JP2015056162A - Network system and processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a network system configured to select upper-limit management or charging management as a use control method, according to a device, in using a function provided by the device, and a processing method.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 30 transmits a print restriction acquisition request to obtain a print restriction type together with an authentication ticket and a device ID, to a printer server 20. The print server 20 transmits a print restriction inquiry request to inquire information on the print restriction type associated with the device ID together with the device ID, to an authentication server 10. The authentication server 10 refers to a device information storage section, extracts print restriction information associated with the received device ID, and transmits it to the print server 20. The print server 20 transmits the received print restriction information to the image forming apparatus 30.

Description

  The present invention relates to a network system and a processing method.

  As methods for restricting the use of user printing, there are known a method of upper limit management printing (hereinafter referred to as upper limit management printing) and a charging method printing (hereinafter referred to as charging printing). The upper limit management printing is printing in which the upper limit of the number of sheets that can be printed from the image forming apparatus is limited for each user or group (for example, for each company). Billing printing is printing in which a fee is paid by cash or an IC card when printing by a user.

  In recent years, in order to reduce server maintenance and management costs, attention has been focused on server usage forms based on cloud services that use only services via a network without building a server environment on their own. Also in the printing system, a cloud print service using a print server existing on a public network is realized by applying a cloud service. In the cloud print service, since a print server exists on a public network, printing beyond a business office or printing from a public place is possible. In an environment where such printing places are dispersed, there is a request to change the type of printing restriction according to the printing place. For example, it is assumed that there is a demand for printing from the office to be upper limit management printing, but printing from a public place is to be charged printing.

  As a printing system to which printing restrictions as described above are applied, a technique for applying charging printing at the time of pull printing has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). The printing system described in Patent Document 1 has two charging printing modes with different charging timings. In one mode, charging is performed when print data is stored. In the other mode, printing data is stored. Charges at the time of printing without charging.

  The printing system described in Patent Document 1 can change to one of two modes for charge printing depending on the situation. However, when printing is restricted depending on the image forming apparatus or group, that is, when using functions provided by the apparatus, it is not possible to switch between upper limit management printing and charge printing depending on the apparatus or group. There was a point.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a network system and a processing method capable of switching between upper limit management and charge management as a usage restriction method according to a device when using a function provided by the device. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention is a network system configured to be communicably connected to a plurality of utilization devices that are devices used by a user and configured by one or more information processing devices. And a first storage unit that stores restriction information that defines a use restriction method for executing at least upper limit management or billing management when a function is used in the use apparatus; and a plurality of use apparatuses A request receiving unit that acquires the restriction information acquisition request from a predetermined usage device, and the request reception unit that corresponds to the predetermined usage device when the request reception unit acquires the restriction information acquisition request from the predetermined usage device. First restriction means for obtaining the restriction information indicating the use restriction method from the first storage means and transmitting the restriction information to the predetermined use device.

  According to the present invention, when a function provided by an apparatus is used, upper limit management and billing management can be switched as a use restriction method according to the apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a print processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the server. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of an authentication server, a print server, an image forming apparatus, and a charging terminal that constitute the print processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a user information management table. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an authentication ticket management table. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a printing related information management table. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus management table. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a print restriction type management table according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a print data management table. FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing a pin code management table. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of print processing of the print processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a print processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of an authentication server, a print server, an image forming apparatus, a charging terminal, and a print information management server that constitute a print processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a print restriction type management table according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram showing a printing related information management table. FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of print processing of the print processing system according to the second embodiment.

  Embodiments of a network system and a processing method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the present invention is not limited by the following embodiments, and constituent elements in the following embodiments are easily conceivable by those skilled in the art, substantially the same, and so-called equivalent ranges. Is included. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes of the components can be made without departing from the scope of the following embodiments.

(First embodiment)
<Overall configuration of print processing system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a print processing system according to the first embodiment. An overall configuration of a print processing system 500 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the print processing system 500 includes an authentication server 10 (information processing apparatus), a print server 20 (information processing apparatus), an image forming apparatus 30a, an image forming apparatus 30b, and a charging terminal 40. Yes. Each device is connected to the network 1 and can communicate with each other.

  The authentication server 10 and the print server 20 are provided as a cloud service. The authentication server 10 is a device that holds user authentication information, printing related information (described later), device information, and the like, and provides authentication processing for the user and information about the user and the device. The print server 20 is an apparatus that stores print data and distributes the print data in response to a request. Note that the authentication server 10 and the print server 20 can be configured by an information processing apparatus such as a PC, a server, a thin client, or the like.

  The image forming apparatus 30 a belonging to the private network and the image forming apparatus 30 b belonging to the public network are apparatuses that acquire print data from the print server 20 and print it. The billing terminal 40 is a terminal that displays a charge for printing to the user based on printing conditions such as the number of printed sheets and charges the user.

  In FIG. 1, one image forming apparatus 30a belonging to the private network, one image forming apparatus 30b belonging to the public network, and one charging terminal 40 are shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this. There may be a plurality of each. Further, although the authentication server 10 and the print server 20 are shown as being separated into separate servers, the authentication server 10 and the print server 20 may be integrated into a single server, or by a plurality of authentication servers 10 (or print servers 20). The function provided by the authentication server 10 may be realized by distributed processing.

  Further, when an image forming apparatus 30a belonging to a private network and an image forming apparatus 30b belonging to a public network are indicated or collectively referred to, they are simply referred to as “image forming apparatus 30”. The image forming apparatus 30 is an example of a utilization apparatus that provides a function to a user and is an apparatus used by the user. Therefore, the utilization apparatus is not limited to the image forming apparatus, and may be configured by various apparatuses such as a projector, an electronic blackboard apparatus, a remote conference system, a game machine, and a PC.

<Hardware configuration>
Next, the hardware configuration of each device according to the present embodiment will be described.

<< Hardware configuration of authentication server and print server >>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the server. Details of the hardware configurations of the authentication server 10 and the print server 20 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the hardware configuration of the authentication server 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The authentication server 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 104, a network I / F 105, and a CD-ROM. Drive 106. The above-described devices are connected to each other via a bus 108 so as to communicate with each other.

  The CPU 101 controls the operation of the entire authentication server 10. The ROM 102 stores a program for the authentication server 10. The RAM 103 is used as a work area for the CPU 101.

  The HDD 104 stores various data. Specifically, the HDD 104 stores a user information management table 1501, an authentication ticket management table 1502, and a print related information management table 1503, which will be described later.

  The network interface 105 is an interface for communicating data with the print server 20, the image forming apparatus 30, and the charging terminal 40 via the network 1 such as the Internet.

  The CD-ROM drive 106 controls reading and writing of data with respect to a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) 107 as an example of a removable storage medium.

  Note that the program for the authentication server 10 may be recorded and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as the CD-ROM 107 by an installable or executable file.

  Further, since the print server 20 has the same hardware configuration as the authentication server 10 described above, the description thereof is omitted. However, the ROM 102 stores a program for the print server 20 for controlling the print server 20. In this case as well, the program for the print server 20 may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as the CD-ROM 107 and distributed as a file in an installable or executable format.

  In addition to the removable CD-ROM drive 106 described above, a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark) is used. It is good.

<< Hardware Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus >>
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. Details of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 30 has a configuration in which a controller 200, an operation display unit 210, an FCU (Facsimile Control Unit) 220, and an engine unit 230 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interface) bus. It has become.

  The controller 200 is a device that controls control of the entire image forming apparatus 30, drawing, communication, and input from the operation display unit 210. The operation display unit 210 is, for example, a touch panel or the like, and is a device that receives an input to the controller 200 and displays the state of the image forming apparatus 30. The operation display unit 210 is directly connected to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 206 described later. . The FCU 220 is a device that realizes a fax function, and is connected to the ASIC 206 via a PCI bus. The engine unit 230 is a device that implements each function, and is connected to the ASIC 206 via a PCI bus. The engine unit 230 includes a plotter 231, a scanner 232, and other hardware resources 233.

  The controller 200 includes a CPU 201, a system memory (MEM-P) 202, a north bridge (NB) 203, a south bridge (SB) 204a, a network interface (NIC) 204b, a USB interface 204c, and a Centronics interface 204d. ASIC 206, local memory (MEM-C) 207, and external storage device 208.

  The CPU 201 performs overall control of the image forming apparatus 30 and is connected to a chip set including the system memory 202, the north bridge 203, and the south bridge 204a, and is connected to other devices via the chip set.

  A system memory (MEM-P) 202 is a memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a drawing memory for printers, and the like, and includes a ROM and a RAM. Of these, the ROM is a read-only memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, and the RAM is a writable and readable memory used as a program and data expansion memory, a printer drawing memory, and the like.

  The north bridge (NB) 203 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 201 to the system memory 202, the south bridge 204a, and the AGP bus 205, a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the system memory 202, a PCI master, and an AGP target. And have.

  The south bridge (SB) 204a is a bridge for connecting the north bridge 203 to a PCI device and peripheral devices. The south bridge 204a is connected to the north bridge 203 via a PCI bus, and a network interface 204b, a USB interface 204c, a Centronics interface 204d, and the like are connected to the PCI bus.

  The AGP bus 205 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card that has been proposed to speed up graphic processing. The AGP bus 205 is a bus that speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the system memory 202 with high throughput.

  The ASIC 206 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing applications having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP bus 205, the PCI bus, the external storage device 208, and the local memory 207, respectively. The ASIC 206 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 206, a memory controller that controls the local memory 207, and a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory) that rotate image data using hardware logic or the like. (Access Controller) and a PCI unit that transfers data to and from the engine unit 230 via the PCI bus. The FCU 220 and the engine unit 230 are connected to the ASIC 206 via a PCI bus. The ASIC 206 is also connected to a host PC and a network (not shown).

  A local memory (MEM-C) 207 is a memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer.

  The external storage device 208 is a storage device such as an HDD, an SD card, or a flash memory, and is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms.

<Functional configuration of print processing system>
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of an authentication server, a print server, an image forming apparatus, and a charging terminal that constitute the print processing system according to the first embodiment. The functional configuration of each device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the authentication server 10, the print server 20, the image forming apparatus 30, and the charging terminal 40 are configured to be able to perform data communication via the network 1.

<< Functional configuration of authentication server >>
The authentication server 10 includes a transmission / reception unit 11, an authentication request processing unit 12 (authentication processing unit), a user inquiry unit 13, and a restriction type inquiry unit 14. The authentication request processing unit 12, the user inquiry unit 13, and the restriction type inquiry unit 14 are functions or means realized by operating according to instructions from the CPU 101 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 102 shown in FIG.

  The authentication server 10 includes a user information storage unit 15 (third storage unit) and a device information storage unit 16 (first storage unit). Each storage unit described above is a storage unit realized by the HDD 104 illustrated in FIG.

  The transmission / reception unit 11 is realized by the network interface 105 illustrated in FIG. 2, and transmits / receives various data to / from the print server 20 and the image forming apparatus 30 via the network 1.

  The authentication request processing unit 12 refers to a user information management table 1501 (see FIG. 5 described later) stored in the user information storage unit 15 and determines whether authentication information received from the image forming apparatus 30 exists. Execute the authentication process. The authentication request processing unit 12 approves a login request to the print processing system 500 to the user when authentication information exists. Then, the authentication request processing unit 12 issues an authentication ticket including an authentication ID, an expiration date, and a user name, and transmits the authentication ticket to the image forming apparatus 30. The authentication request processing unit 12 additionally registers the issued authentication ticket as a record in the authentication ticket management table 1502 (see FIG. 6 described later) stored in the user information storage unit 15.

  When the user inquiry unit 13 receives a user inquiry request from the print server 20, the user inquiry unit 13 refers to the authentication ticket management table 1502 stored in the user information storage unit 15, and whether the authentication ticket received together with the user inquiry request is registered. The user name of the record that is stored in the authentication ticket management table 1502 and matches the authentication ticket is extracted. The user inquiry unit 13 transmits the extracted user name to the print server 20. Further, when receiving a print related information request from the print server 20, the user inquiry unit 13 refers to a print related information management table 1503 (see FIG. 7 described later) stored in the user information storage unit 15 and print related information. The upper limit value and current value information (print related information) associated with the user name specified by the authentication ticket received together with the information request is extracted. The user inquiry unit 13 transmits the extracted print related information to the print server 20. Further, when receiving an update request from the print server 20, the user inquiry unit 13 refers to the print related information management table 1503 stored in the user information storage unit 15 and is specified by the authentication ticket received together with the update request. The current value associated with the user name is updated to the current value received with the update request.

  When receiving a print restriction inquiry request from the print server 20, the restriction type inquiry unit 14 refers to a print restriction type management table 1602 (see FIG. 9 described later) stored in the device information storage unit 16 and print restriction inquiry request. In addition, information on the type of printing restriction (printing restriction information) associated with the device ID received together is extracted. The restriction type inquiry unit 14 transmits the extracted print restriction information to the print server 20.

  FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a user information management table. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an authentication ticket management table. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a printing related information management table. The user information management table 1501, the authentication ticket management table 1502, and the print related information management table 1503 stored in the user information storage unit 15 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The user information storage unit 15 stores a user information management table 1501, an authentication ticket management table 1502, and a printing related information management table 1503 shown in FIGS.

  The user information management table 1501 is a table that manages a company code and a user name that specify a predetermined group including a specific image forming apparatus 30 in association with a password. For example, in the user information management table 1501 shown in FIG. 5, when the company code is “A” and the user name is “UserB”, the password is “bbb”.

  The authentication ticket management table 1502 is a table for appropriately adding and managing authentication tickets issued by the authentication request processing unit 12 of the authentication server 10. Specifically, the authentication ticket management table 1502 is a table for managing the authentication ticket expiration date and the user name in association with each authentication ID. For example, in the authentication ticket management table 1502 shown in FIG. 6, when the authentication ID is “ABCDEFGH”, the expiration date is “2012/01/01 13:00” and the user name is “UserA”. ing.

  The print related information management table 1503 is a table for managing the company code and the user name in association with the upper limit value and the current value that are print related information. For example, in the printing-related information management table 1503 shown in FIG. 7, when the company code is “A” and the user name is “UserB”, the upper limit value of the number of sheets that can be printed is “150”. It is indicated that the current value, which is the number of printed sheets, is “150”.

  FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus management table. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a print restriction type management table according to the first embodiment. The image forming apparatus management table 1601 and the print restriction type management table 1602 stored in the device information storage unit 16 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The device information storage unit 16 stores an image forming apparatus management table 1601 and a print restriction type management table 1602 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, respectively.

  The image forming apparatus management table 1601 is a table for managing a company code and an apparatus name in association with each device ID. For example, in the image forming apparatus management table 1601 shown in FIG. 8, when the device ID is “2”, the predetermined group that includes the device is the group indicated by the company code “A”, and the device of the device The name is “MFP Z7500”.

  The print restriction type management table 1602 is a table for managing the print restriction types in association with each device ID. For example, in the print restriction type management table 1602 shown in FIG. 9, when the device ID is “1”, it is indicated that the print restriction type imposed on the device indicated by the device ID is “upper limit management”. Yes.

<< Functional configuration of print server >>
The print server 20 includes a transmission / reception unit 21, a data list request processing unit 22, a restriction type determination unit 23 (request reception unit, first processing unit, first request reception unit, print restriction processing unit), and data request processing unit. 24 (first acquisition means, second processing means, third processing means, second request reception means, print data processing means), upper limit calculation section 25 (first calculation means), and billing calculation section 26 (second calculation) Means, code issuing means, second request receiving means). The data list request processing unit 22, the restriction type determination unit 23, the data request processing unit 24, the upper limit calculation unit 25, and the billing calculation unit 26 operate according to instructions from the CPU 101 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 102 shown in FIG. It is a function or means realized by doing.

  The print server 20 also has a data storage unit 27 (second storage means, fifth storage means). The data storage unit 27 is a storage unit realized by the HDD 104 illustrated in FIG.

  The transmission / reception unit 21 is realized by the network interface 105 illustrated in FIG. 2, and transmits / receives various data to / from the authentication server 10, the image forming apparatus 30, and the charging terminal 40 via the network 1.

  When receiving the data list acquisition request from the image forming apparatus 30, the data list request processing unit 22 receives the authentication list from the authentication server 10 in order to query the user name based on the authentication ticket received together with the data list acquisition request. A user inquiry request is transmitted together with the authentication ticket. In addition, the data list request processing unit 22 refers to a print data management table 2701 (see FIG. 10 described later) stored in the data storage unit 27, and the document ID associated with the user name received from the authentication server 10. Then, extract the document name and create a data list. The data list request processing unit 22 transmits the created data list to the image forming apparatus 30.

  When receiving a print restriction acquisition request from the image forming apparatus 30, the restriction type determination unit 23 makes a print restriction inquiry that inquires the authentication server 10 for information on the print restriction type associated with the device ID together with the device ID. Send a request. In addition, the restriction type determination unit 23 transmits the print restriction information received from the authentication server 10 to the image forming apparatus 30.

  When receiving the upper limit management print request from the image forming apparatus 30, the data request processing unit 24 sends the upper limit value of the number of prints associated with the user name specified by the authentication ticket to the authentication server 10 together with the authentication ticket. And a print-related information request for requesting information on the current value. As will be described later, the data request processing unit 24 refers to the print data management table 2701 of the data storage unit 27 when the upper limit calculation unit 25 determines that the number of prints is within the upper limit value, and sets the document ID. Print data of the document specified by the associated document name is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 30. When the data request processing unit 24 receives a data acquisition request for requesting print data from the image forming apparatus 30, the device ID received together with the data acquisition request matches the device ID received by the restriction type determining unit 23. Judge whether to do. If both device IDs match, the data request processing unit 24 refers to the pin code management table 2702 (see FIG. 11 described later) stored in the data storage unit 27 and determines the pin code received together with the data acquisition request. The associated document ID is extracted. The data request processing unit 24 refers to the print data management table 2701 stored in the data storage unit 27, and sends the print data of the document specified by the document name associated with the extracted document ID to the image forming apparatus 30. Send. The data request processing unit 24 deletes the record corresponding to the pin code received together with the data acquisition request from the pin code management table 2702 stored in the data storage unit 27.

  The upper limit calculation unit 25 determines whether or not the upper limit value is within the upper limit value from the document information (number of copies, etc.) received by the data request processing unit 24 and the upper limit value and the current value indicated by the printing related information. Specifically, the upper limit calculation unit 25 determines whether or not the sum of the number of printed sheets obtained from the document information (number of copies, etc.) and the current value is within the upper limit value. Further, when the upper limit calculation unit 25 receives a print log including the number of documents for which print processing has been executed together with the authentication ticket from the image forming apparatus 30, the user name indicated by the authentication ticket is determined from the number of documents indicated by the print log. The current value of the number of printed sheets corresponding to is calculated. The upper limit calculation unit 25 transmits an update request for requesting an update of the current value of the number of prints associated with the user name specified by the authentication ticket together with the calculated current value and the authentication ticket to the authentication server 10. .

  When a charge printing request is received from the image forming apparatus 30, the charge calculation unit 26 calculates the number of prints from the document information (number of copies, etc.) received together with the charge print request. The billing calculation unit 26 refers to a billing table (not shown) stored in the data storage unit 27 and obtains a billing amount for billing the user from the number of printed sheets. The billing calculation unit 26 transmits billing amount information to the image forming apparatus 30. In addition, when the billing calculation unit 26 receives a billing completion notification from the billing terminal 40, the billing calculation unit 26 issues a pin code composed of random characters or numbers. The billing calculator 26 additionally registers the issued pin code as a record in the pin code management table 2702 (see FIG. 11 described later) stored in the data storage unit 27 in association with the document ID and the device ID. The charging calculation unit 26 transmits the issued pin code to the charging terminal 40.

  FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a print data management table. FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing a pin code management table. The print data management table 2701 and pin code management table 2702 stored in the data storage unit 27 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The data storage unit 27 stores a print data management table 2701 and a pin code management table 2702 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, respectively.

  The print data management table 2701 is a table for managing a company code, a user name, and a document name in association with each document ID. For example, in the print data management table 2701 shown in FIG. 10, when the document ID is “2”, the company code is “B”, the user name is “UserC”, and the document name is “report.pdf”. It has been shown.

  A record is added to the pin code management table 2702 whenever a pin code is issued by the billing calculation unit 26, and print data of a document specified by the pin code is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 30 by the data request processing unit 24. In this case, the record corresponding to the pin code is deleted. Specifically, the pin code management table 2702 is a table that manages the document ID and the device ID in association with each pin code. For example, in the pin code management table 2702 shown in FIG. 11, when the pin code is “9231ABDe521”, the document ID is “4” and the device ID is “2”.

<< Functional Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus >>
The image forming apparatus 30 includes a transmission / reception unit 31, an authentication request unit 32, a data list request unit 33, a restriction determination request unit 34, and a data request unit 35. The authentication request unit 32, the data list request unit 33, the restriction determination request unit 34, and the data request unit 35 are realized by operating according to instructions from the CPU 201 according to a program stored in the system memory 202 shown in FIG. Function or means.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 30 includes a printing unit 36. The printing unit 36 is an engine unit realized by the plotter 231 shown in FIG.

  The transmission / reception unit 31 is realized by the network interface 204b shown in FIG. 3 and transmits / receives various data to / from the authentication server 10, the print server 20, and the billing terminal 40 via the network 1.

  The authentication request unit 32 transmits authentication information (company code, user name, and password) input by the user via the operation display unit 210 to the authentication server 10. The authentication request unit 32 receives an authentication ticket including an authentication ID, an expiration date, and a user name from the authentication server 10.

  The data list request unit 33 transmits a data list acquisition request to the print server 20 together with the authentication ticket. The data list request unit 33 causes the operation display unit 210 to display the data list received from the print server 20.

  The restriction determination request unit 34 transmits a print restriction type acquisition request for requesting acquisition of a print restriction type together with the authentication ticket and the device ID to the print server 20. The restriction determination request unit 34 determines whether the type of printing restriction indicated by the printing restriction information received from the print server 20 is upper limit management printing or charge printing.

  The data request unit 35 transmits an upper limit management print request for requesting execution of upper limit management printing together with the document ID of the document selected and operated by the user, the number of copies set and the authentication ticket, to the print server 20. When the upper limit calculation unit 25 determines that the number of prints is within the upper limit, the data request unit 35 is associated with the document ID from the print server 20 in the print data management table 2701 stored in the data storage unit 27. Receives print data of a document specified by a document name. In addition, the data request unit 35 transmits to the print server 20 a charge print request for requesting execution of charge print, together with the document ID of the document selected and operated by the user, the number of set operations and the authentication ticket. The data request unit 35 transmits to the billing terminal 40 information on the billing amount received from the print server 20 together with the authentication ticket, document ID, and device ID. In addition, the data request unit 35 transmits a data acquisition request for requesting print data to the print server 20 together with the authentication ticket, the device ID, and the pin code received from the charging terminal 40. In addition, the data request unit 35 receives print data of a document specified by the document name associated with the document ID in the pin code management table 2702 stored in the data storage unit 27 from the data request processing unit 24.

  The printing unit 36 executes print processing based on the print data received by the data request unit 35.

<< Functional configuration of billing terminal >>
The billing terminal 40 includes a transmission / reception unit 41, a billing display unit 42, a billing determination unit 43 (determination unit), and a pin code notification unit 44. The charging display unit 42, the charging determination unit 43, and the pin code notification unit 44 are functions or means realized by operating according to commands from the CPU according to a program stored in a ROM (not shown) or the like.

  The transmission / reception unit 41 is realized by a network interface (not shown), and transmits / receives various data to / from the print server 20 and the image forming apparatus 30 via the network 1.

  The billing display unit 42 displays the billing amount based on the billing amount information received from the image forming apparatus 30.

  The charging determination unit 43 determines whether or not the amount input by the user is equal to or greater than the charging amount. The charging determination unit 43 transmits a charging completion notification together with the authentication ticket, the document ID, and the device ID to the print server 20 when the input amount is equal to or more than the charging amount.

  The pin code notification unit 44 transmits the pin code received from the print server 20 to the image forming apparatus 30.

<Printing operation of print processing system>
FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of print processing of the print processing system according to the first embodiment. A printing operation of the print processing system 500 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the authentication server 10, the print server 20, the image forming apparatus 30, and the billing terminal 40 exchange data with each other via the transmission / reception unit 11, the transmission / reception unit 21, the transmission / reception unit 31, and the transmission / reception unit 41, respectively. The description of each transmitting / receiving unit is omitted.

<< Step S11 >>
The user 60 inputs authentication information (company code, user name, and password) via the operation display unit 210 of the image forming apparatus 30 and performs a login request operation.

<< Step S12 >>
The authentication request unit 32 of the image forming apparatus 30 transmits the authentication information input by the user 60 to the authentication request processing unit 12 of the authentication server 10.

<< Step S13 >>
The authentication request processing unit 12 of the authentication server 10 refers to the user information management table 1501 (see FIG. 5) stored in the user information storage unit 15 and determines whether or not the received authentication information exists. Execute. If the authentication information exists, the authentication request processing unit 12 approves a login request to the print processing system 500 for the user 60.

<< Step S14 >>
The authentication request processing unit 12 of the authentication server 10 issues an authentication ticket including an authentication ID, an expiration date, and a user name, and transmits the authentication ticket to the authentication request unit 32. The authentication request processing unit 12 additionally registers the issued authentication ticket as a record in the authentication ticket management table 1502 (see FIG. 6) stored in the user information storage unit 15.

<< Step S15 >>
The data list request unit 33 of the image forming apparatus 30 transmits a data list acquisition request together with the authentication ticket to the data list request processing unit 22 of the print server 20.

<< Step S16 >>
The data list request processing unit 22 transmits a user inquiry request together with the received authentication ticket to the user inquiry unit 13 of the authentication server 10 in order to inquire the user name based on the received authentication ticket.

<< Step S17 >>
The user inquiry unit 13 refers to the authentication ticket management table 1502 stored in the user information storage unit 15 to check whether the received authentication ticket is registered, and is stored in the authentication ticket management table 1502 and received. The user name of the record that matches is extracted. The user inquiry unit 13 transmits the extracted user name to the data list request processing unit 22.

<< Step S18 >>
The data list request processing unit 22 refers to the print data management table 2701 (see FIG. 10) stored in the data storage unit 27, extracts the document ID and document name associated with the received user name, Create a data list.

<< Step S19 >>
The data list request processing unit 22 transmits the created data list to the data list request unit 33.

<< Step S20 >>
The data list request unit 33 causes the operation display unit 210 to display the received data list.

<< Step S21 >>
The user 60 selects and operates a document for which printing is requested from the data list displayed on the operation display unit 210 via the operation display unit 210 and sets the number of copies to be printed.

<< Step S22 >>
The user 60 performs a print request operation for printing the selected document via the operation display unit 210.

<< Step S23 >>
The restriction determination request unit 34 of the image forming apparatus 30 transmits a print restriction acquisition request for requesting acquisition of the print restriction type together with the authentication ticket and the device ID to the restriction type determination unit 23 of the print server 20.

<< Step S24 >>
The restriction type determination unit 23 transmits, to the restriction type inquiry unit 14 of the authentication server 10, a print restriction inquiry request for inquiring information about the print restriction type associated with the device ID together with the device ID.

<< Step S25 >>
The restriction type inquiry unit 14 refers to the print restriction type management table 1602 (see FIG. 9) stored in the device information storage unit 16, and information on the print restriction type associated with the received device ID (print restriction information). To extract.

  In the print restriction type management table 1602, as shown in FIG. 9, a record is configured by associating the print restriction type with the device ID, and the restriction type inquiry unit 14 extracts the print restriction information associated with the device ID. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is assumed that the print restriction type is not limited to the device ID, that is, determined for each image forming apparatus 30 but is determined for each company code that specifies a predetermined group including the specific image forming apparatus 30. Is done. Therefore, the print restriction type management table 1602 may be configured such that a record is formed by associating a print restriction type with a company code instead of a device ID. In this case, first, in step S25, the restriction type inquiry unit 14 refers to the image forming apparatus management table 1601 (see FIG. 8) stored in the device information storage unit 16, and is associated with the received device ID. Extract the code. Then, the restriction type inquiring unit 14 may refer to the printing restriction type management table 1602 and extract information on printing restriction types (print restriction information) associated with the extracted company code.

<< Step S26 >>
The restriction type inquiry unit 14 transmits the extracted print restriction information to the restriction type determination unit 23.

<< Step S27 >>
The restriction type determination unit 23 transmits the received print restriction information to the restriction determination request unit 34.

<< Step S28 >>
The restriction determination request unit 34 determines whether the type of printing restriction indicated by the received printing restriction information is upper limit management printing or charge printing. If it is upper limit management printing (step S28: upper limit management), the process proceeds to step S29. If it is charging printing (step S28: charging), the process proceeds to step S40.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the upper limit management printing will be described in steps S29 to S39.

<< Step S29 >>
The data requesting unit 35 of the image forming apparatus 30 performs the upper limit management printing for the data request processing unit 24 of the print server 20 together with the document ID of the document selected and operated in step S21, the number of copies set and the authentication ticket. An upper limit management print request for execution is transmitted.

<< Step S30 >>
The data request processing unit 24 requests the user inquiry unit 13 to request the information on the upper limit value and the current value of the upper limit management printing associated with the user name specified by the authentication ticket together with the authentication ticket. Send related information request.

<< Step S31 >>
The user inquiry unit 13 refers to the print related information management table 1503 (see FIG. 7) stored in the user information storage unit 15, and the upper limit value and the current value associated with the user name specified by the received authentication ticket. Information (printing related information) is extracted. The user inquiry unit 13 transmits the extracted print related information to the data request processing unit 24.

<< Steps S32 and S33 >>
The upper limit calculation unit 25 of the print server 20 determines whether or not the document information (number of copies, etc.) received by the data request processing unit 24 falls within the upper limit value from the upper limit value and the current value indicated by the print related information. To do. Specifically, the upper limit calculation unit 25 determines whether or not the sum of the number of printed sheets obtained from the document information (number of copies, etc.) and the current value is within the upper limit value.

<< Step S34 >>
When the upper limit calculation unit 25 determines that the number of printed sheets is within the upper limit value, the data request processing unit 24 refers to the print data management table 2701 stored in the data storage unit 27 and refers to the document associated with the document ID. The print data of the document specified by the name is transmitted to the data request unit 35.

<< Step S35 >>
The printing unit 36 of the image forming apparatus 30 executes a printing process based on the print data received by the data request unit 35.

<< Step S36 >>
After executing the printing process, the image forming apparatus 30 transmits a print log including the number of documents subjected to the printing process to the upper limit calculating unit 25 together with the authentication ticket.

<< Step S37 >>
The upper limit calculation unit 25 calculates the current value of the number of prints corresponding to the user name indicated by the authentication ticket from the number of documents indicated by the received print log.

<< Step S38 >>
The upper limit calculation unit 25 transmits an update request for requesting the user inquiry unit 13 to update the current value of the number of prints associated with the user name specified by the authentication ticket together with the calculated current value and the authentication ticket. To do.

<< Step S39 >>
The user inquiry unit 13 refers to the print related information management table 1503 stored in the user information storage unit 15 and updates the current value associated with the user name specified by the received authentication ticket to the received current value. To do.

  Next, the charging printing operation will be described in steps S40 to S54.

<< Step S40 >>
The data requesting unit 35 of the image forming apparatus 30 executes charging printing with the charging calculation unit 26 of the print server 20 together with the document ID of the document selected and operated in step S21, the number of copies set and the authentication ticket. Send the requested billing print request.

<< Step S41 >>
The accounting calculation unit 26 of the print server 20 calculates the number of printed sheets from the received document information (number of copies, etc.). Then, the billing calculation unit 26 refers to a billing table (not shown) stored in the data storage unit 27 and obtains a billing amount for billing the user 60 from the number of printed sheets.

  The billing table may be configured, for example, by a record in which the company code is associated with an amount (unit amount) per sheet of printing paper. In this case, the accounting calculation unit 26 refers to the print data management table 2701 stored in the data storage unit 27 and extracts the company code associated with the user name specified by the received authentication ticket. Then, the billing calculator 26 refers to the billing table described above, extracts the amount per print sheet associated with the extracted company code, and charges the user 60 based on this amount. What is necessary is just to obtain a charge amount.

  In addition, the billing table may be constituted by a record in which the device ID is associated with the amount of money per printing sheet instead of the company code. In this case, in step S40, when the data request unit 35 transmits a charging print request to the charging calculation unit 26, the data request unit 35 may transmit the device ID together. Then, the billing calculation unit 26 refers to the billing table described above, extracts the amount per print sheet associated with the received device ID, and charges the user 60 based on this amount. What is necessary is just to obtain a charge amount.

  In the accounting table described above, the data associated with the company code may be associated not only with the amount per printing sheet but also with the amount according to the printing color, the sheet size, and the like.

<< Step S42 >>
The billing calculation unit 26 transmits billing amount information to the data request unit 35.

<< Step S43 >>
The data request unit 35 transmits the received billing amount information to the billing terminal 40 together with the authentication ticket, document ID, and device ID.

<< Step S44 >>
The billing display unit 42 of the billing terminal 40 displays the billing amount based on the received billing amount information.

<< Step S45 >>
The user 60 inserts money according to the charge amount displayed on the charge display unit 42. At this time, as a method of paying gold, it is possible to insert cash, or to pay by IC card.

<< Step S46 >>
The billing determination unit 43 of the billing terminal 40 determines whether the amount input by the user 60 is equal to or greater than the billing amount.

<< Step S47 >>
When the charged amount is equal to or greater than the billing amount, the billing determination unit 43 transmits a billing completion notification together with the authentication ticket, document ID, and device ID to the billing calculation unit 26.

<< Step S48 >>
When the billing calculation unit 26 receives the billing completion notification, the billing calculation unit 26 issues a pin code composed of random characters or numbers. The accounting calculation unit 26 additionally registers the issued pin code as a record in the pin code management table 2702 (see FIG. 11) stored in the data storage unit 27 in association with the document ID and the device ID.

<< Step S49 >>
The billing calculation unit 26 transmits the issued pin code to the pin code notification unit 44 of the billing terminal 40.

<< Step S50 >>
The pin code notification unit 44 transmits the received pin code to the data request unit 35.

<< Step S51 >>
The data request unit 35 transmits a data acquisition request for requesting print data together with the authentication ticket, the device ID, and the received pin code to the data request processing unit 24 of the print server 20.

<< Step S52 >>
The data request processing unit 24 determines whether or not the received device ID matches the device ID received by the restriction type determination unit 23 in step S23.

<< Step S53 >>
When the two device IDs match, the data request processing unit 24 refers to the pin code management table 2702 stored in the data storage unit 27 and extracts the document ID associated with the received pin code. Next, the data request processing unit 24 refers to the print data management table 2701 stored in the data storage unit 27, and prints the print data of the document specified by the document name associated with the extracted document ID. To the unit 35. Then, the data request processing unit 24 deletes the record corresponding to the received pin code from the pin code management table 2702 stored in the data storage unit 27.

<< Step S54 >>
The printing unit 36 executes print processing based on the print data received by the data request unit 35.

  As described above, the print server 20 transmits the device ID, which is its own ID received from the image forming device 30, to the authentication server 10, so that the types of printing restrictions imposed on the image forming device 30 indicated by the device ID are transmitted. Get information (print restriction information). The image forming apparatus 30 determines whether to execute upper limit management printing or charge printing based on the print restriction information received from the print server 20. As a result, the type of printing restriction can be changed for the printing operation of the image forming apparatus according to the printing location. In particular, the type of printing restrictions imposed on an image forming apparatus can be changed according to the location where the image forming apparatus is installed, so the cloud print service is applied to a print processing system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses. Easy to do.

  Note that although the authentication server 10 transmits the print restriction information corresponding to the device ID to the image forming apparatus 30 via the print server 20, as described above, the print restriction type management table 1602 includes the company code. May be managed in association with the print restriction information. Then, the authentication server 10 may transmit print restriction information corresponding to the company code to the image forming apparatus 30 via the print server 20. Thus, the printing operation of the image forming apparatus 30 can change the type of printing restriction for each predetermined group indicated by the company code.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 30 receives an authentication ticket when the authentication process is executed in the authentication server 10, and then adds an authentication ticket when data is transmitted to the authentication server 10, the print server 20, and the charging terminal 40. Then send. As a result, it is proved that the data accompanied by the authentication ticket transmitted from the image forming apparatus 30 is data based on the fact that the user has logged in to the print processing system and has been authenticated. Data security can be ensured.

  In charge printing, the print server 20 issues and transmits a pin code composed of random characters or numbers to the image forming apparatus 30 and returns print data based on the pin code. It is supposed to be. Further, the pin code is deleted once print data is transmitted from the print server 20 to the image forming apparatus 30. Accordingly, the print server 20 can transmit the print data to the image forming apparatus 30 in the enhanced security environment based on the pin code, and can protect the print data with high certainty. In addition, when the print server 20 transmits the associated print data directly by the document ID, if the document ID is acquired by a third party by some means, the print data may be taken in any number of times. is there. However, since the pin code is once deleted after the print data is transmitted from the print server 20 to the image forming apparatus 30, acquisition of the print data by a third party can be avoided.

  Further, when the print server 20 calculates the charge amount according to the charge print request from the image forming apparatus 30, the charge amount is calculated based on the unit amount associated with the company code or the device ID. . As a result, in the print processing system, when it is desired to charge with a charging system determined for each company code, that is, for each predetermined group, or charged with a charging system determined for each device ID, that is, for each image forming apparatus. If it is desired to do so, the user can charge for the print processing system upon request.

(Second Embodiment)
The print processing system according to the second embodiment will be described focusing on differences from the configuration and operation of the print processing system 500 according to the first embodiment.

<Overall configuration of print processing system>
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a print processing system according to the second embodiment. The overall configuration of the print processing system 500a according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the print processing system 500a includes an authentication server 10 (information processing apparatus), a print server 20 (information processing apparatus), an image forming apparatus 30a, an image forming apparatus 30b, a charging terminal 40, and a print information management server 50. It is comprised including.

  The authentication server 10 and the print server 20 are provided as a cloud service. The authentication server 10 is a device that holds user authentication information, device information, and the like, and provides authentication processing for the user and information about the user and the device. Unlike the first embodiment, the authentication server 10 does not hold print-related information. The print server 20 is an apparatus that stores print data and distributes the print data in response to a request.

  The image forming apparatus 30 a belonging to the private network and the image forming apparatus 30 b belonging to the public network are apparatuses that acquire print data from the print server 20 and print it. The billing terminal 40 is a terminal that displays a charge for printing to the user based on printing conditions such as the number of printed sheets and charges the user.

  The print information management server 50 belongs to a private network, holds print related information, and provides print related information in response to a request from the image forming apparatus 30.

  In FIG. 13, one print information management server 50 belonging to the private network is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of print information management servers 50 may be provided.

<Hardware configuration>
The hardware configuration of the authentication server 10, the print server 20, and the image forming apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. The hardware configuration of the print information management server 50 is the same as that of the authentication server 10 and the print server 20 shown in FIG.

<Functional configuration of print processing system>
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of an authentication server, a print server, an image forming apparatus, a charging terminal, and a print information management server that constitute a print processing system according to the second embodiment. The functional configuration of each device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The functional configuration of the charging terminal 40 is the same as the functional configuration of the charging terminal 40 of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the authentication server 10, the print server 20, the image forming apparatus 30, the charging terminal 40, and the print information management server 50 are configured to be able to perform data communication via the network 1.

<< Functional configuration of authentication server >>
The authentication server 10 includes a transmission / reception unit 11, an authentication request processing unit 12 (authentication processing unit), a user inquiry unit 13, a restriction type inquiry unit 14, and an acquisition destination inquiry unit 17. The authentication request processing unit 12, the user inquiry unit 13, the restriction type inquiry unit 14, and the acquisition destination inquiry unit 17 are realized by operating according to instructions from the CPU 101 according to a program stored in the ROM 102 shown in FIG. It is a function or means.

  The authentication server 10 includes a user information storage unit 15 and a device information storage unit 16 (first storage unit, fourth storage unit). Each storage unit described above is a storage unit realized by the HDD 104 illustrated in FIG.

  The transmission / reception unit 11 is realized by the network interface 105 illustrated in FIG. 2, and transmits / receives various data to / from the print server 20, the image forming apparatus 30, and the print information management server 50 via the network 1.

  The authentication request processing unit 12 is the same as the authentication request processing unit 12 of the first embodiment.

  When the user inquiry unit 13 receives a user inquiry request from the authentication server 10, the user inquiry unit 13 refers to the authentication ticket management table 1502 stored in the user information storage unit 15, and whether the authentication ticket received together with the user inquiry request is registered. The user name of the record that is stored in the authentication ticket management table 1502 and matches the authentication ticket is extracted. The user inquiry unit 13 transmits the extracted user name to the print server 20. Further, the user inquiry unit 13 refers to the authentication ticket management table 1502 (see FIG. 6) stored in the user information storage unit 15 to confirm whether the authentication ticket received from the print information management server 50 is registered, The user name of the record that is stored in the authentication ticket management table 1502 and matches the received authentication ticket is extracted. The user inquiry unit 13 transmits the extracted user name to the print information management server 50.

  When receiving a print restriction inquiry request from the print server 20, the restriction type inquiry unit 14 refers to a print restriction type management table 1602a (see FIG. 15 described later) stored in the device information storage unit 16, and print restriction inquiry request. In addition, information on the type of printing restriction (printing restriction information) associated with the device ID received together is extracted. The restriction type inquiry unit 14 transmits the extracted print restriction information to the print server 20.

  The user information storage unit 15 stores a user information management table 1501 and an authentication ticket management table 1502. The data configurations of the user information management table 1501 and the authentication ticket management table 1502 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a print restriction type management table according to the second embodiment. The image forming apparatus management table 1601 and the print restriction type management table 1602a stored in the device information storage unit 16 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The device information storage unit 16 stores an image forming apparatus management table 1601 and a print restriction type management table 1602a.

  The data structure of the image forming apparatus management table 1601 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  The print restriction type management table 1602a is a table that manages the print restriction type and the print related information acquisition destination in association with each device ID. For example, in the print restriction type management table 1602a shown in FIG. 15, when the device ID is “5”, the print restriction type imposed on the device indicated by the device ID is “upper limit management”, and printing related to the device is related. It is indicated that the URL of the print information management server 50 that is the information acquisition destination is “onpremise.xxx.co.jp”.

<< Functional configuration of print server >>
The print server 20 includes a transmission / reception unit 21, a data list request processing unit 22, a restriction type determination unit 23 (request reception unit, first processing unit, first request reception unit, print restriction processing unit), and data request processing unit. 24 (second processing means, third processing means, second request receiving means, print data processing means), upper limit calculation section 25 (first calculation means), and billing calculation section 26 (second calculation means, second request means) Receiving means) and an acquisition destination request processing unit 28 (second acquisition means). The data list request processing unit 22, the restriction type determination unit 23, the data request processing unit 24, the upper limit calculation unit 25, the billing calculation unit 26, and the acquisition destination request processing unit 28 follow a program stored in the ROM 102 shown in FIG. It is a function or means realized by operating according to a command from the CPU 101.

  The print server 20 also has a data storage unit 27 (second storage means, fifth storage means). The data storage unit 27 is a storage unit realized by the HDD 104 illustrated in FIG.

  The transmission / reception unit 21 is realized by the network interface 105 illustrated in FIG. 2, and transmits / receives various data to / from the authentication server 10, the image forming apparatus 30, the charging terminal 40, and the print information management server 50 via the network 1.

  The data list request processing unit 22 and the restriction type determination unit 23 are the same as the data list request processing unit 22 and the restriction type determination unit 23 of the first embodiment, respectively.

  As will be described later, when the upper limit calculation unit 25 determines that the number of printed sheets is within the upper limit value, the data request processing unit 24 stores the print data management table 2701 (see FIG. 10) stored in the data storage unit 27. The print data of the document identified by the document name associated with the document ID is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 30. When the data request processing unit 24 receives a data acquisition request for requesting print data from the image forming apparatus 30, the device ID received together with the data acquisition request matches the device ID received by the restriction type determining unit 23. Judge whether to do. If both device IDs match, the data request processing unit 24 refers to the pin code management table 2702 (see FIG. 11) stored in the data storage unit 27 and associates it with the pin code received together with the data acquisition request. The document ID is extracted. The data request processing unit 24 refers to the print data management table 2701 stored in the data storage unit 27, and sends the print data of the document specified by the document name associated with the extracted document ID to the image forming apparatus 30. Send. The data request processing unit 24 deletes the record corresponding to the pin code received together with the data acquisition request from the pin code management table 2702 stored in the data storage unit 27.

  The upper limit calculation unit 25 determines whether or not the upper limit value is within the upper limit value from the document information (number of copies, etc.) received by the data request processing unit 24 and the upper limit value and the current value indicated by the printing related information. Specifically, the upper limit calculation unit 25 determines whether or not the sum of the number of printed sheets obtained from the document information (number of copies, etc.) and the current value is within the upper limit value. Further, when the upper limit calculation unit 25 receives a print log including the number of documents for which print processing has been executed together with the authentication ticket from the image forming apparatus 30, the user name indicated by the authentication ticket is determined from the number of documents indicated by the print log. The current value of the number of printed sheets corresponding to is calculated. The upper limit calculation unit 25 issues an update request for requesting the print information management server 50 to update the current value of the number of prints associated with the user name specified by the authentication ticket together with the calculated current value and the authentication ticket. Send.

  The charging calculation unit 26 is the same as the charging calculation unit 26 of the first embodiment.

  The data storage unit 27 stores a print data management table 2701 (see FIG. 10) and a pin code management table 2702 (see FIG. 11). The data structures of the print data management table 2701 and the pin code management table 2702 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  When the acquisition destination request processing unit 28 receives the acquisition destination acquisition request for requesting the acquisition destination of the print related information together with the device ID and the authentication ticket from the image forming apparatus 30, the acquisition destination request processing unit 28 sends the authentication server 10 with the device ID and An acquisition destination inquiry request for inquiring about a print related information acquisition destination associated with the device ID is transmitted. In addition, the acquisition destination request processing unit 28 transmits the acquisition destination URL received from the authentication server 10 to the image forming apparatus 30.

<< Functional Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus >>
The image forming apparatus 30 includes a transmission / reception unit 31, an authentication request unit 32, a data list request unit 33, a restriction determination request unit 34, a data request unit 35, an acquisition destination request unit 37, and a print information request unit 38 ( First acquisition means). The authentication request unit 32, data list request unit 33, restriction determination request unit 34, data request unit 35, acquisition destination request unit 37, and print information request unit 38 follow a program stored in the system memory 202 shown in FIG. It is a function or means realized by operating according to a command from the CPU 201.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 30 includes a printing unit 36. The printing unit 36 is an engine unit realized by the plotter 231 shown in FIG.

  The transmission / reception unit 31 is realized by the network interface 204b illustrated in FIG. 3, and transmits / receives various data to / from the authentication server 10, the print server 20, the charging terminal 40, and the print information management server 50 via the network 1.

  The authentication request unit 32, the data list request unit 33, and the restriction determination request unit 34 are the same as the authentication request unit 32, the data list request unit 33, and the restriction determination request unit 34 of the first embodiment, respectively.

  When the upper limit calculation unit 25 determines that the number of prints is within the upper limit, the data request unit 35 receives a document from the print server 20 in the print data management table 2701 (see FIG. 10) stored in the data storage unit 27. Print data of a document specified by a document name associated with the ID is received. In addition, the data request unit 35 transmits to the print server 20 a charging print request for requesting execution of charging printing together with the document ID of the document selected and operated by the user 60, the number of copies set and the authentication ticket. . The data request unit 35 transmits to the billing terminal 40 information on the billing amount received from the print server 20 together with the authentication ticket, document ID, and device ID. In addition, the data request unit 35 transmits a data acquisition request for requesting print data to the print server 20 together with the authentication ticket, the device ID, and the pin code received from the charging terminal 40. In addition, the data request unit 35 receives print data of a document specified by the document name associated with the document ID in the pin code management table 2702 stored in the data storage unit 27 from the data request processing unit 24.

  The printing unit 36 is the same as the printing unit 36 of the first embodiment.

  The acquisition destination request unit 37 transmits an acquisition destination acquisition request for requesting an acquisition destination of printing related information to the print server 20 together with the device ID and the authentication ticket. In addition, the acquisition destination request unit 37 receives the acquisition destination URL from the print server 20.

  The print information request unit 38 requests the print information management server 50 for information on the upper limit value and the current value of the number of prints in upper limit management printing associated with the user name specified by the authentication ticket, together with the authentication ticket. Send a print-related information request. In addition, the print information request unit 38 sets an upper limit on the print server 20 together with the document ID selected and operated by the user 60, the number of set operations, the authentication ticket, and the print related information received from the print information management server 50. An upper limit management print request that requests execution of management printing is transmitted.

<< Functional configuration of print information management server >>
The print information management server 50 includes a transmission / reception unit 51, a print information request processing unit 52, and a print-related information storage unit 53 (third storage unit). The print information request processing unit 52 is a function or means realized by operating according to a command from the CPU 101 according to a program stored in the ROM 102 shown in FIG. The printing related information storage unit 53 is a storage unit realized by the HDD 104 illustrated in FIG.

  The transmission / reception unit 51 is realized by the network interface 105 illustrated in FIG. 2, and transmits / receives various data to / from the authentication server 10, the print server 20, and the image forming apparatus 30 via the network 1.

  The print information request processing unit 52 requests the information related to the upper limit value and the current value of the number of prints in upper limit management printing associated with the user name specified by the authentication ticket together with the authentication ticket from the image forming apparatus 30. When the request is received, a user inquiry request is transmitted together with the authentication ticket to the user inquiry unit 13 of the authentication server 10 in order to inquire the user name based on the authentication ticket. When the print information request processing unit 52 receives a user name from the authentication server 10, the print information request processing unit 52 refers to a print related information management table 5301 (see FIG. 16 described later) stored in the print related information storage unit 53, and receives the received user name. The information on the upper limit value and the current value (print related information) associated with the user name is extracted. The print information request processing unit 52 transmits the extracted print related information to the print information request unit 38. When the print information request processing unit 52 receives an update request for updating the current value of the number of printed sheets, the print information request processing unit 52 refers to the print related information management table 5301 stored in the print related information storage unit 53 and updates the request. The current value associated with the user name specified by the authentication ticket received together with the update request is updated to the current value received together with the update request.

  FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram showing a printing related information management table. The print related information management table 5301 stored in the print related information storage unit 53 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The print related information storage unit 53 stores a print related information management table 5301 shown in FIG. The data structure of the print related information management table 5301 is the same as the data structure of the print related information management table 1503 of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

<Printing operation of print processing system>
FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of print processing of the print processing system according to the second embodiment. A print operation of the print processing system 500a according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the authentication server 10, the print server 20, the image forming apparatus 30, the billing terminal 40, and the print information management server 50 transmit / receive data to / from each other, the transmission / reception unit 11, the transmission / reception unit 21, the transmission / reception unit 31, It shall be performed via the transmission / reception part 41 and the transmission / reception part 51, and description of each transmission / reception part is abbreviate | omitted.

  The login request operation by the user 60, the authentication process by the authentication server 10, the creation of the data list by the print server 20, and the operation of selecting a document from the data list by the user 60 are shown in FIG. 12 in the first embodiment. Since it is the same as S11 to S21, the description is omitted.

<< Step S101 >>
The user 60 performs a print request operation for printing the selected document via the operation display unit 210 of the image forming apparatus 30.

<< Step S102 >>
The restriction determination request unit 34 of the image forming apparatus 30 transmits a print restriction acquisition request for requesting acquisition of the print restriction type together with the authentication ticket and the device ID to the restriction type determination unit 23 of the print server 20.

<< Step S103 >>
The restriction type determination unit 23 transmits, to the restriction type inquiry unit 14 of the authentication server 10, a print restriction inquiry request for inquiring information about the print restriction type associated with the device ID together with the device ID.

<< Step S104 >>
The restriction type inquiry unit 14 refers to the print restriction type management table 1602a (see FIG. 15) stored in the device information storage unit 16, and information on the print restriction type (print restriction information) associated with the received device ID. To extract.

<< Step S105 >>
The restriction type inquiry unit 14 transmits the extracted print restriction information to the restriction type determination unit 23.

<< Step S106 >>
The restriction type determination unit 23 transmits the received print restriction information to the restriction determination request unit 34.

<< Step S107 >>
The restriction determination request unit 34 determines whether the type of printing restriction indicated by the received printing restriction information is upper limit management printing or charge printing. If it is upper limit management printing (step S107: upper limit management), the process proceeds to step S108. If it is charging printing (step S107: charging), the process proceeds to charging printing processing.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the upper limit management printing will be described in steps S108 to S126.

<< Step S108 >>
The acquisition destination request unit 37 of the image forming apparatus 30 transmits to the acquisition destination request processing unit 28 of the print server 20 an acquisition destination acquisition request for requesting the acquisition destination of the print related information together with the device ID and the authentication ticket.

<< Step S109 >>
The acquisition destination request processing unit 28 transmits to the acquisition destination inquiry unit 17 of the authentication server 10 an acquisition destination inquiry request for inquiring a print related information acquisition destination associated with the device ID together with the device ID.

<< Step S110 >>
The acquisition destination inquiry unit 17 refers to the print restriction type management table 1602a (see FIG. 15) stored in the device information storage unit 16, and acquires the print related information acquisition destination (acquisition destination URL) associated with the received device ID. To extract.

  In the print restriction type management table 1602a, as shown in FIG. 15, a record is formed by associating the print restriction type and the print related information acquisition destination with the device ID, and the restriction type inquiry unit 14 is associated with the device ID. Although the print restriction type is extracted and the acquisition destination inquiry unit 17 extracts the print related information acquisition destination associated with the device ID, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the print restriction type and the print-related information acquisition destination are not limited to device IDs, that is, those determined for each image forming apparatus 30, but for each company code that specifies a predetermined group including a specific image forming apparatus 30. It is also assumed that it is determined. Therefore, the print restriction type management table 1602a may be configured such that the print restriction type and the print related information acquisition destination are associated with the company code, not the device ID, and the record is configured. In this case, first, in step S104, the restriction type inquiry unit 14 refers to the image forming apparatus management table 1601 (see FIG. 8) stored in the device information storage unit 16, and is associated with the received device ID. Extract the code. Then, the restriction type inquiry unit 14 may extract information on printing restriction types (printing restriction information) associated with the extracted company code with reference to the printing restriction type management table 1602a. In step S110, the acquisition destination inquiry unit 17 refers to the image forming apparatus management table 1601 stored in the device information storage unit 16, and extracts a company code associated with the received device ID. Then, the acquisition destination inquiry unit 17 may extract the print related information acquisition destination associated with the extracted company code by referring to the print restriction type management table 1602a.

<< Step S111 >>
The acquisition destination inquiry unit 17 transmits the extracted acquisition destination URL to the acquisition destination request processing unit 28.

<< Step S112 >>
The acquisition destination request processing unit 28 transmits the received acquisition destination URL to the acquisition destination request unit 37.

<< Step S113 >>
The image forming apparatus 30 accesses the print information management server 50 based on the acquisition destination URL received by the acquisition destination request unit 37. Then, the print information request unit 38 of the image forming apparatus 30 sends the upper limit management print associated with the user name specified by the authentication ticket to the print information request processing unit 52 of the print information management server 50 together with the authentication ticket. A print-related information request for requesting information on the upper limit value and the current value of the number of printed sheets is transmitted.

<< Step S114 >>
The print information request processing unit 52 transmits a user inquiry request together with the received authentication ticket to the user inquiry unit 13 of the authentication server 10 in order to inquire the user name based on the received authentication ticket.

<< Step S115 >>
The user inquiry unit 13 refers to the authentication ticket management table 1502 (see FIG. 6) stored in the user information storage unit 15 to check whether the received authentication ticket is registered, and is stored in the authentication ticket management table 1502. The user name of the record that matches the received authentication ticket is extracted.

<< Step S116 >>
The user inquiry unit 13 transmits the extracted user name to the print information request processing unit 52.

<< Step S117 >>
The print information request processing unit 52 refers to the print related information management table 5301 (see FIG. 16) stored in the print related information storage unit 53, and information on the upper limit value and the current value associated with the received user name ( Print related information). The print information request processing unit 52 transmits the extracted print related information to the print information request unit 38.

<< Step S118 >>
The print information request unit 38 performs the upper limit management printing on the data request processing unit 24 of the print server 20 together with the document ID selected and operated by the user 60, the number of set operations, the authentication ticket, and the received print related information. An upper limit management print request for execution is transmitted.

<< Steps S119 and S120 >>
The upper limit calculation unit 25 of the print server 20 determines whether or not the document information (number of copies, etc.) received by the data request processing unit 24 falls within the upper limit value from the upper limit value and the current value indicated by the print related information. To do. Specifically, the upper limit calculation unit 25 determines whether or not the sum of the number of printed sheets obtained from the document information (number of copies, etc.) and the current value is within the upper limit value.

<< Step S121 >>
When the upper limit calculation unit 25 determines that the number of printed sheets is within the upper limit value, the data request processing unit 24 refers to the print data management table 2701 (see FIG. 10) stored in the data storage unit 27 and refers to the document ID. The print data of the document specified by the document name associated with is transmitted to the data request unit 35.

<< Step S122 >>
The printing unit 36 of the image forming apparatus 30 executes a printing process based on the print data received by the data request unit 35.

<< Step S123 >>
After executing the printing process, the image forming apparatus 30 transmits a print log including the number of documents subjected to the printing process to the upper limit calculating unit 25 together with the authentication ticket.

<< Step S124 >>
The upper limit calculation unit 25 calculates the current value of the number of prints corresponding to the user name indicated by the authentication ticket from the number of documents indicated by the received print log.

<< Step S125 >>
The print server 20 accesses the print information management server 50 based on the acquisition destination URL received in step S111. Then, the upper limit calculation unit 25 requests the print information request processing unit 52 to update the current value of the number of printed sheets associated with the user name specified by the authentication ticket together with the calculated current value and the authentication ticket. Send an update request.

<< Step S126 >>
The print information request processing unit 52 refers to the print related information management table 5301 stored in the print related information storage unit 53 and receives the current value associated with the user name specified by the received authentication ticket. Update to value.

  The charging printing operation is the same as steps S40 to S54 shown in FIG. 12 of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  As described above, the print related information such as the upper limit value and the current value of printing is stored and managed not by the cloud service but by the print information management server belonging to the private network. The image forming apparatus acquires the URL of the print information management server from the cloud service, accesses the print information management server based on the URL, and acquires print related information. As a result, by adopting an on-premise method of storing and managing information that is not to be placed in the cloud service for security purposes (in this case, print-related information) by storing it in a print information management server arranged in the private network, Security can be strengthened. Further, it can be stored in a server on a cloud service or stored on an on-premises server according to the security level or purpose of information.

  In the above-described embodiment, the system configuration using the private network and the public network has been described as an example. However, the network configuration is not limited to this. For example, all apparatuses may be in a private network or a public network, and the scope of application of the present invention is not limited by the configuration of the conceptual network area of the private network and the public network.

  In the above-described embodiment, the upper limit management printing and the charge printing for printing have been described as examples. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to printing applications. For example, scanning or OCR may be used, and other functions may be used. In other words, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited by the function to be used, and when using a certain function, as a method for restricting use (usage restricting method), upper limit management according to the usage amount or use management by accounting (billing) It is applicable to any usage form in which management is performed. Furthermore, the usage restriction method is not limited to the upper limit management and billing management, and even if there are other usage restriction methods according to usage, use restriction is made by a plurality of usage restriction methods including other usage restriction methods. The present invention is applicable to any use form (a use form that can perform at least use restriction by the first use restriction method and use restriction by the second use restriction method). Therefore, the print processing system in the above-described embodiment is an example of a network system to which the present invention can be applied, and the print data is an example of processing target data that is a function use target (processing target).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Network 10 Authentication server 11 Transmission / reception part 12 Authentication request processing part 13 User inquiry part 14 Restriction kind inquiry part 15 User information storage part 16 Equipment information storage part 17 Acquisition destination inquiry part 20 Print server 21 Transmission / reception part 22 Data list request | requirement processing part 23 Restriction type determination unit 24 Data request processing unit 25 Upper limit calculation unit 26 Charge calculation unit 27 Data storage unit 28 Acquisition destination request processing unit 30, 30a, 30b Image forming apparatus 31 Transmission / reception unit 32 Authentication request unit 33 Data list request unit 34 Limit determination Request unit 35 Data request unit 36 Printing unit 37 Acquisition destination request unit 38 Print information request unit 40 Charging terminal 41 Transmission / reception unit 42 Charging display unit 43 Charging determination unit 44 Pin code notification unit 50 Print information management server 51 Transmission / reception unit 52 Print information request Processing unit 53 Print-related information storage unit 60 User 1 1 CPU
102 ROM
103 RAM
104 HDD
105 Network interface 106 CD-ROM drive 107 CD-ROM
108 bus 200 controller 201 CPU
202 System memory (MEM-P)
203 North Bridge 204a South Bridge 204b Network Interface 204c USB Interface 204d Centronics Interface 205 AGP Bus 206 ASIC
207 Local memory (MEM-C)
208 External storage device 210 Operation display unit 220 FCU
230 Engine unit 231 Plotter 232 Scanner 233 Other hardware resources 500, 500a Print processing system 1501 User information management table 1502 Authentication ticket management table 1503 Printing related information management table 1601 Image forming apparatus management table 1602, 1602a Print restriction type management table 2701 Print Data management table 2702 Pin code management table 5301 Printing related information management table

JP 2010-218461 A

Claims (11)

A network system configured to be communicably connected to a plurality of utilization devices that are devices used by a user and configured by one or more information processing devices,
A first storage unit that stores restriction information that defines a use restriction method for executing at least upper limit management or charge management when using a function in the utilization device;
Request accepting means for obtaining an acquisition request for the restriction information from a predetermined utilization device among the plurality of utilization devices;
When the request accepting unit acquires the acquisition request for the restriction information from the predetermined usage device, the limitation information indicating the usage limitation method corresponding to the predetermined usage device is acquired from the first storage unit, First processing means for transmitting to a predetermined utilization device;
Network system equipped with. The plurality of utilization devices are a plurality of image forming devices,
The first storage unit causes the image forming apparatus to execute upper limit management printing as the upper limit management or charge printing as the charging management as a printing operation having at least a print restriction. Storing the print restriction information as the restriction information that defines the method;
The request accepting unit obtains the print restriction information acquisition request from a predetermined image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses,
The first processing unit includes the print restriction information indicating the use restriction method corresponding to the predetermined image forming apparatus when the request receiving unit acquires the print restriction information acquisition request from the predetermined image forming apparatus. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the network system is acquired from the first storage unit and is transmitted to the predetermined image forming apparatus. Second storage means for storing print data in association with document identification information;
Third storage means for storing at least a current value, which is the number of printed sheets, and an upper limit, which is the number of printable sheets, in association with the user as printing related information;
Based on the printing restriction information, when the first image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses executes the upper limit management printing, the printing related information corresponding to the user to be printed by the first image forming apparatus is First acquisition means for acquiring from the third storage means;
First calculation means for determining whether a sum of the current value and the number of prints of a document to be printed is within the upper limit value based on the printing related information acquired by the first acquisition means; ,
When the sum of the current value and the number of printed sheets is within the upper limit value, the print data associated with the identification information of the document to be printed by the first image forming apparatus is acquired from the second storage unit, A second processing means for transmitting to the first image forming apparatus;
The network system according to claim 2, further comprising: Fourth storage means for storing acquisition destination information indicating the location of the third storage means;
Second acquisition means for acquiring the acquisition destination information corresponding to the first image forming apparatus from the fourth storage means in response to an acquisition destination request from the first image forming apparatus;
Further comprising
The network system according to claim 3, wherein the first acquisition unit acquires the printing related information from the third storage unit whose location is indicated by the acquisition destination information acquired by the second acquisition unit. Fifth storage means for storing a charging table for managing the information of the document to be printed and the fee in association with each other;
Based on the printing restriction information, when the second image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses executes the charging printing, the charging amount is calculated based on the document to be printed and the charging table. Second calculating means for performing,
Determination means for determining whether or not the amount paid by the user is equal to or greater than the charge amount;
A code issuing means for issuing a pin code associated with identification information of a document to be printed by the second image forming apparatus when the amount is equal to or more than the charge amount;
Third processing means for acquiring the print data associated with the identification information of the document associated with the pin code from the second storage means and transmitting the print data to the second image forming apparatus;
The network system according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising: In the charging table, information on a document to be printed and a fee associated with the document information are registered according to the image forming apparatus,
The network system according to claim 5, wherein the second calculation unit calculates the charge amount based on the charge according to the second image forming apparatus with reference to the charge table. A network system configured to be communicably connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses and including one or more information processing apparatuses,
A first storage unit that stores print restriction information that defines a use restriction method for causing the image forming apparatus to execute upper limit management printing as a printing operation having at least a print restriction or charge printing;
Second storage means for storing print data;
First request accepting means for obtaining an acquisition request for the print restriction information from a predetermined image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
When the first request accepting unit acquires the print restriction information acquisition request from the predetermined image forming apparatus, the print restriction information indicating the print restriction corresponding to the predetermined image forming apparatus is received from the first storage unit. Print restriction processing means for acquiring and transmitting to the predetermined image forming apparatus;
Second request accepting means for obtaining a print request based on the print restriction indicated by the print restriction information from the predetermined image forming apparatus that has received the print restriction information;
When the second request receiving unit acquires the print request from the predetermined image forming apparatus, the print data corresponding to the printing operation based on the print restriction is acquired from the second storage unit, and the predetermined image formation is performed. Print data processing means for transmitting to the apparatus;
With
The predetermined image forming apparatus is a network system that executes a printing operation based on the print data received from the print data processing unit. Authentication that executes authentication processing in response to a login request from a user via the predetermined image forming apparatus, issues an authentication ticket indicating that the authentication processing has been executed, and transmits the authentication ticket to the predetermined image forming apparatus Processing means;
The predetermined image forming apparatus transmits the print restriction information acquisition request together with the authentication ticket to the first request reception unit, and transmits the print request together with the authentication ticket to the second request reception unit. The network system according to claim 7.   The plurality of image forming apparatuses are disposed in at least two types of networks, respectively, transmit the print restriction information acquisition request from each of the networks to the first request reception unit, and transmit the request to the second request reception unit. The network system according to claim 7 or 8, which transmits a print request. A step of storing, in a storage means, restriction information that defines a use restriction method for executing at least upper limit management or charging management when using functions in a plurality of use devices;
Obtaining an acquisition request for the restriction information from a predetermined use device among the plurality of use devices;
When the restriction information acquisition request is acquired from the predetermined usage device, the limitation information indicating the usage limitation method corresponding to the predetermined usage device is acquired from the storage unit and transmitted to the predetermined usage device. Steps,
A processing method comprising: Storing, in the first storage unit, print restriction information that defines a use restriction method for causing each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses to execute upper limit management printing as a printing operation having at least print restriction or charge printing;
Storing the print data in the second storage means;
Obtaining the print restriction information acquisition request from a predetermined image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses;
When the acquisition request for the print restriction information is acquired from the predetermined image forming apparatus, the print restriction information indicating the print restriction corresponding to the predetermined image forming apparatus is acquired from the first storage unit, and the predetermined image is acquired. Transmitting to the forming device;
Obtaining a print request based on the print restriction indicated by the print restriction information from the predetermined image forming apparatus that has received the print restriction information;
When the print request is acquired from the predetermined image forming apparatus, the print data corresponding to the printing operation based on the print restriction is acquired from the second storage unit, and transmitted to the predetermined image forming apparatus;
Causing the predetermined image forming apparatus to perform a printing operation based on the print data;
A processing method comprising:

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