JP2014216834A - Image forming system and relay unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user carrying a terminal device to utilize a network-connected printer even without teaching connection information of a network to the user.SOLUTION: When a relay unit 20 lent to a user of a terminal device 30 is connected to the terminal device 30, only a data storage section 206 is recognized as a storage region by the USB standard. The user is capable of watching only the data storage part 206 of the relay unit 20 on a screen of a display 303 of the terminal device 30 and implementing a drag-and-drop operation for storing a file to be printed in the data storage section 206. After the relay unit 20 is connected with an MFP 10 using connection information 221 for connecting to the MFP 10 via a LAN 19, the relay unit 20 transmits the file stored in the data storage section 206 to the MFP 10 and the MFP 10 executes printing based on the file.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming system including an image forming apparatus, a relay unit, and a terminal device, and the relay unit.

In recent years, portable terminal devices (hereinafter referred to as “mobile terminals”) such as small notebook personal computers and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) have become widespread.
Mobile terminals are easy to carry. For example, when a meeting is held at a supplier's company, when visiting the supplier's company, bring in the mobile terminal in which the conference material data is stored. It is possible to use a method of borrowing a printer as an image forming apparatus installed in the office and printing conference materials. This method is convenient because it is not necessary to bring the output of the conference material to the business company.

JP 2001-243383 A

When using the above method, if the printer in the supplier's company is connected to a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) provided in the company, the mobile terminal is connected to the network, for example, wirelessly A print job can be issued from the mobile terminal to the printer via the network.
However, in order to connect a mobile terminal to a network, it is necessary to know unique connection information. The connection information is, for example, a printer IP address or a connection password to a router serving as an access point provided in the network.

The connection information is information that enables access to an in-house network, and should be managed secretly for the company.
Since users who own mobile devices usually belong to a company different from the business partner, even if it is temporary for printing meeting materials, the connection information, which is their company's secret information, is different. Disclosure to users belonging to the company is not desirable for security reasons.

On the other hand, if the connection information is not given to the visiting user, the network cannot be used and the conference materials cannot be printed. In this case, for example, a method in which the user deposits the mobile terminal with the partner of the business partner and requests the printing of the conference material can be considered, but the person who receives the request has to perform a print output operation, which is a heavy burden. It will be.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and even if the user who owns the terminal device does not disclose confidential information such as connection information, the user can use his / her terminal device to perform a conference. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system capable of printing a document file or the like by an image forming apparatus and a relay unit included in the image forming system.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming system according to the present invention includes an image forming apparatus that prints on a sheet based on print target data received via a network, a relay unit, and a portable terminal device. The relay unit includes: a first interface for connecting to the network; and a storage unit storing connection information used for connecting to the image forming apparatus via the first interface and the network. A second interface that makes the storage device and the device beyond the network via the first interface invisible to the terminal device, and an interface for connecting to the terminal device; When the print target data is sent via the second interface, the memory Control to access the stage and read the connection information, connect to the image forming apparatus using the read connection information, and transmit the print target data to the image forming apparatus via the first interface and the network. And a control means.

  The relay unit further includes storage means, and the second interface makes the storage means visible to the terminal device and allows transmission of print target data from the terminal device to the storage means. The control unit stores the print target data sent from the terminal device in the storage unit, and then starts connection with the image forming apparatus using the connection information, and the image forming apparatus The print target data may be read from the storage unit and the read print target data may be transmitted to the image forming apparatus.

  Further, the image forming apparatus is an interface for communicating with another device, and a connection information storage unit storing the same information as the connection information, and is connected by the same communication method as the second interface of the relay unit A third possible interface, an authenticating means for authenticating that the relay unit is connected via the third interface, and when the authentication is performed, the information stored in the connection information storage unit is A control unit that controls transmission to the relay unit via a third interface, and the control unit of the relay unit receives the information from the image forming apparatus via the second interface. A setting mode for storing the information in the storage unit as connection information of the image forming apparatus may be executed.

  Further, the image forming apparatus is an interface for communicating with another device, and a connection information storage unit storing the same information as the connection information, and is connected by the same communication method as the second interface of the relay unit A third possible interface, an authenticating means for authenticating that the relay unit is connected via the third interface, and when the authentication is performed, the information stored in the connection information storage unit is A control unit that controls transmission to the relay unit via a third interface, and the second interface of the relay unit allows the image forming apparatus to transmit the information to the storage unit. The control unit of the relay unit receives the information from the image forming apparatus via the second interface. If the information is stored in the storage unit as connection information of the image forming apparatus, the connection information is read from the storage unit, stored in the storage unit, and stored in the storage unit. Connection information may be deleted.

Further, each time the control unit receives the information from the image forming apparatus, the control unit may update the connection information stored in the storage unit to the received information.
The control unit may delete the print target data stored in the storage unit after transmitting the print target data to the image forming apparatus.
Further, the image forming apparatus includes a scanner unit that reads a document image and obtains image data, and the relay unit control means includes the relay unit separately from the transmission of the print target data to the image forming apparatus. Image data obtained by the scanner unit of the image forming apparatus is sent from the image forming apparatus via the network and the first interface while being connected to the terminal device via the second interface. When it comes, control which transmits the said image data to the said terminal device via the said 2nd interface may be performed.

  Here, the relay unit further includes storage means, and the second interface makes the storage means visible to the terminal device, and the data stored in the storage means from the terminal device. The transmission unit accepts a transmission request, and the control unit stores the image data in the storage unit and then receives the transmission request from the terminal device, and reads and reads the image data stored in the storage unit. The image data may be transmitted to the terminal device via the second interface.

Here, the control means may delete the image data stored in the storage means after transmitting the image data to the terminal device.
The second interface may pass only the logical address corresponding to the physical address of the storage means to the terminal device when the storage means is visible to the terminal device.

  Further, when the image forming apparatus is the first image forming apparatus, a second image forming apparatus different from the first image forming apparatus is also connected to the network, and the storage unit of the relay unit stores the second image forming apparatus. Stores the connection information for the image forming apparatus and identification information for identifying the image forming apparatus in association with each other for each of the first image forming apparatus and the second image forming apparatus. The control unit of the unit sends identification information of each of the first image forming apparatus and the second image forming apparatus to the terminal device via the second interface, and the terminal device transmits the identification information via the second interface. When a selection result having either the first image forming apparatus or the second image forming apparatus as the destination of the print target data is received, connection information for the selected image forming apparatus is received. The reading from the storage means may be to perform the transmission to the image forming apparatus of the print target data.

In addition to the connection information, authentication information for the image forming apparatus is stored in the storage unit, and the control unit requests authentication from the image forming apparatus using the authentication information, and the image If the forming apparatus is authenticated, the printing target data may be transmitted. If the forming apparatus is not authenticated, the printing target data may not be transmitted.
In this case, the authentication information may have an expiration date, and the control unit may not make an authentication request to the image forming apparatus when the expiration date has passed.

The network may be a LAN, the first interface may be an interface that can be connected to the LAN wirelessly or by wire, and the second interface may be an interface based on the USB standard.
The relay unit according to the present invention includes a first interface for connecting to a network connected to an image forming apparatus that performs printing on a sheet based on received print target data, the first interface, and the network. A storage unit storing connection information used to connect to the image forming apparatus; and an interface for connecting to a portable terminal device. The storage unit and the first interface are connected to the terminal device. A second interface that makes the device beyond the network via the interface invisible, and when print target data is sent from the terminal device via the second interface, the storage means is accessed to access the connection information. Connected to the image forming apparatus using the read connection information, and Wherein the target data first interface, characterized in that it comprises a control means for controlling so as to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus through the network.

According to the above configuration, the relay unit possesses the terminal device because the storage unit in which the connection information is stored and the device beyond the network to which the image forming apparatus is connected are invisible to the terminal device. The user does not know the connection information and the device connected to the network.
When the relay unit receives the print target data from the terminal device, the relay unit connects to the image forming apparatus via the network using the connection information stored in the storage unit, and transmits the print target data to the image forming apparatus. It has the function to do.

Accordingly, the user who owns the terminal device connects the relay unit to his / her terminal device, and performs an input operation to pass the print target data from the terminal device to the relay unit, for example. To the image forming apparatus.
As a result, for example, if a network administrator lends a relay unit to a user who owns a terminal device, the user can print using the image forming apparatus without disclosing secret connection information. Also, the connection information can be kept secret by collecting the rented relay unit.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming system including an MFP, a relay unit, and a terminal device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating configurations of an MFP, a relay unit, and a terminal device. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where an MFP and a relay unit are connected. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the control performed by a relay unit. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the subroutine of the execution process of the print mode in a relay unit. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the subroutine of the execution process of the scan mode in a relay unit. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the subroutine of the execution process of the setting mode in a relay unit. 5 is a flowchart showing the contents of control executed by the MFP. 4 is a flowchart showing the contents of a subroutine of setting mode execution processing in the MFP. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the control performed with a terminal device. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a device display screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the device display screen which concerns on a modification. 10 is a flowchart showing only a part of the contents of a subroutine of print mode execution processing in a relay unit according to a modification.

Embodiments of an image forming system and a relay unit according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
<Configuration of image forming system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming system 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 includes an MFP (Multiple Function Peripheral) 10, a relay unit 20, and a terminal device 30.

The MFP 10 is a multi-function multifunction peripheral, and is an image forming apparatus that is connected to a network provided in a company A, here, a LAN 19 and has a function of executing a scan job, a copy job, and a print job.
Here, the scan job is a job for transmitting image data obtained by reading a document image to another device. The image data transmitted to other devices by the scan job is hereinafter referred to as “scan data”.

The copy job is a job for printing an image on a sheet based on image data obtained by reading a document image.
The print job is a job for printing an image on a sheet based on print target data sent from another device such as the terminal device 30 via the LAN 19.
The LAN 19 includes a router 14 and is connected to a server 11 arranged in the company A and desktop PCs (Personal Computers) 12 and 13 used by operators in the company, including the MFP 10. Thus, the in-house LAN system 15 is configured, and various devices in the company can exchange various data with each other via the LAN 19.

The server 11 is a server having functions such as management and monitoring of the LAN 19 and transmission / reception of electronic mail, and the PCs 12 and 13 are terminal devices having a function of issuing a print job to the MFP 10.
The router 14 has a function of a wireless LAN access point based on Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity). By accessing the router 14 wirelessly, connection to the LAN 19 (establishment of a communication path) becomes possible. A predetermined connection password is used for wireless access to the router 14. The connection password is one of network connection information secretly managed by the network administrator who manages the LAN 19.

The relay unit 20 is a portable USB device that can be connected to an information device such as the terminal device 30 (establishing a communication path) by USB (Universal Serial Bus), and a connection password registered in advance by the network administrator B is used. It also has a function of connecting to the MFP 10 via the LAN 19 by accessing the router 14 by using it.
The terminal device 30 is a portable PC (mobile terminal) possessed by an external user (external visitor) C, and stores files such as conference materials.

The terminal device 30 has a USB port to which the relay unit 20 that is a USB device can be attached and detached. When the relay unit 20 is attached to the USB port, the terminal device 30 performs mass storage by the attached relay unit 20 and a USB connector. The relay unit 20 can be recognized as an auxiliary storage device.
In such a configuration, according to the present embodiment, the following operation is performed, so that an outside visitor C who visits company A can print meeting materials using MFP 10.

(1) The network administrator B lends the relay unit 20 to the outside visitor C.
(2) The outside visitor C attaches the relay unit 20 to the terminal device 30 that he / she owns.
(3) The outside visitor C performs an operation of dragging and dropping the file of the conference material onto the folder indicating the relay unit 20 recognized as the auxiliary storage device on the display 303 of the terminal device 30. As a result, the file of the conference material is transferred from the terminal device 30 to the relay unit 20 as print target data.

Since the terminal device 30 is made inaccessible to the connection information held by the relay unit 20, the connection information is not likely to leak to the outside visitor C.
(4) Upon receiving the conference material file (print target data) from the terminal device 30, the relay unit 20 wirelessly accesses the router 14 using the connection password, and the received print target data is data to be used for printing. For example, after conversion into data in a page description language (PDL), the converted print target data is transmitted to the MFP 10 via the router 14 and the LAN 19.

(5) Upon receiving the print target data via the LAN 19, the MFP 10 executes a print job for performing printing based on the received print target data.
The operations to be performed by the outside visitor C are (1) to (3) described above, and the operations after (4) are automatically performed by the relay unit 20 and the MFP 10.
As a result, the network administrator B only needs to perform a simple operation of lending the relay unit 20 to the external visitor C, and it is not necessary to disclose the secret connection password in the company A to the external visitor C. Can be secured.

On the other hand, if the outside visitor C borrows the relay unit 20 from the network manager B, the printed output of the conference material is installed in the company A by performing the simple operations (1) to (3) above. It can be obtained from the MFP 10 and provided for a meeting or the like.
The network manager B needs to collect the relay unit 20 from the external visitor C after the conference is finished so that the relay unit 20 lent to the external visitor C is not taken out of the company after the conference. The collection method is determined in advance, and the relay unit 20 can be prohibited from being taken out by operating the method.

In the above description, an example has been described in which the outside visitor C uses the relay unit 20 to execute a print job from the terminal device 30 to the MFP 10. In the present embodiment, in addition to this, as will be described later. It is also possible to execute a scan job for fetching scan data from the scan job from the MFP 10 to the terminal device 30 via the relay unit 20.
Hereinafter, the configuration and control flow of each device of the MFP 10, the relay unit 20, and the terminal device 30 will be specifically described with reference to FIG.
<About the MFP configuration>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating configurations of the MFP 10, the relay unit 20, and the terminal device 30. As shown in the figure, the MFP 10 includes a control unit 101, a scanner unit 102, a print unit 103, an operation unit 104, an interface (USB) 105, a connection information storage unit 106, and an authentication information storage unit 107. , An authentication unit 108 and an interface (LAN) 109.

The control unit 101 comprehensively controls the operations of the scanner unit 102 to the interface (LAN) 109 to smoothly execute a scan job, a copy job, and a print job.
The scanner unit 102 is an image reading apparatus that reads a document image and obtains image data when executing a scan job and a copy job.
The print unit 103 prints an image on a sheet based on the image data obtained by the scanner unit 102 when executing a copy job, and other information devices via the LAN 19 when executing the print job. This is an image forming apparatus that prints an image on a sheet based on print target data transmitted from.

The operation unit 104 is provided with a liquid crystal display unit such as a GUI (Graphical User Interface) having a touch panel laminated on the surface in addition to a copy start key and a numeric keypad for setting the number of sheets. A screen is displayed and an input of a numeric keypad, a touch input, and the like by an operator are received, and the received input information is transmitted to the control unit 101.
The interface (USB) 105 is an interface for connecting to a USB device including the relay unit 20, and here has a USB port to which the USB connector terminal of the USB device can be attached and detached, and when the USB device is attached. This can be recognized as an auxiliary storage device and can communicate with the attached USB device.

In the connection information storage unit 106, connection information necessary for the relay unit 20 to connect to the own device (MFP 10) via the LAN 19, for example, a connection password for connecting to the router 14, the IP ( Internet Protocol) address, the IP address of the relay unit 20, and the like are stored.
The authentication information storage unit 107 stores authentication information necessary for user authentication, here, information indicating a predetermined guest account. Here, the guest account is a user account that greatly restricts the functions of the MFP 10 when logging in to the MFP (MFP 10), for example, only allowing execution of printing and scanning. Note that another user account may be used instead of the guest account.

The connection information and the authentication information are stored (registered) in the connection information storage unit 106 and the authentication information storage unit 107 by the input operation on the operation unit 104 by the network administrator B before the relay unit 20 is lent to the outside visitor C. (Connection information and authentication information setting registration).
At the time of this setting registration, the network administrator B may attach a time limit such as * month * day * hour * minute to the authentication information. By using non-authentication when the relay unit 20 is not used within the expiration date, the use of the relay unit 20 can be restricted.

  The authentication unit 108 authenticates that the USB device connected to the own apparatus is the relay unit 20 based on the unit authentication information (authentication of the relay unit). The unit authentication information is information necessary for authenticating the relay unit 20, for example, identification information of the relay unit 20, specifically, unique information such as a vendor ID / product ID / serial ID. It is remembered. The network administrator B can set and register unit authentication information by an input operation on the operation unit 104.

Further, the authentication unit 108 authenticates a user who uses the relay unit 20, that is, an outside visitor C in the above example (user authentication). Here, it is assumed that the authentication is successful when a request for user authentication by the guest account is received from the relay unit 20.
The interface (LAN) 109 is an interface for connecting to the LAN 19 and is composed of, for example, a LAN card.
<About the configuration of the relay unit>
The relay unit 20 includes an interface (LAN) 201, a storage unit 202, a local device information storage unit 203, a control unit 204, a program storage unit 205, a data storage unit 206, and an interface (USB) 207.

The storage unit 202 stores connection information 221 and authentication information 222. The connection information 221 and the authentication information 222 are the same as the connection information and the recognition information stored in the connection information storage unit 106 and the authentication information storage unit 107 of the MFP 10, and are rented to the outside visitor C. It is written in the storage unit 202 (setting registration).
The connection information 221 is used to connect to the MFP 10 via the LAN 19, and the authentication information 222 is used to request user authentication for the MFP 10.

  The own device information storage unit 203 stores identification information used to identify another device (relay unit 20), such as unique information such as a vendor ID / product ID / serial ID. Has been. Each of the storage unit 202 and the own device information storage unit 203 includes a nonvolatile storage unit, for example, a semiconductor element such as a flash memory.

An interface (LAN) 201 is an interface for wirelessly accessing the router 14 of the LAN 19 and communicating with the MFP 10 via the LAN 19.
The data storage unit 206 is a storage unit that stores data to be printed, and includes a nonvolatile semiconductor element such as a flash memory. However, the data storage unit 206 is not limited to this, and for example, a volatile semiconductor such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). An element or the like can also be used.

The interface (USB) 207 is a USB connector terminal that can be attached to and detached from a USB port of another external information device (such as the terminal device 30 or the MFP 10), and communicates with another information device by a communication method compliant with the USB standard. Can do.
The interface (USB) 207 has a function of transmitting information indicating that the data storage unit 206 is a storage area based on the USB standard to another information device. As a result, other information devices can recognize the data storage unit 206 as a storage area according to the USB standard and access the data storage unit 206. The interface (USB) 207 passes only the logical address assigned so as to correspond to the physical address as the address of the data storage unit 206 to the other information device, so that the other information device only performs access by the logical address. be able to. In this sense, the interface (USB) 207 performs processing for making the data storage unit 206 visible (allowing sharing) to other information devices.

  Further, the interface (USB) 207 is connected to other information devices such as a storage unit 202 in the relay unit 20, a local device information storage unit 203, a program storage unit 205, and a device beyond the LAN 19 via the interface (LAN) 201 ( Information such as an address indicating the presence of the MFP 10, the server 11, the PC 12, 13, etc. is not disclosed (prohibited). Since the logical address of the data storage unit 206 that is disclosed to other information devices does not correspond to the physical address of each unit such as the storage unit 202 other than the data storage unit 206, the other information device uses the logical address to specify the relay unit. The physical address of each unit such as the storage unit 202 in the 20 cannot be accessed.

As described above, the interface (USB) 207 makes the storage unit 202, the own device information storage unit 203, the program storage unit 205, and devices beyond the LAN 19 invisible to other information devices.
As a result, when the relay unit 20 is mounted, the other information devices can know only the path of the data storage unit 206 of the relay unit 20 and can recognize only the data storage unit 206 as a storage area. As the interface (USB) 207, it is possible to use a module having a control function for allowing other information devices to access partly and making other specific parts invisible (not recognized).

The control unit 204 can communicate with other information devices via an interface (USB) 207. In addition, the control unit 204 executes processing for transmitting the print target data stored in the data storage unit 206 to the MFP 10 connected to the LAN 19 via the interface (LAN) 201.
The program storage unit 205 stores a program (so-called print driver) for converting print target data transmitted to the MFP 10 into data by PDL.

Note that when the relay unit 20 is attached to another information device, each unit such as the control unit 204 can operate by receiving power supply from the information device.
<About terminal device configuration>
The terminal device 30 includes a control unit 301, a RAM 302, a display 303, an operation unit 304, a job storage unit 305, and an interface (USB) 306.

The control unit 301 controls the RAM 302 to the interface (USB) 306 by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown) to smoothly execute the entire operation of the terminal device 30.
The RAM 302 serves as a work area for the CPU of the control unit 301.
The display 303 displays a later-described screen 320 (FIG. 11) according to an instruction from the control unit 301.

The operation unit 304 includes a keyboard and a mouse, receives an input operation from a user (external visitor C), and sends the received input information to the control unit 301.
The job storage unit 305 is a non-volatile storage unit such as a hard disk, for example, and prints data to be transmitted to the relay unit 20 at the time of printing, or the terminal device 30 via the relay unit 20 from the MFP 10 according to a scan job. Stores scan data sent to.

The interface (USB) 306 has a USB port to which a USB connector terminal of the USB device can be attached and detached, and can communicate with the USB device by a communication method compliant with the USB standard. Here, the USB device is the relay unit 20.
<Flow of print target data when the print target data is transmitted from the terminal device to the MFP via the relay unit>
(1) A meeting material file stored in the job storage unit 305 of the terminal device 30 is printed as data to be printed from the job storage unit 305 via the interface (USB) 306 and the interface (USB) 207 of the relay unit 20. The data is transmitted to the storage unit 206 and stored in the data storage unit 206 (arrow a indicated by a solid line).

(2) When the print target data is stored in the data storage unit 206, a connection and authentication request is made from the relay unit 20 to the MFP 10, and when the connection and authentication are completed, the print target data is controlled from the data storage unit 206. The data is transmitted to the MFP 10 connected to the LAN 19 via the unit 204 and the interface (LAN) 201 (arrow b indicated by a solid line).
Connection information 221 and authentication information 222 in the storage unit 202 are used for connection to the MFP 10 and an authentication request by the relay unit 20.

  Here, processing for passing print target data sent from the terminal device 30 via the interface (USB) 207 to the data storage unit 206 and storing the print target data from the data storage unit 206 to the MFP 10 is performed. The control unit 204 of the relay unit 20 is in charge of the transmission process. The print target data is transmitted to the MFP 10 after being converted into data by PDL.

<Flow of Scan Data when Scan Data is Transmitted from MFP to Terminal Device via Relay Unit>
(1) Scan data from a scan job in the MFP 10 is transferred from the MFP 10 to the data storage unit 206 via the LAN 19, the interface (LAN) 201 of the relay unit 20, and the control unit 204 in a state where the MFP 10 and the relay unit 20 are connected. It is transmitted and stored in the data storage unit 206 (arrow c indicated by a broken line).

(2) The scan data stored in the data storage unit 206 is transferred from the data storage unit 206 via the interface (USB) 207 and the interface (USB) 306 of the terminal device 30 in response to a transmission request from the terminal device 30. The data is transmitted to 305 and stored in the job storage unit 305 (arrow d indicated by a broken line).
As described above, the relay unit 20 allows the terminal device 30 connected to the interface (USB) 207 to access only the data storage unit 206 and makes the other storage unit 202 and the like invisible. Therefore, on the terminal device 30 side possessed by the outside visitor C, only the data storage unit 206 of the relay unit 20 can be recognized, and the connection information 221 and the authentication information 222 stored in the storage unit 202 of the relay unit 20 are recognized. Cannot recognize existence.

Thus, if the outside visitor C borrows the relay unit 20 from the network administrator B, it is convenient because the print or scan job by the MFP 10 can be used. On the other hand, for the network administrator B, it is confidential information of the company. The connection information 221 and the like are not required to be known to the outside visitor C, and security can be ensured.
<Setting registration of authentication information and connection information from MFP to relay unit>
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state where the MFP 10 and the relay unit 20 are connected.

As shown in the figure, when setting of connection information and authentication information is instructed by the network administrator B in the MFP 10 with the interface (USB) 105 of the MFP 10 and the interface (USB) 207 of the relay unit 20 connected. The following operations are performed:
(1) The connection information stored in the connection information storage unit 106 of the MFP 10 and the authentication information stored in the authentication information storage unit 107 are data via the interface (USB) 105 and the interface (USB) 207 of the relay unit 20. The data is transmitted to the storage unit 206 and stored in the data storage unit 206 (arrow e indicated by a solid line).

(2) When connection information and authentication information are stored in the data storage unit 206, the connection information and authentication information are read by the control unit 204, and the read connection information and authentication information are transferred to the storage unit 202. Stored (arrow f indicated by a solid line), and the connection information and the authentication information are deleted from the data storage unit 206.
If the connection information and authentication information are already stored in the storage unit 202, the connection information and authentication information currently stored in the data storage unit 206 are updated instead. Thereby, the setting registration of the connection information and authentication information in the relay unit 20 by the MFP 10 is completed.

If the network administrator B rents the relay unit 20 to the external visitor C after the connection information and authentication information of the MFP 10 are set and registered, the external visitor C attaches the relay unit 20 to the terminal device 30. The print and scan functions of the MFP 10 can be used.
<Control flow of relay unit>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the contents of the control executed by the relay unit 20. This control flow is executed by the control unit 204 or the like when the relay unit 20 is attached to an information device such as the terminal device 30.

  As shown in the figure, the relay unit 20 is an auxiliary storage device according to the USB standard, and information indicating that the data storage unit 206 is a storage area is sent to the information device (terminal device 30) to which the relay unit 20 is connected. Alternatively, it is transmitted to the MFP 10) (step S1). This transmission is mainly handled by the interface (USB) 207. Accordingly, the information device to which the relay unit 20 is attached can recognize the data storage unit 206 as a storage area because the attached device is a USB memory.

Subsequently, the own device information is read from the own device information storage unit 203, and the read own device information is transmitted to the connected information device (step S2). This self-device information is used for authentication of the relay unit 20 in the MFP 10 as will be described later when the information device is the MFP 10 (steps S94 and S95 in FIG. 9).
Then, it is determined whether or not connection information and authentication information are received from the connected information device (step S3), whether or not print target data is received (step S5), and scan data is received. Or not (step S7).

  For example, if the connected information device is the terminal device 30, (a) the case where the print target data from the terminal device 30 is received via the interface (USB) 207, and (b) the scan data from the MFP 10 is interfaced. (LAN) 201 may be received. By configuring the print target data and the scan data so that they can be identified in advance using identification information added to the header, it is possible to determine which data has been received.

If the connected information device is the MFP 10, connection information and authentication information from the MFP 10 may be received via the interface (USB) 207, and these information can be configured by identifying them in advance. Can be determined.
If it is determined that the connection information and the authentication information are received from the MFP 10 (“YES” in step S3), the setting mode is executed (step S4), and the control ends.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the print target data is received from the terminal device 30 (“NO” in step S3, “YES” in S5), the print mode is executed (step S6), and the control is terminated.
If it is determined that scan data is received from the MFP 10 (“NO” in step S5, “YES” in S7), the scan mode is executed (step S8), and the control is terminated. If none of the data has been received (“NO” in step S7), the process returns to step S3 to wait for reception of any data, but the connection with the information device is temporarily canceled before the reception. When the relay unit 20 is removed from the information device, the control ends.

Hereinafter, the processing contents will be described in the order of the print mode, the scan mode, and the setting mode.
<Print mode execution processing in relay unit>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the contents of a subroutine of print mode execution processing. As shown in the figure, the data to be printed (in the above example, the meeting material file) received from the terminal device 30 via the interface (USB) 207 is stored in the data storage unit 206 (step S11) (arrow in FIG. 2). a).

  Subsequently, the connection information 221 and the authentication information 222 are read from the storage unit 202 (step S12). The connection information 221 and authentication information 222 are set and registered from the MFP 10 to the relay unit 20 with the relay unit 20 attached to the MFP 10 before the network administrator B rents the relay unit 20 to the outside visitor C. is there. The authentication information 222 is information indicating a guest account as described above.

  It is determined whether or not an expiration date is attached to the read authentication information 222 (step S13). If it is determined that the expiration date is attached (“YES” in step S13), it is determined whether or not the current time has passed the expiration date (step S14). The current time may be measured by a timer (not shown) or may be used if it can be acquired from the terminal device 30. If it is determined that the expiration date has not passed ("NO" in step S14), the process proceeds to step S15.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the expiration date has not been assigned (“NO” in step S13), step S14 is skipped (not executed) and the process proceeds to step S15.
In step S15, the connection information 221 thus read is used to connect to the MFP 10 connected to the LAN 19 via the interface (LAN) 201. As a result, a communication path is established between the relay unit 20 and the MFP 10 via the LAN 19.

When the relay unit 20 is connected to the MFP 10, the relay unit 20 transmits authentication information 222 to the MFP 10 to request authentication from the MFP 10 (step S16).
When the authentication success is notified from the MFP 10 ("YES" in step S17), the print target data is read from the data storage unit 206 and transmitted to the MFP 10 connected to the LAN 19 via the interface (LAN) 201 ( Step S18) (corresponding to the arrow b in FIG. 2). Then, the print target data is deleted from the data storage unit 206 (step S19), and the process returns. Note that a configuration may be adopted in which the print target data is not deleted. If the data storage unit 206 is a volatile memory such as a RAM, the power supply from the terminal device 30 is cut off when the relay unit 20 is removed from the terminal device 30. The print target data is deleted from the storage unit 206.

  On the other hand, when an authentication failure is notified from the MFP 10 (“NO” in step S17), an error occurrence is notified to the terminal device 30 (step S20), and the process proceeds to step S19. By notifying the terminal device 30 of the occurrence of an error, the user (external visitor C) can know that an error has occurred in the terminal device 30. In this case, the outside visitor C cannot execute printing by the relay unit 20.

If it is determined that the expiration date of the authentication information 222 has passed (“YES” in step S14), the process proceeds to step S20.
<Scan mode execution process in relay unit>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the contents of a scan mode execution process subroutine, which is performed in a state where the MFP 10 and the relay unit 20 are connected via the LAN 19 by executing the scan mode in the MFP 10.

As shown in the figure, the scan data received from the MFP 10 via the LAN 19 and the interface (LAN) 201 is stored in the data storage unit 206 (step S31) (corresponding to the arrow c in FIG. 2).
Subsequently, the connection information 221 is read from the storage unit 202 (step S32).
Then, it is determined whether the device (transmission source) that transmitted the scan data is the same as the device indicated by the read connection information (step S33). This determination is made by determining whether or not the transmission source address added to the received scan data matches the device included in the connection information, here, the IP address of the MFP 10.

When it is determined that the transmission source and the device indicated by the connection information are the same, that is, the transmission source address matches the IP address included in the connection information (“YES” in step S33), authentication is performed from the storage unit 202. Information 222 is read (step S34).
It is determined whether or not an expiration date is attached to the read authentication information 222 (step S35). If it is determined that the expiration date has been added (“YES” in step S35), it is determined whether or not the current time has passed the expiration date (step S36). If it is determined that the expiration date has not passed ("NO" in step S36), the process proceeds to step S37. The processes in steps S35 and S36 are the same as those in steps S13 and S14.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the expiration date has not been assigned ("NO" in step S35), step S36 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S37.
In step S37, an authentication request is made to the MFP 10 using the read authentication information 222. This authentication request is the same as the processing in step S16.
When the authentication success is notified from the MFP 10 (“YES” in step S38), the MFP waits for a scan data transmission request from the terminal device 30 (step S39).

When a scan data transmission request is received from the terminal device 30 (“YES” in step S39), the scan data is read from the data storage unit 206 and transmitted to the terminal device 30 (step S40) (indicated by arrow d in FIG. 2). Equivalent). The scan data transmission request from the terminal device 30 is a process executed in step S117 in FIG.
Then, the scan data is deleted from the data storage unit 206 (step S41), and the process returns. It should be noted that the scan data may not be deleted.

When an authentication failure is notified from the MFP 10 (“NO” in step S38), the relay unit 20 notifies the MFP 10 of the occurrence of an error (step S42), and proceeds to step S41. By notifying the MFP 10 of the occurrence of an error, the user (external visitor C) who has performed the scan mode operation on the MFP 10 can know the occurrence of an error in the relay unit 20.
If an error occurs, authentication is impossible and the scan data is automatically deleted from the data storage unit 206 in the relay unit 20 (step S41), so that the external visitor C sends the scan data from the relay unit 20 to the terminal device 30. The operation to import cannot be performed.

If it is determined that the expiration date of the authentication information 222 has passed (“YES” in step S36), an error occurrence notification (step S42) and scan data deletion (step S41) are executed.
<Execution processing of setting mode in relay unit>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the contents of a subroutine of the setting mode execution process.

As shown in the figure, the control unit 204 of the relay unit 20 stores the connection information and authentication information received from the MFP 10 via the interface (USB) 207 in the data storage unit 206 (step S51) (arrow e in FIG. 3). Equivalent).
When it is determined that the connection information 221 and the authentication information 222 are actually stored in the storage unit 202 (“YES” in step S52), the stored information is deleted from the storage unit 202 (step S53). The process moves to S54. On the other hand, if it is determined that the connection information 221 and the authentication information 222 have not been stored (“NO” in step S52), step S53 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S54.

  In step S54, connection information and authentication information are read from the data storage unit 206, and the read information is stored in the storage unit 202 (update of connection information and authentication information) (corresponding to the arrow f in FIG. 3). Then, the connection information and authentication information stored in the data storage unit 206 are deleted (step S55), and the process returns. Thereby, setting registration of connection information and authentication information is completed.

<MFP control flow>
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the contents of the control executed by the MFP 10. This control flow is a subroutine in a main routine (not shown) executed by the control unit 101 of the MFP 10 and is executed every time it is called at a predetermined timing.
First, it is determined whether print target data is received from another information device (relay unit 20, PC 12, 13, etc.) via the LAN 19 (step S71). If reception of print target data is determined (“YES” in step S71), a print job is executed based on the received print target data (step S72), and the process returns.

If it is determined that a scan job execution instruction from a user, for example, an external visitor C, is received from the operation unit 104 instead of receiving print target data (“NO” in step S71 and “YES” in S73), the scan data The designation of the transmission destination, in the above example, the relay unit 20 is received on the operation unit 104 (step S74).
The reception of the designation of the transmission destination of the scan data is performed by displaying a transmission destination designation screen (not shown) on the liquid crystal display unit of the operation unit 104, and among the one or more transmission destination names displayed on the transmission destination designation screen, This is done by accepting an input operation for selecting one by the user.

Here, the transmission destination name of the scan data is registered in advance by the network administrator B via the operation unit 104 in association with information such as the IP address for each transmission destination. The relay unit 20 is also registered in advance as one of the transmission destination names.
On the destination designation screen, only the name of the destination is displayed, and control is performed so that secret information related to the in-house LAN system 15 such as the IP address of the destination is not displayed.

Therefore, even if the outside visitor C operates the operation unit 104 to execute a scan job in the MFP 10, his / her private information in the company A can be obtained from the transmission destination designation screen displayed on the liquid crystal display unit of the operation unit 104. It is prevented from being known.
When the designation of the transmission destination is accepted, the scanner unit 102 reads the document image (step S75). Thereby, scan data is obtained.

When connected to the designated transmission destination via the LAN 19 (“YES” in step S76), the scan data obtained by reading is transmitted to the transmission destination (step S77), and the process returns.
When the transmission destination is the relay unit 20, the scan data is transmitted to the relay unit 20 via the LAN 19, and temporarily stored in the data storage unit 206 of the relay unit 20 (step S31 in FIG. 6).

If it is determined that the setting mode execution instruction is received from the operation unit 104 instead of the scan job execution instruction (“NO” in step S73, “YES” in S78), the setting mode is executed (step S79). Return.
If it is determined that the request is not an instruction to execute the setting mode but an authentication request from another information device (“NO” in step S78, “YES” in S80), the authentication is executed (step S81). Department 108 is in charge.

If the authentication request is from the relay unit 20 (step S16 in FIG. 5), the authentication information 222 from the relay unit 20 is received, and the received authentication information 222 is the authentication information storage unit 107 of itself (MFP 10). Authentication succeeds when it matches the user account stored here, here the guest account, and authentication fails when both do not match.
When the authentication result is notified to the information device that has requested authentication (step S82), the process returns.

If it is not an authentication request (“NO” in step S80), other processing, a copy job, etc. are executed (step S83), and the process returns.
<Execution flow of setting mode in MFP>
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the contents of a subroutine for executing the setting mode.
As shown in the figure, the operator who has instructed the execution of the setting mode, here, the network administrator B is authenticated (step S91). This authentication is performed by the authentication unit 108. Here, only the network administrator B is permitted to execute the setting mode, and it is determined whether or not the operator who has instructed the execution of the setting mode is the network administrator B.

This determination is performed by displaying an authentication confirmation screen (not shown) for accepting an input of a code on the liquid crystal display unit of the operation unit 104, and when the code entered by the operator matches a code registered in advance, It is determined by determining that the user is the network administrator B (successful authentication) and determining that the user is not the network administrator B (authentication failure) if they do not match.
If the authentication is successful (“YES” in step S92), it is determined whether a USB device is attached to the interface (USB) 105 of the MFP 10 (step S93).

If it is determined that the USB device is attached (“YES” in step S93), the device information is acquired from the USB device (step S94). This acquisition is performed by receiving the own device information transmitted in step S2 in FIG.
Based on the own device information received from the USB device, authentication that the USB device is the relay unit 20 is performed (step S95). The authentication unit 108 is in charge of authentication of the relay unit 20.

  Here, as described above, since the own device information of the relay unit 20 is set and registered as unit authentication information in the authentication unit 108 in advance as described above, the registered own device information (unit authentication information) of the relay unit 20 and the reception If the self-device information matches, the relay unit 20 is determined (successful authentication), and if the information does not match, the relay unit 20 is not determined (authentication failure).

If the authentication is successful (“YES” in step S96), it is determined whether or not the connection information and the authentication information have been registered (step S97). Here, it is determined whether the connection information is stored in the connection information storage unit 106 and the authentication information is stored in the authentication information storage unit 107.
If not registered (“NO” in step S97), registration of connection information and authentication information from the network administrator B is accepted (step S98), and the process proceeds to step S99.

Reception of registration of connection information and authentication information is performed by displaying a registration reception screen (not shown) on the liquid crystal display unit of the operation unit 104 and receiving an input operation of connection information and authentication information from the registration reception screen. When the connection information and the authentication information are input, the connection information is stored in the connection information storage unit 106 and the authentication information is stored in the authentication information storage unit 107.
Note that the expiration date can be attached to the authentication information as described above. When the operation for registering the expiration date is executed by the network administrator B, the authentication information is attached with information indicating the expiration date. . In addition to the above connection information and authentication information, unit authentication information for authenticating the relay unit 20 may be registered together.

If the connection information and the authentication information are already registered (“YES” in step S97), step S98 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S99.
In step S99, the connection information and the authentication information are transmitted to the relay unit 20, and then the process returns. The connection information and authentication information transmitted from the MFP 10 to the relay unit 20 are received by the relay unit 20 and then stored in the data storage unit 206 of the relay unit 20 (step S51 in FIG. 7).

If authentication of the relay unit 20 has failed ("NO" in step S96), a message indicating that authentication is not possible is displayed on the operation unit 104 (step S100), and the process returns. In this case, connection information and authentication information are not transmitted to the USB device, and connection information, which is private information of company A, is prevented from being transmitted to an unknown USB device.
If the operator who instructs execution of the setting mode is not authenticated (“NO” in step S92), the process returns. In this case, even when an USB device is attached to the MFP 10 by an operator other than the network administrator B, connection information, which is confidential information, is transmitted from the MFP 10 to the USB device, as in the case of authentication failure of the relay unit 20. Is prevented.

<Control flow of terminal device>
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the contents of the control executed by the terminal device 30. This control flow is a subroutine in a main routine (not shown) executed by the control unit 301 of the terminal device 30, and is executed each time it is called at a predetermined timing.
It is determined whether or not a USB device is attached to the interface (USB) 306 of the terminal device 30 (step S111). If it is determined that the USB device is not attached ("NO" in step S111), the process returns.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the USB device is attached (“YES” in step S111), the USB device is recognized as an auxiliary storage device using USB (step S112), and the control unit 301 indicates that the USB device has been detected. A display screen is displayed on the display 303 (step S113). In the following description, it is assumed that the attached USB device is the relay unit 20.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a device display screen 321 displayed on the screen 320 of the display 303.
As shown in the figure, the device display screen 321 is a screen for displaying the storage area of the relay unit 20 attached to the terminal device 30 by name. In the figure, the data storage unit 206 of the relay unit 20 is displayed in the storage area. An example in which a folder 322 shown as is displayed is shown. If a name or the like is recorded in advance in the relay unit 20, the terminal device 30 can identify and display the name or the like when the relay unit 20 is attached.

  When the outside visitor C wants to execute printing by the MFP 10, an operation for moving the file 323 to be printed on the screen 320 of the display 303 of the terminal device 30 to the data storage unit 206, for example, the file 323 is stored in the folder 322. By performing a drag-and-drop operation (arrow G), the file 323 as print target data can be transferred to the relay unit 20, that is, transmitted to the data storage unit 206 of the relay unit 20. This operation corresponds to reception of an instruction to transmit print target data from the terminal device 30 to the relay unit 20.

  On the other hand, when it is desired to execute the capture of the scan data into the terminal device 30, the outside visitor C gives an instruction to open the data storage unit 206 of the relay unit 20 on the screen 320 of the terminal device 30. By double-clicking the folder 322 on 320, the scan data file stored in the data storage unit 206 of the relay unit 20 can be confirmed on the screen 320 on the terminal device 30 side.

The scan data is copied from the relay unit 20 to the terminal device 30 by performing, for example, a drag and drop operation on the screen 320 for moving the scan data file displayed on the screen 320 to the terminal device 30. be able to. This operation corresponds to a scan data transmission request to the relay unit 20.
Returning to FIG. 10, the control unit 301 determines whether or not an instruction to send print target data by the external visitor C has been accepted (step S <b> 114), and has received an instruction to send a scan data by the external visitor C. Determination of whether or not (step S115) is sequentially performed.

When the control unit 301 determines that a print target data transmission instruction from the outside visitor C has been accepted (“YES” in step S114), the control unit 301 transmits the instructed print target data to the data storage unit 206 of the relay unit 20. (Step S116) and return.
On the other hand, if it is determined that a scan data transmission request from outside visitor C has been received (“NO” in step S114 and “YES” in step S115), control unit 301 provides data storage unit 206 to relay unit 20. Is requested (step S117), and when the scan data from the data storage unit 206 of the relay unit 20 is received, the received scan data is stored in the job storage unit 305 of the terminal device 30. (Step S118), the process returns. If the scan data transmission request is not received (“NO” in step S115), the process returns to step S114.

As a result, the external visitor C can save and use the original image file obtained by the scan job in the MFP 10 in his / her terminal device 30.
As described above, the relay unit 20 according to the present embodiment can be connected to the MFP 10 via the LAN 19 and has a configuration in which the connection information is not disclosed to other information devices.
Therefore, if the relay unit 20 is lent to an external visitor C, the external visitor C can execute a print or scan job using the MFP 10 installed in the company A, and the connection information that is confidential information of the company A Is not known to outside visitor C, so security is ensured. In addition, the network manager B does not need to perform an operation such as performing a job such as printing in response to a request from the outside visitor C, and the burden is reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to an image forming system including the image forming apparatus (MFP 10), the relay unit 20, and the terminal device 30, but can also be applied to a relay unit included in the system. Also, a printing target data transmission method in the system and a printing target data processing method by a relay unit may be used. Furthermore, the method may be a program executed by a computer. The program according to the present invention includes, for example, a magnetic disk such as a magnetic tape and a flexible disk, an optical recording medium such as a DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, CD-ROM, CD-R, and PD, a flash memory recording medium, etc. It can be recorded on various computer-readable recording media, and may be produced, transferred, etc. in the form of the recording medium. Various wired and wireless networks including the Internet in the form of programs, broadcasting, In some cases, the data is transmitted and supplied via a telecommunication line, satellite communication, or the like.

(Modification)
As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the following modifications may be considered.
(1) In the above embodiment, the configuration example in which only one MFP 10 is included in the in-house LAN system 15 has been described. However, the configuration is not limited to one, and for example, a configuration including a plurality of MFPs 10 may be used. .

When there are a plurality of MFPs 10, information that associates identification information (such as a name) for identifying the MFP, connection information, and authentication information is registered in advance in the storage unit 202 of the relay unit 20 for each MFP 10. In the storage area of the data storage unit 206, a partial storage unit individually associated with each MFP 10 is prepared.
For example, when there are two MFPs 1 and 2, identification information 1, connection information 1, authentication information 1, and partial storage unit 1 are associated with MFP 1. The identification information 2, the connection information 2, the authentication information 2, and the partial storage unit 2 are associated with each other. The partial storage units 1 and 2 are recognized as a plurality of different folders included in the data storage unit 206 on the terminal device 30 side, and the plurality of recognized folders are displayed on the device display screen.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the device display screen 330 according to the present modification.
As shown in the figure, the device display screen 330 displays folders 331 and 332 indicating that there are two partial storage units in the data storage unit 206 of the relay unit 20. In the example shown in the figure, “partial storage unit 1 (MFP-1)” that is the name of the folder 331 corresponds to the partial storage unit 1 described above, and “partial storage unit 2 (MFP-2)” that is the name of the folder 332. "Corresponds to the partial storage unit 2 described above.

  The outside visitor C, when executing printing, among the plurality of partial storage units displayed on the screen 320, the file 323 to be printed is a partial storage unit associated with the desired MFP, for example, If the desired MFP is MFP-2, a drag-and-drop operation (arrow H) can be performed on the folder 332 indicating “partial storage unit 2 (MFP-2)”. This operation corresponds to selection of a partial storage unit by an external visitor C (user), that is, selection of a desired MFP. As a result, the file 323 as print target data is transmitted to the partial storage unit 2 of the data storage unit 206 of the relay unit 20.

When the relay unit 20 receives the print target data from the terminal device 30, the relay unit 20 executes the print mode.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing only a part of the contents of the subroutine of the print mode execution process in the relay unit 20 according to this modification, and shows only a part different from the flowchart shown in FIG.

As shown in the figure, the control unit 204 of the relay unit 20 selects the print target data received from the terminal device 30 from among a plurality of partial storage units in the data storage unit 206 on the terminal device 30 side. The storage unit, in the above example, stores it in the partial storage unit 2 (step S201).
Then, connection information and authentication information associated with the partial storage unit in which the print target data is stored are read from the storage unit 202 (step S202). In the above example, the connection information 2 and the authentication information 2 corresponding to the partial storage unit 2 are read out. Subsequently, the processes after step S13 shown in FIG. 5 are executed in order.

As a result, after the connection with the read connection information, in the above example, the MFP-2 indicated by the connection information 2, the print target data is transmitted from the relay unit 20 to the MFP-2 via the LAN 19, and the outside visitor C Printing is executed in the desired MFP-2.
In the scan mode, the control unit 204 of the relay unit 20 performs control to store the scan data in the partial storage unit corresponding to the MFP that is the transmission source of the received scan data, so that the external visitor C Can perform an operation of fetching the scan data from the partial storage unit corresponding to the MFP among the plurality of partial storage units displayed on the device display screen 330 of the terminal device 30.

The determination as to which of the plurality of partial storage units the partial storage unit corresponding to the transmission source MFP matches with the address of the transmission source MFP among the connection information 1, 2,. This is done by specifying the partial storage unit corresponding to the connection information including the address.
By configuring such that a plurality of MFPs can be selected in this way, when an outside visitor C executes printing, for example, it is possible to select an MFP disposed in a location closest to the self, etc. More convenience is improved.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration example in which the relay unit 20 communicates with the terminal device 30 according to the USB standard has been described. However, the communication method is not limited to this, and wired or wireless may be used. For example, Bluetooth (registered trademark), which is one of short-range wireless communication systems, can be used.
Also, the method of connecting the relay unit 20 to the LAN 19 is described as using a wireless LAN in the above, but is not limited to this, and may be wired or wireless. For example, a communication method such as a wired LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or USB may be used.

  Further, when the MFP 10 authenticates the relay unit 20, a method of authenticating the relay unit 20 when the own apparatus information acquired from the relay unit 20 matches the vendor ID of the relay unit 20 registered in the MFP 10 in advance. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other authentication methods may be used. When Bluetooth (registered trademark) is used, for example, an information device (apparatus) can be identified by a service discovery protocol.

The interface (USB) 105 of the MFP 10, the interface (USB) 207 of the relay unit 20, and the interface (USB) 306 of the terminal device 30 are limited in communication method as long as they can be connected to other information devices. However, as described above, it is desirable that each be based on the same communication method.
(3) In the above embodiment, the print target data and connection information are temporarily stored in the data storage unit 206 provided in the relay unit 20, and then the print target data is read out and transmitted to the MFP 10, or the connection Although the information is read and stored in the storage unit 202, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, without providing the data storage unit 206, the control unit 204 receives print target data, connection information, and the like via the interface (USB) 207 and transmits the print target data to the MFP 10. The storage unit 202 may be configured to store the data.

In addition, the configuration example in the case where the MFP 10 is an image forming apparatus having both print and scan functions has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to an apparatus that does not have a scan function. If the target is an image forming apparatus that does not have a scan function, processing such as execution of a scan mode (step S8) and a scan data transmission request (step S117) are not required.
(4) In the above embodiment, the print target data is converted into data by PDL by the relay unit 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, conversion to data by PDL is performed by the terminal device 30 or by the MFP 10. In this case, conversion at the relay unit 20 is not necessary. Further, when the MFP 10 prints without using PDL data, conversion to PDL data is not necessary.

  (5) In the above embodiment, an example in which the image forming apparatus is applied to an MFP has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and printing is performed on a sheet based on print target data received via a network such as the LAN 19. Any image forming apparatus may be used. Moreover, although the example which uses portable PC for the terminal device 30 was demonstrated, it is not restricted to this, For example, PDA etc. may be sufficient. The relay unit 20 is not limited to a portable type, and may be a desktop type as long as it can be used by users including outside visitors C who are permitted to use the MFP 10.

Furthermore, the exchange of data and signals between the relay unit 20 and the MFP 10 and between the relay unit 20 and the terminal device 30 is not limited to the order and timing described above, and other orders may be set within the controllable range. It may be taken.
The contents of the above embodiment and the above modification may be combined.

  The present invention can be widely applied to an image forming system including an image forming apparatus, a relay unit, and a terminal device.

1 Image forming system 10 MFP
19 LAN
20 Relay unit 30 Terminal device 101, 204, 301 Control unit 102 Scanner unit 103 Print unit 105, 207, 306 Interface (USB)
106 Connection information storage unit 107 Authentication information storage unit 109, 201 Interface (LAN)
202 Storage Unit 206 Data Storage Unit 221 Connection Information 222 Authentication Information

Claims (15)

An image forming apparatus that prints on a sheet based on print target data received via a network;
A relay unit;
A portable terminal device, and
The relay unit is
A first interface for connecting to the network;
Storage means for storing connection information used to connect to the image forming apparatus via the first interface and the network;
An interface for connecting to the terminal device, the second interface for making the storage device and the device beyond the network via the first interface invisible to the terminal device;
When print target data is sent from the terminal device via the second interface, the storage unit is accessed to read the connection information, and the read connection information is used to connect to the image forming apparatus, Control means for controlling the print target data to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus via the first interface and the network;
An image forming system comprising: The relay unit further includes storage means,
The second interface is
Making the storage means visible to the terminal device, allowing transmission of data to be printed from the terminal device to the storage means,
The control means includes
After the print target data sent from the terminal device is stored in the storage unit, the connection information is used to start connection with the image forming apparatus, and when the connection is made with the image forming apparatus, the printing is performed. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the target data is read from the storage unit, and the read print target data is transmitted to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes:
Connection information storage means for storing the same information as the connection information;
A third interface, which is an interface for communicating with other devices, connectable by the same communication method as the second interface of the relay unit;
Authentication means for authenticating that the relay unit is connected via the third interface;
When the authentication is performed, a control unit that controls to transmit information stored in the connection information storage unit to the relay unit via the third interface;
With
The control means of the relay unit is
3. A setting mode in which when the information from the image forming apparatus is received through the second interface, the setting mode is stored in the storage unit as connection information of the image forming apparatus. The image forming system described in 1. The image forming apparatus includes:
Connection information storage means for storing the same information as the connection information;
A third interface, which is an interface for communicating with other devices, connectable by the same communication method as the second interface of the relay unit;
Authentication means for authenticating that the relay unit is connected via the third interface;
When the authentication is performed, a control unit that controls to transmit information stored in the connection information storage unit to the relay unit via the third interface;
With
The second interface of the relay unit is
Allowing the image forming apparatus to transmit the information to the storage unit;
The control means of the relay unit is
When the information from the image forming apparatus is received via the second interface, the information is stored in the storage unit as connection information of the image forming apparatus, and then the connection information is read from the storage unit. The image forming system according to claim 2, wherein the connection information stored in the storage unit and the connection information stored in the storage unit are deleted. The control means includes
5. The image forming system according to claim 3, wherein each time the information from the image forming apparatus is received, the connection information stored in the storage unit is updated to the received information. The control means includes
The image forming system according to claim 2, wherein after the printing target data is transmitted to the image forming apparatus, the printing target data stored in the storage unit is deleted. The image forming apparatus includes:
A scanner unit that reads image data and obtains image data
The control means of the relay unit is
Apart from sending the print target data to the image forming apparatus,
In a state where the relay unit is connected to the terminal device via the second interface, image data obtained by the scanner unit of the image forming device is transferred from the image forming device via the network and the first interface. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein when the image data is sent, the control is performed to transmit the image data to the terminal device via the second interface. The relay unit further includes storage means,
The second interface is
Making the storage means visible to the terminal device, allowing a transmission request from the terminal device for data stored in the storage means,
The control means includes
After receiving the transmission request from the terminal device after storing the image data in the storage unit, the image data stored in the storage unit is read out, and the read image data is transmitted through the second interface. The image forming system according to claim 7, wherein the image forming system transmits the image to the terminal device. The control means includes
9. The image forming system according to claim 8, wherein after the image data is transmitted to the terminal device, the image data stored in the storage unit is deleted. The second interface is
10. When making the storage means visible to the terminal device, only the logical address corresponding to the physical address of the storage means is passed to the terminal device. The image forming system according to claim 1. When the image forming apparatus is a first image forming apparatus, a second image forming apparatus different from the first image forming apparatus is also connected to the network.
In the storage means of the relay unit,
For each of the first image forming apparatus and the second image forming apparatus, the connection information for the image forming apparatus and identification information for identifying the image forming apparatus are stored in association with each other.
The control means of the relay unit is
Sending identification information of each of the first image forming apparatus and the second image forming apparatus to the terminal device via the second interface;
When a selection result is received from the terminal device as a destination of the print target data, either the first image forming device or the second image forming device via the second interface, the selected image is formed. 11. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein connection information for an apparatus is read from the storage unit, and transmission of the print target data to the image forming apparatus is executed. In the storage means,
In addition to the connection information, authentication information for the image forming apparatus is stored,
The control means includes
Request authentication of the image forming apparatus using the authentication information,
12. The image according to claim 1, wherein when the image forming apparatus is authenticated, the printing target data is transmitted, and when the image forming apparatus is not authenticated, the printing target data is not transmitted. Forming system. The authentication information is:
The expiration date is attached,
The control means includes
The image forming system according to claim 12, wherein when the expiration date has passed, an authentication request to the image forming apparatus is not performed. The network is a LAN;
The first interface is
An interface that can be connected to the LAN wirelessly or by wire,
The second interface is
The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming system is an interface based on a USB standard. A first interface for connecting to a network connected to an image forming apparatus that prints on a sheet based on received print target data;
Storage means for storing connection information used to connect to the image forming apparatus via the first interface and the network;
A second interface for connecting to a portable terminal device, and making the storage device and the device beyond the network via the first interface invisible to the terminal device;
When print target data is sent from the terminal device via the second interface, the storage unit is accessed to read the connection information, and the read connection information is used to connect to the image forming apparatus, Control means for controlling the print target data to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus via the first interface and the network;
A relay unit comprising:

Images