JP2008165738A - Job processing method, image processing system and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system of finely and flexibly limiting execution of a job utilizing a function of an image processor. <P>SOLUTION: According to a job processing method, in an ACT generation unit 208 in an access control apparatus, an ACT is generated in a form of including function restriction information based on the time period. At this time, in response to an ACT request from a client PC, a list 401 which describes function restriction information based on the time period is referred to based on user information 404 and time information 405 representing the request time. A regular time ACT 410 and overtime ACT 411 are generated in accordance with the request time. By replying the ACT to the client PC, a print job is transferred together with the ACT to a printing apparatus, allowing access control based on the time period. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a job processing technique for restricting functions of an image processing apparatus when a job is executed on the image processing apparatus in response to a user instruction.

  Due to factors such as an increase in management items in recent printing device management and an increase in the number of printing devices to be managed, there is a demand for a reduction in management cost (TCO) of a printing device manager. At the same time, there is a desire to reduce the running cost of the printing apparatus by limiting the time zone in which the printing apparatus can be used.

  Conventionally, when controlling permission / prohibition of use of a printing apparatus in a printing apparatus management system, a restriction is made in units of users who use the printing apparatus or in groups of groups to which the user belongs, or the number of printed sheets is restricted. The method is taken.

In addition, a technique for controlling permission / prohibition of use of a printing apparatus using a user ID card and time zone information that defines a usable time zone for each department to which the user belongs is disclosed (for example, Patent Literature). 1). According to this technology, the department information of the ID card inserted by the user who uses the printing apparatus is referred to determine whether the usable time zone and the number of prints in the department have reached the upper limit, and printing The device was controlled for use.
JP 2005-357215 A

  However, the management method in the conventional printing apparatus management system has the following problems.

  First, if a time zone condition is not included as a use permission / prohibition condition of the printing apparatus, a user who is permitted to print can print out regardless of the time, and use permission / prohibition based on the time zone. I couldn't control it.

  In addition, even when a time zone condition is introduced in the use permission / prohibition control of the printing apparatus, it is difficult to control a time designation job in which a time difference occurs when a print instruction is issued and when printing is performed.

  Furthermore, when the use permission / prohibition is controlled uniformly according to the time zone for recent printing devices that are becoming more and more multifunctional, even functions that should be open all day are forbidden in the corresponding time zone. It was difficult to perform fine control such as.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems individually or collectively, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism capable of finely and flexibly restricting the execution of jobs using the functions of the image processing apparatus. And

In order to achieve the above object, a job processing method according to the present invention includes an information processing apparatus that makes a job processing request to an image processing apparatus, and for restricting the use of the functions of the image processing apparatus for each user to the information processing apparatus. A job processing method in an image processing system in which an access control device that issues an access control ticket including function restriction information is connected via a network,
A request step for requesting an access control ticket from the information processing device to the access control device;
In the access control device, a generation step of generating an access control ticket including function restriction information according to a time zone in which the request by the request step is received;
A reply step of returning the access control ticket generated in the generating step from the access control device to the information processing device;
A comparison step for comparing the time zone corresponding to the function restriction information included in the access control ticket returned by the reply step with the execution time information of the job to be executed;
When the execution time information of the job to be executed in the comparison step is included in a time zone corresponding to the function restriction information included in the access control ticket returned in the reply step, the execution time information is based on the access control ticket. And an execution step for executing the job in accordance with the function of the image processing apparatus whose use is restricted.

Alternatively, an image processing system according to the present invention includes an information processing apparatus that makes a job processing request to an image processing apparatus, and function restriction information for restricting the use of the function of the image processing apparatus for each user to the information processing apparatus. An access control device that issues an access control ticket including an image processing system connected via a network,
Request means for requesting an access control ticket from the information processing device to the access control device;
In the access control device, a generation unit that generates an access control ticket including function restriction information according to a time zone in which the request by the request unit is received;
Reply means for returning the access control ticket generated by the generating means to the information processing apparatus from the access control device;
Comparison means for comparing the time zone corresponding to the function restriction information included in the access control ticket returned by the reply means and the execution time information of the job to be executed;
When the execution time information of the job to be executed by the comparison unit is included in the time zone corresponding to the function restriction information included in the access control ticket returned by the return unit, the execution time information is based on the access control ticket. Execution means for executing the job according to the function of the image processing apparatus whose use is restricted;
It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, execution of a job using the function of the image processing apparatus can be restricted more finely and flexibly than in the past.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configurations shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated configurations.

<First Embodiment>
System Configuration Overview FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration and operation overview of an image processing system in which the present embodiment operates. In the figure, reference numeral 108 denotes an information processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a client PC) as a client used by a user who executes printing. The user operates an application program or the like on the client PC 108 and executes print processing from the application program. The client PC 108 functions as a request source apparatus that makes a job processing request to the printing apparatus. Hereinafter, the client PC 108 will be described as an example of the request source device. Of course, the request source apparatus is not limited to Klein and the PC 108. For example, when performing a copy job, the printing apparatus itself functions as the request source apparatus. In addition, various types of jobs such as a print job, a copy job, and a box print job are assumed as jobs to which the present embodiment is applied. In the following, a print job is first described as an example of a job. To do.

  When printing is executed in the client PC 108, the print data is handed over from the application program to the printer driver, and the printer driver prepares for output of the print job to the printing device 107 to be output. For example, at that time, the printer driver on the client PC 108 issues an access control ticket (ACT) issue request 101 to the access control system 102. Upon receiving the ACT issuance request 101, the access control system 102 identifies user information included in the issuance request, and receives information about the user from a user information management server (not shown) constituting the system based on the user information. get.

  Here, the ACT includes function restriction information indicating whether the use of each function of the image processing apparatus (printing apparatus) is permitted or prohibited (suppressed). The function restriction information can also be information indicating whether use designation of each function of the image forming apparatus in the job is permitted or prohibited (suppressed). Note that each function of the printing apparatus refers to, for example, color printing, stapling, BoxPrint, and the like. In the following description, the ACT acquisition timing will be described as a representative print request time, but the acquisition timing is not limited to this. For example, an ACT may be acquired in advance before a print request is made.

  Next, an access control system 102 that performs access control by issuing an ACT including function restriction information for restricting the use of functions of the image processing apparatus for each user will be described. The access control system 102 accesses the access control information list (Access Control List: hereinafter referred to as ACL) 103 using the specified user information as a key in order to acquire user access information. This ACL 103 describes access restriction information for the printing apparatus 107 for each user. Reference numeral 104 denotes an ACT generated based on the access control information obtained by referring to the ACL 103. The ACT 104 is an ACT issuance 105 to the client PC 108 on which the printer driver that has issued the print request is operating. I will reply.

  Then, the printer driver of the client PC 108 determines whether or not all functions required for the job to be requested from the printing apparatus are permitted by the received ACT. Then, if the received ACT does not permit a function to be executed by some or all jobs, a warning is output to the user. On the other hand, if the function executed by all jobs is permitted in ACT, the print job 106 is sent to the printing apparatus 107 together with the ACT acquired as the ACT issuance 105 to the printing apparatus 107 without outputting a warning or the like. Send to.

  Then, the printing apparatus 107 transmits an ACT confirmation 109 to the access control system 102 in order to verify the validity of the ACT transmitted together with the print job 106. Then, the access control system 102 returns a result of ACT validity verification to the printing apparatus 107. As a result, the printing apparatus 107 permits printing when the validity of the ACT acquired from the client PC 108 is authenticated, and cancels the print job when the validity is not authenticated. Thereby, unauthorized printing output and unauthorized access to the printing apparatus 107 can be prevented. Note that the ACT validity verification method can be executed by including, for example, encrypted information that can be decrypted only by the access control system 102 in the ACT and determining whether or not the encrypted information is included.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing main hardware modules of each device in the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the function of the hardware module in each device will be described below with reference to FIG.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1901 denotes a network line. A network line 1901 is a physical line constituting a network between devices, and a twisted pair cable, a coaxial cable, an optical fiber, or the like is usually used.

  Since the access control system 102 shown in FIG. 1 is implemented in the server shown in FIG. As hardware modules constituting the server 102, there are a network board 1902, a CPU board 1903, a video interface 1904, an I / O interface 1905, and a disk interface 1906. Further, there are a CRT 1907, a keyboard 1908, a mouse 1909, and a hard disk drive (HD) 1910 connected to each of the above modules. In the HD 1910, a plurality of hard disk units are connected in parallel to ensure high-speed data transfer and high reliability. In these hard disk units, a database may be constructed according to the nature of software operating on the server 102.

  As with the server 102, the hardware modules constituting the client PC 108 include a network board 1902, a CPU board 1903, a video interface 1904, an I / O interface 1905, and a disk interface 1911. There are a CRT 1907, a keyboard 1908, a mouse 1909, and an HD 1910 connected to them. The printer driver software in the client PC 108 is stored in the HD 1910 connected to the disk interface 1911 and is called via the OS when a print request is made from the application software.

  As hardware modules constituting the printing apparatus 107, there are a network board 1912 corresponding to peripheral devices, a controller board 1915 of a multifunction composite copying machine, and a print engine 1914 as recording means (printing means). Furthermore, an operation panel controller 1916, an operation panel 1917, a scanner controller 1918, a scanner unit 1919, a modem 1920, a hard disk IF 1921, and an HD 1922 are provided. 2, the system according to the present embodiment can include a plurality of printing apparatuses in addition to the printing apparatus 107. The printing apparatus 107 receives a print job issued by the process shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 13A and 15 described later, and further executes the processes shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 13B and 18 described later.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a software module configuration in the server 102. In the figure, 2001 is an operating system (OS), 2002 is a library, 2003 is an application, and an access right control management program 2004 is included as part of the application 2003. A hardware control program 2005 includes a network control program 2006 and a hard disk (HD) control program 2007 as a part thereof.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the access right control management program 2004. The access right control management program 2004 is realized as one of the applications 2003 on the server 102. In the figure, a management program 2101 is the main part of the access right control management program 2004, and controls the entire program. The communication program 2102 performs communication between the peripheral device or the client PC 108 and the server 102 using the network control program 2006, and performs an ACT acquisition request from the client PC 108, an ACT validity verification from the printing apparatus 107, and the like. Do. The file management program 2103 uses the HD control program 2007 to realize information management such as ACL as described later.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a software module configuration in the client PC 108. In the figure, reference numeral 2201 denotes an OS, which performs general processing of the client PC 108. Reference numeral 2202 denotes a printer driver which is activated by a print instruction from the application 2203. Acquisition of ACT at the time of executing printing, transmission of a print job accompanied by ACT to the printing apparatus 107, and the like are performed via the network control program 2204. . The ACT acquisition request from the request source apparatus is not limited when the job is executed. For example, ACT may be acquired in advance, such as making an ACT acquisition request before executing a job. If the ACT is acquired before the job is executed, a determination based on the description of the ACT acquired in advance is performed in S1302, which will be described later.

  Next, a characteristic module configuration of this embodiment on the server 102 that performs access control will be described with reference to FIG.

  The module shown in FIG. 6 is installed in the HD 1910 shown in FIG. 2, that is, the external storage device by the installation program. These modules are read out from the HD 1910 as necessary when the system installed on the server 102 is activated, and loaded into the RAM on the CPU board 1903 to be executed by the CPU.

  An ACT generation request unit 201 is a module that receives or acquires an ACT issuance request 101 from the client PC 108 that requires ACT and passes the information to the ACT generation system unit 202. FIG. 7 shows an example of request information in the ACT issue request 101 issued from the client PC 108 when printing is performed. According to FIG. 7, the request information includes IP address information for specifying the PC that has issued the ACT issuance request 101, user information for executing printing, and information indicating that the processing content is printing (Print). ,It is included.

  The ACT generation system unit 202 receives the request information of the ACT issuance request 101 acquired by the ACT generation request unit 201, and performs processing for issuing an ACT to the requested client PC.

  In the ACT generation system unit 202, reference numeral 203 denotes a user information acquisition unit that acquires information of a user who has requested ACT issuance. Here, the user name “UserA” shown in FIG. 7 is extracted, and based on this, the user information managed in the active directory (hereinafter referred to as AD) is referred to and the user who requested the ACT issuance request 101 is identified. Acquire information such as job type and authority group to which it belongs. The user information acquired here is transferred to the ACL acquisition unit 205 and used for subsequent processing. Note that the user in the present embodiment can correspond to an individual user, a department, or the like so that the job request source can be specified when the server 102 performs job management.

  A time management unit 204 identifies the time or time zone when the ACT issuance request 101 is issued, and passes the information to the ACL acquisition unit 205. A job information determination unit 206 determines print job information from the client PC 108, and passes the information to the ACT generation unit 208 when special processing needs to be performed when outputting the print job. Reference numeral 207 denotes an exception information determination unit, which is passed to the ACT generation unit 208 as exception information when it is necessary to forcibly execute a print job requested from the client PC 108. That is, even if an exception is issued for the requested print job, if it is necessary to continue printing, this is transferred to the ACT generation unit 208 as exception information.

  The ACT generation unit 208 generates an ACT to be returned to the client PC 108 that has issued the ACT issue request 101.

ACT Generation Processing Hereinafter, the ACT generation processing in the ACT generation unit 208 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 401 is a simplified example of the ACL 103 shown in FIG. The ACL 401 is realized as an information table in which information is stored in an external storage device or a database on the server 102, and can be referred to by the ACL acquisition unit 205 shown in FIG. 6 as necessary. In this ACL 401, the functions of the printing apparatus that are permitted according to the time zone and the functions that are restricted (prohibited) are described for each user.

  As shown in the figure, the ACL 401 records user information, time zone information, function restriction information for each time zone, and the like. Here, explanation will be made using the simplest example. In the ACL 401, user information is classified into general categories such as general job, managerial job, and privileged user, and restriction information for each function of the printing apparatus that can be used by each user is described. Note that user information for classifying restrictions for each function in job execution is not limited to the classification of user information shown in FIG. The user information is obtained by referring to AD or the like based on the information of the user who made the print request and specifying the classification of the user, and then accessing the table information of the portion where the user information matches. In addition, although the example which divided the time slot | zone into two is shown here in order to simplify description, it is also possible to set a more detailed time slot | zone. Moreover, although the example which divided | segmented user information into three groups was shown here, of course, it is also possible to define a finer user group. For example, when the time at which the access control ticket is requested is included in the first time zone, the ACT generation unit 208 generates the first access control ticket including the function restriction information in the first time zone (the first time zone). 1 generation step). Further, when the time at which the access control ticket is requested is included in a second time zone different from the first time zone, a second access control ticket including function restriction information in the second time zone is generated. (Second generation step).

  In the ACL 401, the table information 402 is information indicating the function restriction of the printing apparatus in the time zone “8:30 to 17:00” when the user information is “general job”. Similarly, the table information 403 is information indicating the function limitation of the printing apparatus in the time zone “17:01 to 8:29” when the user information is “general job”. That is, 402 is an ACL table within a fixed time period, and 403 is an ACL table outside time. In the present embodiment, description will be made using the words “on time” and “out of time”. However, as long as it is information that can specify the range of the time zone, it may be called, for example, the first time zone and the second time zone.

  In the ACT generation unit 208, the user information 404 and time information 405 at the time of the ACT request acquired from the user information acquisition unit 203 and the time management unit 204 are input to the ACL information reference unit 412 via the ACL acquisition unit 205. The Examples of information input in this way are shown in 406 and 407, but in these, the time zones at the time of the ACT request are different. In other words, the input information 406 shows an example in which the requesting user has the authority of a general job at 16:00 when the ACT is requested, and the input information 407 shows that the requesting user is at 20:00 when the ACT is requested. It shows an example of having general office authority. Accordingly, the ACL information reference unit 412 refers to the ACL table 402 in the case of the input information 406 and the ACL table 403 in the case of the input information 407 according to the time zone at the time of the ACT request. Get information.

  The ACT generation unit 208 has a logical configuration for actually generating an ACT for each time zone. In other words, ACT is the ACT generation unit A corresponding to the time zone within the scheduled time of “8:30 to 17:00”, and generates the scheduled ACT. Also, 409 is an ACT generation unit B corresponding to a non-scheduled time period of “17:01 to 8:29”, and generates an out-of-time ACT.

  As described above, the ACT generation unit 208 determines the ACL to be referred to and the ACT generation unit to be operated according to the time information 405 at the time of the ACT request. That is, with respect to the input information 406 that is on time, the ACL table 402 is referred to, and the on-time ACT 410 is generated by the ACT generation unit A408. In addition, for the input information 407 outside the time, the ACL table 403 is referred to, and the ACT generation unit B409 generates the overtime ACT 411. In each of the scheduled ACT 410 and the non-timed ACT 411, the functions of the printing apparatus permitted and the functions restricted (prohibited) according to the time zone are described for the user who has requested the ACT.

  8 is the simplest example of the ACT generated in the time slot within the fixed time period. The user information for identifying the user, the time slot and the function, and the permission of the function are shown. / Information related to prohibition is stored. Further, although not shown in the overtime ACT 411, when a certain function in the printing apparatus is exceptionally permitted, an exception flag indicating that the permission information of the function is exceptional and a job for performing exceptional printing are provided. An area for storing a print job ID for identification is prepared. Here, exceptional is a condition such as leaving a job execution history as shown in FIG. 19 in the ACL table originally shown in FIG. 8 and executing a job using a function that is not permitted in a certain time zone. Refers to permission.

  Next, ACT generation processing in the ACT generation unit 208 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

  In step S <b> 901, the ACT generation request unit 201 receives an ACT issue request 101 issued from the client PC 108 that performs printing, and passes the request to the ACT generation system unit 202.

  In step S <b> 902, the ACT generation system unit 202 acquires information on the user who has made the ACT issuance request 101 in the user information acquisition unit 203. As described above, the user information acquired here is user classification information that is obtained by referring to the AD based on the name of the user and necessary for accessing the ACL, such as the job type of the user.

  In step S903, information about a job to be printed is acquired. An example of the print job information acquired here is shown in FIG. According to FIG. 11, the user information for printing, the job ID for specifying the job to be printed, the priority information at the time of printing, the print job name for specifying the name of the document to be printed, and the print output time are specified as the print job information. Information such as the print request time is included. The information regarding the print job shown in FIG. 11 is merely an example, and other detailed information can be held.

  In step S904, user information is embedded in the scheduled ACT 410 and the non-timed ACT 411 shown in FIG.

  In step S <b> 905, the time management unit 204 acquires information related to the issue time (current time) of the ACT issue request 101. The time information acquired here may be the time when the server 102 receives the ACT request, or may be the time when the client PC 108 substantially issues the ACT request. Note that the time information acquired here is used to confirm whether or not the ACT issue request 101 (or job execution request) has been issued on time, as will be described later.

  In step S906, it is determined whether the time information acquired in step S905 is within regular hours or out of hours. Based on the determination in S906, it is determined whether to refer to the ACL table 402 within the regular time period or to refer to the ACL table 403 outside the time period. If it is determined in S906 that it is within the scheduled time, the process proceeds to S907, and if it is determined that it is out of time, the process proceeds to S908.

  In S907, the ACL information is acquired with reference to the ACL table 402 within the fixed time, and the process proceeds to S1001 in FIG. By receiving the request of S901 by the processing of S907 and S912 described later, it is possible to refer to the ACL for generating an access control ticket corresponding to the time zone.

  On the other hand, in S908, it is determined whether or not the output priority is high from the print job information acquired in S903. If it is determined that the output priority is high, the process proceeds to S909. If it is determined that the output priority is low, the process proceeds to S912.

  The user can set a high priority for the print job via the printer driver setting screen. Further, this high priority can be set on a job basis, and when this is set, a setting indicating that the priority is high is applied to the print job information determined in S903.

  In step S909, because the job priority is high although it is out of time, information on the user who has exceptionally requested printing is acquired from the print job information shown in FIG. 11, and an exception output table is created based on the user information. Update. Here, the exception output table is a table that defines the number of exception outputs provided on the server 102 for the purpose of suppressing users who repeat such exception printing.

  FIG. 12 shows an example of the exception output table. The exception output table is used to manage the upper limit of exception output for each user, and manages the specified number of times that exception output is permitted for each user and the actual number of times of exception output. In the exception output table, the specified number of times can be set for each user authority. In addition, when the exception output performance reaches the upper limit, subsequent exception output will not be accepted, but by performing processing such as clearing the exception output performance count at the timing when the month changes, for example, every month It is also possible to manage the upper limit of exception output.

  In step S910, the exception output table shown in FIG. 12 is referred to and it is determined whether or not the exception output has reached the specified number of times. If it is determined that the exception output has exceeded the specified number of times, the process proceeds to S911, and a warning output process is performed for the user who made the exception output request. The contents of the warning process here include sending a warning mail to the exception output user based on information acquired from AD, or sending a notification mail to the superior of the organization to which the user belongs, etc. Can be considered. At this time, it is of course possible to interrupt the processing by a response from the user to the warning. Also, the exception output record in the exception output table shown in FIG. 12 is obtained by reflecting the exception printing history (corresponding to FIG. 19) stored in each printing apparatus by the server 102 via the network and reflecting it. Can be updated every time.

  If the exception output does not exceed the specified number in S910, or after the warning process in S911 ends, the process proceeds to S912.

  Then, regardless of whether the job priority is high or low, in S912, the out-of-hours ACL table 403 is referred to and each piece of information is acquired.

  In step S913, a flag indicating that the processing step in overtime printing has been performed is set, and the process proceeds to step S1001 in FIG. The flag set in S913 is used when it is determined whether or not overtime processing is designated in each subsequent step.

  Subsequently, the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 will be described. When the ACL information is acquired, next, in S1001, time zone information for one ACL function is acquired. For example, when referring to the ACL table 402, first, information indicating that the “Copy” function is managed in the time zone “8: 30-17: 00” is acquired. In subsequent S1002, permission information for each ACL function is acquired. For example, when the ACL table 402 is referred to, information indicating that the “Copy” function is prohibited is acquired. Next, in S1003, the time zone information (in this case, “8: 30-17: 00”) is embedded in the scheduled ACT 410. When the out-of-hours ACL table 403 is referred to in S1001 and S1002, information on the time zone is embedded in the out-of-hours ACT 411 in S1003.

  In step S1004, the other ACL table that is not already referred to is referred to, and it is determined whether or not the usable time period is continuous for the function. Specifically, the ACL table 403 is referred to in addition to the ACL table 402 that has already been referred to. For example, it is determined that the permitted time period is not continuous for the “Print” function, and the permitted time period is determined for the “BOX Print” function. Is determined to be continuous. If the permitted time zone for each function is continuous, the process proceeds to S1005, and the usable time zone for each function is set for one day consecutively as shown in the time zone information of the “BOX Print” function of the ACT 410 within the scheduled time. Change to time zone. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S1006. The “BOX Print” function is a function of saving print data received from the client PC 108 or original image data input from the original reading device of the printing apparatus 107 in a non-volatile storage device (HDD or the like) of the printing apparatus 107. Point to. The data stored in the nonvolatile storage device of the printing apparatus 107 can be instructed by the user to be printed from the client PC 108, the operation panel, or the like.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S1004 that the permitted time zones for each function are not continuous, the process proceeds directly to S1006.

  In S1006, permission / prohibition information for each function acquired in S1001 and S1002 is set (set) for the on-time ACT 410 or the overtime ACT 411. In step S1007, it is determined whether or not the setting has been completed for all functions to be described in the on-time ACT 410 or the off-time ACT 411. If there is an unset function, the process returns to S1001 to repeat the above-described process, and when the setting of the permission / prohibition information for all functions is completed, the process proceeds to S1008.

  In step S1008, an ACT corresponding to the time zone set by the above-described series of processes and responding to the client PC 108 is generated based on the setting of permission / prohibition information for each function.

  In step S1009, it is determined whether or not the flag is set (set) in step S913. If it is determined that the ACT issuance processing is out of time, the process proceeds to step S1010. If the ACT issuance processing is performed within a fixed time, the processing proceeds to step S1014. The process is advanced to ACT issuance.

  In S1010, it is determined whether the output priority is high from the print job information acquired in S903. If it is determined that the output priority is high, the process proceeds to S1011. If it is determined that the output priority is low, the process proceeds to S1014.

  In step S1010, an ACT that allows an exception to the function of the image processing apparatus that is originally restricted according to the time zone is generated. The ACT permitted by the exception makes it possible to use the function of the printing apparatus desired by the user in an arbitrary time zone. In step S1011, the printable time zone is set within a certain time (default 10 minutes, etc.) from the current time so that a print job that performs exceptional output based on the high priority can be printed within a certain time. The overtime ACT 411 shown in FIG. 8 shows a state where the “Print” function is permitted only during “20: 00-20: 10”.

  Although not shown in FIG. 8, the print job ID is set in the “print job ID” area of the overtime ACT 411 in order to specify the print job.

  In step S1012, permission / prohibition information related to the “Print” function of the overtime ACT 411 is set to “permitted (◯)” in order to perform exceptional printing. In step S1013, an exception flag is set (ON) to indicate that the permission information of the “Print” function of the overtime ACT 411 is exceptional.

  In step S1014, the on-time ACT 410 or the overtime ACT 411 created by the series of processes described above is returned to the device that requested the ACT issuance and the request source device. The network address or the like of the request source device can be specified based on the address included in FIG. 7 acquired in S1001.

  The client PC 108 that has received the ACT issuance 105 issued according to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 transmits the print job 106 to the printing apparatus 107 together with the received ACT as shown in FIG. Note that how the ACT issued by the ACT issuance 105 is associated with the print job can be realized by archiving the ACT with the print job or embedding it in the print job. Alternatively, the print job ID may be embedded in the ACT, and the ACT and the print job may be associated with each other using the print job ID as a key.

  Further, in the ACT request source apparatus that has received the ACT issued based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the function restriction information included in the received ACT and the function of the printing apparatus specified in the print job A comparison is made. In this comparison, when a function that is not permitted by ACT is specified in the print job, job execution suppression processing is performed. The suppression process can include a forced cancellation of the job, a warning display indicating that the job cannot be executed with the specified settings, and the like.

  As described above, according to the flowcharts shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the server that controls the use / prohibition for each user of the printing apparatus adds the function restriction information according to the time zone as a component of the ACT issued to the user. To do. In other words, by generating ACTs with different function restrictions depending on the time zone, it is possible to limit the time zone for each function of the printing apparatus. As a result, it is possible not only to perform print permission / prohibition control according to the time even for users who are permitted to perform print processing, but also finer details such as permitting functions that should be open all day. Control can be performed.

Print Job Input Processing Next, processing from acquiring an ACT from the server 102 and inputting the print job to the printing apparatus in response to the ACT issuance in S1014 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13A and 13B. FIG. 13A is a flowchart showing the processing of the client PC 108 that has acquired the ACT issued from the server 102 in S1014. FIG. 13B is a flowchart illustrating processing of the printing apparatus 107 that has received ACT from the client PC 108 or the server 102.

  First, the flowchart shown in FIG. 13A will be described.

  The client PC 108 acquires current time information in S1301. For example, the current time information held by the OS on which the printer driver operates is acquired. In step S1302, it is determined whether all functions requested by the job at the acquired time are permitted by the ACT. For example, if the overtime ACT 411 is acquired from the server apparatus 102 at the current time 20:00 and the function requested by the job is Copy, NO is determined in S1302. On the other hand, if the overtime ACT 411 is acquired from the server apparatus 102 at 20:00 and the function requested by the job is Print, it is determined YES in S1302.

  If NO is determined in S1302, the display unit of the client PC 108 is notified in S1303 that the function of the job requested in any ACT is not permitted, and the function that is not permitted is notified. A warning is displayed.

  In step S1304, job execution is canceled, and the process ends.

  On the other hand, if YES is determined in step S1302, the print job is transmitted to the printing apparatus 107 together with the ACT acquired in step S1305.

  In S1304 and S1305, the warning and job execution cancel processing have been described as the suppression processing when the function of the image processing apparatus specified in the print job is not permitted by the ACT returned from the server 102. However, without being limited to this example, for example, only the warning display in S1303 may be performed, that is, the job cancellation in S1304 may not be performed. In this case, the function that is not permitted may be canceled or the setting may be rounded (color printing is changed to monochrome printing) on the printing apparatus side.

  Next, the flowchart shown in FIG. 13B will be described. FIG. 13B shows processing in the printing apparatus 107 that has received the ACT from the client PC 108 or the server 102 as described above.

  First, in steps S1311 to S1314, the printing apparatus 107 performs the same processing as in steps S1301 to S1304 described above on the ACT received from the client PC 108 or the server 102. In step S1315, when an ACT is received from the client PC 108, the print job transmitted together with the ACT is received. When ACT is received from the server 102, document image data read from a scanner provided in the printing apparatus 107 is input into the printing apparatus 107.

  Note that in S1313 and S1314 as well, only warning display may be performed as job execution suppression processing, as in S1303 and S1304 described above.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, execution of a job using the function of the image processing apparatus (printing apparatus) can be restricted more finely and flexibly than in the past. For example, a user with general authority can be prohibited (suppressed) from executing a copy job outside of the time, and only a certain authority user can be allowed to execute the copy job outside of the time. As a result, for example, it is possible to prevent a situation in which confidential information is taken out as a copy at night.

  In addition, it is possible to set permission / prohibition of job execution for each function of the printing apparatus, instead of prohibiting job execution outside the time uniformly for users with general authority. For example, since only BoxPrint can be permitted outside the hours, the user's usability of the printing apparatus can be improved.

  In addition, since an exception access control ticket can be issued by a user specifying a high-priority job via the setting screen, it is possible to prevent a situation in which work that occurs urgently out of hours is hindered. Furthermore, the exception access control ticket allows the printing apparatus to execute a job function that is prohibited outside the time. However, since the history is managed by the server 102, it is possible to suppress the frequent occurrence of the exception access control ticket. it can.

<Second Embodiment>
Hereinafter, the second embodiment according to the present invention will be described. However, the system configuration in the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, and thus the description of the same parts is omitted. The second embodiment is characterized in that an exception ACT is used when there is a difference between a print request time and a print job execution time, such as a timer job that specifies job execution time information.

Printing Process Overview FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an overview of the printing process when a time difference occurs between a print request and a print job execution in the second embodiment. Reference numeral 901 denotes a system equivalent to the access control system 102 shown in the first embodiment. Reference numeral 902 denotes an ACT issued from the client PC 903 when a print request is made on time. The ACT 902 holds information similar to the on-time ACT 410 shown in FIG. 8 described above, and has information related to the user who performs printing and information related to function restrictions when performing printing. 8: 30-17: In the time zone 00, the print function (Print) is permitted.

  Reference numeral 904 denotes a printer driver operating on the client PC 903, which can interpret information on a job to be printed and information on an ACT acquired at the time of printing. In the printer driver 904, it is determined whether the job to be processed is a timer job (a print job for performing printing by specifying an output time) or a normal print job. If it is a timer job, the timer job execution specified time is compared with the information of the print permission time zone in ACT, and if inconsistency is detected, a message 905 for notifying that is displayed. . The message 905 further prompts the user to determine whether or not to continue printing although there is an inconsistency in execution time. When the user instructs to continue printing, the client PC 903 instructs the access control system 901. An exception ACT 906 is requested.

  When the client PC 903 receives the exception ACT 906, the client PC 903 transmits the exception ACT 906 together with the print job 907 to the output target printing apparatus 908 to execute printing. Note that the printing apparatus 908 holds the history of the print job 907 received together with the exception ACT 906 as exception printing. By referring to this history, it is possible to identify a print job that has been subjected to exceptional printing.

Print Request Here, the print request process in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 14 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  In step S1101, when a print processing request is made from the client PC 903, the printer driver 904 operating on the client PC 903 requests the access control system 901 for an ACT. In response to the request of S1101, the server 102 executes the processing shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10 described in the first embodiment.

  In step S1102, the access control system 901 acquires the ACT 902 that matches the current time zone. A specific example of the ACT acquired here is the on-time ACT 410 shown in FIG. 8 described above.

  In step S1103, it is determined whether or not the print job to be processed is a timer job (a job for which an execution time is specified). FIG. 16 shows an example of job information regarding a timer job. In addition to the normal print job information shown in FIG. 11, information related to “print execution time” is added to the timer job information, and the above determination can be made based on the presence or absence of this print execution time information. If it is determined in S1103 that the job is not a timer job, the process proceeds to S1111. If it is determined that the job is a timer job, the process proceeds to S1104.

  In step S1104, information related to the execution time of the timer job is acquired from the timer job information shown in FIG. 16, and in step S1105, information on the print permission time zone included in the ACT 902 acquired in step S1102 is acquired. In step S1106, it is determined whether or not there is a mismatch between the print permission time zone included in ACT 902 and the print execution time included in the timer job information. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the printable time zone in ACT 902 (ACT 410 on time) is 8: 30-17: 00 and the timer job execution time is 21:00, so it is determined that inconsistency has occurred. Is done. When inconsistency is detected in this way, the process proceeds to S1107, and when there is no inconsistency, the process proceeds to S1111.

  In step S1107, a message as shown in FIG. 17 is displayed in response to detection of inconsistency, and the user is prompted to determine whether or not to continue the printing process as exceptional printing. In step S1108, it is determined whether to continue the exceptional printing based on the user input for the message. When continuing as exceptional printing, it progresses to S1109, and when not continuing, a print job is canceled and a process is complete | finished.

  In S1109, in order to perform exception printing, the client PC 903 automatically sets a high priority to the access control system 901 and requests issuance of an exception ACT906 (determined as YES in S908). At this time, in order to specify a print job for performing exceptional printing, the print job ID is acquired from the timer job information shown in FIG. 16, and based on the user information, the job ID, and the information that the printing is exception printing, the exception ACT 906 Make an issue request. In response to the request for the exception ACT 906 in S1109, the server 102 executes the same processing as in the flowcharts of FIGS. However, in S1011 of FIG. 10, when a request for the exception ACT 906 for the timer job is received based on the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 15, an operation different from that described in S1011 is performed. Specifically, the time zone for the function requested by the job in S1011 (for example, Print) is set to a fixed time from the time when the timer job is executed, and the permission flag is set in S1012 for the set time zone. Set.

  In step S1110, the exception ACT 906 is acquired. A specific example of the exception ACT 906 is the same as the overtime ACT 411 shown in FIG. According to the exception ACT 906, the print job with the job ID “12345” has permission information that printing is permitted exceptionally.

  In step S1111, the print job 907 is transmitted to the printing apparatus 908 together with the ACT 902 or the exception ACT 906 acquired as described above.

Job Execution Suppression Processing Based on Acquired ACT When the client PC 903 acquires the exception ACT 906 through S1110 in FIG. 15 described above, it is actually determined whether or not each function requested by the job in ACT can be executed. In this case, the same processing as that described with reference to FIGS. 13A and 13B in the first embodiment described above is executed in each of the client PC 903 and the printing apparatus 908.

  In this case, however, S1301, S1302, and S1311, S1312 are slightly different in processing, and this point will be described in detail.

  In S1301 and S1311 of the first embodiment, an example in which the current time information at the time of receiving the ACT has been described. However, when the received job is a timer job as in the second embodiment, the description of permission / prohibition of each function for the time period including the job execution time specified by the timer job is checked.

Printing Execution Next, a printing process on the printing apparatus 908 side that has received the print job 907 with the ACT 902 or the exception ACT 906 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Note that the software module that executes the printing process on the printing apparatus 908 side is stored in the HD 1922 or the like in the printing apparatus 107 shown in FIG. 2, and is activated by the controller software on the controller board 1915 as necessary. Also, in the case of a printing apparatus that does not have an HD unit and has only a printer single function, such as the printing apparatus 110 shown in FIG. It is executed as needed. In addition, the processing shown in FIG. 18 is actually executed in the printing apparatus 908 together with the above-described “● job execution suppression processing based on acquired ACT”.

  First, in S1501, the ACT (ACT 902 or exception ACT 906) transmitted with the print job 907 is acquired. As described in the first embodiment, various forms can be assumed for the association between the ACT and the print job. In S1502, the validity is confirmed. As the ACT validity confirmation process, for example, it is checked whether it has been tampered with, whether the expiration date has expired, or the like. In step S1503, if it is determined that the ACT is not valid, the print job is canceled and the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the ACT is valid, the process advances to step S1504 to determine whether the ACT is an exception ACT 906. The determination of whether or not the exception is ACT 906 is made based on the exception flag shown in the overtime ACT 411. If it is an exception ACT 906, it is added as a history to the information table for managing the history of exception printing in S1505. Here, as the management information of the exception print history, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, user information, a print document name, a print output time, and the like are held, and saved in a format that can be acquired later as a list by the printing apparatus 908. Has been. Then, when the server 102 acquires the print history of exception printing shown in FIG. 19 via the network, the number of times in the exception output table described with reference to FIG. 12 can be incremented (updated).

  If the exception print history has been saved or if it is not the exception ACT 906, the process advances to step S1506, and print processing of the received print job 907 is executed together with the ACT acquired in step S1501. Note that the printing process here means bitmap development of page description language data included in a print job, and recording by a recording means (print engine 1914 shown in FIG. 2) on a recording medium such as paper based on the bitmap data. Processing is included.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, for example, by issuing an exceptional out-of-time ACT caused by a timer job or the like, it is possible to control a time-designated job in which a time difference occurs between a print instruction and a print execution. Can do. Specifically, the timer job issued by the user within the scheduled time is actually executed outside the time, and the function that is not specified in the timer job is not permitted outside the time, so the job is canceled. You can warn about the situation in advance.

<Third Embodiment>
Hereinafter, the third embodiment according to the present invention will be described. However, the system configuration in the third embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the third embodiment, an example in which the server 102 responds to the client PC 108 with an ACT describing use permission / prohibition for each function of the printing apparatus related to job execution in each time slot (including on-time and outside on-time). Will be explained.

  Hereinafter, the print request process in the third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21, but the process common to the first and second examples described above is also included. The explanation will focus on the specific parts of the form. 20 and FIG. 21, the same step numbers as those in FIG. 9 and FIG.

  First, the processing of S901 to S905 in FIG. 20 is as described in FIG. In step S1906, both the on-time ACL table 402 and the out-of-hour ACL table 403 are referred to.

  In step S1907, it is determined whether the time information acquired in step S905 is on time or outside time. In the first embodiment, the ACL table to be referred to is switched depending on whether the acquired time information is on time or on time. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, in order to switch whether to execute the processing of S908 to S913. , S1907 is determined.

  If YES is determined in S1907, the process proceeds to the flowchart of FIG. 21. If NO is determined, the processes of S908 to S913 are executed.

  In FIG. 21, basically the same processing as that described in FIG. 10 is performed. However, since the processing in S1001 to S1006 refers to the ACL for all time zones in S1906, all time zones are targeted. Further, the processing of S1004 to S1005 in FIG. 10 is omitted. This is because, in the ACT generated and issued according to FIG. 21, permission / prohibition of functions related to job execution is set for each time slot of the entire time slot.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, the ACT issuing process can be simplified as compared with the first and second embodiments. In particular, it is useful when the ACT requesting apparatus acquires an ACT in advance. That is, even when a user tries to issue a print request at an arbitrary time, the ACT acquired in advance can be used.

<Fourth embodiment>
In the first to third embodiments described above, the client PC 108 has been described as a representative example of an ACT request source apparatus. However, when the original image data read from the scanner provided in the printing apparatus 107 is output by the printing apparatus 107 (so-called copy job) as an ACT request source apparatus, the first to third embodiments described above are used. It can be applied.

  The printing apparatus 107 uses the flowchart of FIG. 13A described in the first embodiment, for example, when the user presses the copy start button, or when the user logs in to the printing apparatus 107 through an operation panel operation. Execute.

  Further, although the access control system 102 has been described as an apparatus different from the printing apparatus 107, the printing apparatus 107 itself may be the access control system 102. If a function equivalent to that of the access control system 102 is incorporated in the printing apparatus 107, the system can be further simplified.

<Fifth Embodiment>
In the process shown in FIG. 15 described above, the ACT is requested from the printer driver 904 operating on the client PC 903 to the access control system 901 when the print processing request is made from the client PC 903.

  However, in this embodiment, at the stage when a print processing request is made from the client PC 903, it is determined whether or not the print request is a timer job.

  Here, as in S1103, in addition to the normal print job information, the presence / absence of print execution time information is determined. If the timer job is determined, information regarding the execution time of the timer job is acquired, and an ACT request including print execution time information and user information is transmitted to the access control system 901. By these processes, if it can be determined in advance as a timer job, an ACT corresponding to the actual execution time of the timer job can be acquired in advance.

<Other embodiments>
Although the embodiment has been described in detail above, the present invention can take an embodiment as a system, apparatus, method, program, storage medium (recording medium), or the like. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, an imaging device, a web application, etc.), or may be applied to a device composed of a single device. good.

  In the present invention, a software program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is directly or remotely supplied to a system or apparatus, and the computer of the system or apparatus reads and executes the supplied program code. Can also be achieved. The program in this case is a program corresponding to the flowchart shown in the drawing in the embodiment.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  In this case, as long as it has a program function, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, or the like.

  Recording media for supplying the program include the following media. For example, floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD- R).

  As a program supply method, the following method is also possible. That is, the browser of the client computer is connected to a home page on the Internet, and the computer program itself (or a compressed file including an automatic installation function) is downloaded from the browser to a recording medium such as a hard disk. It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

  In addition, the program of the present invention is encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, distributed to users, and key information for decryption is downloaded from a homepage via the Internet to users who have cleared predetermined conditions. It is also possible to make it. That is, the user can execute the encrypted program by using the key information and install it on the computer.

  Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the computer executing the read program. Furthermore, based on the instructions of the program, an OS or the like running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments can also be realized by the processing.

  Further, the program read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, and then executed, so that the program of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. Function is realized. That is, based on the instructions of the program, the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit can perform part or all of the actual processing.

It is a figure which shows the operation | movement outline | summary of the image processing system in one Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the characteristic module structure of the access control server in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the software module structure of the server in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the access right control management program in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the software module structure of the client PC in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the main hardware modules of each apparatus in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of information of the ACT issue request in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the ACT production | generation process in the ACT production | generation part of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the ACT production | generation process in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the ACT production | generation process in this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of information on a print job in the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of an exception output table which prescribes | regulates the number of exception outputs in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the job processing of the client PC in this embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating job processing of the printing apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an outline of print processing when there is a time difference between a print request and a print job execution in the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating print request processing by a timer job in the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of timer job information in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the timer job continuation confirmation message in 2nd Embodiment. 10 is a diagram illustrating exception print history processing by exception ACT in the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of an exceptional printing log | history in 2nd Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a print request process that exceeds a permission time according to the third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a print request process that exceeds a permission time according to the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

201 ACT generation request unit 202 ACT generation system unit 208 ACT generation unit 408 ACT generation unit A
409 ACT generator B
1903 CPU board 1907 CRT

Claims (16)

An information processing apparatus that makes a job processing request to the image processing apparatus, and an access control apparatus that issues an access control ticket including function restriction information for restricting the use of the function of the image processing apparatus for each user to the information processing apparatus Is a job processing method in an image processing system connected via a network,
A request step for requesting an access control ticket from the information processing device to the access control device;
In the access control device, a generation step of generating an access control ticket including function restriction information according to a time zone in which the request by the request step is received;
A reply step of returning the access control ticket generated in the generating step from the access control device to the information processing device;
A comparison step for comparing the time zone corresponding to the function restriction information included in the access control ticket returned by the reply step with the execution time information of the job to be executed;
When the execution time information of the job to be executed in the comparison step is included in a time zone corresponding to the function restriction information included in the access control ticket returned in the reply step, the execution time information is based on the access control ticket. An execution step of executing the job according to the function of the image processing apparatus whose use is restricted;
A job processing method.   When the execution time information of the job to be executed by the comparison step is not included in the time zone corresponding to the function restriction information included in the access control ticket returned by the reply step, the request step is the job The job processing method according to claim 1, further comprising: requesting an access control ticket based on the execution time information set in the above.   The function restriction information for restricting the use of the function of the image processing device according to the time zone indicates the function of the image processing device permitted according to the time zone and the function of the restricted image processing device for each user. The job processing method according to claim 1, wherein information is included. In the generation step, an access control ticket that allows an exception to the function of the image processing apparatus that is restricted in use according to the time zone is generated,
The job processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a history step for managing a job execution history executed by the access control ticket permitted by the exception. The access control device holds an access control information list including function restriction information according to a time zone for each user,
In the generation step, the access control ticket is generated from user information for identifying a user who has requested the access control ticket based on the access control information list and time information indicating a time at which the request was made. The job processing method according to claim 1, wherein the job processing method is performed. The generating step includes
First generation step of generating a first access control ticket including function restriction information in the first time zone when the time at which the access control ticket is requested by the requesting step is included in the first time zone When,
Second access control including function restriction information in the second time zone when the time at which the access control ticket is requested by the requesting step is included in a second time zone different from the first time zone The job processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a second generation step of generating a ticket. An information processing apparatus that makes a job processing request to the image processing apparatus, and an access control apparatus that issues an access control ticket including function restriction information for restricting the use of the function of the image processing apparatus for each user to the information processing apparatus Is an image processing system connected via a network,
Request means for requesting an access control ticket from the information processing device to the access control device;
In the access control device, a generation unit that generates an access control ticket including function restriction information according to a time zone in which the request by the request unit is received;
Reply means for returning the access control ticket generated by the generating means to the information processing apparatus from the access control device;
Comparison means for comparing the time zone corresponding to the function restriction information included in the access control ticket returned by the reply means and the execution time information of the job to be executed;
When the execution time information of the job to be executed by the comparison unit is included in the time zone corresponding to the function restriction information included in the access control ticket returned by the return unit, the execution time information is based on the access control ticket. Execution means for executing the job according to the function of the image processing apparatus whose use is restricted;
An image processing system comprising:   If the execution time information of the job to be executed by the comparison means is not included in the time zone corresponding to the function restriction information included in the access control ticket returned by the reply means, the request means is the job The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein an access control ticket based on the execution time information set in is requested.   The function restriction information for restricting the use of the function of the image processing device according to the time zone includes information indicating the functions of the image processing device permitted and the functions of the restricted image processing device according to the time zone for each user. The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein the image processing system is included. The generation unit generates an access control ticket that permits an exception to the function of the image processing apparatus whose use is restricted according to the time zone,
The image processing system according to claim 7, further comprising a history unit that manages a job execution history executed by the access control ticket permitted by the exception. The access control device holds an access control information list including function restriction information according to a time zone for each user,
The generation means generates the access control ticket from user information for identifying a user who has requested the access control ticket based on the access control information list and time information indicating the time when the request was made. The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein the image processing system is characterized in that: A program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method for making a job processing request to an image processing apparatus,
A request step for requesting an access control ticket via a network to an access control device that issues an access control ticket including function restriction information for restricting the use of the function of the image processing apparatus for each user;
A receiving step of receiving an access control ticket generated based on the request of the requesting step from the access control device;
A comparison step of comparing the time zone corresponding to the function restriction information included in the access control ticket received in the reception step with the execution time information of the job to be executed;
When the execution time information of the job to be executed in the comparison step is included in the time zone corresponding to the function restriction information included in the access control ticket received in the reception step, the job is used based on the access control ticket. A program for executing the job according to a function of a restricted image processing apparatus. An information processing apparatus that makes a job processing request to the image processing apparatus, and an access control apparatus that issues an access control ticket including function restriction information for restricting the use of the function of the image processing apparatus for each user to the information processing apparatus Is a job processing method in an image processing system connected via a network,
A requesting step of requesting an access control ticket including execution time information set in a job requested to the image processing apparatus from the information processing apparatus to the access control apparatus;
In the access control device, a generation step of generating an access control ticket including function restriction information according to execution time information set in the job included in the request included in the request step;
A reply step of returning the access control ticket generated in the generating step from the access control device to the information processing device;
Execution of executing the job according to the function of the image processing apparatus whose use is restricted based on the access control ticket returned in the reply step when the time indicated by the execution time information set for the job is reached Steps,
A job processing method. In the generation step, an access control ticket that allows an exception to the function of the image processing apparatus that is restricted in use according to the time zone is generated,
14. The job processing method according to claim 13, further comprising a history step for managing a job execution history executed by the access control ticket permitted by the exception. An information processing apparatus that makes a job processing request to the image processing apparatus, and an access control apparatus that issues an access control ticket including function restriction information for restricting the use of the function of the image processing apparatus for each user to the information processing apparatus Is an image processing system connected via a network,
Requesting means for requesting an access control ticket including execution time information set in a job requested to the image processing apparatus from the information processing apparatus to the access control apparatus;
Generating means for generating an access control ticket including function restriction information according to execution time information set in the job included in the request included in the request by the request means;
Reply means for returning the access control ticket generated by the generating means to the information processing apparatus from the access control device;
Execution of executing the job according to the function of the image processing apparatus whose use is restricted based on the access control ticket returned by the reply means when the time indicated by the execution time information set for the job is reached Means,
An image processing system comprising: The generation unit generates an access control ticket that permits an exception to the function of the image processing apparatus whose use is restricted according to the time zone,
16. The image processing system according to claim 15, further comprising history means for managing a job execution history executed by the access control ticket permitted for the exception.

Images