JP2007272713A - Information processing apparatus and information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to identify whether or not data output processing is restricted. <P>SOLUTION: A host computer compares setting information about data output processing with restriction information about data output to determine whether or not to restrict the data output processing according to the restriction information (Step S1803) and outputs information depending on the determination (Step S1806/S1807). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique capable of applying a restriction to data output processing.

  Recently, in this type of system, not only the initial introduction cost of printing devices and systems, but also the reduction of TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) including the cost of consumables such as printing paper and colorant represented by toner. It has attracted a great deal of attention in terms of reducing office expenses and protecting the global environment.

  As a previous problem, if a printing device is installed in the office and the network can be accessed, anyone can print using the printing device. Since no one is restricted in printing and no trace remains, the user's mental palpation is not effective and printing is often performed exceeding the necessary output, resulting in an increase in office costs. .

  In order to counter these, there are many printing systems that implement printing restrictions based on address information such as IP addresses in TCP / IP as the first means, and management of the number of prints by acquiring print logs as the second means. It has been realized. However, the first means is a rough method of limiting a specific IP address, and detailed management such as limiting the number of output of a specific user cannot be performed. Further, according to the second method, it is possible to leave a log by output. However, since the administrator monitors the log one by one and investigates whether improper printing is being performed, a large human cost is required. This will deviate from the purpose of reduction.

  In order to solve the above problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a user restriction function for restricting output for each user.

JP 2003-150336 A

  However, when restricting the functions that can be used by the administrator so that the user does not use extra functions, it is difficult for the user to know what is restricted. is there. This is very inconvenient in use and consumes resources such as paper, toner and ink. In addition, even if the restriction is fatal to the printed material and extremely inconvenient, there is a problem that the printing is performed according to the restriction without any warning.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to enable a user to grasp whether or not a restriction is applied to data settings.

An information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an information processing apparatus that transmits data to an image processing apparatus and outputs the data within a range of restriction information. In order to output data within a restriction range based on the restriction information, It has a determination means for determining whether or not it is necessary to change the setting for data, and an output control means for causing the output means to output information based on the determination result of the determination means.
An information processing method according to the present invention is an information processing method for transmitting data to an image processing apparatus and outputting the data within a range of restriction information. In order to output data within a restriction range based on the restriction information, It includes a determination step for determining whether or not it is necessary to change the setting for data, and an output control step for causing the output means to output information based on the determination result of the determination step.
A program according to the present invention causes a computer to execute the information processing method.
The computer-readable recording medium of the present invention is characterized in that the program is recorded.

  According to the present invention, the user can grasp whether or not the restriction is applied to the setting for data.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments to which the invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 401 denotes a host computer that is used by a user to generate image data and perform printing. Reference numeral 402 denotes an authentication server having user authentication information and output restriction information. Reference numeral 403 denotes a printing apparatus that receives print data received via the network 404 and prints on actual paper using a known printing technique such as an electrophotographic technique or an inkjet technique. The host computer 401, the authentication server 402, and the printing apparatus 403 are connected to each other via a network 404 using a known technique such as Ethernet (registered trademark).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the printing apparatus 403.
In FIG. 2, an interface unit 501 is connected to the network 404 and receives a print job from the host computer 401. Reference numeral 502 denotes a restriction ticket determination unit that determines the format of the received print job and determines whether a restriction ticket has been granted. Reference numeral 504 denotes a packet conversion unit that degenerates an instruction for a print job and notifies a subsequent stage based on the restriction information when a restriction ticket is given.

  Reference numeral 505 denotes a print job cancellation unit that instructs to cancel printing for a print job to which no restriction ticket is assigned. A GUI unit 506 activates the operation of the print job canceling unit 505 by an operation panel (not shown). A print data storage unit 507 temporarily stores print data included in a print job, that is, PDL (Page Description Language) data.

  Reference numeral 508 denotes a job management unit that temporarily stores output attribute information such as the number of pages to be printed by a print job and color. Reference numeral 509 denotes a print data interpretation unit that obtains PDL data from the print data storage unit 507 according to attribute information stored in the job management unit 508, performs image generation processing, and generates image data.

  An image storage unit 510 temporarily stores the image data generated by the print data interpretation unit 509 until printing is completed. Reference numeral 511 denotes a printer engine that actually prints image data stored in the image storage unit 510 on a medium such as printing paper using a known printing technique such as an electrophotographic technique or an inkjet technique. The print data storage unit 507 and the image storage unit 510 may be configured by a secondary storage device such as a large-capacity hard disk, but the present invention is not particularly limited to a physical configuration.

  Next, the format of the print job will be described. The print job is composed of one or more job packets that are standardized so that the start and end of the print job can be recognized and the attributes of the print job can be easily set.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a job packet. The vertical axis indicates bytes, and the horizontal axis indicates the bits of each byte. In the figure, the operation code of 0th to 1st bytes is a 2-byte ID indicating the function of the packet. The job packet can take the following values:
0x0201 Job start operation 0x0202 Job attribute setting operation 0x0204 PDL data transmission operation 0x0205 Job end operation 0x0301 Restriction information operation

  The block number in the 2nd to 3rd bytes is a number used to determine which response request on the sending side is the response from the receiving side when the side that sent the job packet makes a response request. It is. For example, if an error packet with block number = 2 is returned when job packets with block numbers = 1, 2, and 3 are sent in succession, the sending side specifies that an error has occurred in the second sent job packet. Is possible.

The parameter length of the fourth to fifth bytes is an area indicating the byte length of the data portion, and can indicate 0 to 64K bytes. The 6th to 7th bytes are areas indicating various flags of the job packet, and indicate the following contents, respectively.
Error flag: When this value is 1, it indicates that an error has occurred in the printing apparatus 403. This flag is added to a reply packet sent from the printing apparatus 403 to the host computer 401.
Notification flag: When this value is 1, it indicates that the printing apparatus 403 notifies the host computer 401 that there is some notification item, not a response to the request packet from the host computer 401.
Continuation flag: When this value is 1, it indicates that not all data has entered the data portion, and therefore the remaining data is sent in the next job packet. The next job packet must have the same operation code as the previous packet.
Response request: 1 is set when the host computer 401 requests a response packet from the printing apparatus 403. When it is 0, no reply is made when the sent packet is processed normally. When an error occurs in the printing apparatus 150, a reply packet with the error flag set to 1 is always sent regardless of whether the reply request is 0/1.

  The user ID of the 8th to 9th bytes and the password of the 10th to 11th bytes are areas used for authentication when setting security restrictions on the operations that can be performed with the transmitted packet. It is not used in this embodiment.

From the 12th byte onward, data corresponding to the operation code is stored. For job start and job end operations, no data exists. In the case of a job attribute setting operation, a job attribute ID and a job attribute value to be set are stored in the data part. The job attribute ID is an identifier assigned corresponding to an attribute or environment related to a job, and an ID corresponding to a job attribute defined by ISO-10175 (DPA) (ISO: International Organization for Standardization) is assigned in advance. Yes. The following are typical job attribute IDs.
Job attribute ID:
0x0101 Job name 0x0103 Job owner name 0x016a Job size 0x0174 Number of printed pages

  In addition, job attributes such as the number of copies and monochrome / color and corresponding IDs can be assigned according to the function of the printing apparatus 403.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a print job in a format that is simplified for the sake of explanation and does not have restriction information.

  In FIG. 4, it is assumed that the job is sent from the host computer 401 to the printing apparatus 403 in order from the upper job packet to the lower job packet. In addition, the header portion of one packet is shown as a fixed area at 0th to 11th bytes in FIG. 3, and the body portion is a data portion after the 12th byte. The print job is composed of a job packet that declares job start in 701. This can be determined from the fact that the operation code of the 0th to 1st bytes is 0x0201 indicating the job start operation. Reference numerals 702 and 703 denote attribute settings for setting the job name, owner name, printing conditions, and the like of the print job. This can be determined from the fact that the operation code of the 0th to 1st bytes is 0x0202 indicating the attribute setting operation. When a plurality of attribute settings are made as shown in FIG. 4, the attribute setting job packet may be given a plurality of times.

  Subsequently, reference numerals 704 and 705 denote job packets for transmitting PDL data. This can be judged from the fact that the operation code of the 0th to 1st bytes is 0x0204 indicating the PDL data transmission operation. Similarly, when transmitting a plurality of PDL data, a job packet for PDL data transmission may be transmitted a plurality of times.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a print job to which restriction information is assigned, which is simplified for the sake of explanation.
In FIG. 5, a job packet indicating restriction information 801 is added to the head of a print job similar to that in FIG. The restriction information can be determined by the fact that the operation code of the 0th to 1st bytes is 0x301 indicating the restriction information operation. In the job packet for which the restriction information operation is designated, restriction information is described in the data portion.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating text as an example of a format of restriction information.
In FIG. 6, the character string “MAX_PRINT” indicates the upper limit number of sheets that can be output by the print job, “= 100” indicates a value setting, and the upper limit value of the number of sheets that can be output by the print job. Is 100 sheets. This is an example, and a plurality of restriction information can be described in a plurality of lines. Furthermore, in order to verify that the restriction information is issued from a legitimate authentication server, verification using a digital signature is performed.

FIG. 13 is a table showing restriction information job packets.
In FIG. 13, the area from the 0th to the 11th bytes is the header area and the data area from the 12th byte is the data area, but the area (1201) from the head to the NULL character is the restriction information, which is the information shown in FIG. Is written. The remaining 128 bytes (1202) after NULL indicates a digital signature. This guarantees that the restriction information has been issued from the legitimate authentication server 402 and has not been rewritten by unauthorized means on the way.

  For example, a digital signature generally uses a RSA public key cryptosystem. If a digital signature using the public key method is used, a digest based on a one-way function is generated from the signature target (in this case, restriction information), and the digest is issued by the issuer (in this case, the authentication server 402) using the private key that it owns. To do. The signature verification is performed by the printing apparatus 403 using the public key. Only the regular authentication server 402 is held as the secret key, and if the signature verification using the correct public key is successful, it can be proved that the signature target is legitimate.

  Here, the public key used for the digital signature uses a public key pair held by the authentication server 402 and is passed from the authentication server 402 to the printing apparatus 403 in advance prior to printing. As for the delivery method, when using the network 404, third party certification using a public key infrastructure (PKI) or physical distribution using a memory card can be considered, but a known method may be used. Since it deviates from the essence of the form, detailed description is omitted.

  Now, regarding the print job to which the restriction information shown in FIG. 4 is not added, whether to allow printing or not to print is defined as an office policy. When applying strict printing restrictions as an office, printing jobs that do not have the restriction information shown in FIG. 4 cannot be practically restricted, and printing should not be permitted. On the other hand, if it is sufficient to restrict printing to a specific user while maintaining compatibility with the conventional printing function, output of a print job without adding restriction information may be permitted. This operation policy can be set only by the administrator of the printing system through the operation unit 506.

FIG. 7 is a GUI screen for setting a policy by the operation unit 506.
The GUI screen shown in FIG. 7 is a screen that is displayed only when a user having administrator authority in advance succeeds in authentication by a known authentication mechanism such as a password or an IC card. The authentication mechanism is not important here and will not be described here. In FIG. 7, it can be seen from the display 1001 that this screen is a setting for handling “a print job without restriction information”. A status display character string 1002 indicates that the current setting value is “permit printing”. Reference numeral 1003 denotes a button for changing the setting to “permit printing” (that is, maintains the current setting), and reference numeral 1004 denotes a button for changing to “invalidate printing”. This setting is recorded in a nonvolatile memory (not shown) in the printing apparatus 403, and the policy of the printing apparatus is continuously held.

  Next, print job reception processing will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the restricted ticket determination unit 502.

  The restriction ticket determination unit 502 starts the operation when the printing apparatus 403 is activated, and then continues to operate until the printing apparatus 403 is powered off. In FIG. 8, in step S <b> 1101, the restricted ticket determination unit 502 inspects the interface unit 501. In step S1102, the restricted ticket determination unit 502 determines whether the interface unit 501 has received a print job.

  If no print job has been received, the process returns to the top of the loop. When a print job is received, the restricted ticket determination unit 502 acquires one job packet in step S1103 and determines an operation code.

  In step S1105, the restriction ticket determination unit 502 transmits the packet to the packet conversion unit 504 in step S1106 when it determines that the operation code is 0x0301, that is, an operation indicating the addition of restriction information. Thereafter, in step S1107, the restricted ticket determination unit 502 further acquires a packet.

  In subsequent step S1108, the restricted ticket determination unit 502 returns to the top of the loop when the operation code is determined to be 0x0205, that is, an operation indicating job end. On the other hand, if not, the process of returning to step S1106 and transmitting to the packet conversion unit 504 is repeated.

  In step S1105, if the operation code is not 0x0301, the restricted ticket determination unit 502 recognizes the job start operation and transmits the packet to the print job cancellation unit 505 in step S1109.

  Thereafter, the restricted ticket determination unit 502 obtains further packets in step S1110, and returns to the top of the loop if it is determined in step S1111 that the operation code is 0x0205, that is, an operation indicating job end. On the other hand, if not, the process returns to step S1109 and the packet is transmitted to the print job cancel unit 505 is repeated.

  Next, the operation of the packet conversion unit 504 will be described. 9 and 10 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the packet conversion unit 504. The packet conversion unit 504 starts the operation when the printing apparatus 403 is activated, and then continues to operate until the printing apparatus 403 is powered off.

  In FIG. 9, the packet conversion unit 504 acquires one job packet from the restricted ticket determination unit 502 in step S1201. In subsequent step S1202, the packet conversion unit 504 checks the operation code area and determines whether or not it is 0x0301 indicating restriction information.

  If it is the restriction information, in step S1203, the packet conversion unit 504 verifies the digital signature 1202 using the public key acquired in advance. If the verification results match in step S1204, the packet converter 504 acquires and stores the restriction information 1201 in step S1208, and returns to step S1201. On the other hand, if the verification fails, the packet conversion unit 504 discards the job packet in step S1205, acquires the next job packet in step S1206, and determines whether the job is finished in step S1207.

  If the job is not finished, the process returns to step S1205 to discard the job packet. If the job has ended, the process returns to step S1201 to continue the process. As a result, if the verification fails, the job is discarded until the end of the print job.

  If it is determined in step S1202 that the information is not restriction information, normal job packet interpretation processing is performed. In step S1301 in FIG. 10, the packet conversion unit 504 determines whether the operation code is 0x0201, which indicates job start. If it indicates a job start, as a new job generation, an area for the print job is secured on the job management unit 508 and a job identifier is assigned.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1301 that the operation code does not indicate job start, the packet conversion unit 504 determines in step S1303 whether or not the operation code is 0x0202 indicating job attribute setting.

  If the operation code indicates job attribute setting, the packet conversion unit 504 sets the attribute value in the attribute area of the print job on the job management unit 508 in step S1304, and returns to step S1201.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1303 that the operation code does not indicate job attribute setting, the packet conversion unit 504 determines in step S1305 whether the operation code is 0x0204 indicating PDL data transmission. .

  If the operation code indicates PDL data transmission, the packet conversion unit 504 stores the PDL data in the print data storage unit 507 and returns to step S1201. On the other hand, if the operation code does not indicate PDL data transmission, the process returns to step S1201 without executing step S1306.

  Next, the operation of the print data interpretation unit 509 based on the restriction information will be described. The print data interpretation unit 509 is a part that interprets a so-called PDL (Page Description Language) language and generates image data used for actual printing. Various standards such as PostScript and LIPS have been realized for PDL.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the print data interpretation unit 509.
The print data interpretation unit 509 receives the print job and continues processing until the interpretation of the last page of the print job is completed. In FIG. 11, the print data interpretation unit 509 initializes a variable n indicating the number of pages to 1 in step S1401. In subsequent step S1402, the print data interpretation unit 509 acquires the PDL command from the print data storage unit 507, and performs interpretation processing in step S1403. Here, the PDL command is assumed to be an actual drawing command such as “rectangular drawing” or “image drawing” in the LIPS language.

  In step S1404, the print data interpretation unit 509 checks whether the command processed in step S1403 is a page end command. If it is not a page end command, the process returns to step S1402, but if it is a page end command, the variable n indicating the number of pages is incremented in step S1405, and the limit page indicated in the limit information in which the variable n is set in step S1406. Check if the number is exceeded.

  If the limit page number is not exceeded, the process returns to step S1402. If the limit page number is exceeded, all remaining commands are discarded in step S1407. In the example of FIG. 6, since the maximum number of prints is 100, the remaining data is skipped when the page end command for print data is detected 100 times, and printing is not performed.

  Next, a process for a print job without restriction information attached will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the print job cancellation unit 505. The print job canceling unit 505 starts operation when the printing apparatus 403 is activated, and then continues to operate until the power of the printing apparatus 403 is shut off.

  When the restricted ticket determination unit 502 determines that the restriction information is not included, the print job is transferred to the print job cancellation unit 505. In step S1501, the print job canceling unit 505 determines whether the cancel setting is set. This is a cancellation setting in the case of the setting of “invalidate printing” in FIG.

  In the case of cancel setting, the print job cancel unit 505 acquires a job packet in step S1502, and discards the job packet in step S1503. In subsequent step S1504, the print job canceling unit 505 determines whether or not the job is finished. If the job is not finished, the process returns to step S1502 to continue the processing. If the job is finished, the process returns to step S1501.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1501 that the cancel setting is not set, that is, if “permit printing” is set in FIG. 7, the print job canceling unit 505 acquires a job packet in step S1505. In subsequent step S1506, the print job canceling unit 505 transfers the job packet to the packet converting unit 504. In step S1507, the print job canceling unit 505 determines whether the job has ended. If not, the process returns to step S1505 to continue the processing. If completed, the process returns to step S1501.

  Next, a print job transmission process will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining print job transmission processing in the host computer 401.

  The application 1701, the graphic engine 1702, the printer driver 1703, and the system spooler 1704 are program modules executed by the OS and modules that use the modules.

  When printing is performed from the application 1701 to the printing apparatus 403, output (drawing) is performed using the graphic engine 1702. The graphic engine 1702 uses a printer driver 1703 prepared for each printing apparatus to convert it into a printer control command, and generates a print job with the restriction information 801 shown in FIG. The generated print job is output to the printing apparatus 403 via the network 404 via the system spooler 1704.

FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the host computer 401 of this embodiment in more detail.
A method of adding a function to the printer driver 1703 called an add-in and realizing the processing of the host computer 401 by this add-in is shown. The add-in includes a UI add-in unit 2101 and a graphics add-in unit 2108, and exchanges with the printer driver 1703 via respective APIs.

  The UI add-in unit 2101 includes a print ticket acquisition unit 2102 that acquires a print ticket from the centrally managed print ticket issuing server 2106, a print ticket analysis unit 2103 that analyzes the acquired print ticket, and stores the print ticket in the print ticket storage unit 2104. A print setting information setting unit 2105 that sets a ticket as OS driver information, and a cryptographic engine unit 2107 that generates cryptographic information used for falsification detection.

  When an instruction to start printing is issued, the UI add-in unit 2101 acquires a print ticket from the print ticket storage unit 2104 and sets it as driver information. The UI add-in unit 2101 sends the print ticket and encryption information used for falsification detection to the graphics add-in unit 2108. hand over. In addition, the UI add-in unit 2101 compares the setting and the restriction information when closing the print setting screen, and displays a warning message if there is a violation. The print ticket issuing server 2106 is also the authentication server 402 in FIG.

  The graphics add-in unit 2108 includes a print setting information verification unit 2109 that verifies driver information, a secure job conversion unit 2110 that converts print job data into data that can be detected by falsification, and a cryptographic engine that generates cryptographic information necessary for falsification detection. Part 2107.

  The graphics add-in unit 2108 verifies whether the restriction information is reflected in the driver information when the start of printing is instructed, adds a print ticket to the print job data passed from the driver, and is created by the cryptographic engine unit 2107 Using the cryptographic information, the secure job conversion unit converts the print job data into data that can be detected as falsified.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a part of the processing in the graphics add-in unit 2108 and UI add-in unit 2101 of FIG.

  The graphic add-in unit 2108 and the UI add-in unit 2101 are called from the printer driver 1703 immediately after the user performs an operation for instructing printing in the application 1701, that is, before the generation of a print job to which restriction information is added. The graphics add-in unit 2108 and UI add-in unit 2101 execute the processing shown in FIG.

  First, in step S1801, the graphics add-in unit 2108 obtains print settings designated by the user. This print setting is often a binary data format called DEVMODE or an XML data format called a print ticket in Microsoft Windows (registered trademark). Of course, other data formats may be used.

  In subsequent step S1802, the UI add-in unit 2101 obtains the restriction information from the authentication server 402 (equivalent to the print ticket issuing server 2106 in FIG. 18), and transmits the restriction information to the graphics add-in unit 2108.

  In step S1803, the graphics add-in unit 2108 compares the print setting obtained in step S1801 with the restriction information obtained in step S1802, and determines whether printing restriction is necessary.

  For example, in the case where the restriction information instructs the restriction of monochrome and double-sided, if the print setting originally includes designation of monochrome and double-sided, it is not necessary to apply the restriction information. For example, in a function for storing a plurality of N pages of restriction information on one page (hereinafter referred to as NUP), when the value is 1, one page is stored on one page. It doesn't matter. Therefore, it is not necessary to apply restriction information. If it is determined that application of the restriction information is unnecessary, the process shown in this flowchart is terminated and the printing process is continued.

  If it is determined in step S1802 that printing restriction is necessary, in step S1804, the graphics add-in unit 2108 applies the restriction information obtained in step S1802 to the print setting obtained in step S1801. For example, if the print setting is specified as color and single-sided, and the restriction information indicates monochrome and double-sided, the print setting is changed to monochrome and double-sided. For example, when the NUP value of the restriction information is 2, two pages are accommodated in one page, and therefore, only when the NUP value of print revision is 1, it is changed to 2. For example, when the NUP value of the restriction information is 4, four pages are accommodated in one page, and therefore, only when the NUP value of print revision is 1 or 2, it is changed to 4.

  In step S1805, the graphics add-in unit 2108 determines whether there is a contradiction in which printing cannot be continued due to the change in print settings in step S1804. For example, OHP and double-sided paper is a print setting that cannot be continued. If the print setting cannot be continued, the process advances to step S1806 to display the message box illustrated in FIG. The user presses OK on this message box to end the processing shown in this flowchart and cancel the print job generation processing.

  On the other hand, if the print setting allows printing to continue, the process advances to step S1807 to display a message box illustrated in FIG. When the user presses OK on this message box, the processing shown in this flowchart is terminated and the print job generation processing is continued. When the user presses cancel, the process shown in this flowchart is terminated and the print job generation process is cancelled. If “Don't display this message” is checked, the message box illustrated in FIG. 17 will not be displayed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to change the print setting in order to perform print output within the limit range based on the limit information, and depending on the determination result, FIG. A message box (warning screen) as shown in is displayed. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the user can grasp before printing whether or not the print setting needs to be changed when printing is output within the limit range based on the limit information.

  Each processing function in the host computer 401, the authentication server 402, and the printing apparatus 403 in the above-described embodiment is read out from a memory for executing each processing function and executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and all or some of the functions of each processing function may be realized by dedicated hardware. The above-mentioned memory is a non-volatile memory such as a magneto-optical disk device or a flash memory, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM that can only be read, a volatile memory other than a RAM, or a computer read by a combination thereof. The recording medium may be a writable recording medium.

  Further, a program for realizing each function in the host computer 401, the authentication server 402, and the printing apparatus 403 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is read into a computer system. Each process may be performed by executing. The “computer system” here includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices. Specifically, after a program read from a storage medium is written to a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program is read based on the instructions of the program. It includes the case where the CPU of the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible medium, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. Further, the “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a volatile memory (RAM) in a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In addition, those holding a program for a certain period of time are also included.

  The program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the “transmission medium” for transmitting the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.

  The program may be for realizing a part of the functions described above. Furthermore, what can implement | achieve the function mentioned above in combination with the program already recorded on the computer system, and what is called a difference file (difference program) may be sufficient.

  A program product such as a computer-readable recording medium in which the above program is recorded can also be applied as an embodiment of the present invention. The above program, recording medium, transmission medium, and program product are included in the scope of the present invention.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes designs and the like that do not depart from the gist of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the printing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of a job packet. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a print job in a format that does not add restriction information. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a print job to which restriction information is assigned. It is a figure which shows the text as an example of the format of restriction | limiting information. It is a GUI screen for setting a policy by an operation unit. It is a flowchart explaining the operation | movement of a restriction ticket determination part. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of a packet conversion part. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of a packet conversion part. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of a print data interpretation part. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a print job canceling unit. It is the figure which showed the job packet of restriction | limiting information by the table | surface. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a print job transmission process in a host computer. It is a flowchart which shows a part of process in the graphics add-in part and UI add-in part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a message box. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a message box. It is a figure for demonstrating in more detail the process of a host computer.

Explanation of symbols

401 Host computer 402 Authentication server 403 Printing device 404 Network 1701 Application 1702 Graphic engine 1703 Printer driver 1704 System spooler 2101 UI add-in unit 2102 Print ticket acquisition unit 2103 Print ticket analysis unit 2104 Print ticket storage unit 2105 Print setting information setting unit 2106 Print Ticket issuing server 2107 Cryptographic engine unit 2108 Graphic add-in unit 2109 Print setting information verification unit 2110 Secure job conversion unit

Claims (12)

An information processing apparatus that transmits data to an image processing apparatus and outputs the data within the range of restriction information,
A determination means for determining whether or not it is necessary to change a setting for data in order to perform data output within a limit range based on the limit information;
And an output control unit that causes the output unit to output information based on the determination result of the determination unit.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output control unit causes the output unit to output warning information when the determination unit determines that the setting for the data needs to be changed.   The determination unit determines whether the setting for the data becomes inconsistent as a result of changing the setting for the data in accordance with the restriction, and the output control unit determines the warning information that differs depending on the determination result of the determination unit The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information is output by the output unit.   When the determination unit determines that the data output process based on the setting is not possible as a result of applying the restriction, the output control unit outputs the warning information indicating that fact. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information is output by a means.   The output control means indicates the contents to be restricted for the data output process when the determination means determines that the data output process based on the setting is possible as a result of applying the restriction. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein warning information is output to the output unit. An information processing method for transmitting data to an image processing apparatus and outputting the data within a range of restriction information,
A determination step for determining whether or not it is necessary to change a setting for data in order to output data within a limit range based on the limit information;
An output control step of causing the output means to output information based on the determination result of the determination step.   7. The information processing method according to claim 6, wherein the output control step causes the output means to output warning information when the determination step determines that the setting for the data needs to be changed.   The determination step determines whether the setting for the data becomes inconsistent as a result of changing the setting for the data according to the restriction, and the output control step is different from the warning information depending on the determination result of the determination step. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein the output unit outputs the information.   In the output control step, when it is determined by the determination step that the data output process based on the setting is impossible as a result of applying the restriction, the warning information indicating the fact is output to the output 9. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein the information is output by a means.   The output control step indicates a content of limiting the data output process when the determination step determines that the data output process based on the setting can be executed as a result of applying the restriction. 10. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein warning information is output to the output unit.   A program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to any one of claims 6 to 10.   The computer-readable recording medium which recorded the program of Claim 11.

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