JP2013215956A - Image processing device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem in an archive management system that when classified information or the like is wrongly output, the information is stored and managed as job history information including a deployment image, a storing area for the deployment image is short and processing time takes too much.SOLUTION: Classified information or the like is stored once into a storage device as PDL data, when an image processing device is stopped, a deployment image is stored as job archive information and managed by a management server without processing unnecessary data like host tint.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program for managing image data generated in an image processing apparatus.

  In recent years, with the widespread use of various image processing apparatuses, anyone can easily transmit and output document and image data from a host computer. However, this is very problematic in that it increases convenience for the user, but also increases the risk of information leakage such as electronic data such as confidential information leaking out in the form of paper output. As a countermeasure against such a problem, there exists an image processing apparatus that accumulates and stores all image data generated by processing in the image processing apparatus in a storage device. By using such a device, the administrator can confirm whether the confidential information leaked from the image processing device when the confidential information is leaked. It is possible to trace what kind of processing is output.

  As a system for preventing leakage of confidential information as described above, for example, a client sends print data to a printer server, and at the same time, generates a print log based on print information and user information, and develops an image processed by the image processing apparatus. At the same time, the data must be stored in the recording device and all data must be retained for a certain period. Also, a system is disclosed that issues a warning or stops before execution of the job when there is a possibility that the stored image data and its processing contents cannot be stored in the recording device (for example, patents). (See sentence type 1.)

JP 2006-293833 A

  However, in the conventional image processing apparatus as described above, there is a problem that if there is not enough recording device area, the capacity becomes insufficient and a warning or a print stop always occurs.

  In particular, when the above-described conventional system is applied to a printing apparatus such as an SFP that does not include a large-capacity recording apparatus such as an HDD, it is necessary to exchange images that have been unusable for a certain period of time or always deployed on the network. As a result, the output processing of the printing apparatus itself is delayed.

  In addition, there is a case where a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image is attached at the host in the data transmitted as PDL data. As an image of confidential information leakage, an unnecessary data portion is expanded and held in the storage device to reduce the capacity. There is a problem.

In order to solve the above problems, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention provides:
Generating means for generating image data;
Means for holding image data in a predetermined recording device as PDL data;
Means for developing the held PDL data when the printing apparatus is in a dormant state;
And means for not developing data that is not necessary for a developed image managed by the stored PDL data.

  According to the present invention, when a job is executed, the PDL data is stored in the storage device as it is, and the expansion processing is performed when the printing apparatus is in a dormant state, thereby preventing the output of the printing apparatus from being delayed.

  If the PDL data, which is the print data, includes copy-forgery-inhibited pattern data and watermark data that do not need to be managed as a developed image, the developed image is generated without performing the processing and stored in the storage device. Capacity to be reduced.

1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration of an image processing system. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a host computer and a printer. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a job archive server and a printer. It is a flowchart for a problem solution.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Example 1>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a basic image processing system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In the image processing system shown in FIG. 1, a host computer 1001 converts document data and image data on the host into PDL data that can be interpreted for image development by a printer 1002 using a printer driver, and transmits the data via a network. The data is transmitted to the printer 1002. The PDL data received by the printer 1002 performs data analysis, generates a developed image, performs print control, and outputs the developed image on a sheet. In addition, the printer 1002 includes a storage memory such as an HDD or a USB memory that stores PDL data as it is in addition to the output developed image. The printer 1002 has a function of detecting a corresponding state when the print control process is not performed for a predetermined time. When the detection is performed, the stored PDL data is analyzed to develop an image. The developed image is stored as job archive information in a storage device such as an HDD or a USB memory. Also, the job archive information stored in response to a request from the job archive server 1003 via the network is extracted and transmitted to the job archive server 1003. The job archive server 1003 stores the received job archive information in a memory area such as an HDD, and accumulates each job information and developed image. When the storage is completed, the printer 1002 is notified of completion. Upon receiving the completion notification, the printer 1002 deletes the PDL data and the developed image data stored in the HDD or USB memory.

  When confidential information leakage occurs, each job information and developed image of the job archive information stored in the job archive server 1003 is detected, and when and how the corresponding job is output from which host computer is detected. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, a host computer 1001, a printer 1002, and a job archive server 1003 are connected to a network 1004 so that various types of data can be transmitted and received.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing detailed configurations of the host computer 1001 and the printer 1002 described above.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the host computer 1001 transmits PDL data via the input unit 12 of the printer 1002. The printer 1002 analyzes the PDL data using the CPU 11 with the PDL data analysis program stored in the program ROM 16, and generates a developed image using the font and pattern information stored in the font ROM 16 and the data ROM 17. The generated developed image is transmitted to the printing unit 19 via the printing unit I / F 14, printed on paper, and output. Various print settings can be changed by the operation unit 20, and the image processing settings of the printer 1002 can be changed in advance.

  The printer 1002 is connected to an external memory 21 such as an HDD or a USB memory via an external memory I / F 18, and can receive received PDL data or separately developed image data.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing detailed configurations of the job archive server 1003 and the printer 1002 described above.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the job archive server 1003 requests a developed image stored in the external memory 21 via the input unit I / F 12 of the printer 1002. The requested printer 1002 has a configuration capable of transmitting a developed image to a job archive server via a network.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a printing process and a processing procedure for storing a developed image in the printer 1002 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  First, when the printer 1002 receives the PDL data, the printer 1002 performs an image expansion process using the above-described PDL analysis program and performs a print data output process (step S401).

  As the job archive information, the host computer name, transmission time, printer driver setting information, and the like are transmitted to the data. The received PDL data is analyzed by the above-described printing process and stored in an external memory such as an HDD without changing the PDL data (step S402).

  It is detected whether the printing process of the printer 1002 has not been performed for a certain period (step S403).

  If the printing process is not performed for a certain period, the job archive information is stored. In step S402 described above, PDL data stored in an external memory such as an HDD is read and image development processing is performed. It is detected whether the read-out PDL data includes copy-forgery-inhibited pattern data developed by the host (step S404).

  If the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern data by the host computer is included, the processing is removed so that the corresponding PDL data is not processed in the expansion processing for generating job archive information (step S405).

  The PDL data portion excluding the background pattern processing by the host computer is expanded (step S406).

  The host computer name, transmission time, and printer driver setting information included in the PDL data are stored in the storage device such as the HDD as job archive information including the developed image (step S407).

  The stored job archive information is transmitted in accordance with a job archive information acquisition request notified from the job archive management server 1003 periodically separately. When it is confirmed that the data is normally stored in the storage area of the job archive management server, the normal notification is received from the job archive management server 1003 again. Upon receiving the normal notification, the printer 1002 deletes the job archive information stored in the storage device such as the HDD of the printer, and releases the storage area.

1001 Host computer 1002 Printer 1003 Job archive server 1004 Network 11 CPU
12 Input unit 16 Program ROM
18 External memory I / F
19 Printing unit 21 External memory

Claims (3)

An image processing apparatus that receives print data from a host computer and forms an image includes the following means.
Means for processing the print data and outputting it as a developed image (S401);
Means for storing the received PDL data (S402);
Means for determining that the suspension period has been entered when the output processing is not performed for a certain period (S403);
Means for developing the stored PDL data during the idle period of the image processing apparatus and retaining it as job archive information (S407);
An image processing apparatus comprising means for storing the held job archive information in a management database in response to a request from an archive management server. Means for determining whether or not unnecessary data is included as archive management information in the PDL data (S404);
Means for performing image development by removing the processing of the corresponding part when it is determined that unnecessary data is included (S405);
Means (S407) for holding an image developed by removing the corresponding part as job archive information;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the data determined to be unnecessary as archive information in the PDL data is copy-forgery-inhibited pattern data (S 404) generated by a host computer.