JP2016015606A - Image processing apparatus, mobile device, restricting method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology that makes it possible to control according to the distance between an image processing apparatus and a mobile device without a telephone function and a special device for acquiring position information.SOLUTION: An MFP 100 receives data from a mobile device 200 via a network, and causes an image forming part 10 and an image reading part 11 to perform image processing on the basis of the received data. The MFP 100 restricts the data received from the mobile device 200 to data in which the hop number, which is the number of routers to be passed through from the mobile device 200 to the MFP 100, does not exceed a predetermined value.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing device, a mobile device, a restriction method, and a storage medium. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique for operating an image processing apparatus via a network using a mobile device.

  In recent years, image processing apparatuses that communicate with mobile devices such as smartphones have been put into practical use. When controlling an image processing device from a mobile device, if the user of the mobile device is far away, it will take time for the user to move to the image processing device. Problems such as long-term occupancy of the image processing apparatus arise. For this reason, in the image processing apparatus, it is desired to take measures against a mobile device located far away.

  As a technique for performing control according to the distance to the mobile device, for example, Patent Document 1 is available. Patent Document 1 is a system including a printing device and a mobile device, and acquires position information of a mobile device acquired from a public line relay station and position information of a printing device stored in a storage device in advance. A configuration is disclosed in which a print request from a mobile device is transmitted to a printing device when the distance between the two is short.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-312145

  However, the conventional technique described above has the following problems. That is, if the mobile device does not have a telephone function, the location information of the mobile device cannot be acquired. Alternatively, a special device such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver for acquiring position information of the mobile device or the image processing device is required.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of performing control according to the distance between the image processing apparatus and the mobile device without a special device for acquiring a telephone function or position information.

  An image processing apparatus for solving this problem includes a communication unit that communicates with a mobile device via a network, an image processing unit that performs image processing, and a control unit, and the control unit includes the communication unit. A limit process for limiting data received from the mobile device via a unit to data in which the number of hops, which is the number of routers that pass through from the mobile device to the local device, does not exceed a predetermined value; Based on the received data, remote image processing for causing the image processing unit to perform image processing is executed.

  That is, data with a large number of hops until reaching the image processing apparatus passes through many routers, and it is expected that the transmission source mobile apparatus is far from the image processing apparatus. Therefore, in the image processing device disclosed in this specification, the possibility of being operated from a distant mobile device can be reduced by limiting the data received from the mobile device to data whose hop count does not exceed a predetermined value. . The restriction process is control based on the number of hops and does not require special functions such as a telephone function and a GPS function. Therefore, it becomes possible to control according to the distance from the mobile device with a simple configuration.

  Note that image processing includes, for example, printing, reading, and transfer of image data. The data received by the image processing apparatus from the mobile device includes, for example, a command for performing image processing and a command for confirming communication in addition to the data to be processed.

  In the restriction process, the control unit may transmit an instruction to the mobile device to set an upper limit of the number of hops of data transmitted from the mobile device to a value smaller than the predetermined value. By setting the upper limit of the number of hops of data transmitted from the mobile device to a value smaller than a predetermined value, the number of hops exceeds the predetermined value and data does not reach the image processing apparatus. Therefore, data received from the mobile device is limited to data whose hop count does not exceed a predetermined value.

  Further, the control unit executes an acquisition process for acquiring the number of hops until the mobile device is reached, and in the restriction process, when the number of hops acquired in the acquisition process exceeds the predetermined value, If data from the mobile device is not received and the number of hops acquired in the acquisition process does not exceed the predetermined value, data from the mobile device may be received. The number of hops for the mobile device to be communicated is acquired, and if the number of hops exceeds a predetermined value, the data received from the mobile device is not received so that the number of hops does not exceed the predetermined value. Limited to data.

  The control unit may periodically execute the acquisition process while receiving data from the mobile device. Even after acquiring the hop count, the hop count may vary as the mobile device moves. For this reason, it is expected to form a more suitable restricted state by periodically executing the acquisition process and updating the restricted state.

  In addition, the control unit may execute a notification process for informing the mobile device that communication with the own device is restricted when the restriction process restricts the reception of data from the mobile device. By notifying that the communication with the image processing device is restricted, it is easy for the user of the mobile device to recognize that the image processing device cannot be used.

  In addition, there are a plurality of types of image processing executed by the image processing unit, and the control unit executes the restriction processing when specific image processing is instructed, and in the case of image processing other than the specific image processing. In addition, the restriction process should not be executed. The time required for job execution differs depending on the type of image processing. Therefore, it is desirable that whether or not to accept data differs depending on the type of image processing.

  Further, there are a plurality of types of image processing executed by the image processing unit, and the predetermined value may be different depending on the type of image processing. As described above, the time required for job execution differs depending on the type of image processing. Therefore, it is desirable that the predetermined value for determining whether or not to accept data differs depending on the type of image processing.

  The image processing apparatus disclosed in the present specification includes a storage unit that stores a setting by a user as to whether or not to limit data received from a mobile device, and the control unit restricts the storage unit. The restriction process may be executed when the setting to be performed is stored, and the restriction process may not be executed when the setting that does not limit is stored in the storage unit. The user can select whether or not to restrict the data received from the mobile device, so that the convenience of the image processing device is enhanced.

  Further, the control unit establishes a session that is allowed to connect to the mobile device in response to a connection request from the mobile device, and while the session is established, a device other than the mobile device An establishment process that does not perform image processing based on the data is executed, and the restriction process may be executed when the connection request is received from the mobile device. In a configuration that restricts image processing in response to requests from the own device or other devices that have not established a session while a session is established, remote operation may cause the image processing device to be used for a long time. easy. Therefore, it is preferable to limit the use from a distant mobile device.

  A control method for realizing the functions of the image processing apparatus, a computer program, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program are also novel and useful.

  According to the present invention, a technique capable of performing control according to the distance between the image processing device and the mobile device without a special device for acquiring a telephone function or position information is realized.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing system according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the operation screen of the operation part of a mobile apparatus. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure for data communication between a mobile device and a multifunction peripheral (MFP) in remote communication. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of remote image processing executed by the MFP according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of an IP header. It is a figure which shows the database which memorize | stores the maximum hop number for every image processing. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the remote request | requirement process which the mobile apparatus concerning a 1st form performs. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of remote image processing executed by the MFP according to the second embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the remote request process which the mobile apparatus concerning a 2nd form performs.

  Hereinafter, the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a multi function peripheral (MFP) having a reading function, a printing function, and a facsimile function for transferring image data.

[Overall configuration of image processing system]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing system 900 of this embodiment includes an MFP 100 and a mobile device 200. Any number of devices that communicate with the MFP 100 may be connected in addition to the mobile device 200 illustrated. MFP 100 is an example of an image processing apparatus. Examples of the mobile device 200 include a smartphone and a tablet personal computer (PC).

  In the image processing system 900 of this embodiment, data can be transferred between the mobile device 200 and the MFP 100 via the access point 300. That is, the access point 300 is connected to a router in the network, and transfers data from the mobile device 200 to the MFP 100 in the same network or another network connected via the router. The access point 300 may have a function as a router.

[MFP configuration]
Next, a schematic configuration of MFP 100 will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the MFP 100 includes a controller 30 including a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, and an NVRAM (Non Volatile RAM) 34. The controller 30 in FIG. 1 is a collective term for hardware used for controlling the MFP 100, such as the CPU 31, and is not necessarily represented as a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the MFP 100.

  The ROM 32 stores firmware, which is a control program for controlling the MFP 100, various settings, initial values, and the like. The RAM 33 and the NVRAM 34 are used as work areas from which various control programs are read or as storage areas for temporarily storing data. The NVRAM 34 is an example of a storage unit.

  The CPU 31 controls each component of the MFP 100 while storing the processing result in the RAM 33 or the NVRAM 34 according to a control program read from the ROM 32 and signals sent from various sensors. The CPU 31 is an example of a control unit. The controller 30 may be an example of a control unit.

  The MFP 100 also includes an image forming unit 10 that prints an image on a sheet, an image reading unit 11 that reads an image of a document, an operation panel 40 that serves both as a display function and an input function, a network interface 36, and a telephone line interface 37. These are controlled by the CPU 31.

  The image forming unit 10 may be capable of color printing or only monochrome printing. Also, the printing method may be an electrophotographic method or an ink jet method. Further, the image reading unit 11 may be capable of color scanning or only monochrome scanning. Also, the reading mechanism may be a CCD or a CIS. The image forming unit 10 and the image reading unit 11 are examples of an image processing unit.

  The network interface 36 is hardware for communicating with an external device by connecting to a network using the Internet protocol by wire or wireless. The MFP 100 receives data transmitted from the mobile device 200 via the network interface 36. Further, the MFP 100 transmits data to the mobile device 200 via the network interface 36. The network interface 36 is an example of a communication unit.

  The telephone line interface 37 is hardware for performing communication using a telephone line, including an NCU that controls telephone line connection and a modem that modulates a voice signal and a digital signal. The MFP 100 performs facsimile communication with an external device via the telephone line interface 37.

  Operation panel 40 is provided on the exterior of MFP 100 and includes various button groups for receiving user input and a touch panel for displaying messages and various settings. Examples of the various buttons include a numeric keypad, an arrow key, an OK button, and a cancel button. The touch panel can also be input by a user performing a touch operation. For example, various settings and user information are input from the touch panel.

[Configuration of mobile device]
Next, a schematic configuration of the mobile device 200 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile device 200 includes a CPU 51 that executes various processes, a ROM 52 that stores a startup process program (BIOS) executed by the CPU 51 when the mobile device 200 is started, and the CPU 51 performs various processes. The controller 50 includes a RAM 53 that is used as a temporary storage area when performing, and a hard disk drive (HDD) 54 that stores various programs and data. The controller 50 in FIG. 1 is a collective term for hardware used for controlling the mobile device 200, such as the CPU 51, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the mobile device 200. Absent. The HDD 54 is not limited to these, and a storage medium that can store programs and data, such as a flash memory, can be used.

  The mobile device 200 includes an operation unit 60 that has both a display function and an input function, a wireless LAN interface 55, and a telephone unit 70, which are controlled by the controller 50.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 60 includes various buttons 61 that are provided on the front surface of the mobile device 200 and receive user input, and a touch panel 62 that displays messages and various settings. The touch panel 62 can also be input by a user touch operation. For example, a job for printing an image or a job for reading an image is input by operating the touch panel.

  The wireless LAN interface 55 is hardware that enables communication with an external device. Specifically, the wireless LAN interface 55 according to the present embodiment has a configuration that enables wireless communication using the WiFi system based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and standards conforming thereto. The mobile device 200 transmits / receives data to / from the MFP 100 via the wireless LAN interface 55.

  The telephone unit 70 is a mobile phone communication method (for example, W-CDMA) with a base station (not shown) configured by hardware for realizing a telephone function such as a microphone, a speaker, and a telephone line interface. This is an interface for enabling wireless communication based on the standard.

  The HDD 54 of the mobile device 200 incorporates an OS, a browser for browsing files on the Internet, device drivers for controlling various devices, and the like. Also stored is an application program (hereinafter referred to as “application”) that accepts a job that causes MFP 100 to execute printing, reading, facsimile communication, or the like.

  Specifically, FIG. 2 shows a main screen 621 of the application. The main screen 621 displays a plurality of processes that can be executed by the MFP 100 and accepts selection of processes to be used. In the application of the present embodiment, printing processing, scanning processing, facsimile transmission processing, and facsimile printing processing can be selected as processing for the MFP 100.

  The printing process is a process for printing an image designated by the user. The scanning process is a process of reading a document and generating a file of the read image. The facsimile transmission process is a process for transmitting an image designated by the user to an external device via a telephone line. The facsimile printing process is a process for printing data stored in the NVRAM 34 and received by facsimile communication. That is, the MFP 100 has a function of not printing the data received by facsimile communication immediately, but temporarily storing the received data in the NVRAM 34 and printing after waiting for an instruction from the user.

  The CPU 51 performs various processes while storing the calculation results in the RAM 53 or the HDD 54 in accordance with the control program read from the ROM 52 or the program read from the HDD 54. The application operation described above is also processed by the CPU 51.

[Overview of remote communication]
Next, an operation for remote communication between MFP 100 and mobile device 200 will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG.

  When mobile device 200 performs remote communication with MFP 100, first, an application for controlling MFP 100 is activated on mobile device 200. Mobile device 200 accepts a request to start using MFP 100 via the application. When receiving the request, the mobile device 200 transmits a connection request for remote communication to the MFP 100.

  When the MFP 100 receives a connection request from the mobile device 200, the MFP 100 determines whether or not a condition for permitting remote communication with the mobile device 200 is satisfied. If the MFP 100 determines that the condition is satisfied, Establish a session that allows remote communication. Note that the MFP 100 determines that the condition is satisfied, for example, when a session is not established with another device or when the session establishment is not restricted.

  MFP 100 accepts a job from mobile device 200 while a session is established with mobile device 200. In other words, MFP 100 does not accept a job from mobile device 200 when a session is not established with mobile device 200. Further, when the MFP 100 establishes a session with the mobile device 200, the MFP 100 does not accept a job input via the operation panel 40.

  On the other hand, the mobile device 200 accepts various processing execution requests to the MFP 100 via the application while the session with the MFP 100 is established. When the mobile device 200 selects a process to be used and accepts an execution request, the mobile device 200 transmits a job related to the accepted execution request to the MFP 100. In addition, the mobile device 200 accepts a request for termination of use of the MFP 100 via the application. When a use termination request is received, a session release request is transmitted to MFP 100.

  When MFP 100 receives a job from mobile device 200, MFP 100 starts executing the job. After the job is completed, the mobile device 200 is notified accordingly. When MFP 100 receives a session release request from mobile device 200, MFP 100 releases the session. As a result, the use restriction of MFP 100 with respect to other devices is released. After canceling the session, the mobile device 200 is notified accordingly. In addition, the job input restriction on the operation panel 40 is also released. Note that when there is no request from the mobile device 200 for a certain period or when a cancel request is directly input to the MFP 100, the MFP 100 voluntarily cancels the session.

  In addition, MFP 100 and mobile device 200 repeatedly perform packet confirmation while sending packets to each other and confirming that communication is possible with each other while a session is established. If there is no response from the other party in this packet confirmation, the session is canceled. As a result, when the mobile device 200 moves to a place where it cannot communicate with the MFP 100, the session is automatically released.

  In remote communication, if the user of mobile device 200 is far away, it takes time for the user to move to MFP 100. As a result, a decrease in the safety of the printed matter and a long-term occupation of the MFP 100 by the mobile device 200 become problems. Therefore, when the mobile device 200 is far from the MFP 100, the MFP 100 restricts execution of jobs from the mobile device 200.

[Remote communication procedure]
Next, the procedure for realizing the above-described remote communication will be described separately for the operation of MFP 100 and the operation of mobile device 200.

[First embodiment]
[MFP operation]
First, as an operation of the MFP 100, a remote image processing procedure for establishing a session with an external device and receiving a job from the external device will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The remote image processing is executed by the CPU 31 when a connection request from an external device is received. In the following description, it is assumed that a connection request from the mobile device 200 has been received.

  In the remote image processing of the first form, the MFP 100 first determines whether another job that is a job other than the job from the mobile device 200 is being executed (S101). The execution of another job corresponds to, for example, the case where the image forming unit 10 is forming an image of another job, or the case where the image reading unit 11 is reading an image of a document of another job.

  Even when the MFP 100 is not executing image processing, if there is a high possibility that another job is input, it is determined that another job is being executed. For example, the MFP 100 displays an initial screen on the operation panel 40 in an initial state where the user is not operating. The screen displayed on the operation panel 40 transitions to a screen other than the initial screen when the user starts the operation. For example, when the copy processing setting is selected from the initial screen, a transition is made to an operation screen for copy setting. Therefore, if the screen of operation panel 40 is an operation screen other than the initial screen, MFP 100 determines that another job is being executed because the possibility that another job will be input increases. Even when a session is established with an external device other than the mobile device 200, the MFP 100 determines that another job is being executed because there is a high possibility that another job will be input.

  If another job is being executed (S101: YES), the MFP 100 responds to the mobile device 200 with a connection rejection in order to avoid a conflict between the other job and a job input from the mobile device 200 (S111). After S111, the remote image processing is terminated.

  On the other hand, if another job is not being executed (S101: NO), the MFP 100 determines whether or not an operation from a distant place is prohibited (S103). The user can set whether or not to prohibit operations from a distance via the operation panel 40, and the MFP 100 stores the setting contents in the NVRAM 34. In S103, the setting contents are referred to.

  When operation from a distant place is prohibited (S103: YES), the MFP 100 determines a value to be set in TTL (Time to Live) of a packet transmitted from the mobile device 200 (S121).

  TTL is a value corresponding to the time that a packet can exist in the Internet. Specifically, FIG. 5 shows the structure of the packet header, and TTL is 8-bit information stored in the packet header. The TTL is decremented by one each time a packet passes through the router. When TTL is 0, the packet cannot pass through the router, and an error is returned to the transmission source. That is, TTL is the upper limit of the number of hops. For example, when TTL is set to 1, the packet cannot exceed two or more routers. That is, the reach of packets transmitted from the transmission source device is limited to a network exceeding one router.

  In S121, a value to be set in the TTL is determined based on image processing that can be instructed by the mobile device 200. As shown in FIG. 6, the MFP 100 has a database 321 that stores image processing and the maximum number of hops in association with each other. The maximum number of hops is smaller as the degree of allowing operation from a distance is lower. For example, scanning cannot be performed until the user sets a document. For this reason, since the exclusive time of the mobile device 200 tends to increase with distance, the maximum number of hops is small. Also, the maximum number of hops for printing is small because it takes less time to pick up the printed matter and the safety is reduced. In particular, facsimile printing has a high possibility of printing highly confidential information, so the maximum number of hops is smaller than normal printing. On the other hand, the facsimile transmission has a large maximum hop number because there is no problem caused by the document set or the printed matter.

  The connection request received from the mobile device 200 includes image processing information supported by the application. Therefore, in S121, the minimum value is determined as a value to be set in the TTL from the maximum hop count corresponding to each image processing supported by the application. For example, in this embodiment, since the application of the mobile device 200 supports all of printing, scanning, facsimile transmission, and facsimile printing, the minimum value is 1 among the maximum number of hops corresponding to each image processing. Becomes the value set in TTL. On the other hand, for example, when the application of the mobile device 200 supports only facsimile transmission, 5 is a value set in TTL. After S121, an instruction to set the value determined in S121 to TTL is set to be included in the response to the mobile device 200 (S122).

  After S122 or when operation from a distant place is not prohibited (S103: NO), the MFP 100 responds to the mobile device 200 with connection permission (S104). In S104, if the TTL setting instruction is set in S122, the TTL setting instruction is included in the connection permission response. Thereby, a session with the mobile device 200 is established (S105). When the session is established, the MFP 100 restricts job input from the operation panel 40. For example, the operation screen of the touch panel of the operation panel 40 is not displayed, and job input from the touch panel is prohibited. S122 and S104 are an example of a restriction process. S105 is an example of establishment processing.

  After the session with the mobile device 200 is established, the MFP 100 determines whether a job from the mobile device 200 has been received (S131). When the job is received (S131: YES), the MFP 100 starts executing the job (S141). S141 is an example of remote image processing.

  After S141 or when no job is received (S131: NO), the MFP 100 performs packet confirmation with the mobile device 200 (S132). Specifically, in S <b> 132, when the MFP 100 newly receives a packet from the mobile device 200 before a predetermined time elapses from the timing at which the packet was recently received from the mobile device 200, the MFP 100 sends a predetermined packet to the mobile device 200. Responds and ends packet confirmation normally. On the other hand, when a predetermined time elapses and a time-out occurs, the packet confirmation ends with an error.

  After S132, the MFP 100 determines whether a cancellation condition that is a condition for canceling the session is satisfied (S133). The release conditions include that the packet check in S132 has ended in error, that a release request has been received from the mobile device 200, and that a release command has been received by input to the operation panel 40. If the cancellation condition is not satisfied (S133: NO), the process returns to S131, and the MFP 100 waits until the job reception or cancellation condition is satisfied.

  If the release condition is satisfied (S133: YES), the MFP 100 releases the session with the mobile device 200 (S134). By canceling the session, the MFP 100 permits input of a job from the operation panel 40. It also permits the establishment of a session with another device. After S134, the remote image processing is terminated.

  When MFP 100 transmits a TTL setting instruction to mobile device 200, if mobile device 200 is in the vicinity of MFP 100, there is a high possibility that a packet will arrive from mobile device 200. Therefore, there is a high possibility that packet confirmation can be completed normally. On the other hand, if the mobile device 200 is far from the MFP 100, the possibility that a packet will arrive from the mobile device 200 is low. Therefore, it is unlikely that packet confirmation can be completed normally. That is, if the mobile device 200 is far from the MFP 100, the packet confirmation is likely to end in error, and the release condition is easily satisfied. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the session is quickly released after the session is established, and the time for which the mobile device 200 occupies the MFP 100 is shortened.

[Mobile device operation]
Next, as an operation of the mobile device 200, a procedure of remote request processing for establishing a session with the MFP 100 and requesting the MFP 100 to execute a job will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. The remote request process is executed by the CPU 51 when an application for remote communication with the MFP 100 is activated and a request to start using the MFP 100 is received via the application.

  In the remote request processing of the first form, the mobile device 200 first transmits a remote communication connection request to the MFP 100 (S151). After S151, the mobile device 200 determines whether a response from the MFP 100 has been received within a predetermined time after transmitting the connection request (S152).

  When the response from the MFP 100 is not received within the predetermined time (S152: NO), the mobile device 200 notifies the operation unit 60 that the connection has failed (S161). Note that the notification by the mobile device 200 corresponds to, for example, display of an error message and output of voice guidance. After S161, the remote request process is terminated.

  When a response from the MFP 100 is received within a certain time (S152: YES), the mobile device 200 determines whether or not the response is a connection permission (S153). If the connection is not permitted, that is, if the connection is rejected (S153: NO), the mobile device 200 informs the operation unit 60 that the connection has failed (S161), and the remote request process is terminated.

  If the connection is permitted (S153: YES), the mobile device 200 determines whether or not there is a TTL setting instruction in the connection permission response (S154). When there is a TTL setting instruction in the connection permission response (S154: YES), the mobile device 200 writes the value instructed by the MFP 100, that is, the value determined in S121, to the TTL of the packet addressed to the MFP 100. (S155).

  After S155 or when there is no TTL setting instruction in the connection permission response (S154: NO), the mobile device 200 determines whether or not there has been an input of a job for causing the MFP 100 to perform image processing via the application. Judgment is made (S171). If there is a job input (S171: YES), the mobile device 200 starts transmitting the job to the MFP 100 (S181).

  After S181 or when there is no job input (S171: NO), the mobile device 200 performs packet confirmation with the MFP 100 (S172). Specifically, in S172, mobile device 200 transmits a confirmation packet to MFP 100, and when a response to the packet is received before a predetermined time has elapsed, packet confirmation ends normally. On the other hand, when a predetermined time elapses and a time-out occurs, the packet confirmation ends with an error. In addition, when the error notification is received from the router before the predetermined time elapses, that is, when the TTL of the packet becomes 0 and the packet cannot reach the MFP 100, the packet confirmation ends in error. That is, when TTL is set, packets are difficult to reach when MFP 100 is far away. As a result, the operation of MFP 100 from a distance by mobile device 200 is suppressed.

  After S172, the mobile device 200 determines whether or not an error has ended due to an error notification from the router in packet confirmation (S173). If the error is terminated by an error notification from the router (S173: YES), the operation unit 60 is notified that the use of the MFP 100 is restricted because the mobile device 200 is far away (S191), and the remote request process is terminated. . In S191, the notification is made because the packet does not reach the MFP 100. Therefore, S122 and S104 instructing the setting of the TTL are an example of notification processing.

  When the packet check results in normal termination (S173: NO), the mobile device 200 determines whether or not a release condition that is a condition for releasing the session is satisfied (S174). The release condition includes that the packet check in S172 has ended in error, that a release instruction has been input from the user via the application, and that no input operation has been performed for a predetermined time. If the cancellation condition is not satisfied (S174: NO), the process returns to S171, and the mobile device 200 waits for the job input or the cancellation condition to be satisfied.

  If the release condition is satisfied (S174: YES), the mobile device 200 notifies that the session with the MFP 100 has been released (S175). By canceling the session, the mobile device 200 is restricted from inputting jobs to the MFP 100. After S175, the remote request process is terminated.

  As described above in detail, in the first embodiment, by setting a predetermined value in the TTL of the packet output from the mobile device 200, the number of hops that the MFP 100 accepts from the mobile device 200 does not exceed the predetermined value. Restrict to packets. As a result, the possibility of being operated from the mobile device 200 at a distance can be reduced. The restriction procedure of the first embodiment is control based on the number of hops, and the MFP 100 and the mobile device 200 do not need special functions such as a telephone function and a GPS function. Therefore, it is possible to perform control according to the distance between MFP 100 and mobile device 200 with a simple configuration.

  In the first embodiment, the MFP 100 determines the TTL setting value and instructs the mobile device 200 to set the TTL. However, the mobile device 200 determines the TTL setting value and sets the destination. A TTL of a packet for the MFP 100 may be set. In this case, in the remote request processing, for example, TTL may be set before transmitting the connection request in S151. In remote image processing, S103, S121, and S122 are not required. Note that the TTL setting value may be determined according to the image processing supported by the application, or may be a fixed value.

[Second form]
[MFP operation]
Next, remote image processing of the second form will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the remote image processing of the second form, a job from a remote external device is limited by not establishing a session with the external device whose hop count exceeds the upper limit. This is different from the first embodiment in which jobs from an external device located far away are limited by setting the TTL. In the following description, the same processes as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. Similarly to the first embodiment, it is assumed that a connection request from the mobile device 200 has been received.

  In the remote image processing of the second form, the MFP 100 first determines whether another job is being executed (S101). If another job is being executed (S101: YES), a connection rejection response is sent to the mobile device 200 (S111). After S111, the remote image processing is terminated. If no other job is being executed (S101: NO), the MFP 100 determines whether or not an operation from a distant place is prohibited (S103).

  If operation from a distant place is prohibited (S103: YES), the MFP 100 determines the upper limit of the number of hops (S211). In S211, as in S121 of the first embodiment, the database 321 shown in FIG. 6 is referred to, and the minimum value is determined as the upper limit of the number of hops from the maximum number of hops corresponding to each image processing supported by the application. To do.

  After S211, the MFP 100 executes a trace route for the mobile device 200 (S212). The trace route is a command for acquiring the network route to the counterpart device, and the number of hops can also be acquired based on the result. S212 is an example of an acquisition process.

  After S212, the MFP 100 determines whether or not the hop count acquired in S212 exceeds the upper limit of the hop count determined in S211 (S213). When the number of hops exceeds the upper limit (S213: YES), since there is a high possibility that the mobile device 200 is far away, the MFP 100 sends a connection rejection response to the mobile device 200 (S111), and performs remote image processing. finish. As a result, the mobile device with which the session is established is limited to a range in which the number of hops does not exceed the upper limit. Since the session is not established with the remote mobile device 200, the exclusive time of the MFP 100 by the remote mobile device 200 does not occur. S213 and S111 are examples of restriction processing.

  When the number of hops does not exceed the upper limit (S213: NO), or when an operation from a distant place is not prohibited (S103: NO), the MFP 100 responds to the mobile device 200 with a connection permission (S104). A session with the device 200 is established (S105).

  After the session with the mobile device 200 is established, it is determined whether a job from the mobile device 200 has been received (S131). When the job is received (S131: YES), the MFP 100 starts executing the job (S141).

  After S141 or when no job is received (S131: NO), the MFP 100 determines whether or not an operation from a distant place is prohibited (S231). If operation from a distant place is prohibited (S231: YES), the MFP 100 again executes a trace route for the mobile device 200 (S241). Then, it is determined whether or not the number of hops acquired in S241 exceeds the upper limit of the number of hops determined in S211 (S242).

  If the number of hops exceeds the upper limit (S242: YES), since there is a high possibility that the mobile device 200 has moved far away, the MFP 100 cancels the session (S134) and ends the remote image processing. By executing the trace route periodically along with packet confirmation, even after the session is established, the session is automatically released as the mobile device 200 moves, and the operation of the mobile device far away is restricted. Is done.

  When the number of hops does not exceed the upper limit (S242: NO), or when operation from a distant place is not prohibited (S231: NO), the MFP 100 performs packet confirmation with the mobile device 200 (S132). Thereafter, the MFP 100 determines whether or not the release condition is satisfied (S133). If the release condition is not satisfied (S133: NO), the process returns to S131. If the release condition is satisfied (S133: YES), the MFP 100 releases the session with the mobile device 200 (S134). After S134, the remote image processing is terminated.

[Mobile device operation]
Next, the remote request processing procedure of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the remote request processing of the second form, unlike the first form, TTL is not set. Therefore, in the remote request processing of the second form, there is an unnecessary process in the remote request processing of the first form.

  Specifically, in the remote request process of the second form, the processes of S154 and S155 are not required in the remote request process of the first form. Therefore, if the response to the connection request in S151 is a connection permission (S153: YES), the mobile device 200 does not set the TTL and determines whether there is a job input that causes the MFP 100 to perform image processing. Judgment is made (S171).

  Further, in the remote request process of the second form, the processes of S173 and S191 in the remote request process of the first form are unnecessary. Therefore, after performing the packet confirmation in S172, it is determined in S174 whether or not the release condition is satisfied.

  As described above in detail, also in the second mode, the number of hops to the mobile device 200 is acquired by executing the trace route, and the session is not established when the number of hops exceeds a predetermined value. Thereby, the packets accepted by MFP 100 from mobile device 200 can be limited to packets whose hop count does not exceed a predetermined value. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of being operated from the mobile device 200 located far away.

  In the second embodiment, the MFP 100 determines the upper limit of the number of hops and executes the trace route to acquire the number of hops. However, the mobile device 200 determines the upper limit of the number of hops and determines the trace route. May be executed. In this case, in the remote request processing, for example, the trace route is executed before the connection request is transmitted in S151, and the connection request is transmitted when the hop count does not exceed the upper limit. Any configuration may be used as long as it is notified. In the remote request processing, the trace route may be executed together with the packet confirmation after the session is established, and the session may be released if the hop count exceeds the upper limit. In this configuration, the remote image processing S103, S211, S212, S213, S231, S241, and S242 are not required. The upper limit of the number of hops may be determined according to image processing supported by the application, or may be a fixed value.

  In the second embodiment, when the number of hops exceeds the upper limit in the remote image processing (S213: NO), the connection rejection is made in S111 regardless of whether another job is being executed (S101: YES). Although it is responding, information indicating that the use restriction based on the number of hops has been received may be added when the connection is rejected. In this case, in the remote request processing, when connection rejection is received (S153: NO), if the above-mentioned information is added, the mobile device 200 is far away and the operation that the use of the MFP 100 is restricted is operated. The unit 60 may be notified.

  Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the image processing apparatus only needs to have at least one function for performing image processing, and may be, for example, a printer, a scanner, a facsimile apparatus, or a copier in addition to the MFP.

  Further, the configuration disclosed in this specification does not exclude an image processing device or a mobile device equipped with a telephone function or a GPS receiver. The composition of the certificate can be applied.

  In the embodiment, WiFi is used as wireless communication, but the type of wireless communication is not limited to these. For example, NFC, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or TransferJet may be used.

  Further, in the embodiment, while the session with the mobile device 200 is established, the job input via the operation panel 40 is restricted. However, it is preferable to restrict the input of jobs via the operation panel 40 in order to avoid a conflict between a request from the mobile device 200 and a request from the operation panel 40.

  In the embodiment, the setting whether to prohibit the operation from the far side is stored, and when the operation from the far side is prohibited, the restriction is performed based on the number of hops of the packet. May be stored, and the restriction based on the number of packet hops may be performed in all cases. In this case, after S101 is NO, S103 is omitted and S121 or S211 is performed. However, the convenience of MFP 100 is enhanced because the user can select whether or not to prohibit the operation from a distance as in the embodiment.

  Further, the image processing and numerical values of the database 321 shown in FIG. 6 are examples, and are not limited thereto. In the embodiment, the maximum number of hops is determined as a value corresponding to the image processing as shown in FIG. 6, but may be a fixed value regardless of the image processing. When the fixed value is set, for example, by setting it to 1, the operation of the MFP 100 from a distance can be more reliably restricted. However, since the necessity to prohibit the operation from a distance differs depending on the type of image processing, it is possible to control in more detail if the upper limit of the number of hops or the set value of TTL can be determined depending on the type of image processing.

  In the embodiment, the TTL setting value or the upper limit of the number of hops is determined according to the image processing. However, whether or not to limit by the number of hops may be determined according to the image processing. In this case, for example, when the application supports image processing that is subject to restriction in remote image processing, the MFP 100 performs processing after YES in S103 and S103 in remote image processing, and the image subject to restriction. When the application does not support the process, the MFP 100 may not perform the YES process in S103 and S103 in the remote image process. For example, reading corresponds to the image processing to be restricted. Reading does not start unless an original is set on the MFP 100, and if the user is far away, it takes time to start executing the job. Therefore, it is recommended to limit execution.

  Also, in the embodiment, triggered by a remote communication connection request, processing for restricting the execution of jobs from the mobile device 200 (S122 and S104 in the first embodiment; S212 and S213 in the second embodiment) is executed. However, the execution timing is not limited to this. For example, after the session is established, the above-described processing may be executed when the image processing to be used is selected in the mobile device 200 and the MFP 100 is notified that the image processing is selected. . In this case, referring to the database 321 shown in FIG. 6, the TTL setting value and the upper limit of the number of hops may be determined according to the selected image processing.

  The processing disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, a plurality of CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Further, the processing disclosed in the embodiment can be realized in various modes such as a recording medium or a method recording a program for executing the processing.

10 Image forming unit 36 Network interface 100 MFP
200 Mobile device 900 Image processing system

Claims (16)

A communication unit for communicating with a mobile device via a network;
An image processing unit for performing image processing;
A control unit;
With
The controller is
Limit processing for limiting data received from the mobile device via the communication unit to data in which the number of hops, which is the number of routers that pass through from the mobile device to the local device, does not exceed a predetermined value;
Remote image processing for causing the image processing unit to perform image processing based on data received from the mobile device;
An image processing apparatus characterized by executing The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The controller is
In the restriction process, the image processing apparatus transmits an instruction to the mobile apparatus to set an upper limit of the number of hops of data transmitted from the mobile apparatus to a value smaller than the predetermined value. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The controller is
Execute an acquisition process for acquiring the number of hops until the mobile device is reached;
In the restriction process, when the number of hops acquired in the acquisition process exceeds the predetermined value, data from the mobile device is not accepted, and the number of hops acquired in the acquisition process does not exceed the predetermined value Accepts data from the mobile device. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3,
The controller is
An image processing apparatus that periodically executes the acquisition process while receiving data from the mobile apparatus. In the image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The controller is
An image processing device that performs notification processing that informs the mobile device that communication with the own device is restricted when the restriction processing restricts acceptance of data from the mobile device. In the image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
There are a plurality of types of image processing executed by the image processing unit,
The control unit executes the restriction process when specific image processing is instructed, and does not execute the restriction process in the case of image processing other than the specific image processing. . In the image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
There are a plurality of types of image processing executed by the image processing unit,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value varies depending on a type of image processing. In the image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A storage unit for storing a setting by the user as to whether or not to limit data received from the mobile device;
The controller is
If the setting for limiting is stored in the storage unit, the limiting process is executed,
An image processing apparatus, wherein the restriction process is not executed when a setting that does not restrict is stored in the storage unit. In the image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The controller is
In response to a connection request from the mobile device, a session that is permitted to connect to the mobile device is established, and image processing based on data from a device other than the mobile device is performed while the session is established. Execute the establishment process not to be performed,
The image processing apparatus, wherein the restriction process is executed when the connection request is received from the mobile device. A communication unit that communicates with an image processing apparatus that performs image processing via a network;
A control unit;
With
The controller is
A transmission process for transmitting data that causes the image processing apparatus to perform image processing via the communication unit;
Limit processing for limiting data to be transmitted to the image processing device to data in which the number of hops, which is the number of routers that pass through from the own device to reach the image processing device, does not exceed a predetermined value;
A mobile device characterized in that The mobile device according to claim 10,
The controller is
In the limiting process, the upper limit of the number of hops of data transmitted to the image processing apparatus is set to a value smaller than the predetermined value. The mobile device according to claim 10,
The controller is
Performing an acquisition process for acquiring the number of hops until the image processing apparatus is reached;
In the limiting process, if the number of hops acquired in the acquisition process exceeds the predetermined value, the transmission process is not performed, and if the number of hops acquired in the acquisition process does not exceed the predetermined value, A mobile device that executes the transmission process. A communication unit for communicating with a mobile device via a network;
An image processing unit for performing image processing;
In a method for limiting an image processing apparatus comprising:
A limiting step of limiting data received from the mobile device via the communication unit to data in which the number of hops, which is the number of routers passed from the mobile device to reach the device, does not exceed a predetermined value;
An execution step of causing the image processing unit to perform image processing based on data received from the mobile device;
A limiting method comprising: In a mobile device restriction method including a communication unit that communicates with an image processing apparatus that performs image processing via a network,
Transmitting the image processing apparatus to perform data processing via the communication unit;
A limiting step of limiting data to be transmitted to the image processing device to data in which the number of hops, which is the number of routers that pass through from the device to the image processing device, does not exceed a predetermined value;
A limiting method comprising: A communication unit for communicating with a mobile device via a network;
An image processing unit for performing image processing;
In an image processing apparatus comprising
Limit processing for limiting data received from the mobile device via the communication unit to data in which the number of hops, which is the number of routers that pass through from the mobile device to the local device, does not exceed a predetermined value;
Remote image processing for causing the image processing unit to perform image processing based on data received from the mobile device;
A storage medium for storing a program for executing the program. A mobile device having a communication unit that communicates with an image processing device that performs image processing via a network,
Data for causing the image processing apparatus to perform image processing, transmission processing for transmitting the data via the communication unit;
Limit processing for limiting data to be transmitted to the image processing device to data in which the number of hops, which is the number of routers that pass through from the own device to reach the image processing device, does not exceed a predetermined value;
A storage medium for storing a program for executing the program.

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