JP2010061579A - Information processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a person who is in charge of maintenance of an information processing apparatus from initializing the apparatus without permission by an administrator. <P>SOLUTION: The information processing apparatus which identifies a user through authorization at the time of log-in includes: a user information management means for determining whether or not a log-in user is an administrator or not; a maintenance operation processing means which shifts the information processing apparatus into a maintenance and inspection mode under the maintenance person upon receiving a predetermined operation; and a setting process means for accepting an administrator setting on the information processing apparatus from the administrator. The setting process means accepts a setting from the administrator whether to permit or prohibit initialization of the information processing apparatus in the maintenance and inspection mode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, and more particularly, to an information processing apparatus capable of identifying a user by performing authentication at the time of login and restricting maintenance and inspection work by maintenance personnel.

In an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or a printing apparatus, user management for identifying a user by performing authentication at the time of login is widely performed. In user management, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, it is common to classify users into general users, administrator users, and maintenance personnel, and distinguish operations that can be performed. Here, the general user is a user who is allowed only an operation using an original function of the information processing apparatus. It is a user who can perform. Note that the administrator settings of the information processing apparatus include, for example, user information settings, network settings, application settings, hardware settings, system settings, and the like. The maintenance staff is a person dispatched for maintenance / inspection of the information processing apparatus from the manufacturer or maintenance company of the information processing apparatus.
JP 2006-30100 A

  In maintenance / inspection processing performed by maintenance personnel, various operations are permitted, and initialization processing for returning the information processing apparatus to the state at the time of shipment can also be performed. For this reason, it is also possible to initialize the information processing apparatus with the intention or carelessness of maintenance personnel. Initialization processing may be necessary depending on the status of the information processing device, but is not necessary for normal maintenance / inspection processing. Once initialized, administrator settings such as user information and network information are set. In addition to needing to set the items again, it becomes impossible to refer to the accumulated use history such as log information. For this reason, it is not desirable for the maintenance staff to initialize the information processing apparatus without permission from the administrator user.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to prevent a maintenance staff of an information processing apparatus from initializing the information processing apparatus without permission of an administrator user.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, according to the present invention, an information processing apparatus for identifying a user by performing authentication at the time of login, the user information management means for determining whether the logged-in user is an administrator user; A maintenance operation processing unit that shifts the information processing device to a maintenance inspection mode by a maintenance staff by receiving a predetermined operation, and a setting processing unit that receives an administrator setting that is a setting related to the information processing device from the administrator user. And the setting processing means is capable of accepting, from the administrator user, a setting for permitting or prohibiting initialization of the information processing apparatus in the maintenance / inspection mode. Is provided.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, an administrator user can set a maintenance person to be prohibited from performing initialization processing. For this reason. It is possible to prevent the maintenance staff of the information processing apparatus from initializing the information processing apparatus without the permission of the administrator user. Here, the information processing apparatus can be, for example, a printing apparatus, a personal computer, or the like.

  The initialization of the information processing apparatus may include initialization of any of administrator setting items, the accumulated use history of the information processing apparatus, and the accumulated processing history of the information processing apparatus. This is because these pieces of information are assets to be protected by the user, and it is not preferable for the maintenance staff to initialize without permission. More specifically, the administrator setting items may include at least one of user information setting and network setting. Further, the processing history of the information processing apparatus can be print data related to the printing process when the information processing apparatus is applied to a printing apparatus.

  In addition, the maintenance operation processing means accepts the setting of a maintenance personnel passcode from the administrator user, and further performs authentication by the maintenance personnel passcode at the time of transition to the maintenance inspection mode. It can be further enhanced. When switching to the maintenance inspection mode, in addition to the predetermined operations, the maintenance personnel passcode set by the administrator user must be entered. Need to be notified. Therefore, maintenance personnel who have performed maintenance inspection operations in the maintenance inspection mode are guaranteed to be regular maintenance personnel by the prescribed operations, and maintenance operations are permitted by the administrator user through passcode authentication for maintenance personnel. Will be guaranteed.

  In this case, it is desirable that a predetermined expiration date or the number of validity is provided in the maintenance personnel passcode. Specifically, for example, it can be valid only for the day set by the administrator user, can be invalidated once shifted to the maintenance inspection mode, or can be invalidated when the information processing apparatus is turned off. This further increases security.

  In addition, for safety, the setting processing unit is configured to prohibit initialization of the information processing apparatus in an initial state, and accepting a setting permitting initialization of the information processing apparatus from the administrator user. If a predetermined condition is satisfied, the information processing apparatus may be returned to a setting for prohibiting initialization. Here, the predetermined condition may be a case where the expiration date has passed, a case where the number of validity is exceeded, a case where the information processing apparatus is restarted, or the like.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can prevent that the maintenance worker of information processing apparatus initializes information processing apparatus without permission of an administrator user.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is an example in which the information processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a printing apparatus. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a network printing system according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the network printing system is configured by connecting a printing apparatus 10 and a plurality of personal computers (PCs) 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d (hereinafter represented by the PC 20) to a computer network 70. . However, the present invention is not limited to the network printing system, but can also be applied to a stand-alone printing system in which the PC 20 and the printing apparatus 10 are locally connected, or a system having the printing apparatus 10 alone.

  In addition to a printer function for performing printing based on print data sent from the PC 20, the printing apparatus 10 reads a document image placed on a platen and performs copy printing, and a document placed on the platen. A scanner function for reading an image and transmitting it to the PC 20 is provided.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating functional configurations of the printing apparatus 10 and the PC 20 in the network printing system according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the printing apparatus 10 includes a job management unit 100, a setting management unit 110, an image processing unit 120, a print execution unit 130, an image reading unit 140, an operation panel 150, a communication processing unit 160, and an IC card reader 170. I have. For example, the setting management unit 110 and the image processing unit 120 are configured as functional modules on a controller board on which a CPU, a memory, an image processing apparatus, and the like are arranged.

  The job management unit 100 manages a print job received by the printing apparatus 10. The management of the print job includes, for example, control of the execution order of the print job, error handling, and the like. The job management unit 100 also includes a storage area composed of a hard disk device or the like, and can store print data relating to a print job in association with the user. The print data stored in the storage area can be, for example, print data that has received a storage instruction from the user, a predetermined amount of print data that has been received most recently, or the like.

  The setting management unit 110 is a functional unit that manages various settings related to the printing apparatus 10 and various settings related to the user of the printing apparatus 10. The setting management unit 110 can accept these settings via a setting screen displayed on the operation panel 150. Also, the setting screen can be output as a web page and accepted via the browser unit 230 of the PC 20 described later. Details of the settings received by the setting management unit 110 will be described later.

  The image processing unit 120 performs image processing on print data sent from the PC 20 or image data read by the image reading unit 140. The image processing performed by the image processing unit 120 is, for example, print data expansion processing, image data color conversion processing, binarization processing, halftone processing, and the like.

  The print execution unit 130 has a printing mechanism that performs a printing operation by forming an image on printing paper using an image forming medium. In this embodiment, it is assumed that an ink jet printing mechanism is used in which ink is used as an image forming medium and ink is ejected line by line from a print head having a width covering a printing paper. However, a serial ink jet printing mechanism may be employed, or an electrophotographic printing mechanism may be employed in which toner is used as an image forming medium and printing is performed by fixing the toner onto a sheet. The print execution unit 130 includes a print paper supply / discharge mechanism and a transport mechanism.

  The image reading unit 140 includes a document table, a light receiving element, a light source, a lens, a scanning mechanism, and the like, reads image data of a document placed on the document table, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal to the image processing unit 120. The image reading unit 140 may be installed inside the casing of the printing apparatus 10 or may be installed independently outside the casing of the printing apparatus 10.

  For example, a touch panel display device can be used as the operation panel 150. The operation panel 150 displays an operation menu and setting contents of the printing apparatus 10 and receives an instruction from the user via the operation menu.

  The communication processing unit 160 performs protocol processing corresponding to the connection form in order to communicate with the PC 20 via the computer network 70. For example, in the case of LAN connection, communication processing by TCP / IP is performed.

  The IC card reader 170 reads information recorded on the IC card 40. In this embodiment, user identification information registered as a user is recorded in the IC card 40, and the IC card 40 is read by the IC card reader 170 so that user authentication can be performed. However, the medium for recording user identification information used for user authentication is not limited to the IC card 40. For example, a USB memory, an RF tag, or other recording medium can be used. In this case, the printing apparatus 10 uses a reading device corresponding to the recording medium.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the PC 20 includes a printer driver unit 210, a scanner driver unit 220, a browser unit 230, and a communication processing unit 240. The PC 20 has basic operations such as a user interface, file management, and user management defined by an operating system (not shown). Generally, an operating system has a login function, and a user of the PC 20 can be specified by a login ID.

  The printer driver unit 210 is formed by the CPU of the PC 20 executing a printer driver program developed for the printing apparatus 10. The printer driver unit 210 generates print data such as a document to be printed based on an instruction from the user and outputs the print data to the printing apparatus 10.

  The scanner driver unit 220 is formed by the CPU of the PC 20 executing a scanner driver program developed corresponding to the image reading unit 140 of the printing apparatus 10. The scanner driver unit 220 performs processing for controlling image reading processing in the printing apparatus 10 based on an instruction from the user.

  The browser unit 230 has a function of displaying a Web page. In this embodiment, the browser unit 230 displays a setting screen provided by the setting management unit 110 of the printing apparatus 10 and accepts an operation from the user on the setting screen. To the setting management unit 110.

  The communication processing unit 240 performs protocol processing corresponding to the connection form in order to communicate with the printing apparatus 10 via the computer network 70. For example, in the case of LAN connection, communication processing by TCP / IP is performed.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed functional configuration of the setting management unit 110 of the printing apparatus 10. As shown in the figure, the setting management unit 110 includes a printing device setting unit 111, a setting table 112, a user information / use history management unit 113, a user information management table 114, a use history management table 115, a menu control unit 116, and a maintenance device. An operation processing unit 117 is provided.

  The printing apparatus setting unit 111 receives various settings regarding the printing apparatus 10 from the administrator user and records them in the setting table 112. The various settings related to the printing apparatus are, for example, network settings such as an IP address, settings related to optional functions, and the like. Each printer function, copy function, and scanner function includes a setting for whether or not login is necessary or not. Further, the printing apparatus setting unit 111 receives, from an administrator user, a setting for permitting or prohibiting initialization of the printing apparatus 10 in a test mode by a maintenance staff described later.

  In the printing apparatus 10, users are classified into general users and administrator users, and various settings related to the printing apparatus 10 can be performed by the administrator user. However, in this embodiment, the administrator user can have two login states: login as an administrator and login as a general user. In the login state as the administrator, in addition to various settings relating to the printing apparatus 10, user information registration change processing, job management processing, and the like, which will be described later, can be performed, while in the login state as a general user, the printer function, copy function, Only normal processing using the scanner function can be performed.

  The user information / use history management unit 113 receives information about a user who uses the printing apparatus 10 from a logged-in administrator user as an administrator, records the information in the user information management table 114, and uses the printing apparatus 10. Is recorded in the usage history management table 115.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the user information management table 114 includes a user name 114a, a password 114b, a PC login ID 114c, a belonging group 114d, an administrator authority 114e, a printer mode permission 114f, a copy mode permission 114g, and a scanner mode permission 114h. For each user.

  Here, the password 114 b is authentication information used when logging in to operate the printing apparatus 10. The PC login ID 114c is authentication information when logging into the printing apparatus 10 via the PC 20, and user identification information when logging into the operating system of the PC 20 can be used. The affiliation group 114d is a category for managing users by group. The user information / use history management unit 113 may manage information on the group using a separate table (not shown). The administrator authority 114e is information indicating whether or not the user is an administrator user. The administrator user is not limited to one person, and a plurality of administrator users can be set.

  The printer mode permission 114f, the copy mode permission 114g, and the scanner mode permission 114h are information indicating whether the printer function is used, the copy function is used, and the scanner function is used. That is, the printing apparatus 10 can independently set whether or not to permit use of the printer function, use of the copy function, and use of the scanner function for each user. Further, detailed use restrictions such as a restriction on the number of printed sheets and a restriction on a color printing function may be set.

  The usage history management table 115 records the number of times of use for each function for each user, for example, the number of times of printing, the number of times of copying, the number of times of document reading, the total number of times of use for each function of the printing apparatus 10 and the like.

  The menu control unit 116 controls the transition of the setting menu screen displayed on the operation panel 150 or the browser unit 230, and performs processing for receiving various settings from an administrator user who is logged in as an administrator.

  The maintenance operation processing unit 117 performs processing related to maintenance operations performed by maintenance personnel dispatched for maintenance and inspection from the manufacturer of the printing apparatus 10 or a maintenance company. Specifically, it is an authentication process of being a maintenance worker and execution of a test mode (maintenance inspection mode) for performing various maintenance operations. The maintenance operation in the test mode includes an initialization process for the printing apparatus 10. Since the initialization process has a great influence on the user, in this embodiment, a restriction is imposed on the maintenance staff performing the initialization process. That is, the maintenance staff cannot perform the initialization process unless the administrator user of the printing apparatus 10 permits it. However, as will be described later, the process of providing a restriction is not limited to the initialization process.

  Next, login processing in the printing apparatus 10 having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, it is assumed that several users have already been registered by the administrator user.

  First, in the standby state, the printing apparatus 10 displays a standby screen 510 as shown in FIG. Note that when the printing apparatus 10 is accessed using the browser unit 230 of the PC 20, the same display is made on the display apparatus of the PC 20.

  On the standby screen 510, a login button 511, a printer button 512, a copy button 513, and a scanner button 514 are arranged. A printer button 512, a copy button 513, and a scanner button 514 are buttons that are selected when using the printer function, the copy function, and the scanner function, respectively. In this example, since the administrator user performs a setting that login is necessary for using each function in the printing apparatus setting unit 111, each button is locked and cannot be used in a non-logged-in state. The effect is shown.

  When the login button 511 is pressed on this screen (S101), the printing apparatus 10 displays a user selection screen 520 as shown in FIG. 7 on the operation panel 150 (S102). On the user selection screen 520, a list of user names 521 registered in the user information management table 114 is displayed in a selectable state, and a user who has pressed the login button 511 has a button on which his / her user name is written. Can be pressed.

  When the selection of the user name is accepted, the printing apparatus 10 displays a password input screen 530 as shown in FIG. 8 on the operation panel 150 (S103). A key button group 531 is displayed on the password input screen 530, and the user who presses the login button 511 can input his / her password.

  Upon receiving the password input, the printing apparatus 10 determines whether or not authentication is possible by collating the password 114b recorded in the user information management table 114 with the input password (S104). Instead of inputting a password, authentication may be performed using an IC card 40 in which user identification information is recorded. In this case, by holding the IC card 40 over the IC card reader 170, information recorded on the IC card 40 can be read and authentication can be performed. Further, when logging in using the browser unit 230 of the PC 20, authentication may be performed by acquiring the login ID of the PC 20 via the operating system. In these cases, it is not necessary to enter a password.

  If the passwords do not match and authentication is not possible (S104: No), the user is prompted to input the password again. On the other hand, when the passwords match and are authenticated (S104: Yes), the administrator authority 114e of the authenticated user is acquired with reference to the user information management table 114, and the authenticated user is the administrator user. Is determined (S105).

  As a result, if the user is not an administrator user (S105: No), login is permitted as a general user (S111). FIG. 9 shows an example of a general user login screen 540 displayed on the operation panel 150 when logging in as a general user. On the general user login screen 540, a logout button 541, an icon 542 indicating a general user, a printer button 543, a copy button 544, and a scanner button 545 are arranged. The general user in this example is permitted to use the printer function and the copy function by the administrator user, and is not permitted to use the scanner function. For this reason, the scanner button 545 is grayed out and cannot be selected. The general user can select a function to be used on the general user login screen 540 and perform processing. After the processing is completed, when the logout button 541 is pressed (S112: Yes), the logout is performed and the printing apparatus 10 returns to the display of the standby screen 510 (S101).

  On the other hand, if the user is an administrator user (S105: Yes), first, the administrator is normally logged in (S106). The administrator normal login state is a state in which operations relating to administrator settings cannot be performed, and is a state in which the printer function, the copy function, and the scanner function can be used in the same manner as a general user. For this reason, it is possible to prevent a complicated menu for administrator setting that is unnecessary in normal operation from being displayed or inadvertently changing the setting of the printing apparatus 10.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the administrator normal login screen 550 displayed on the operation panel 150 in the administrator normal login state. The administrator normal login screen 550 has a logout button 551, an icon 552 having the same shape as an icon 542 indicating that the user is not logged in as an administrator, a printer button, a copy button, a scanner button, and a management button. An administrator login button 553 and an administrator setting button 554 are arranged. Even an administrator user need only select a function to be used on the administrator normal login screen 550 and perform processing when performing a normal operation of the printer / copy / scanner. After the processing is completed, when the logout button 551 is pressed (S107: Yes), the logout is performed and the printing apparatus 10 returns to the display of the standby screen 510 (S101).

  The administrator login button 552 is a button that is pressed when logging in as an administrator, and the administrator setting button 534 is a button that is pressed when performing an administrator setting operation. Even if an administrator user is logged in as a general user and cannot perform administrator setting operations in the normal administrator login state, the administrator setting button 534 is grayed out and cannot be pressed. It has become.

  When the administrator login button 553 is pressed on the administrator normal login screen 550 (S108: Yes), an administrator management login state, which is a login as an administrator, is entered (S109). In order to further increase security, when the administrator log-in button 553 is pressed, a password as an administrator may be further requested and authentication as the administrator may be performed. In this case, a password for the administrator is separately determined and recorded in the user information management table 114.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of an administrator management login screen 560 displayed on the operation panel 150 in the administrator management login state. The administrator management login screen 560 includes a logout button 561, an icon 562 having a different shape from the icon 542 indicating that the user is a general user to indicate login as an administrator, a printer button, a copy button, a scanner button, An administrator login button 563 and an administrator setting button 564 are arranged. The administrator login button 563 is highlighted to indicate that the login is as an administrator. Further, since the login is as an administrator who can perform the administrator setting operation, the administrator setting button 564 can be pressed.

  An administrator user who has logged in as an administrator can perform various administrator setting operations by pressing the administrator setting button 564. Further, it is possible to access the job management unit 100 to display or delete jobs of general users. After the administrator setting operation is completed, when the logout button 561 is pressed (S110: Yes), the logout is performed and the printing apparatus 10 returns to the display of the standby screen 510 (S101). Further, the administrator login button 563 may be pressed again to cancel the login state as the administrator and return to the normal administrator login state (S106).

  As described above, in this embodiment, the login state of the administrator user is distinguished into the login state as the administrator and the login state as a general user, and the administrator setting operation is performed in the initial login state. You are logged in as a general user who cannot. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the administrator user from displaying even a menu unnecessary for normal processing, and it is possible to prevent the administrator user from performing an administrator setting operation unnecessarily.

  Next, an administrator setting operation performed by the administrator user in the administrator management login state will be described. When the administrator setting button 564 is pressed on the administrator management login screen 560 shown in FIG. 11, the printing apparatus 10 displays an administrator setting screen 570 as shown in FIG. 12 on the operation panel 150.

  On the administrator setting screen 570, a login setting button 571, a user setting button 572, a used number all clear button, a network setting button, and a maintenance operation permission switching button 573 are arranged.

  The login setting button 571 is a button for setting whether or not login processing is necessary for use for each of the printer function, the copy function, and the scanner function. When the login setting button 571 is pressed, the printing apparatus 10 displays a login setting screen 580 as shown in FIG. The login setting screen 580 can arbitrarily set whether or not login is necessary for each of the printer function, copy function, and scanner function. For example, when an administrator user who is logged in as an administrator allows the unspecified user to use the printer function without logging in, set “unnecessary” and do not pass user authentication. If you do not want to use it, you can set “Necessary”.

  The user setting button 572 on the administrator setting screen 570 is a button for the administrator user to make settings relating to the user. When the user setting button 572 is pressed, the printing apparatus 10 displays a user setting screen 590 as shown in FIG. On the user setting screen 590, a list 591 of user names registered in the user information management table 114 is displayed in a selectable state, and an add button 592, a change button 593, and a delete button 594 are arranged. . For example, when changing the registration information of a user, an administrator user who is logged in as an administrator may select the target user from the user name list 591 and press the change button 593.

  When the change button 593 is pressed, the printing apparatus 10 displays a change screen 600 as shown in FIG. The change screen 600 displays user information related to the selected user recorded in the user information management table 114. An administrator user logged in as an administrator can change arbitrary user information on the change screen 600. The changed user information is reflected in the user information management table 114.

  The maintenance operation permission switching button 573 on the administrator setting screen 570 is a button for setting whether or not to allow a maintenance person of the printing apparatus 10 to perform a predetermined operation. Here, the maintenance staff of the printing apparatus 10 is a person dispatched from the manufacturer of the printing apparatus 10 or a maintenance company to perform maintenance / inspection of the printing apparatus 10. Generally, maintenance personnel perform various maintenance / inspection processes by shifting the printing apparatus 10 to a test mode by a predetermined special operation. In this maintenance / inspection processing, various operations are allowed, and initialization processing of the printing apparatus 10 is also included. For this reason, it is also possible to initialize the printing apparatus 10 with the intention and carelessness of maintenance personnel. The initialization process may be necessary depending on the state of the printing apparatus 10, but is not necessary for normal maintenance / inspection processes, and needs to be set again when user information, network information, etc. are initialized. In addition, it becomes impossible to refer to the usage history. Further, if the print data accumulated by the initialization is deleted, the print data cannot be recovered.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the administrator user can set the maintenance person to be prohibited from performing the initialization process. However, the process that is not permitted is not limited to the initialization process, but may include other processes or may be limited to a part of the processes. For example, user information viewing change, network setting initialization, accumulated print data deletion, and the like may be further restricted.

  When the maintenance operation permission switching button 573 is pressed on the administrator setting screen 570, the printing apparatus 10 displays a maintenance operation switching screen 610 as shown in FIG. On the maintenance operation switching screen 610, either “prohibited” or “permitted” can be set as to whether or not the initialization process is permitted for the maintenance staff. An administrator user who is logged in as an administrator may set “prohibited” when prohibiting the initialization process for maintenance personnel, and set “permitted” when permitting the initialization process. For safety, it is desirable to set “prohibited” in the initial setting. In addition, if the administrator user sets “permitted”, an expiration date for the permission or the number of effective times may be set in consideration of the case where the administrator user forgets to return to “prohibited”. It may be. For example, it can be set to “permitted” only on the day set by the administrator user, returned to “prohibited” once the maintenance operation is performed, or returned to “prohibited” when the printing apparatus 10 is turned off. The setting contents are recorded in the setting table 112.

  Next, the flow of maintenance / inspection work by maintenance personnel will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the printing apparatus 10, a special operation for shifting to a test mode for maintenance inspection is determined in advance. This operation may be, for example, a predetermined key operation on the operation panel 150 and a passcode input. This key operation and pass code are determined at the time of manufacture, and are not disclosed to the administrator user, and are assumed to be known only by maintenance personnel and manufacturing personnel. Note that a pass code for maintenance personnel, a pass code for manufacturers, a pass code for developers, and the like may be determined, and the contents that can be performed in the test mode may be changed according to the operator.

  When the printing apparatus 10 accepts a predetermined special operation (S201: Yes), it displays a confirmation screen 620 as shown in FIG. 18 and accepts an input of a passcode (S202). If it is possible to authenticate the maintenance person by the passcode (S203: Yes), the maintenance operation permission set by the administrator user recorded in the setting table 112 is referred to, so that the maintenance work is limited. Then, it is determined whether initialization is prohibited or permitted (S204).

  As a result, in the case where the initialization is permitted (S204: No), the process shifts to a maintenance worker initialization permission test mode (S205). FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a maintenance engineer test mode screen 630 in the test mode for permitting maintenance engineer initialization. On the maintenance engineer test mode screen 630, a maintenance operation category selection button is arranged in the left column, and a specific maintenance operation selection button is arranged in the right column. When the other button 631 is selected as the maintenance operation content category on this screen, a list of maintenance operations included in the category “other” is displayed. “Others” includes an initialization button 632 for returning the state of the printing apparatus 10 to the factory default. In the test mode for permitting maintenance personnel initialization, since initialization processing is permitted for maintenance personnel, the initialization button 632 is displayed in a pressable state.

  On the other hand, if the setting is prohibited from being initialized (S204: Yes), the process proceeds to a test mode in which maintenance personnel initialization is prohibited (S206). FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a maintenance worker test mode screen 640 in the test mode in which maintenance personnel initialization is prohibited. In the test mode in which maintenance staff initialization is prohibited, the maintenance staff is prohibited from performing the initialization process, so the initialization button 641 is grayed out and cannot be pressed.

  In order to further increase security, in addition to a pass code predetermined at the time of manufacture, an administrator user may set a second pass code for maintenance personnel. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the second passcode can be set by the administrator user by providing a second passcode setting area 652 for maintenance personnel on the maintenance operation permission switching screen 650. . The second passcode setting area 652 for maintenance personnel can include, for example, a column for specifying whether or not to set the second passcode and a column for specifying the second passcode.

  When the administrator user sets the second passcode, the maintenance staff, when shifting the printing apparatus 10 to the test mode, adds the second passcode set by the administrator user in addition to the predetermined passcode. You must enter your passcode. For this reason, the administrator user needs to be notified of the second passcode. Therefore, maintenance personnel who have performed maintenance operations in the test mode are guaranteed to be regular maintenance personnel by passcode authentication, and it is guaranteed by the second passcode authentication that maintenance operations are permitted by the administrator user. Will be.

  It is desirable that the second pass code has an expiration date or the number of times of validity. For example, it is valid only for the day set by the administrator user, invalidated once the test mode is entered, or invalidated when the printing apparatus 10 is turned off. This further increases security.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the network printing system which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the printing apparatus and PC in a network printing system. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed functional configuration of a setting management unit of the printing apparatus. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a user information management table. 6 is a flowchart for describing login processing in the printing apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the standby screen displayed on an operation panel. It is a figure which shows an example of the user selection screen displayed on an operation panel. It is a figure which shows an example of the password input screen displayed on an operation panel. It is a figure which shows an example of the general user login screen displayed on an operation panel when logging in as a general user. It is a figure which shows an example of the administrator normal login screen displayed on an operation panel in an administrator normal login state. It is a figure which shows an example of the administrator management login displayed on an operation panel in an administrator management login state. It is a figure which shows an example of the administrator setting screen displayed on an operation panel. It is a figure which shows an example of the login setting screen displayed on an operation panel. It is a figure which shows an example of the user setting screen displayed on an operation panel. It is a figure which shows an example of the change screen displayed on an operation panel. It is a figure which shows an example of the maintenance operation switching screen displayed on an operation panel. It is a flowchart explaining the flow of the maintenance and inspection work of a maintenance worker. It is a figure which shows an example of the confirmation screen displayed on an operation panel. It is a figure which shows an example of the maintenance worker test mode screen in the test mode of maintenance worker initialization permission. It is a figure which shows an example of the maintenance worker test mode screen in the test mode of maintenance personnel initialization prohibition. It is a figure which shows another example of a maintenance operation permission switching screen.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printing apparatus, 20 ... PC, 40 ... IC card, 70 ... Computer network, 100 ... Job management part, 110 ... Setting management part, 111 ... Printing apparatus setting part, 112 ... Setting table, 113 ... User information and use history Management unit 114 ... User information management table 115 ... Use history management table 116 ... Menu control unit 117 ... Maintenance operation processing unit 120 ... Image processing unit 130 ... Print execution unit 140 ... Image reading unit 150 ... Operation panel, 160 ... Communication processor, 170 ... IC card reader, 210 ... Printer driver, 220 ... Scanner driver, 230 ... Browser, 240 ... Communication processor

Claims (6)

An information processing apparatus for identifying a user by performing authentication at login,
User information management means for determining whether the logged-in user is an administrator user;
Maintenance operation processing means for shifting the information processing apparatus to a maintenance inspection mode by maintenance personnel by receiving a predetermined operation;
Setting processing means for receiving an administrator setting that is a setting related to the information processing apparatus from the administrator user,
The information processing apparatus characterized in that the setting processing means can accept a setting of whether to permit or prohibit initialization of the information processing apparatus in the maintenance / inspection mode from the administrator user. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,
Initialization of the information processing device includes initialization of any of administrator setting items, accumulated usage history of the information processing device, and accumulated processing history of the information processing device. apparatus. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the administrator setting items include at least one of user information setting and network setting. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The maintenance operation processing means receives a setting of a maintenance personnel passcode from the administrator user, and further performs authentication by the maintenance personnel passcode when shifting to the maintenance inspection mode. apparatus. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance staff passcode is provided with a predetermined expiration date or number of effective times. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The setting processing means includes:
In the initial state, the information processing apparatus is set to prohibit initialization.
When the setting for permitting initialization of the information processing apparatus is received from the administrator user, the information is returned to the setting for prohibiting initialization of the information processing apparatus when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Processing equipment.