JP2009288905A - Information processing apparatus, information processing program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing program, and a recording medium, capable of appropriately and efficiently managing the main subject of business of information to be processed. <P>SOLUTION: A document processing apparatus Pc, upon selection of the business in which a user is currently involved, sets current validity representing business in which the user is currently involved, which is related to the selected business, at a storage part 12 which stores business to which document data being information to be processed belongs; acquires business which is currently being specified as valid from among the businesses registered in the storage part 12 with the timing for generating print data from the document data; and confirms it as the business (user code) to which the document data under process belongs. The printing data to which the user code is attached is generated and transmitted to a printer Pr. Thus each business which a user operates can be specified easily and appropriately for carrying out management. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing program, and a recording medium, and more particularly, to an information processing apparatus, an information processing program, and a recording medium that appropriately and efficiently manage a business subject of information to be processed.

  In recent years, in offices and the like, networking such as a local area network (LAN) has progressed, and information processing apparatuses such as personal computers and word processors and image processing apparatuses such as printers, copying apparatuses, and composite apparatuses are connected via the network. Thus, file sharing and image processing apparatus sharing are performed. When a plurality of image processing apparatuses are connected to the network, each user installs a driver of the image processing apparatus intended to be used for the information processing apparatus used by the user, for example, a printer driver, With this driver, a processing request, for example, a print request is made to the image processing apparatus connected to the network.

  In recent years, a user restriction system and a charge management system in which an administrator can set user restrictions for each image processing apparatus such as each printer or perform charge management have appeared. In the accounting management system, when the image processing apparatus receives a use request, for example, when the printer receives a print request, it determines whether or not the user who has made the use request can use it. Notify users who have

  In this case, for example, the printer driver displays a user interface screen (hereinafter, referred to as a UI screen as appropriate) as shown in FIG. 9 on the display of the computer used by the user, and enters the user code to use it. Identify users and use them for user restrictions.

  Conventionally, the printer device has a printer driver having a function of holding a unique user name and group name using the printer device as registration items and adding a user name and group name for each job from the host device. Thus, there has been proposed a system that can restrict the use of a printer device in units of user names and group names (see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-10-207661

  However, in the above prior art, the printer driver adds a user name and a group name for each job and transmits the result to the printer apparatus, and the image processing apparatus such as the printer apparatus is registered with a user name and group name registered in advance. Although usage restrictions and billing processing are performed, the work to which the user belongs is not fixed today, and when charge management is performed for each user's work (client), for the user, which client's work Check the user information for each print, change it, re-specify it, or specify the printer The driver needs to be switched, and a complicated operation is required. In order to improve usability, there is a need for improvement.

  In addition, the process for prompting confirmation of user information is an appropriate method for improving the certainty of the restriction on the use of the image processing apparatus. However, how much certainty is required for the user information to be confirmed. How often the user information is requested to be reviewed greatly affects the usability and complexity of the user, but this problem is not considered in the conventional technology. There was a need for improvement.

  In particular, when a user entrusts business consignment from multiple clients and requests compensation from the client in accordance with the results and expenses for each business, depending on the type of business, multiple days are divided by time. Do business from the client. In such a case, the user is aware of the switching of his / her corresponding work in units of time breaks, but the information processing action such as printing action that occurs within the assigned time, which is once or more than twice However, in the prior art, it is necessary to input user information (specification of business) indicating which business is currently requested for each processing action, There was a problem that the user information was required to be carefully checked and the usability was poor.

  Therefore, the present invention provides an information processing apparatus and an information processing program that can easily and appropriately specify the work for each work performed by the user and perform appropriate use management in a state of good usability. And it aims at providing a recording medium.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, when the user is currently engaged in the selection of the job to which the user is engaged, the job information storage means for storing the job to which the information to be processed belongs is stored in the selected job. Corresponding business identification information representing the business that the user is currently engaged in is set, and specified by the related business identification information among the business registered in the business information storage means at a predetermined processing stage of information. It is characterized in that the business to be executed is acquired and confirmed as the business to which the information being processed belongs.

  In the present invention, the business information storage means stores user information that is commonly used in processing of the business and information belonging to the business, and when the business is selected and set, Of the user information registered in the information storage means, user information corresponding to the business specified by the related business identification information may be acquired and used for confirmation of the business.

  Further, according to the present invention, document information is used as the information to be processed, and as the processing, print data of the document information is generated and transmitted to a printing apparatus, and the user information is used as the job or the user. Information may be incorporated into the print data.

  According to the present invention, the business to which the information being processed belongs is selected and set easily and appropriately at appropriate timing, and the related business identification information is assigned and stored, and the related business identification information is stored at the stage where the business confirmation is required. The user's current work can be confirmed based on the above, so that the work can be confirmed easily and appropriately for each work performed by the user, and the usability can be improved. At the same time, appropriate usage management can be performed.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, since the Example described below is a suitable Example of this invention, various technically preferable restrictions are attached | subjected, However, The range of this invention is unduly limited by the following description. However, not all the configurations described in the present embodiment are essential constituent elements of the present invention.

  1 to 8 are diagrams showing an embodiment of an information processing apparatus, an information processing program, and a recording medium of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an embodiment of an information processing apparatus, an information processing program, and a recording medium of the present invention. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an information processing system 1 to which an example is applied.

  In FIG. 1, an information processing system 1 includes a document processing device Pc and a printing device Pr connected to a wired or wireless network NW such as a LAN (Local Area Network). In FIG. Although one printing device Pr is connected to each other, the number of each printing device Pr is not limited to one, and one or more printers may be connected.

  The document processing apparatus Pc uses a computer having a normal hardware configuration such as a main body, an output device such as a display, and an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and is used on an OS (Operating System) such as Windows (registered trademark). Application (application software) and printer driver.

  The information processing system 1 includes ROM, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), EPROM, flash memory, flexible disk, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), CD-RW (Compact Disc Rewritable), DVD (Digital An information processing program for executing the information processing method of the present invention recorded on a recording medium readable by an information identification device such as a video disk (SD), a secure digital (SD) card, or an MO (Magneto-Optical Disc) is read into the ROM. And an information processing apparatus configured to execute an information processing method for performing user management processing described later efficiently and at high speed. This information processing program is a computer-executable program written in a legacy programming language such as assembler, C, C ++, C #, Java (registered trademark) or an object-oriented programming language, and is stored in the recording medium. Can be distributed.

  Then, the document processing apparatus Pc is configured with the document processing control unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the print control unit 13 as its functional modules by executing the information processing program, and executes user management processing described later. .

  The document processing control unit 11 includes a part of the information processing function of the present invention in various application software such as document creation software, figure creation software, spreadsheet software, and database software, and the user of the document processing apparatus Pc. The document is created by the above-described processing, or necessary editing is performed on the document stored in another document creation device Pc on the network NW, another network, or a portable memory, and the document data Bf is stored in the storage unit 12. Store.

  The storage unit 12 includes a hard disk, a RAM, and the like. The storage unit 12 stores document data (document file) Bf created and edited by the document processing control unit 11, and uses the document processing device Pc to print the printing device Pr. The user information Ps related to the user who requests the print service is stored.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the user information Ps associates a user name (business name) that is a business with a user code (user information) and is currently effective among a plurality of user names. The current validity (related business identification information) for identifying the user is indicated by codes “0” and “1”. Specifically, the user information Ps includes a user name such as a business corresponding to Company Axx, a business corresponding to Company B, and a user code such as a three-digit "001" assigned to each user name and This is current validity information that identifies a currently valid user name as “1” and an invalid user name as “0”. As the internal processing of the document processing device Pc, processing is performed by the user code. As will be described later, the display on the display is performed so that the user can easily understand and confirm the current user name. The user's name is used to select and set the current work of the user. Then, the document processing control unit 11 writes the current user information setting in the user information Ps table of the storage unit 12.

  When print setting is performed by a user on the user interface and there is an instruction to start printing, the document processing control unit 11 displays information including the print setting, the user code, and the document name of the document data Bf for which printing is specified. As shown in FIG. 3, the print supplementary information and the document data Bf of the document name designated for printing are transferred to the print control unit 13 as the print supplementary information. As described above, the print supplementary information includes print settings such as double-sided and color as a printing method, a valid user code (for example, user code = 003 in FIG. 3), and a document name (for which printing is designated) ( In FIG. 3, it consists of an estimation result). In FIG. 3, “. ***” following the “estimation result” of the document name indicates the extension of the document.

  Upon receiving the print supplementary information and the document data Bf, the print control unit 13 prints the document data Bf based on the print settings of the print supplementary information and prints the document data Bf based on the print settings of the print supplementary information. The print data is converted into print data that can be interpreted by the device Pr. As shown in FIG. 4, a print job including the converted print data and user code is generated and transmitted to the print device Pr via the network NW.

  In FIG. 1 again, the printing device Pr includes a print control unit 21 and a storage unit 22 and is not shown, but via a print engine that prints out an image on a sheet with a predetermined printing method, at least via the network NW. A communication unit that communicates with the document processing apparatus Pc and receives a print job from the document processing apparatus Pc, an operation unit including a display unit, and the like are provided.

  The printing device Pr receives various settings and commands for the printing operation in the printing device Pr by key operation of the operation unit, and displays the operation contents and various information notified to the user from the printing device Pr on the display unit.

  The printing engine can be of various printing methods, for example, an electrophotographic method, an ink ejection method, a thermal transfer method, etc. For example, in the case of an electrophotographic method, a charging unit, an optical writing unit, A development unit, a transfer unit, a cleaning unit, a charge removal unit, and the like are provided. The operation of the print engine is controlled by the print control unit, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor by operating the optical writing unit on the photoconductor uniformly charged by the charging unit according to drawing data and control signals. Then, toner (image forming material) is supplied onto the photosensitive member by the developing unit and developed to form a toner image. The print engine adjusts the timing of the paper fed from the paper feed unit with the toner image on the photoconductor by the registration roller, and then feeds the paper between the photoconductor and the transfer unit to The toner image is transferred onto a sheet by a transfer unit, and the sheet on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to a fixing unit. The print engine uses a fixing unit to heat and pressurize the paper on which the toner image has been transferred, fix the toner image on the paper, and discharge the fixed paper onto the paper discharge tray. When the processing machine is connected, it is sent to the post-processing machine to execute necessary post-processing.

  The printing device Pr stores printing supplementary information such as a user code received by the communication unit from the document processing device Pc, the print record 23 including a print job, and other information, and the print control unit 21 stores each component of the printing device Pr. To print a document on a sheet based on a print job sent from the document processing apparatus Pc.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The printing system 1 according to the present embodiment divides a plurality of requested tasks into time periods, and performs a document task as the requester, in particular, a document print task, and when performing billing management, any requester task is performed. Execute the work by easily and accurately grasping what has been done.

  In other words, the printing system 1 allows a user who has received a business request to issue a print instruction from the user interface to the document data Bf finally stored in the storage unit 12 using the document processing device Pc. A print job is created by the print control unit 13 and transmitted to the printing apparatus Pr. In this case, the user (business) necessary for the billing process is specified easily and accurately.

  That is, in the document processing apparatus Pc, the document processing control unit 11 first accepts the current user information setting (step S101). That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the document control unit 11 displays a user information selection icon Ar (in FIG. 6) on a part of the display screen G0 of the document processing device Pc (part in the lower right in FIG. 6). When the mouse pointer Mp is overlaid on the user information selection icon Ar and clicked, the user information setting screen G1 is popped up on the display screen G0. The user information setting screen G1 is displayed in a state where a plurality of user names of information (document data Bf) to be processed by the user can be selected, and is displayed on the user information setting screen G1 by the user. When the user name of the information to be processed (document data Bf) being clicked from the user name being clicked is clicked, the document processing control unit 11 performs processing for the currently executing process for the clicked user name. An appropriate mark (in FIG. 6, a check mark on the left side of the user name) indicating the user name of the information (document data Bf) is displayed.

  When the document processing control unit 11 accepts the current user information setting as described above, the document processing control unit 11 reflects the set user information in the user information Ps of the storage unit 12 (step S102). The reflection to the user information Ps of the storage unit 12 corresponds to the user name selected as the user of the information to be processed (document data Bf) currently being executed of the user information shown in FIG. Processing is performed in which “1” is written in the current validity column and “0” is left in the current validity column of other user names. In FIG. 2, it is shown that the business corresponding to Company C ◆◆ (user code: 0004) is the user name currently designated as validity.

  Next, the document processing control unit 11 displays the business information Gj corresponding to the selected user name as shown in FIG. 6 (step S103). By displaying this business information Gj frequently on the display screen G0 as necessary, the current user name can be confirmed reliably and easily.

  In this state, when a user specifies a document in the storage unit 12 and performs a print instruction operation, the print instruction operation is issued in response to the print instruction operation (step S104), and a print setting screen is displayed to be necessary. When a print instruction operation is performed after enabling the appropriate print settings, the document processing control unit 11 firstly obtains user information (user code) that is currently valid from the user information Ps in the storage unit 12. Read (step S105), print supplementary information shown in FIG. 3 is generated from the read user information (user code), the print setting and the print designated document name, and the print target is also stored from the storage unit 12. The document data Bf is extracted, and the print supplementary information and the document data Bf to be printed are transferred to the print control unit 13 (step S106).

  When the print control unit 13 receives the document data Bf and the print supplementary information from the document processing control unit 11, the print control unit 13 converts the document data Bf into print data interpretable by the printing apparatus Pr based on the print setting of the print supplementary information. Then, it is generated as print data to which user information (user code) is added, and the generated print data is transmitted as a print job to the printing apparatus Pr via the network NW (step S107).

  When the printing device Pr receives a print job through the communication unit, the print device Pr temporarily stores the print data (print job) in the storage unit 22, and then, under the control of the print control unit 21, the print data can be processed by the print engine. After the data is converted, the print engine prints it out (step S108), and the print result and print history are stored in the storage unit 22 as print records 22a together with print data including user information (user code) for processing. Is finished (step S109).

  Note that the print record 22a stored in the storage unit 22 of the printing apparatus Pr is aggregated for each user name (user code) in the printing apparatus Pr, or is used as auxiliary confirmation data at the time of charging. can do.

  As described above, the document processing apparatus Pc according to the present exemplary embodiment, when a user is currently engaged in a job (work name: user name) is selected, the job to which the information to be processed (document data Bf) belongs. Is stored in the storage unit 12 for storing the current validity, which is related business identification information representing the business that the user is currently engaged in, in association with the selected business. Includes a user name (user code) which is a job currently specified by validity among jobs registered in the storage unit 12 at a print data creation timing, and belongs to the information being processed Confirmed as work to be performed.

  Therefore, it is possible to easily and appropriately specify the work for each work performed by the user, improve the usability, and perform appropriate use management.

  Further, in the document processing apparatus Pc of the present embodiment, the storage unit 12 supports business information (business name: user name) and user information (user code) that is commonly used in processing for information belonging to the business. When the work is selected and set, user information (work name: work name: corresponding to the work currently specified by the validity among the user information (user code) registered in the storage unit 12 is stored. User name) is acquired and used for business confirmation.

  Therefore, the processing speed can be improved, and the user can select and specify the job he / she is engaged in according to the job (work name: user name), thereby improving usability and processing. Can do.

  Further, the document processing apparatus Pc according to the present embodiment uses the document information as information to be processed, and as a process, generates print data of the document information and transmits it to the printing apparatus, as well as user information (user code). ) Or business information is incorporated into the print data.

  Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately and easily perform necessary accounting and the like by appropriately managing the printing job.

  In the above description, the user information Ps is stored and managed in the storage unit 12 by the document processing device Pc. However, the user information Ps is stored externally and the user information Ps is stored in another document processing device. You may make it share with Pc. For example, like the information processing system 30 shown in FIG. 7, the user information Ps is stored in the storage unit 31 of the external storage device Mm connected to the network NW, and a plurality of document processing devices Pc are connected on the network NW. When the same user performs a printing job for the printing device Pr using a plurality of document processing devices Pc, the user information Ps stored in the storage unit 31 of the external storage device Mm is used. Thus, the user information Ps can be shared by a plurality of document processing apparatuses Pc, management of the user information Ps can be simplified, and usability can be further improved.

  In this case, each document processing device Pc exchanges user information Ps with the external storage device Mm as shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the same processing steps as those in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same step numbers, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  That is, in FIG. 8, when the document processing control unit 11 accepts the setting of the current user information on the display screen G0 as shown in FIG. 6 (step S101), the document processing device Pc receives the document processing. The control unit 11 reflects the set user information on the user information Ps in the storage unit 31 of the external storage device Mm (step S201).

  The document processing control unit 11 displays the business information Gj corresponding to the selected user name as shown in FIG. 6 (step S103), and the document in the storage unit 12 is designated by the user for printing. When an instruction operation is performed, a print instruction for the document is issued in response to the print instruction operation (step S104). After the print setting screen is displayed and necessary print settings are enabled, the print instruction operation is performed. The document processing control unit 11 reads the currently valid user information (user code) from the user information Ps in the storage unit 31 of the external storage device Mm (step S202).

  The document processing control unit 11 of the document processing device Pc includes user information (user code) read from the storage unit 31 of the external storage device Mm, print settings, and the print designation and print designation shown in FIG. Information is generated, the document data Bf to be printed is extracted from the storage unit 12, and the print supplementary information and the document data Bf to be printed are passed to the print control unit 13 (step S106).

  The print control unit 13 converts the received document data Bf into print data that can be interpreted by the printing apparatus Pr based on the print setting of the print supplementary information, and generates print data with user information (user code) added thereto. Then, the generated print data is transmitted as a print job to the printing apparatus Pr via the network NW (step S107). When the printing apparatus Pr receives the print job by the communication unit, the print data (print job) is temporarily stored. After saving in the storage unit 22, under the control of the print control unit 21, the print data is converted into drawing data that can be processed by the print engine, and then printed out by the print engine (step S108). The history is stored in the storage unit 22 as a print record 22a together with print data including user information (user code), and the process ends. That (step S109).

  In this way, even when one user executes print processing using a plurality of document processing devices Pc, business management can be performed appropriately and efficiently, and further usability and management can be achieved. Can be improved.

  In the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to the printing system 1 that transmits and prints print data to the printing apparatus Pr is described. However, the present invention can be generally applied to various processes involving user authentication. The same applies to the use of a scanner, the use of facsimile transmission, and the like.

  The invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to that described in the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It goes without saying that it is possible.

  The present invention can be used for an information processing apparatus such as a computer, an information processing program, and a recording medium for performing information processing such as image output by performing user authentication for use of a printing apparatus or the like.

1 is a system configuration diagram of an information processing system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The figure which shows an example of the user information of FIG. The figure which shows an example of the printing supplementary information which the document process part of FIG. 1 produces | generates. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a job configuration of a print job. The flowchart which shows the information processing by an information processing system. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the document processing apparatus in the information processing of FIG. 5. The system block diagram which shows the other example of information processing system. The flowchart which shows the information processing by the information processing system of FIG. The figure which shows an example of the printing setting screen with the input of the conventional user information.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information processing system NW network Pc Document processing apparatus 11 Document processing control part 12 Storage part 13 Print control part Bf Document data Ps User information Pr Printing apparatus 21 Print control part 22 Storage part 30 Information processing system Mm External storage apparatus 31 Storage part

Claims (7)

  An information processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing on information belonging to a business and needs confirmation of the business to which the information to be processed belongs, and is used among the business to which the information belongs and a plurality of business Business information storage means for associating and storing related work identification information for identifying the work that the user is currently engaged in, and current work selection setting for selecting and setting the work that the user is currently engaged among the work in the work information storage means And the related job identification information for the job selected and set by the current job selection setting unit are registered in the job information storage unit, and are registered in the job information storage unit at a predetermined processing stage of information. An information processing apparatus comprising: control means for acquiring a work specified by the related work identification information from among existing work and confirming the work to which the information being processed belongs.   The business information storage means stores user information that is commonly used in processing for the business and information belonging to the business, and the current business selection setting means selects and sets the business, and the control And means for acquiring user information corresponding to a business specified by the related business identification information from the user information registered in the business information storage means and using the user information for confirmation of the business. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The information processing apparatus uses document information as the information to be processed, generates print data of the document information and transmits it to the printing apparatus as the processing, and transmits the user information to the task or the user information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information is incorporated into the print data.   2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the information processing apparatuses are connected by a wired or wireless communication line, and the business information storage unit stores the information in a state that can be shared by the plurality of information processing apparatuses. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3.   The current job selection process that allows the user to select the job that the user is currently engaged in, and the job information storage means that stores the job to which the information to be processed belongs, and the job selected in the current job selection process Current job setting processing for setting related job identification information representing the job that the user is currently engaged with, and the relationship among the jobs registered in the job information storage means at a predetermined processing stage of information An information processing program for executing a control process for acquiring a job specified by the job identification information and confirming the job to which the information being processed belongs.   The information processing program causes a computer to use document information as the information to be processed, and as the processing, generates print data of the document information and transmits it to a printing apparatus, and transmits the user information to the job or 6. The information processing program according to claim 5, wherein the user information is incorporated into the print data.   7. A computer-readable recording medium on which the information processing program according to claim 6 is recorded.

Images