JP2009282785A - Image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming system capable of utilizing a history of operation procedure information input in the past in any network environment, and thereby capable of simplifying user's input operation to any image forming apparatus in any network environment. <P>SOLUTION: In the image forming system 100 arranging an operation information storage part 50 on a network 30, operation procedure information 42 input by a user is stored in an external storage medium M. Each of image forming apparatuses 20 capable of performing user's log-in transfers the operation procedure information 42 stored in the storage medium M to a server 10 via the network 30 after user's log-in. The server 10 transfers the operation procedure information 42 to the operation information storage part 50. The operation information storage part 50 executes additional processing or updating processing of the operation procedure information 42 stored at present on the basis of the operation procedure information 42. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming system including one or a plurality of image forming apparatuses capable of logging in by a user and a server connected to the one or more image forming apparatuses via a network.

  In conventional image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, and multifunction machines, in general, when performing a specific process, a job type such as a copy function or a scan function, single-sided / double-sided printing, or image enlargement / Job operation procedure information including input parameters such as reduction is input from an operation member (for example, an operation panel) by a user input operation. That is, in order to execute a specific process, a single or a plurality of operation units (for example, operation buttons) on the operation member are operated, and a desired process (for example, various copy operations) is performed through one or a plurality of stages of operation steps. Process) is executed.

  In such a conventional image forming apparatus, when it is desired to execute a process using operation procedure information input in the past, if there is no function for storing the operation procedure information, an input operation has been performed in the past. The same job needs to be reset. This problem is particularly noticeable when setting a job that is frequently processed.

In order to avoid this problem, there is an image forming system configured to store a history of operation procedure information in advance and call the history of operation procedure information when necessary. For example, Patent Document 1 below includes a storage unit that stores operation procedure information in a server to which the image forming apparatus is connected via a network, and the image forming apparatus displays the operation procedure information transmitted from the server. An image forming system to be displayed on the screen has been proposed.
JP 2003-303061 A

  However, in the conventional image forming system described above, the history of operation procedure information may not be used in a network environment in which no input operation has been performed in the past. For example, in one network environment, even if there is a history of past operation procedure information, it cannot be electrically or physically connected to this network environment (ie, it has been disconnected from software or hardware) In other network environments, the history of operation procedure information input in the one network environment cannot be used because the history of past operation procedure information existing in the one network environment is not reflected. There was a problem.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, the history of operation procedure information that has been input in the past can be used in any network environment, whereby a user input operation can be performed on any image forming apparatus in any network environment. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system capable of simplifying the above.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes one or more image forming apparatuses that can be logged in by a user, and a server connected to the one or more image forming apparatuses via a network. The network is provided with an operation information storage unit for storing a history of operation procedure information input by a user. Each image forming apparatus is stored in an external storage medium such as an IC card. The history of operating procedure information input by a user is stored in advance in the external storage medium, and each image forming apparatus can store the external information after the user logs in. Reading operation procedure information stored in a storage medium, transferring the read information to the server through the network, The server transfers the operation procedure information received from the logged-in image forming apparatus to the operation information storage unit, and the operation information storage unit stores additional processing or presently based on the operation procedure information transferred from the server. An image forming system is provided in which an update process of operating procedure information is performed.

  In the image forming system according to the present invention, as an aspect of the operation information storage unit provided on the network, the operation information storage unit is one or a plurality of operation information storage units, and the one or a plurality of operations are stored. An aspect in which the information storage unit is connected to the one or the plurality of image forming apparatuses so as to be accessible, or the operation information storage unit is a single operation information storage unit, and the one operation information storage unit Can be illustrated as being connected to the server in an accessible manner.

  In the image forming system according to the present invention, among the image forming apparatuses, the logged-in image forming apparatus is configured to store operation procedure information recorded in advance on the external storage medium (for example, in a network environment separated from the network environment). When a history of operation procedure information input in the past is read, the operation procedure information is transferred to the server through the network. On the other hand, the server transfers operation procedure information sent from the logged-in image forming apparatus to the operation information storage unit. Then, the operation information storage unit performs an addition process or an update process of the currently stored operation procedure information based on the operation procedure information sent from the server.

  For example, when the operation information storage unit is one or more operation information storage units, and the one or more operation information storage units are respectively connected to the one or more image forming apparatuses, the server The operation procedure information received from the logged-in image forming apparatus is transferred to all the image forming apparatuses on the network through the network, and each of the image forming apparatuses is based on the operation procedure information transferred from the server. An addition process or an update process of the operation procedure information currently stored in the operation information storage unit can be performed. Further, when the operation information storage unit is a single operation information storage unit and the one operation information storage unit is connected to the server, the server receives an operation received from the logged-in image forming apparatus. Based on the procedure information, an additional process or an update process of the currently stored operation procedure information can be performed in the operation information storage unit.

  As described above, according to the image forming system of the present invention, operation procedure information stored in the external storage medium such as an IC card (for example, an input operation performed in the past in a network environment separated from the network environment). In the operation information storage unit provided on the network based on the operation procedure information), additional processing or operation procedure information currently stored is updated, so that the history of operation procedure information input in the past can be stored in any network. It can also be used in an environment, and this makes it possible to simplify the user's input operation to any image forming apparatus in any network environment.

  In the image forming system according to the present invention, the operation information storage unit is configured to store a history of operation procedure information input and operated by a user corresponding to the user identification information of the user, A history of operation procedure information input by the user may be stored in advance in the storage medium corresponding to the user identification information of the user. In this case, after the user logs in, each of the image forming apparatuses reads the operation procedure information stored in the external storage medium and the corresponding user identification information, and transfers the read information to the server through the network. The server can transfer the operation procedure information and the user identification information received from the logged-in image forming apparatus to the operation information storage unit. Then, the operation information storage unit performs an additional process or an update process of the currently stored operation procedure information and user identification information based on the operation procedure information and user identification information transferred from the server.

  In such a configuration, when the operation procedure information of a plurality of users is stored in the external storage medium, only the operation procedure information corresponding to the user identification information of the logged-in user is selected from the operation procedure information of the plurality of users. The image may be transferred from the image forming apparatus logged in by the user to the server.

  Due to this specific matter, even when there are a large number of users (for example, 1000 or more) stored in the external storage medium, only the logged-in user can transfer and add or update information, so the processing time is reduced accordingly. And processing efficiency can be improved.

  In the image forming system according to the present invention, when the one or more operation information storage units are connected to the one or more image forming apparatuses, respectively, an input operation is performed on the external storage medium by a user. A mode in which the operation procedure information is stored in advance together with the function information of the operation procedure information (that is, information for specifying the function of the operation procedure information in each image forming apparatus) can be exemplified. Then, the server inquires of all the image forming apparatuses on the network about available functions, and among the operation procedure information received from the logged-in image forming apparatus, each of the image forming apparatuses on the network. Only operation procedure information of functions available in the apparatus can be transferred to each image forming apparatus through the network.

  By this specific matter, it is possible to eliminate operation procedure information that cannot be used in the image forming apparatus logged in by the user, and it becomes possible to use only operation procedure information necessary for the logged-in image forming apparatus. .

In the image forming system according to the present invention, each of the image forming apparatuses can be exemplified such that some functions are set to be prohibited based on the user identification information of the logged-in user. In this case, the following specific aspect can be illustrated. That is,
(A) an aspect in which at least one of the image forming apparatuses includes a color printing function, and the part of the image forming apparatus including the color printing function that is prohibited from use is a color printing function;
(B) an aspect in which at least one of the image forming apparatuses includes a single-sided printing function, and the partial function that is prohibited from use of the image forming apparatus including the single-sided printing function is a single-sided printing function;
(C) an aspect in which at least one of the image forming apparatuses includes a staple printing function, and the part of the image forming apparatus including the staple printing function that is prohibited from use is a staple printing function;
(D) At least two of the image forming apparatuses each include a distributed printing function for printing by dividing the number of copies by a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and the partial function that is prohibited from use of the image forming apparatus including the distributed printing function Is a distributed printing function,
(E) A mode in which at least two of (a) to (d) are combined.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the history of operation procedure information that has been input in the past can be used in any network environment, so that any image forming apparatus in any network environment can be used. Also, it is possible to provide an image forming system capable of simplifying the user's input operation.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the following embodiment is an example which actualized this invention, Comprising: The thing of the character which limits the technical scope of this invention is not.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the system configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In the image forming system 100 shown in FIG. 1, a server 10 (server computer) and one or a plurality of image forming apparatuses 20 are connected via a network 30 in a state where they can communicate with each other.

  Each of the image forming apparatuses 20,... Is a storage medium information reading device (hereinafter referred to as an IC card reader) that can read information recorded in a portable external storage medium (hereinafter referred to as an IC card) M such as an IC card. IC card reader) 26 and the image forming apparatus 20 are controlled in an integrated manner, and image data printing, facsimile communication, data communication performed between the server 10 and an external image output device (such as a personal computer) (Not shown), a control unit 25 that controls data communication with the server 30, a communication unit 24 that is connected to the network 30 and performs data communication with the server 10 through the network 30, and a display unit 22. And an operation member 21 (hereinafter referred to as an operation panel) including a user log-in.

  Each of the image forming apparatuses 20,... Includes the identification information of the logged-in user and the operation procedure information input by the user through the operation procedure selection operation unit (hereinafter referred to as operation procedure selection operation button) 23. It is configured to transmit to the server 10 via the network 30.

  Each of the image forming apparatuses 20,... May be, for example, a digital multifunction machine that serves as a scanner, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a printer. The digital multi-function peripheral, for example, generates a scanner function for reading a document image by a scanner, a copy function for generating image data of a document image read by the scanner, and a document function for reading the image data. A facsimile transmission function for transmitting image data of a document image by facsimile communication, a facsimile reception function for receiving image data by facsimile communication and printing the image data, and the external image output device connected to the network 30 A printer function for receiving the image data and printing the image data. The image forming apparatus 20 is not limited to a multifunction machine, and may be an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine.

  An operation information storage unit 50 for storing a history of operation procedure information input by a user exists on the network 30. Here, the operation information storage unit 50 is connected to the server 10 so as to be accessible. Specifically, the operation information storage unit 50 includes an operation history database 4. That is, the server 10 is connected to the operation history database 4 and can access the operation history database 4. The operation information storage unit 50 may be one or a plurality of units, and may be connected to each of the image forming apparatuses 20,.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the database structure of the operation history database 4 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the operation history database 4, operation procedure information 42 input by the user in association with user identification information 41 (for example, user account information) of the user is displayed together with the corresponding user identification information 41. It is supposed to be saved.

  In the present embodiment, the operation information storage unit 50 includes an operation guide database 5. That is, the server 10 is connected to the operation guide database 5 and can access the operation guide database 5.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the database structure of the operation guide database 5 shown in FIG.

  3, in the operation guide database 5, the plurality of processes are associated with the operation procedure information 42 corresponding to the plurality of processes executed by each image forming apparatus 20,. A plurality of operation commands 43 to be executed are stored in advance.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an operation procedure selection operation button 23 and a display unit 22 on the operation panel 21 of the image forming apparatus 20 shown in FIG.

  The operation panel 21 includes a plurality of operation procedure selection operation buttons 23 that can be manually operated by the user. Here, the display unit 22 is provided on the operation panel 21. The display unit 22 displays operation procedure information 42 corresponding to the operation procedure selection operation buttons 23 (A, B, C,...). Here, the display unit 22 is a display device capable of displaying information such as character information and image information.

  The server 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a communication unit 11, a user recognition unit 6, an operation history addition / update unit 2, an operation history reference unit 8, and an operation procedure determination unit 7.

  The communication unit 11 is connected to the network 30 and performs data communication with the image forming apparatuses 20 through the network 30. The user recognition unit 6 recognizes user identification information of a logged-in user. The operation history addition / update unit 2 associates the operation procedure information received from the image forming apparatus 20 logged in by the user via the network 30 among the image forming apparatuses 20,... It is accumulated and stored in (here, the operation history database 4). The operation history reference unit 8 reads the user identification information 41 and the operation procedure information 42 stored in the operation information storage unit 50. Further, the operation procedure determination unit 7 extracts past operation procedure information 42 that matches the user identification information of the user from the user identification information 41 and the operation procedure information 42 read by the operation history reference unit 8. .

  The server 10 transmits the past operation procedure information 42 extracted by the operation procedure determination unit 7 from the communication unit 11 to the image forming apparatus 20 logged in by the user via the network 30.

  In the present embodiment, each of the image forming apparatuses 20,... Displays past operation procedure information 42 received from the server 10 via the network 30 on the display unit 22, and operation procedure selection operation buttons 23 (A, B,. (C,...) (See FIG. 6 described later).

  In the image forming system 100 having such a configuration, a user such as an administrator of the image forming apparatus 20 does not make settings in advance, and past operation procedure information 42 operated by the user is displayed on the display unit 22 of the image forming apparatus 30. Are displayed in correspondence with the operation procedure selection operation buttons 23 (A, B, C,...), So that a desired process can be executed with a small operation procedure and the user's pre-setting labor can be saved. Can do.

  In the present embodiment, the server 10 further includes an operation command extraction unit 3 and a user interface (UI) information generation unit 9.

  The operation command extraction unit 3 extracts an operation command 43 that matches the past operation procedure information 42 extracted from the operation history database 4 by the operation procedure determination unit 7 from the plurality of operation commands 43 stored in the operation guide database 5. It is like that. The user interface information generation unit 9 is user interface information for displaying the operation procedure information 42 in a hierarchical tree format based on the past operation procedure information 42 extracted from the operation history database 4 by the operation procedure determination unit 7. 44 is generated.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of an example of user interface information. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the user interface information 44 generated by the user interface information generation unit 9 is based on past operation procedure information 42 extracted from the operation history database 4 by the operation procedure determination unit 7. The list data is displayed in a tree format so as to have a hierarchical structure in correspondence with a plurality of operation procedure selection operation buttons 23 (A, B, C,...) On the display unit 22 of the image forming apparatus 20. Yes.

  Then, the server 10 associates the user interface information 44 generated by the user interface information generation unit 9 with the operation command 43 extracted by the operation command extraction unit 3, and the image forming apparatus 20 logged in by the user from the communication unit 11. Via the network 30.

  In the present embodiment, each of the image forming apparatuses 20,... Corresponds to an operation command 43 received from the server 10 via the network 30 to a plurality of operation procedure selection operation buttons 23 (A, B, C,...). As a result, the operation command 43 is executed by an input operation of the operation procedure selection operation button 23 corresponding to the operation command 43.

  Further, each image forming apparatus 20,... Operates the past operation procedure information 42 on the display unit 22 in a hierarchical tree format (tree structure) based on the user interface information 44 received from the server 10 via the network 30. The procedure information 42 is displayed in correspondence with the operation procedure selection operation button 23. Thereby, the past operation procedure information 42 displayed on the display unit 22 and the operation procedure selection operation buttons 23 (A, B, C,...) For executing the corresponding operation commands 43 are associated with each other.

  6 shows past operation procedure information 42 displayed immediately after login on the display unit 22 provided on the operation panel 21 of the image forming apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 1 and a plurality of operation procedure selections corresponding to the operation procedure information 42. It is the schematic which shows the operation button 23 (A, B, C, ...) for operation.

  In the example of FIG. 6, a plurality of operation procedure selection operation buttons 23 (A, B, C,...) Are arranged in an area indicated by α of the operation panel 21. The past operation procedure information 42 is displayed in an area indicated by β on the display unit 22.

  The past operation procedure information 42 displayed in the area β is represented in a tree format indicating the operation procedure (see β ′). The past operation procedure information 42 is defined by IDs (identification information A, B, C,...) Indicated by γa, γb, γc,. This ID (identification information A, B, C,...) Corresponds to each of the plurality of operation procedure selection operation buttons 23 (A, B, C,...) Located in the area indicated by α. Accordingly, in the image forming apparatus 20, when any one of the plurality of operation procedure selection operation buttons 23 (A, B, C,...) Is selected, the selected operation procedure selection operation button 23 is dealt with. Processing of the operation procedure information 42 by the operation command 43 to be executed is executed. For example, when copying, monochrome, single-sided, and printing at 89% magnification, by selecting the operation procedure selection operation button 23 (B) corresponding to ID (B) indicated by γb, copying, monochrome, single-sided The printing operation can be executed at a magnification of 89%.

  If the number of past operation procedure information 42 exceeds the number of operation button selection operation buttons 23 (A, B, C,...), Past operation procedure information 42 displayed on the display unit 22 is displayed. Can be scroll-displayed, and for each of the past operation procedure information 42 scroll-displayed, IDs (A, B, C,...) Indicated by γa, γb, γc,... 23 (A, B, C,...) Can correspond to each other.

  In the present embodiment, the operation procedure selection operation unit is an operation button. However, the display unit 22 has a touch panel configuration, and a part of the display unit 22 (for example, parts indicated by γa, γb, γc,...). ) Can be used as the operation procedure selecting operation unit 23 (A, B, C,...).

[Description of Features of the Present Invention]
Next, processing for adding or updating operation procedure information 42 (here, operation procedure information 42 and corresponding user identification information 41) in the operation information storage unit 50 using information recorded on the IC card M possessed by the user. An example of performing is described.

  Each image forming apparatus 20,... Includes an IC card reader 26 that can read information from the IC card M as described above.

  The IC card M records a history of operation procedure information 42 (for example, a history of operation procedure information 42 input in the past in a network environment separated from the environment of the network 30). Here, in the IC card M, information having the same data structure as the operation history database 4 shown in FIG. 3, that is, operation procedure information 42 input by the user in association with the user identification information 41 of the user is stored. Are recorded together with the corresponding user identification information 41.

  Each of the image forming apparatuses 20,... Reads the operation procedure information 42 and the user identification information 41 corresponding to the operation procedure information 42 stored in the IC card M after the user logs in, and sends the read information 41, 42 to the server 10 on the network 30. To be transferred through.

  The server 10 transfers the operation procedure information 42 and the user identification information 41 received from the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 to the operation information storage unit 50.

  Based on the operation procedure information 42 and the user identification information 41 transferred from the server 10, the operation information storage unit 50 performs an additional process when there is no data, and stores the current information when the data already exists. The updating process of the operating procedure information 42 and the user identification information 41 being performed is performed. Specifically, the server 10 performs an additional process in the operation history database 4 based on the operation procedure information 42 and the user identification information 41 received from the logged-in image forming apparatus 20, or stores the operation procedure information 42 currently stored and Update processing of the user identification information 41 is performed.

  In the image forming system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, for example, after the user logs in, the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 uses the IC card M in which the user operation procedure information 42 is stored as the IC card in the image forming apparatus 20. When it is detected that the reader 26 can read (specifically, when the IC card M is inserted into the IC card reader 26 by the user), the operation procedure information 42 is read together with the user identification information 41 corresponding thereto, These pieces of information 41 and 42 are transferred to the server 10 through the network 30.

  Here, since the operation information storage unit 50 is connected to the server 10, the server 10 transfers the operation procedure information 42 and the user identification information 41 received from the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 to the operation information storage unit 50. . Then, the server 10 performs an addition process on the operation information storage unit 50 (in this case, the operation history database 4) or an update process of the currently stored operation procedure information 42 and user identification information 41, so that any network The user can call his / her operation procedure information at any time to any of the image forming apparatuses 20 in the environment.

  If the operation information storage unit 50 is one or a plurality of units, and one unit is connected to each of the image forming apparatuses 20..., The server 10 starts from the logged-in image forming apparatus 20. The received operation procedure information 42 and user identification information 41 can be transferred to all the image forming apparatuses 20 on the network 30. Each of the image forming apparatuses 20,... Performs an additional process on the operation information storage unit 50 (for example, the operation history database 4) or updates the currently stored operation procedure information 42 and user identification information 41. It can be performed. This makes it possible for the user to call his / her operation procedure information at any time for any of the image forming apparatuses 20 in any network environment.

  Thus, even in a network environment where there is no user usage history, the history of user operation procedure information can be registered in all image forming apparatuses in the network environment, and from all image forming apparatuses as necessary. The user's operation procedure information can be called up, and therefore the user's input operation can be simplified.

  By the way, when there are a large number of users (for example, 1000 or more) stored in the IC card M, it takes a considerable amount of time for processing such as updating, and the user waits for waiting time until the processing such as updating ends. It is necessary to keep it. From this point of view, each of the image forming apparatuses 20,..., When the operation procedure information 42 of a plurality of users is stored in the IC card M, the user identification of the logged-in user among the operation procedure information 42 of the plurality of users. Only the own operation procedure information (operation procedure information corresponding to the user identification information 41) 42 may be transferred from the information 41 to the server 10 from the image forming apparatus 20 logged in by the user. By doing so, even when there are a large number of users (for example, 1000 or more) stored in the IC card M, it is only necessary to update the logged-in user, so that the user waits in front of the image forming apparatus 20. Can reduce wasted time. Further, since the operation procedure information 42 that cannot be used by the user is not displayed on the image forming apparatus 20, it is possible to prevent a printing trouble due to a user operation.

  Further, each image forming apparatus 20,... May be equipped with one or a plurality of optional devices (double-sided unit, stapler, etc.), and various functions can be used. In other words, the operation procedure information 42 stored in the IC card M includes information unnecessary for the logged-in image forming apparatus. For example, operation procedure information for operating the duplex unit is unnecessary for an image forming apparatus that is not equipped with the duplex unit.

  Therefore, when one or a plurality of operation information storage units 50,... Are connected to each of the image forming apparatuses 20,..., The operation procedure information 42 and the corresponding operation procedure information 42 are stored in the storage medium M. The user identification information 41 is stored in advance together with function information of the operation procedure information 42 (for example, information for specifying functions such as double-sided printing and staple printing in each image forming apparatus 20,... Of the operation procedure information 42). The aspect which is can be illustrated. In this case, the server 10 inquires of all the image forming apparatuses 20,... On the network 30 about available functions, and the network 30 among the operation procedure information 42 received from the logged-in image forming apparatus 20. Only the operation procedure information 42 of the function that can be used in each of the above image forming apparatuses 20 can be transferred to each of the image forming apparatuses 20 through the network 30 together with the corresponding user identification information 41. Each of the image forming apparatuses 20,... Is an operation that is added or currently stored in the operation information storage unit 50 (for example, the operation history database 4) based on the operation procedure information 42 and the user identification information 41 transferred from the server 10. Update processing of the procedure information 42 and the user identification information 41 can be performed.

  As described above, after confirming the usable functions (specifically, the mounted state of the optional device) of each image forming apparatus 20,..., Only the usable operation procedure information 42 is added or updated. This can prevent printing troubles.

  In the present embodiment, each of the image forming apparatuses 20,... May be set so that some functions are prohibited based on the identification information of the logged-in user.

  For example, when an image forming apparatus in one company is used by an outsider other than an employee (for example, a visitor), functions installed in the image forming apparatus (for example, color printing, single-sided printing, staple printing, and distributed printing) Etc.), it may be difficult to be used easily by outsiders. Specifically, when the image forming apparatus is a rental device, the printing cost per sheet of color printing is several times (for example, three times) that of monochrome printing. Therefore, when at least one of the image forming apparatuses 20,... Includes a color printing function, in the image forming apparatus 20 including the color printing function, the user is identified by the logged-in user's identification information. If it is determined (for example, outsider), the color printing function is preferably prohibited. In this way, it is possible to suppress printing costs by prohibiting outsiders from performing color printing, which is more expensive than monochrome printing.

  Single-sided printing requires twice as much recording paper as double-sided printing. Therefore, when at least one of the image forming apparatuses 20,... Includes the single-sided printing function and the double-sided printing function, the identification information of the logged-in user in the image forming apparatus 20 including the single-sided printing function and the double-sided printing function. When it is determined that the user is a predetermined user (for example, an outsider), it is preferable to prohibit the single-sided printing function.

  Further, in the case of staple printing, there is a possibility that there is no need for spare needles. Therefore, when at least one of the image forming apparatuses 20,... In the image forming apparatus 20 including the staple printing function, if the user is determined to be a predetermined user (for example, an outsider) based on the identification information of the logged-in user, the staple printing function is prohibited. It is preferable.

  In addition, in the case of distributed printing in which the number of copies is divided and printed by a plurality of image forming apparatuses, when an outsider performs distributed printing, a plurality of image forming apparatuses are used exclusively at a time. When at least two of the image forming apparatuses 20,... Include a distributed printing function, the image forming apparatus 20 including the distributed printing function uses the identification information of the logged-in user to specify that the user If it is determined that the user is an outsider, it is preferable to prohibit the distributed printing function. By doing so, it is possible to prevent a plurality of image forming apparatuses from being used exclusively by a predetermined user (for example, an outsider) at a time.

[Operation flow of image forming system]
Next, the operation flow of the image forming system shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  7, 8, and 10, the case where one operation information storage unit 50 is connected to the server 10 will be mainly described. In FIG. 9, one or a plurality of operation information storage units 50,. An example in which each image forming apparatus 20,... Is inquired about available functions when connected to each of the image forming apparatuses 20,.

  Here, a case where the server 10 communicates with one image forming apparatus 20 will be described. That is, other image forming apparatuses can be described in the same manner, and therefore, here, description will be made on behalf of one image forming apparatus that communicates with the server, and description of communication between the server and other image forming apparatuses will be omitted.

(Processing example of the first embodiment)
FIG. 7 shows the first embodiment in which the operation information storage unit 50 is added or updated using the operation procedure information and user identification information stored in the IC card M in the image forming system 100 shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process example.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the processing example of the first embodiment, the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 among the image forming apparatuses 20,... In step S <b> 1 is the operation procedure information 42 stored in the IC card M. (Here, the operation procedure information 42 and the corresponding user identification information 41) are read by the IC card reader 26.

  Next, in step S <b> 2, the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 notifies the operation procedure information 42 and user identification information 41 read from the IC card M from the communication unit 24 (here, the communication unit 24) to the server 30 via the network 30. To do.

  In step S3, the server 10 adds the operation procedure information 42 and the user identification information 41 received from the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 via the network 30 (here, the communication unit 11) to the operation history addition / update unit 2. Is transferred to the operation information storage unit 50, and based on these pieces of information, update processing of the operation procedure information 42 and the user identification information 41 currently added or stored in the operation information storage unit 50 (here, the operation history database 4) is performed. Do.

  In the above description, a case where one operation information storage unit 50 is connected to the server 10 is illustrated, but one or a plurality of operation information storage units 50,. If the devices are connected one by one, in step S3, the operation procedure information 42 (here, the operation procedure information 42 and the user identification corresponding thereto) are obtained for all the image forming apparatuses 20 connected to the network 30. Information 41) can be transmitted, and the information can be stored in the operation information storage unit 50 connected to all the image forming apparatuses 20,. Note that all the image forming apparatuses 20,... May include the logged-in image forming apparatus 20, but the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 has information stored in the IC card M. Therefore, the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 may not be included.

  As described above, the operation procedure information of the IC card M used when logging in to the image forming apparatus before can be reflected in the operation information storage unit 50 on all the image forming apparatuses 20 connected to the network 30. In addition, it is possible to save the effort of the presetting for any image forming apparatus 20 in any network environment, thereby simplifying the user's input operation.

  This will be further described by taking as an example a case where the user has logged in in the past in the environment of another network 30 'shown in FIG.

  12 shows the image forming system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the environment of the network 30 shown in FIG. 1 and another network that cannot be electrically or physically connected to the environment of the network 30 are shown. It is a schematic block diagram which shows 30 'environment.

  As shown in FIG. 12, another network 30 'that cannot be electrically or physically connected to the network 30 is connected to a server 10' and one or more image forming apparatuses 20 '. In the network 30 shown in FIG. 1, when a user logs in to the image forming apparatus 20, the user logs in to the image forming apparatus 20 ′ connected to another network 30 ′ in the past and operates the image forming apparatus 20 ′. The IC card M that stores the history of the procedure information 42 is used. At this time, the operation history information 42 stored in the IC card M is read by the IC card reader 26 (not shown in FIG. 12), and the information 42 is transmitted to the server 10. Thereafter, the update processing of the operation information storage unit 50 (not shown in FIG. 12) is performed in the same manner as described above. As a result, the history of the operation procedure information 42 that has been input in the past can be used in any network environment, and thus the user's input operation can be simplified for any image forming apparatus in any network environment. can do.

(Processing example of the second embodiment)
Next, in the processing example of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7, each image forming apparatus 20,... Has the user identification of the logged-in user when the operation procedure information 42 of a plurality of users is stored in the IC card M. A processing example in which only the operation procedure information 42 corresponding to the information 41 is transferred from the image forming apparatus 20 logged in by the user to the server 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the processing flow shown in FIG. 8, steps S21 and S22 are provided instead of step S2 in the processing flow shown in FIG. Other steps are the same as those in the processing flow shown in FIG. 7, and a description thereof will be omitted here.

  In step S <b> 21, the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 extracts the operation procedure information 42 corresponding to the user identification information 41 of the logged-in user from the operation procedure information 42 and user identification information 41 read from the IC card M.

  In step S <b> 22, the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 notifies the user operation procedure information 42 thus obtained from the communication unit 24 to the server 30 via the network 30.

(Processing example of the third embodiment)
Next, in the processing example shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, when one or a plurality of operation information storage units 50,... Are connected to each of the image forming apparatuses 20,. 10 inquires of all the image forming apparatuses 20,... On the network 30 about available functions, and then obtains only the operation procedure information 42 of the functions usable in the respective image forming apparatuses 20. An example of processing to transfer to 20 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the processing flow shown in FIG. 9, steps S31 to S34 are provided instead of step S3 in the processing flow shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. The other steps are the same as the processing flow shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. In FIG. 9, step S1 and step S2 in FIG. 7 or step S1, step S21 and step S22 in FIG. 8 are not shown.

  In this example, in the storage medium M, the operation procedure information 42 and the corresponding user identification information 41 specify function information of the operation procedure information 42 (for example, functions such as a duplex unit and a stapler that can be used in the image forming apparatus 20). Information).

  In step S31, the server 10 inquires of all the image forming apparatuses 20 on the network 30 about available functions prior to addition or update processing. Specifically, the server 10 inquires all the image forming apparatuses 20 on the network 30 prior to the addition or update process, and can be used by the image forming apparatus 20 from the inquired image forming apparatus 20. The function information and identification information of the image forming apparatus 20 (information for specifying the image forming apparatus 20) are received.

  In step S <b> 32, the server 10 extracts the operation procedure information 42 of functions that can be used for each image forming apparatus 20 from the operation procedure information 42 received from the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 via the network 30. . Specifically, the server 10 receives the identification information of each image forming apparatus 20,..., The operation procedure information 42, the user identification information 41, and the function information from the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 via the network 30 through the communication unit 11. From the received operation procedure information 42 for each identification information of the image forming apparatus 20, the operation procedure information 42 of the function information that can be used by each image forming apparatus 20 is extracted.

  In step S33, the server 10 sends the operation procedure information 42 thus obtained together with the corresponding user identification information 41 to each image forming apparatus 20 (here, the image forming apparatus 20 having the identification information) from the communication unit 11. Notification is made through the network 30.

  In step S34, each of the image forming apparatuses 20,... Is added or currently stored in the operation information storage unit 50 (here, the operation history database 4) based on the operation procedure information 42 and the user identification information 41 transferred from the server 10. Update processing of the operating procedure information 42 and the user identification information 41 being performed.

(Example of user input operations)
Next, a processing example in which the operation history information 42 and the user identification information 41 are called from the operation information storage unit 50 and input by the user will be described with reference to FIG.

  In this example, a case where the operation information storage unit 50 includes the operation guide database 5 and the server 10 includes the operation command extraction unit 3 and the user interface information generation unit 9 will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the processing example of the input operation by the user, in step S101, one of the image forming apparatuses 20,... Is logged in by the user, and in step S102, the user The logged-in image forming apparatus 20 transmits user identification information of the logged-in user to the server 10 through the network 30. Specifically, the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 notifies the server 10 of user identification information of the logged-in user via the network 30. Then, in step S103, the server 10 authenticates the logged-in user. Specifically, the server 10 recognizes the user by the user recognition unit 6 with respect to the transmitted user identification information.

  Next, in step S104, the server 10 authenticates from the operation history of the operation procedure information 42 stored in the operation information storage unit 50 that has been added or updated as in the first to third embodiments. The operation procedure information 42 that matches the user identification information is acquired. More specifically, the server 10 executes collation between the authenticated user identification information and the user identification information 41 in the operation history database 4 in the operation history reference unit 8, and the operation procedure information 42 corresponding to the matched user identification information 41. Get the.

  Next, in step S105 and step S106, the server 10 transmits the acquired operation procedure information 42 to the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 via the network 30.

  Specifically, in step S <b> 105, the server 10 inquires the operation guide database 5 based on the acquired operation procedure information 42, and converts it into an operation command of a function that can be executed on the logged-in image forming apparatus 20. . Specifically, the server 10 includes a button 23 that can be operated by the user on the operation panel 21 on the image forming apparatus 20 in the user interface generation unit 9, and a user interface including a list in which operation contents corresponding to the button 23 are displayed in a tree form. Generate information. In step S106, the server 10 associates the user interface information with the executable operation command and transmits the user interface information from the server 10 to the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 via the network 30.

  When the function information of the operation procedure information 42 is stored in the operation information storage unit 50, in step S102, the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 transmits executable function information to the server 10, and steps S105 and S106. The server 10 can transmit only the operation procedure information 42 of the functions executable by the image forming apparatus 20 to the image forming apparatus 20 based on the function information acquired from the logged-in image forming apparatus 20.

  In step S107, the logged-in image forming apparatus 20 displays on the operation panel 21 the operation procedure information 42 (here, a list in which the operable buttons 23 and the operation contents corresponding to the buttons 23 are displayed in a tree form) ( (See FIG. 6).

  When the operation procedure information 42 (here, the button 23) is selected in step S108, a corresponding job is executed in step S109. Specifically, in step S109, parameters that need to be input in the operation to be executed are set based on information associated with the button 23 selected by the user, and the job is executed.

  Thus, the button associated with the operation command is displayed on the operation panel 21 on the image forming apparatus 20 ′ without setting in advance for the user or administrator to use the image forming apparatus on the network 30. In addition, it is possible to save the labor for setting the image forming apparatus 20 ′ in advance.

  The operation procedure information 42 may be registered in the IC card M at any time when stored in the operation information storage unit 50 (in this case, the operation history database 4), or an operation information storage storing the latest operation procedure information 42. The unit 50 may be registered in a batch on the IC card M.

  Next, in the processing example shown in FIG. 10, a processing example in which the image forming apparatus 20 is set so that some functions are prohibited based on the identification information of the logged-in user will be described with reference to FIG. 11.

  In the processing flow shown in FIG. 11, step S108 'is provided between step S108 and step S109 and step S110 is added to the processing flow shown in FIG. The other steps are the same as those in the processing flow shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, the illustration of steps S101 to S108 in FIG. 10 is omitted.

  In this example, whether or not a part of functions (for example, functions such as color printing, single-sided printing, staple printing, and distributed printing) can be used is set for each piece of user identification information.

  In step S108 ′, the image forming apparatus 20 logged in by the user determines which function can be used by the user identification information of the user, and determines that the function selected by the logged-in user identification information can be used. If so, step S109 is executed, while if it is determined that it cannot be used, step S110 is executed.

  In step S110, a warning that the function selected by the logged-in user identification information cannot be used is issued (here, a message that the function cannot be used is displayed on the display unit 22).

1 is a block diagram schematically showing a system configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic which shows typically the database structure of the operation history database shown in FIG. It is the schematic which shows typically the database structure of the operation guide database shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation procedure selection operation buttons and a display unit on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the data structure of an example of user interface information. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating past operation procedure information displayed immediately after login on a display unit provided on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 and a plurality of operation procedure selection operation buttons corresponding to the operation procedure information. . 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example of the first embodiment in which addition or update processing is performed on an operation information storage unit using operation procedure information and user identification information stored in an IC card in the image forming system illustrated in FIG. 1. . In the processing example of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7, each of the image forming apparatuses has only the operation procedure information corresponding to the user identification information of the logged-in user when the operation procedure information of a plurality of users is stored in the IC card. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example of the second embodiment for transferring the image from the image forming apparatus logged in by the user to the server. In the processing example shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, when one or a plurality of operation information storage units are connected to each image forming apparatus one by one, the server performs all image formation on the network. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in which only operation procedure information of a function that can be used in each image forming apparatus is transferred to each image forming apparatus after inquiring the function that can be used by the apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process which calls operation history information and its user identification information from the operation information storage part, and is input by the user. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example in which the image forming apparatus is set such that some functions are prohibited based on identification information of a logged-in user in the processing example illustrated in FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating the network environment illustrated in FIG. 1 and another network environment that cannot be electrically or physically connected to the network environment.

Explanation of symbols

10, 10 ′ server 20, 20 ′ image forming apparatus 30, 30 ′ network 41 user identification information 42 operation procedure information 50 operation information storage unit 100 image forming system M external storage medium

Claims (10)

One or a plurality of image forming apparatuses capable of logging in by a user, and a server connected to the one or a plurality of image forming apparatuses via a network,
On the network, an operation information storage unit is provided for storing a history of operation procedure information input by a user.
Each of the image forming apparatuses can read information stored in an external storage medium such as an IC card,
In the external storage medium, a history of operation procedure information input by a user is stored in advance,
Each of the image forming apparatuses reads out the operation procedure information stored in the external storage medium after the user logs in, and transfers the read information to the server through the network.
The server transfers operation procedure information received from the logged-in image forming apparatus to the operation information storage unit,
The image forming system, wherein the operation information storage unit performs addition processing or update processing of currently stored operation procedure information based on operation procedure information transferred from the server. The image forming system according to claim 1.
The operation information storage unit is configured to store a history of operation procedure information input and operated by a user corresponding to the user identification information of the user,
In the external storage medium, a history of operation procedure information input by the user is stored in advance corresponding to the user identification information of the user,
Each of the image forming apparatuses reads out the operation procedure information stored in the external storage medium and the user identification information corresponding thereto after logging in, and transfers the read information to the server through the network.
The server transfers operation procedure information and user identification information received from the logged-in image forming apparatus to the operation information storage unit,
The operation information storage unit is configured to perform addition processing or update processing of currently stored operation procedure information and user identification information based on operation procedure information and user identification information transferred from the server. Forming system. The image forming system according to claim 2.
When the operation procedure information of a plurality of users is stored in the external storage medium, only the operation procedure information corresponding to the user identification information of the logged-in user is logged in by the user among the operation procedure information of the plurality of users. An image forming system, wherein the image forming apparatus transfers the image to the server. In the image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The operation information storage unit is one or more operation information storage units,
The one or more operation information storage units are respectively connected to the one or more image forming apparatuses so as to be accessible;
The server transfers the operation procedure information received from the logged-in image forming apparatus to all the image forming apparatuses on the network through the network,
Each of the image forming apparatuses performs an additional process or an update process of the operation procedure information currently stored in the operation information storage unit based on the operation procedure information transferred from the server. The image forming system according to claim 4.
In the external storage medium, operation procedure information input by the user is stored in advance together with function information of the operation procedure information,
The server inquires about functions available to all the image forming apparatuses on the network, and then, among the operation procedure information received from the logged-in image forming apparatus, each of the image forming apparatuses on the network. An image forming system, wherein only operation procedure information of available functions is transferred to each image forming apparatus through the network. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Each of the image forming apparatuses is set such that some functions are prohibited based on user identification information of a logged-in user. The image forming system according to claim 6.
An image forming system, wherein at least one of the image forming apparatuses includes a color printing function, and a part of the image forming apparatus including the color printing function is prohibited from being a color printing function. The image forming system according to claim 6 or 7,
An image forming system, wherein at least one of the image forming apparatuses includes a single-sided printing function, and the part of the image forming apparatus including the single-sided printing function that is prohibited from use is a single-sided printing function. The image forming system according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
An image forming system, wherein at least one of the image forming apparatuses includes a staple printing function, and a partial function of the image forming apparatus including the staple printing function is prohibited from being used. The image forming system according to any one of claims 6 to 9,
At least two of the image forming apparatuses include a distributed printing function in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses perform printing by dividing the number of copies, and some of the functions that are prohibited from use of the image forming apparatus including the distributed printing function are distributed printing. An image forming system characterized by being a function.

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