by a user having a predetermined right such as an administrator. In addition, the image data storage unit 1201 is configured by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) in this embodiment, but any commonly used storage means such as an optical disk, a memory card, and a RAM (Random Access Memory). Can be configured.

  The movement processing unit 1213 has a configuration corresponding to the deletion unit 222 of the first embodiment. That is, when it is determined that the re-execution count that the re-execution count determination unit 221 has received the decryption key from the user is greater than the maximum re-execution count, the movement processing unit 1213 transfers the image data to the A process of moving from the storage unit 251 of the storage medium 150 to the image data storage unit 1201 is performed. Since image data stored in the image data storage unit 1201 cannot be processed by a normal user, the security can be improved.

  The authentication unit 1214 performs an authentication process as to whether or not the administrator ID and password input by the user through the input receiving unit 1202 are correct. If the authentication unit 1214 determines that the administrator ID and password are correct, the user can log in as an administrator. When logged in as an administrator, the image data stored in the image data storage unit 1201 can be processed.

  The accumulation reading unit 1211 can perform writing and reading with respect to the non-volatile storage unit 202 as well as writing and reading with respect to the image data storage unit 1201 similarly to the accumulation reading unit 228 of the first embodiment. Further, the accumulation reading unit 1211 performs a process of reading image data from the image data storage unit 1201 only when an administrator logs in at an input receiving unit 1202 described later. If the administrator accepts that the image data stored in the management area of the image data storage unit 1201 is to be spread, the storage / reading unit 1211 reads the image data and then moves it to the portable storage medium 150, for example. To perform the process. As a result, image data can be reused while maintaining safety, so that convenience can be improved.

  The display processing unit 1212 is different from the display processing unit 227 of the first embodiment in that the display processing unit 1212 is not deleted but moved to the storage device included in the MFP 1200 on the screen shown in FIG. Different points are displayed.

  The display processing unit 1212 is different from the display processing unit 227 of the first embodiment in that the screen shown in FIG. 11 is not deleted but moved to the storage device included in the MFP 1200. The display processing is different.

  The input receiving unit 1202 is different from the input receiving unit 201 of the first embodiment in that a user ID for a user to log in as an administrator when reading image data stored in the image data storage unit 1201. And a process for accepting input of a password is added.

  When the movement processing unit 1213 moves the image data from the storage unit 251 of the portable storage medium 150 to the image data storage unit 1201, the communication processing unit 1203 performs processing to notify the administrator to that effect. In the present embodiment, the communication processing unit 1203 transmits that fact to the administrator by e-mail. As a result, the administrator can recognize that the moving process has been performed on the image data by inputting an illegal decryption key, and can therefore take a quick response.

  The processing procedure performed by the MFP 1200 according to the present embodiment configured as described above accepts a decryption key input from the user when printing image data that has been encrypted. If it is determined that the number of re-execution times is greater than the maximum number of re-execution times, the image data is moved to the image data storage unit 1201. The point which performs the process which notifies that is different.

  Further, when the MFP 1200 according to the present embodiment moves the image data stored in the portable storage medium 150 due to an error in the input decryption key to the image data storage unit 1201, the administrator 1200 By accepting the operation, the image data can be restored in the portable storage medium 150 again.

  Then, in the MFP 1200 according to the present embodiment configured as described above, details of processing until the image data moved to the image data storage unit 1201 is restored to the storage unit 251 of the portable storage medium 150 are detailed. Explained. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the above-described processing procedure in the MFP 1200 according to the present embodiment.

  First, the display processing unit 1212 displays the administrator login screen (step S1301). Next, the input receiving unit 1202 receives an input of an administrator ID and a password from the login screen (step S1302).

  Then, the authentication unit 1214 performs an authentication process to check whether or not the input administrator ID and password are correct (step S1303). When it is determined that the authentication unit 1214 is wrong (step S1303: No), the input reception unit 1202 starts receiving input again (step S1302).

  If the authentication unit 1214 determines that the data is correct (step S1303: Yes), the display processing unit 1212 performs display processing of a list of image data stored in the image data storage unit 1201 (step S1304). Next, the input receiving unit 1202 receives selection of image data to be restored by the administrator from the image data displayed as a list (step S1305).

  Then, the accumulation reading unit 1212 reads the selected image data from the image data storage unit 1201 and performs a process of moving to the storage unit 251 of the portable storage medium 150 (step S1306).

  Through the processing procedure described above, the image data saved in the image data storage unit 1201 to prevent use by the user can be restored to the storage unit 251 of the portable storage medium 150 again. Thereby, the user can restore the image data deleted from the portable storage medium 150 due to an error in the operation of the user or the like by informing the administrator to that effect.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of such a multifunction machine. As shown in the figure, this multifunction device has a configuration in which a controller 1510, a plotter 1540, a scanner 1550, and other hardware resources 1560 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus. A controller 1510 is a controller that controls the entire MFP 100 and controls drawing, communication, and input from the operation unit 1520. The plotter 1540 is a printer engine or the like that can be connected to the PCI bus, and is, for example, a monochrome plotter, a 1-drum color plotter, or a 4-drum color plotter. The scanner 1550 is assumed to be a scanner conventionally used in a multi-function peripheral. The other hardware resources 1560 are various electronic devices provided in the multi-function device 100. The other hardware resources 1560 include image processing parts such as error diffusion and gamma conversion.

  The controller 1510 includes a CPU 1511, a North Bridge (NB) 1513, a system memory (MEM-P) 1512, a local memory (MEM-C) 1517, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 1516, and a hard disk drive (HDD). 1514, and the North Bridge (NB) 1513 and the ASIC 1516 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 1515.

  The CPU 1511 performs overall control of the multifunction peripheral 100, has a chip set including the NB 1513 and the MEM-P 1512, and is connected to other devices via the chip set.

  The NB 1513 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 1511 to the MEM-P 1512 and the AGP 1515, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 1512, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

  The NB 1513 can also be connected to a peripheral device via a PCI bus. For example, the NB 1513 includes a serial bus 1571, a NIC (Network Interface Card) 1572, an IEEE 802.11b interface 1573, an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface 1574, a USB host 1575, a memory via a PCI bus. A card I / F 1576 is connected. Further, the USB host 1575 detects a connection with the USB device, and transmits / receives data to / from the USB memory M2. The memory card I / F 1576 detects the connection with the memory card M1, and transmits / receives data to / from the memory card M1. Further, the USB memory M2 or the memory card M1 corresponds to the portable storage medium 150 described above.

  The MEM-P 1512 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a drawing memory for printers, and the like. A ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) not shown Consists of. The ROM is a read-only memory used as a program and data storage memory, and the RAM is a writable and readable memory used as a program and data development memory, a printer drawing memory, and the like.

  The ASIC 1516 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP 1515, the PCI bus, the HDD 1518, and the MEM-C 1517. The ASIC 1516 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 1516, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 1517, and a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory) that rotate image data using hardware logic or the like. Access Controller) and a PCI unit that performs data transfer via the PCI bus between the plotter 1540 and the electronic device such as the scanner 1550. An FCU (Fax Control Unit) 1530 is connected to the ASIC 1516 via a PCI bus.

  The MEM-C 1517 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 1514 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms. It is.

  The AGP 1515 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed for speeding up graphics processing. The AGP 1515 speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P 1512 with high throughput. .

  Note that the image processing program executed by the multifunction peripheral of the present embodiment is provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The image processing program executed by the multifunction peripheral according to the present embodiment is a file in an installable or executable format, and is a computer such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). The information may be provided by being recorded on a recording medium that can be read by the user.

  Furthermore, the image processing program executed by the multifunction peripheral of the present embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Further, the image processing program executed by the multifunction peripheral according to the present embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  The image processing program executed by the MFP according to the present embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units (input reception unit, portable storage medium management daemon, portable storage medium processing module, printer application). As actual hardware, a CPU (processor) reads out and executes an image processing program from the ROM, so that the above-described units are loaded onto the main storage device, and an input receiving unit, a portable storage medium management daemon, and a portable storage medium A processing module and a printer application) are generated on the main storage device.

  As described above, the image processing apparatus, the image processing method, and the image processing program according to the present invention are useful for the technology that uses the image data stored in the portable storage medium, and in particular, decodes the image data. Suitable when processing.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration of the multifunction peripheral and the portable storage medium according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a screen diagram illustrating an example of an image list displayed on the operation panel by the display processing unit of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the image list displayed on the operation panel by the display processing unit of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a screen diagram illustrating an example of a decryption key input reception screen displayed by the display processing unit of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure from detection of connection of a portable storage medium to display of a list of image data in the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of processing for displaying an image data list on an operation panel using an image list in a storage medium in the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure from reception of an instruction to print image data from a user to printing in the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a decryption process using a decryption key input by a user in the multifunction machine according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a screen diagram illustrating an example of a decryption key re-input screen displayed by the display processing unit in the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a screen diagram illustrating an example of a screen on which an image deletion is displayed by a display processing unit in the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the multifunctional device concerning 2nd Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure until image data that has been moved to an image data storage unit in the multifunction peripheral according to the second embodiment is restored to a storage unit of a portable storage medium. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a multifunction machine.

Explanation of symbols

10 Operation panel 100, 1200 MFP 101 Monochrome line printer (B & W LP)
102 Color line printer (Color LP)
103 Memory card reader 104 USB host 105 LAN I / F
106 Other hardware resources 110 Software group 111 Printer application 112 Copy application 113 Fax application 114 Scanner application 115 Net file application 116 Process inspection application 120 Platform 121 OS
122 SCS
123 SRM
124 ESC
125 MCS
126 OCS
127 FCS
128 NCS
129 UCS
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 130 Application 140 Multi-function machine starting part 150 Portable storage medium 201, 1202 Input reception part 202 Non-volatile storage part 203 Portable storage medium management daemon 204 Portable storage medium processing module 205 Printer application 211 Connection detection part 212 Application starting part 221 Re Execution frequency determination unit 222 Deletion unit 223 Selection unit 224 Decoding processing unit 225 Confirmation unit 226 Judgment unit 227, 1212 Display processing unit 228, 1211 Accumulation / reading unit 251 Storage unit 1201 Image data storage unit 1203 Communication processing unit 1213 Movement processing unit 1510 Controller 1511 CPU
1512 MEM-P
1513 NB
1514 HDD
1515 AGP bus 1516 ASIC
1517 MEM-C
1520 Operation unit 1530 FCU
1540 Plotter 1550 Scanner 1560 Engine 1560 Other Hardware Resources 1571 Serial Bus 1572 NIC
1573 IEEE 802.11b interface 1574 IEEE 1394 interface 1575 USB host 1576 memory card interface

Claims (20)

Connection detection means for detecting connection of a portable recording medium;
Confirmation means for confirming whether image data is stored in the portable recording medium detected by the connection detection means;
Determining means for determining whether or not an encryption process has been performed on the image data confirmed by the confirmation means;
The image data confirmed by the confirmation unit is displayed as a list, and the fact that the encryption processing is performed on the image determined to be encrypted by the determination unit is displayed. Display processing means to process;
An image processing apparatus comprising: Decryption processing means for performing decryption processing on the image data determined to be encrypted by the determination means;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: Input receiving means for receiving, from a user, an input of a decryption key used for the decryption process for the image data determined to be encrypted by the determination means;
The decryption processing means performs decryption processing on the image data using the decryption key received by the input accepting means;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2. The display processing means displays a screen for accepting an input of a decryption key used for the decryption process for the image data determined to be encrypted by the determination means,
The input receiving means receives input of the decryption key from the screen displayed by the display processing means;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 3. Key storage means for storing a decryption key used for decryption processing on the image data determined to have been subjected to encryption processing by the determination means;
The decryption processing means performs decryption processing on the image data using the decryption key stored in the key storage means;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2. Key storage means for storing a first decryption key used for decryption processing on the image data determined to be encrypted by the determination means;
Input accepting means for accepting an input of a second decryption key used for the decryption process for the image data determined to be encrypted by the determination means;
Selecting means for selecting either the first decryption key stored in the key storage means or the second decryption key received by the input accepting means;
The decryption processing means performs decryption processing on the image data using the decryption key selected by the selection means;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2.   The image that has not been subjected to the decryption processing from the portable recording medium when the decryption processing unit cannot perform the decryption process on the image data with the decryption key that has received the input by the input reception unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a deletion unit that deletes data. Re-execution count judging means for judging whether or not a decryption process has been attempted on the image data by a predetermined re-execution count with the decryption key received by the input accepting means;
The deleting means deleting the image data from the portable recording medium when the re-execution count determining means determines that the decoding process has been attempted more than the predetermined re-execution count;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 7. The input receiving means receives an input of the number of re-execution from the user,
The re-execution frequency determination means determines whether or not a decoding process has been attempted on the image data more than the predetermined re-execution frequency received by the input reception means;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 8. Storage means for holding a management area in which references from unauthorized users are suppressed;
The image that has not been subjected to the decryption processing from the portable recording medium when the decryption processing unit cannot perform the decryption process on the image data with the decryption key that has received the input by the input reception unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising movement processing means for moving data to the management area of the storage means. The input receiving means receives input of user authentication information,
Authentication means for authenticating whether or not a user has authority to refer to the image data moved by the movement processing means by the authentication information received by the input receiving means;
A reading unit that reads out the image data moved by the movement processing unit when it is authenticated that the authentication unit has an authority to refer;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:   The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising notification means for notifying a user when the image data is moved by the movement processing means.   The print processing means for performing a print process on the image data that has been decrypted by the decryption processing means, further comprising: Image processing device.   14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data to be processed is in a PDF format. A connection detecting step for detecting connection of a portable recording medium;
A confirmation step for confirming whether image data is stored in the portable recording medium detected by the connection detection step;
A determination step of determining whether or not an encryption process has been performed on the image data confirmed in the confirmation step;
The image data confirmed in the confirmation step is displayed as a list, and the fact that the encryption process is performed on the image determined to have been encrypted in the determination step is displayed. Display processing steps to process;
An image processing method comprising: A decryption process step of performing a decryption process on the image data determined to have been encrypted by the determination step;
The image processing method according to claim 15, further comprising: An input receiving step of receiving from the user an input of a decryption key used for the decryption process on the image data determined to have been subjected to the encryption process by the determination step;
The decryption processing step performs a decryption process on the image data using the decryption key that has received an input in the input reception step.
The image processing method according to claim 16.   The image that has not been subjected to the decryption process from the portable recording medium when the decryption key that has received the input in the input accepting step cannot perform the decryption process on the image data in the decryption process step The image processing method according to claim 14, further comprising a deletion step of deleting data.   The image that has not been subjected to the decryption process from the portable recording medium when the decryption key that has received the input in the input accepting step cannot perform the decryption process on the image data in the decryption process step The image processing according to any one of claims 14 to 17, further comprising a movement processing step of moving the data to a management area in which reference from an unauthorized user of the storage unit is suppressed. Method.   An image processing program for causing a computer to execute the image processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 19.

Images