JP2017004081A - Printing system, printing device and printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing device which can confirm the validity of a user requesting printing even in a case where the printing device is not connected to the network.SOLUTION: A printing system comprises: a challenge generation unit 12 which generates a unique challenge when printing of a document is requested; a validity confirmation processing unit 24 which confirms the validity of a user by transmitting the acquired challenge and document ID of the document; a right confirmation unit 41 which confirms that the user has a printing right of the document of a printing object from the user ID of the user requesting printing and document ID; a printing permission code generation unit 42 which generates a printing permission code with encryption processing using the contents of the document and challenge as input; a determination unit 15 which determines whether the printing permission code generated with encryption processing using the acquired document and challenge as input matches with a printing permission code generated by the printing permission code generation unit 42 acquired via a terminal 20; and a printing unit 16 which prints the document when the printing permission codes match.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system, a printing apparatus, and a printing method.

  From the viewpoint of security, it is appropriate for the printer to print a document only in response to a print request from a user with print authority. Conventionally, when a user requests a printer to print a document, the printer inquires about the print authority of the user who made the print request via the network to a server or the like that manages document data, and is a user who has the print authority. A technique for executing printing after confirming this is proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2014-186686 A JP 2009-070241 A JP 2003-094777 A

  An object of the present invention is to enable a printing apparatus to confirm the validity of a user who requests printing even if the printing apparatus is not connected to a network.

  A printing system according to the present invention includes a management system that manages users and documents, a printing device that cannot communicate with the management system via a network, and a terminal that is used by the user. Document information acquisition means for acquiring document information relating to a target document, authentication information generation means for generating authentication information effective only for one use in response to a print request from a user in the printing apparatus, and the terminal A user authentication request means for requesting user authentication by transmitting user authentication information including user identification information to the management system; and in the management system, user authentication is performed based on the user authentication information transmitted from the terminal. The user authentication means to perform and the terminal to acquire the authentication information generated by the authentication information generation means. In the management system, after the user authentication, a validity confirmation requesting unit that requests confirmation of the validity of the user who made the print request by transmitting the authentication information and the document identification information of the document to the management system. When the user's printing authority for the document is authenticated based on the user identification information and the document identification information in response to a user's validity confirmation request from the terminal, the document information regarding the document and the authentication information acquired from the terminal And the confirmation response information generating means for generating the confirmation response information by executing the encryption process and transmitting it to the terminal, and in the printing apparatus, when acquiring the confirmation response information transmitted to the terminal, The acquired confirmation response information, the document information acquired by the document information acquisition unit, and the authentication generated by the authentication information generation unit And the authentication response information obtained by executing the encryption processing and inputs the broadcast, and having a printing unit for printing the document if the match.

  In the management system, when the user is authenticated by the user authentication unit, the management system includes list information generation unit that generates list information of a document to which the user is authorized to print and transmits the list information to the terminal. The validity confirmation requesting unit transmits document identification information of a document selected by the user from the list information to the management system.

  Further, when the user is authenticated by the user authentication unit, the validity confirmation requesting unit transmits storage destination information of a document to be printed to the management system, and the confirmation response information generating unit is configured to store the storage destination information. The list information of the documents to which the user is authorized to print is transmitted from the storage location specified by the information to the terminal.

  A printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a document information acquisition unit that acquires document information relating to a document to be printed, and an authentication information generation unit that generates authentication information that is valid only for one use in response to a print request from a user. And confirmation response information acquisition means for acquiring confirmation response information generated by executing an encryption process with the document information related to the document and the authentication information generated by the authentication information generation means as inputs. Executing the encryption process using the acquired acknowledgment information acquired by the acquiring unit, the document information acquired by the document information acquiring unit, and the authentication information generated by the authentication information generating unit as inputs. And a printing unit that prints the document when the authentication response information obtained in step 1 matches.

  The printing method according to the present invention is implemented in a printing system including a management system that manages users and documents, a printing apparatus that cannot communicate with the management system via a network, and a terminal used by the user. A document information acquisition step in which the apparatus acquires document information relating to a document to be printed, and an authentication information generation step in which the printing apparatus generates authentication information that is valid only for one use in response to a print request from a user. A user authentication requesting step for requesting user authentication by transmitting user authentication information including user identification information to the management system, and the management system including user authentication information transmitted from the terminal. A user authentication step of performing user authentication based on the authentication information generation step When obtaining the certificate information, after the user authentication, a validity confirmation requesting step for requesting confirmation of the validity of the user who requested the printing by transmitting the authentication information and the document identification information of the document to the management system; When the management system authenticates the user's print authority for the document based on the user identification information and the document identification information in response to a user confirmation request from the terminal, the document information about the document and the terminal A confirmation response information generation step of generating confirmation response information by executing an encryption process using the acquired authentication information as an input and transmitting it to the terminal; and the confirmation response information transmitted from the printing apparatus to the terminal Is acquired, the acquired acknowledgment information, the document information acquired by the document information acquisition step, and the authentication information generation step Characterized in that it comprises a and a printing step of printing the document in the case where the authentication response information obtained by executing the encryption processing as inputs and more generated authentication information, is matched.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, even if the printing apparatus is not connected to the network, the legitimacy of the user requesting printing by the printing apparatus can be confirmed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to confirm the legitimacy of a user requesting printing by the printing apparatus without causing the user to input document identification information of a document to be printed.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to confirm the legitimacy of the user requesting printing by the printing apparatus without causing the user to input the document identification information of the document to be printed.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to confirm the legitimacy of a user who requests printing of a document even when the user is not connected to the network.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, even if the printing apparatus is not connected to the network, the legitimacy of the user requesting printing by the printing apparatus can be confirmed.

1 is a block configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of a printing system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a printer according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a mobile terminal according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation when a user causes a printer that operates offline in the first embodiment to print a document. FIG. 6 is a block configuration diagram of a printing system in a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation when a user causes a printer that operates offline to print a document in the second embodiment. FIG. 6B is a sequence diagram showing an operation following FIG. 6A. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation when a user causes a printer that operates offline to print a document in the third embodiment. FIG. 7B is a sequence diagram showing an operation following FIG. 7A.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a printing system according to the present invention.

  The printing system in the present embodiment includes a printer 10, a mobile terminal 20, a printing authority confirmation service server 30, and a document management system 40. The printer 10 is a so-called offline printer 10 that is not connected to a network (not shown). Even if connected to the network, the print authority confirmation service server 30 and the document management system 40 cannot communicate with each other via the network. The mobile terminal 20 is a terminal that is carried by a user who uses the printer 10. In this embodiment, a smart phone (smartphone) is assumed. However, the terminal is limited to a smartphone as long as it has a communication function with the print authority confirmation service server 30 and can execute a processing application described later. There is no need.

  The printing authority confirmation service server 30 and the document management system 40 in the present embodiment are computers that form a management system. The print authority confirmation service server 30 is used to confirm whether the user who has requested the printer 10 to print a document is a valid user, that is, a user who has the authority to print a document to be printed. Server computer. The document management system 40 is a system that manages a document to be printed, and is realized by one or a plurality of computers. In the present embodiment, a description will be given assuming that this is realized by one server computer.

  In FIG. 1, the print authority confirmation service server 30 and the document management system 40 are configured separately depending on the purpose of use, but may be realized in an integrated manner. In addition, the printer 10 and the mobile terminal 20 in the present embodiment need only have the same configuration, and thus each one is illustrated.

  FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the printer 10 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the printer 10 is realized by an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral. An image forming apparatus is a device that incorporates various functions such as a copy function and a scanner function in addition to a print function, and has a built-in computer. In FIG. 2, the CPU 51 controls the operation of various mechanisms mounted on the apparatus such as the scanner 54 and the printer engine 56 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 58. The address data bus 52 is connected to various mechanisms to be controlled by the CPU 51 to perform data communication. The operation panel 53 receives instructions from the user and displays information. The scanner 54 reads a document set by the user and stores it as electronic data in an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 55 or the like. The HDD 55 stores an electronic document or the like obtained by reading using the scanner 54 or reading from the external media interface (I / F) 59. The printer engine 56 prints an image on output paper in accordance with an instruction from a control program executed by the CPU 51. The RAM 57 is used as a work memory when executing the program. The ROM 58 stores various programs for realizing control of the apparatus and various functions. By executing various programs, each component described later exhibits a predetermined processing function. An external media interface (I / F) 59 is an interface with an external memory device such as a USB memory or a flash memory.

  Note that the network interface for connecting the network is not included in FIG. 2 in order to clarify that the printer 10 according to the present embodiment is an offline printer. If network communication with the server 30 and the document management system 40 is not performed, a network interface may be installed.

  FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the mobile terminal 20 in the present embodiment. Mobile terminal 20 in the present embodiment incorporates a computer. In the present embodiment, a smartphone is assumed as the mobile terminal 20 as described above, but a hardware configuration that is not related to the description of the present embodiment such as a call function is omitted from the drawing. The mobile terminal 20 in the present embodiment can be realized with a general-purpose hardware configuration that has existed in the past. That is, the mobile terminal 20 is configured by connecting the CPU 61, ROM 62, RAM 63, hard disk drive (HDD) 64, communication interface 65, and operation panel 66 as a user interface to the internal bus 67 as shown in FIG.

  It is assumed that the print authority confirmation service server 30 and the document management system 40 in this embodiment are both realized by a server computer. Therefore, it basically has a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk drive, and a communication interface. Further, input means such as a mouse and keyboard and display means such as a display may be provided as a user interface.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the printer 10 according to the present embodiment includes a request reception unit 11, a challenge generation unit 12, a challenge output unit 13, a print permission code acquisition unit 14, a determination unit 15, a printing unit 16, a control unit 17, and a document storage. A unit 18 and a challenge storage unit 19 are included. Note that components not used in the description of the present embodiment are omitted from FIG. The same applies to the other components 20, 30, and 40. The request receiving unit 11 receives a print request or the like instructed by a user using the mobile terminal 20 operating the operation panel 53. Here, the document to be printed may be input by connecting an external memory such as a USB to the printer 10, or a document stored in the mobile terminal may be input by a method such as wireless communication. The method for accepting a print request is an operation on the operation panel 53 as an example, but it may be accepted from a mobile terminal or the like by a method such as wireless communication. When the received request is a document print request, the request reception unit 11 acquires a document (electronic document data) to be printed and stores it in the document storage unit 18. The challenge generation unit 12 is provided as authentication information generation means, and generates authentication information that is effective only for one use in response to a print request from the user. In the present embodiment, this authentication information is referred to as “challenge”. The generated challenge is held in the challenge storage unit 19. The challenge output unit 13 outputs the challenge generated by the challenge generation unit 12. The print permission code acquisition unit 14 acquires a print permission code for confirming whether the user who made the print request has the print authority of the document acquired by the request reception unit 11. The print permission code acquired by the print permission code acquisition unit 14 is generated outside (in the present embodiment, the document management system 40), and is different from the print permission code generated by the determination unit 15 inside the printer 10. The determination unit 15 collates the print permission code generated by the request reception unit 11 with the challenge generated by the challenge generation unit 12 and the print permission code acquired by the print permission code acquisition unit 14. If the print permission codes match as a result of the collation, the determination unit 15 determines that the user who has requested printing has the authority to print the document to be printed. The printing unit 16 is provided as a printing unit. When it is determined that the user who has requested printing by the determination unit 15 is a valid user who has the authority to print a document to be printed, the request receiving unit 11 Print the retrieved document. The control unit 17 performs print control of the document, such as causing the component elements 11 to 16 to cooperate with each other.

  The constituent elements 11 to 17 in the printer 10 are realized by a cooperative operation of a computer mounted on the printer 10 and a program operating on the CPU 51 mounted on the computer. The storage units 18 and 19 are realized by an HDD 55 mounted on the printer 10. Alternatively, it may be realized by the RAM 57.

  The mobile terminal 20 includes a print request processing unit 21, a challenge acquisition unit 22, a login request unit 23, a validity confirmation processing unit 24, a print permission code output unit 25, and a control unit 26. The print request processing unit 21 executes processing related to requesting the printer 10 to print a document. The challenge acquisition unit 22 acquires a challenge generated in the printer 10 after requesting printing of a document. The login request unit 23 is provided as a user authentication request unit, requests login by transmitting user authentication information including user identification information (user ID) and a password to the print authority confirmation service server 30, and receives user authentication. . The validity confirmation processing unit 24 is provided as a validity confirmation requesting unit. When the challenge acquisition unit 22 obtains a challenge, the document identification information of the document requested to be challenged and printed after the user is authenticated is a print authority confirmation service. By transmitting to the server 30, it is requested to confirm the validity of the user who made the print request. The print permission code output unit 25 outputs the print permission code acquired by the validity confirmation processing unit 24. The control unit 26 obtains a print permission code from the print authority confirmation service server 30 by operating the components 21 to 25 in cooperation with each other, and causes the printer 10 to confirm the validity of the user based on the print permission code.

  Each component 21 to 26 in the mobile terminal 20 is realized by a cooperative operation of a computer installed in the mobile terminal 20 and a program operating on the CPU 61 installed in the computer.

  The print authority confirmation service server 30 includes a user authentication unit 31 and a print permission code issuance processing unit 32. The user authentication unit 31 is provided as a user authentication unit, and performs user authentication based on user authentication information sent in response to a login request from the login request unit 23. When the challenge and the document identification information are sent from the validity confirmation processing unit 24, the print permission code issuance processing unit 32 performs a print permission code issuance process.

  The components 31 and 32 in the printing authority confirmation service server 30 are realized by a cooperative operation of a computer that forms the printing authority confirmation service server 30 and a program that operates on a CPU mounted on the computer.

  The document management system 40 includes an authority confirmation unit 41, a print permission code generation unit 42, a user authority information storage unit 43, and a document database (DB) 44. The authority confirmation unit 41 and the print permission code generation unit 42 function as a confirmation response information generation unit in cooperation with each other. Among these, the authority confirmation unit 41 determines the validity of the user, that is, whether or not the user has the authority to print the document in response to receiving the request for confirming the validity of the user from the mobile terminal 20. Check. When the authority confirmation unit 41 confirms the user's print authority for the document, the print permission code generation unit 42 generates a print permission code as confirmation response information indicating that the document is permitted to be printed. The user authority information storage unit 43 stores user authority information indicating the relationship between each document and a user who has the authority to print the document. The document database 44 stores documents to be printed.

  Each component 41 and 42 in the document management system 40 is realized by a cooperative operation of a computer forming the document management system 40 and a program operating on a CPU mounted on the computer. Each storage means 43 and 44 is realized by an HDD mounted in the document management system 40.

  Further, the program used in this embodiment can be provided not only by communication means but also by storing it in a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or USB memory. The program provided from the communication means or the recording medium is installed in the computer, and various processes are realized by the CPU of the computer sequentially executing the program.

  Next, the operation when the user prints a document with the printer 10 operating offline in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in FIG.

  When the user inserts the USB memory into a predetermined external media interface 59 in the printer 10, the printer 10 displays a list of document names stored in the USB memory on the operation panel 53. Then, the user selects a document to be printed from the list and instructs the printer 10 to print (step 211). In the present embodiment, the user operates the operation panel 53 to give a print instruction, and the print request processing unit 21 does not need to perform any processing, but the user side (mobile terminal 20 side). Is provided in the mobile terminal 20 in order to clearly indicate that the printer requests printing. Note that the print request processing unit 21 is required for the mobile terminal 20 in consideration of, for example, the case where the mobile terminal 20 functions as the operation panel 53 of the printer 10.

  When receiving a print request, the request receiving unit 11 in the printer 10 reads a document designated as a print target from the USB memory and stores it in the document storage unit 18 (step 111). Subsequently, the control unit 17 activates the challenge generation unit 12 to generate a challenge. That is, when activated, the challenge generation unit 12 generates a challenge as a code that is valid for a one-time use and is composed of a random alphanumeric character string, and the generated challenge is stored in the challenge storage unit 19. Hold (step 112). Subsequently, the challenge output unit 13 presents the generated challenge to the user by displaying it on the operation panel 53 (step 113).

  When the user inputs the challenge displayed on the operation panel 53 by operating the operation panel 66 of the mobile terminal 20, the challenge acquisition unit 22 acquires the input challenge (step 212).

  In the present embodiment, the printer 10 is made to issue a challenge necessary for confirming the validity of the user as described above. Further, the document ID is used to clarify to which document the challenge is issued, that is, the correspondence between the document and the challenge. The document ID may be specified by the user in step 211, or the printer 10 may extract the document ID by referring to the document attribute information. In step 113, the document ID may be displayed on the operation panel 53 together with the challenge. In this embodiment, the document ID is used as document identification information for identifying a document, but other information such as a document name may be used.

  Further, in the present embodiment, it has been described that the user manually inputs to the mobile terminal 20 while viewing the display on the operation panel 53. However, the printer 10 uses a QR code (registered trademark) as a challenge or a combination of a challenge and a document ID. ) Or the like and may be displayed on the operation panel 53 or printed on paper. When printing on a sheet, the output destination in the challenge output unit 13 is not the operation panel 53 but the printer engine 56 and becomes a sheet. And the challenge acquisition part 22 in the mobile terminal 20 acquires a challenge etc. by reading the displayed or printed code | cord | chord.

  When the challenge is acquired, the login request unit 23 accesses the printing authority confirmation service server 30 and logs in (step 213). When logging in, the login request unit 23 causes the user to input user authentication information including a user ID and a password, and sends the user authentication information to the print authority confirmation service server 30.

  When the printing authority confirmation service server 30 receives a login request in which user authentication information is specified (step 311), the user authentication unit 31 performs user authentication based on the user authentication information (step 312). Here, the description of the processing is continued assuming that the user authentication is successful, but if a login (user authentication) fails, the series of processing ends. That is, the user cannot cause the printer 10 to print the document.

  When the login (user authentication) is successful, the validity confirmation processing unit 24 requests the confirmation of the validity of the user by transmitting the challenge and the document ID acquired by the challenge acquisition unit 22 to the print authority confirmation service server 30. (Step 214).

  When receiving the challenge and the document ID transmitted from the mobile terminal 20 (step 313), the print permission code issuance processing unit 32 in the print authority confirmation service server 30 acquires the user ID of the user from the user authentication unit 31, The user ID, the document ID, and the challenge are transmitted as a set to the document management system 40, and a print permission code is issued (step 314).

  When the document management system 40 receives the user ID, document ID, and challenge transmitted from the print authority confirmation service server 30 (step 411), first, the authority management unit 41 sends the user authority information based on the user ID and the document ID. By searching the storage unit 43, it is confirmed whether or not the user has print authority for the document (step 412). If the user does not have the print authority, the user is notified that the user is not a valid user (not having the print authority) via the print authority confirmation service server 30, and the process ends. As a result, the user cannot cause the printer 10 to print the document.

  If the user has the authority to print the document, the print permission code generation unit 42 reads the document specified by the document ID from the document database 44, and encrypts the content and challenge of the document as inputs. Processing is executed to generate a print permission code (step 413). In the present embodiment, as the encryption process, a process of calculating a hash value using a predetermined hash function by combining the content of the document and the challenge is performed. The hash value generated in this way corresponds to the print permission code described above. When the print permission code generation unit 42 generates the print permission code, it transmits the print permission code to the print authority confirmation service server 30 (step 414).

  When receiving the print permission code transmitted from the document management system 40 (step 315), the print permission code issuance processing unit 32 in the print authority confirmation service server 30 transmits the print permission code to the mobile terminal 20 (step 316). ).

  When the validity confirmation processing unit 24 in the mobile terminal 20 receives the print permission code returned in response to the confirmation request (step 215), the print permission code output unit 25 outputs the print permission code (step 216). ). In the present embodiment, the print permission code is displayed on the operation panel 66. The user operates the operation panel 53 of the printer 10 and inputs the print permission code displayed on the operation panel 66 to the printer. The print permission code output unit 25 appropriately encodes the print permission code into a data code such as a QR code (registered trademark) and displays the code on the operation panel 66, and the user causes the scanner 54 to read the data code. It may be.

  When the print permission code acquisition unit 14 in the printer 10 acquires the print permission code input by the user (step 114), the determination unit 15 reads the document from the document storage unit 18 and reads the challenge from the challenge storage unit 19, A print permission code is generated by executing an encryption process using the same hash function used in step 413 (step 115). Then, the determination unit 15 verifies the print permission code by comparing the generated print permission code with the print permission code acquired from the mobile terminal 20 in Step 114 (Step 116).

  If the print permission code acquired in step 114 (the print permission code generated by the document management system 40 in step 413) matches the print permission code generated in step 115, the control unit 17 issues a print request. It is determined that the user has authority to print the document, and instructs the printing unit 16 to print the document. Thereby, the printing unit 16 executes printing of the document (step 117).

  According to the present embodiment, as described above, even when the printer 10 is in an offline state, it is possible to cause the printer 10 to execute printing after confirming whether or not the user has print authority for the document to be printed.

  In the present embodiment, the document is read from the USB memory in step 111 and stored in the document storage unit 18. However, in consideration of processing when there is no printing authority, in step 111, the document data is read from the USB memory. The document may be read and stored in the document storage unit 18 only when it is confirmed that the user has the right to print the document without reading. Alternatively, when it is confirmed that there is no printing authority, the document may be deleted from the document storage unit 18.

  In this embodiment, the print permission code is generated from the document information about the document and the authentication information (challenge). In steps 413 and 115, it is assumed that the entire contents of the document itself are used as the document information. However, if information that can identify the document such as a part of the document or a document ID is used, it is necessary to limit the contents to the entire document. There is no. Alternatively, a character string or the like determined in advance between the printer 10 and the document management system 40 may be used, although the reliability may be lowered.

  In this embodiment, the user is identified by using the user authentication information for logging in to the printing authority confirmation service server 30 in step 312, but the user authentication information managed by the document management system 40 is used. May be used.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the authority confirmation unit 41 and the print permission code generation unit 42 are provided in the document management system 40, but at least one of them may be provided in the print authority confirmation service server 30.

  By the way, when the user inputs the document ID in step 211, if the input document ID is incorrect, or if the document is deleted from the document database 44 after being stored in the USB memory, the document is deleted. Since the document cannot be found from the document database 44, the print permission code generation unit 42 cannot normally generate the print permission code in step 413. In this case, it is preferable to notify the user by displaying that fact on the mobile terminal 20. However, for example, in step 214, the validity confirmation processing unit 24 may transmit the document ID and the document name as a set. If the document corresponding to the document ID does not exist in the document database 44, the print permission code generation unit 42 allows the document to be printed as an alternative document if a document having the same document name exists in the document database 44. It may be possible to generate code or ask the user.

  Further, when document version management is performed in the document management system 40, if the document corresponding to the document ID transmitted from the mobile terminal 20 is not the latest version, that fact may be returned to the mobile terminal 20. . The user who knows that it is not the latest version should print the old version of the document with the knowledge that it is not the latest version, or if the latest version is stored in the USB memory, select the latest version of the document. Perform a new print request.

  The above-described modification examples and application examples can be applied to the embodiments described later.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, the document ID is used as information for specifying the document associated with the challenge, and the user may input the document ID in step 211. However, it may be troublesome to input the document ID. Therefore, the present embodiment is characterized in that the input of the document ID can be omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the printing system according to the present embodiment. The same components as those in FIG. The printing system in the present embodiment has a configuration in which a document list generation unit 45 is added to the document management system 40 shown in the first embodiment. The document list generation unit 45 functions as a list information generation unit in cooperation with the print permission code issuance processing unit 32 in the print authority confirmation service server 30. When the user authentication unit 31 authenticates the user, the document list generation unit 45 generates list information of documents to which the user is authorized to print in response to a request from the print permission code issuance processing unit 32. The print permission code issuance processing unit 32 transmits the generated document list to the mobile terminal 20. Since other configurations and hardware configurations may be the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  Next, an operation when the user prints a document with the printer 10 operating offline in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagrams shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The same processes as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same step numbers, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  The user designates a document to be printed and instructs the printer 10 to print (step 211). At this time, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to input the document ID. When the mobile terminal 20 acquires the challenge generated by the printer 10 (steps 11 to 113, 212), the mobile terminal 20 logs in to the print authority confirmation service server 30 (step 213).

  After the user authentication by the user authentication unit 31, the print authorization code issuance processing unit 32 in the print authority confirmation service server 30 acquires the user ID of the authenticated user from the user authentication unit 31, and issues a document list generation request including the user ID. The data is transmitted to the document list generation unit 45 of the document management system 40 (step 321).

  When the document list generation unit 45 in the document management system 40 receives the document list generation request transmitted from the print authority confirmation service server 30 (step 421), the document list generation unit 45 refers to the user authority information storage unit 43 and makes a document list generation request. A document list is generated by extracting the document ID and document name of the document for which the user specified by the included user ID has the print authority (step 422). Then, the generated document list is transmitted to the print permission code issuance processing unit 32 (step 423).

  When receiving the document list (step 322), the print permission code issuance processing unit 32 transmits the document list to the mobile terminal 20 (step 323).

  When the mobile terminal 20 receives the document list transmitted from the print authority confirmation service server 30 after login (step 221), the validity confirmation processing unit 24 displays the document list on the operation panel 66 (step 222). . The user selects the document name of the document passed to the printer 10 as a print target from the document names in the document list. Upon receipt of the selected document name (step 223), the validity confirmation processing unit 24 transmits the document ID corresponding to the accepted document name and the challenge acquired in step 212 to the print authority confirmation service server 30. Then, confirmation of the legitimacy of the user is requested (step 214). Subsequent processing may be the same as that of the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, the user can cause the printer to print the document he / she wants to print by selecting the document name from the document list without inputting the document ID for the document to be printed. In particular, since the document list obtained by the mobile terminal 20 from the print authority confirmation service server 30 includes only documents for which the user has print authority, the user can print the document he / she wants to print. , The document can be printed on the printer 10.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the second embodiment, the input of the document ID can be omitted by selecting the document to be printed from the document list obtained from the print authority confirmation service server 30. However, there may be multiple documents with the same document name in some cases. In this case, there is a possibility that the document to be printed cannot be correctly selected from the document list. In many cases, the user sorts and stores the documents in folders according to the purpose of use. Therefore, the present embodiment is characterized in that a folder name or the like is displayed together with the document name as the storage location information indicating the storage location of the document.

  The hardware configuration and block configuration in the present embodiment may be the same as those in the second embodiment. Hereinafter, an operation when the user prints a document with the printer 10 operating offline in the present embodiment will be described with reference to sequence diagrams shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. The same processes as those shown in FIGS. 4, 6A, and 6B are denoted by the same step numbers, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  The user designates a document to be printed and instructs the printer 10 to print (step 211). At this time, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to input the document ID. When the mobile terminal 20 acquires the challenge generated by the printer 10 (steps 11 to 113, 212), the mobile terminal 20 logs in to the print authority confirmation service server 30 (step 213).

  When the user logs in, the validity confirmation processing unit 24 displays a screen (not shown) for inputting storage location information indicating the storage location of the document to be printed on the operation panel 66. Then, the storage location information input by the user from the screen is received (step 231). Then, the validity confirmation processing unit 24 transmits the received storage location information to the printing authority confirmation service server 30 (step 232).

  When the printing authority confirmation service server 30 receives the storage location information transmitted from the mobile terminal 20 (step 331), the print permission code issuance processing unit 32 receives the user ID and the storage location information acquired from the user authentication unit 31. The document list generation request including this is transmitted to the document list generation unit 45 of the document management system 40 (step 322).

  When the document list generation unit 45 in the document management system 40 receives the document list generation request transmitted from the printing authority confirmation service server 30 (step 431), the document list generation unit 45 refers to the user authority information storage unit 43 and requests the document list generation. A document list is generated by extracting the document ID and document name of the document for which the user specified by the user ID has the print authority from among the documents included in the storage location specified from the storage location information included in (Step 432). Then, the generated document list is transmitted to the print permission code issuance processing unit 32 (step 423). Subsequent processing may be the same as that of the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, for example, even when there are a plurality of documents that are the same as the document to be printed, if the documents are sorted and stored in different storage destinations (folders), the document to be printed can be specified by specifying the folder name. Can be easily selected.

  In this embodiment, the description has been made assuming that the folder in which the document to be printed is stored as the storage destination information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the user may not accurately store the name of the folder that stores the document that the user wants to print. Even if the folder name is stored, it is troublesome to specify the folder if it is located in a lower layer in the hierarchical structure of the folder. In such a case, the user generates a document list by designating a storage device such as a disk or designating a folder in an upper layer of a folder storing a target document. The document list generation unit 45 generates a document list by extracting documents included in the designated folder and its lower layer folders. At this time, the document list is generated with a structure similar to the hierarchical structure of the folders. It is preferable to generate. By generating the document list so that the hierarchical structure can be understood in this way, the user searches for and selects a document to be printed while following the hierarchy.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printer, 11 Request reception part, 12 Challenge generation part, 13 Challenge output part, 14 Print permission code acquisition part, 15 Judgment part, 16 Printing part, 17, 26 Control part, 18 Document storage part, 19 Challenge storage part, 20 Mobile terminal, 21 Print request processing unit, 22 Challenge acquisition unit, 23 Login request unit, 24 Validity confirmation processing unit, 25 Print authorization code output unit, 30 Printing authority confirmation service server, 31 User authentication unit, 32 Print authorization code issue Processing unit, 40 Document management system, 41 Authority confirmation unit, 42 Print permission code generation unit, 43 User authority information storage unit, 44 Document database, 45 Document list generation unit, 51, 61 CPU, 52 Address data bus, 53, 66 Operation panel, 54 scanner, 55, 64 hard disk drive (HDD), 6 printer engine, 57 and 63 RAM, 58, 62 ROM, 59 an external media interface (I / F), 65 a communication interface, 67 internal bus.

Claims (5)

A management system for managing users and documents;
A printing apparatus that cannot communicate with the management system via a network;
The terminal used by the user,
Have
In the printing apparatus, document information acquisition means for acquiring document information relating to a document to be printed;
In the printing apparatus, authentication information generating means for generating authentication information that is effective only for one use in response to a print request from a user;
In the terminal, user authentication request means for requesting user authentication by transmitting user authentication information including user identification information to the management system;
In the management system, user authentication means for performing user authentication based on user authentication information transmitted from the terminal;
In the terminal, when the authentication information generated by the authentication information generation means is acquired, the validity of the user who made the print request by transmitting the authentication information and the document identification information of the document to the management system after user authentication. A validity confirmation requesting means for requesting confirmation of
In the management system, when the user's printing authority for the document is authenticated based on the user identification information and the document identification information in response to a user confirmation request from the terminal, the document information about the document and the terminal Confirmation response information generating means for generating confirmation response information by executing an encryption process with the authentication information obtained from the input as input, and transmitting to the terminal,
In the printing apparatus, when the confirmation response information transmitted to the terminal is acquired, the acquired confirmation response information, the document information acquired by the document information acquisition unit, and the authentication information generated by the authentication information generation unit, Printing means for printing the document when the authentication response information obtained by executing the encryption process with the input is matched,
A printing system comprising: In the management system, when the user is authenticated by the user authentication unit, the management system includes list information generation unit that generates list information of a document to which the user is authorized to print and transmits the list information to the terminal
The validity confirmation requesting means transmits document identification information of a document selected by the user from the list information to the management system;
The printing system according to claim 1. When the user is authenticated by the user authentication unit, the validity confirmation requesting unit transmits storage location information of a document to be printed to the management system,
The confirmation response information generation means transmits, to the terminal, list information of documents to which the user is authorized to print from the storage location specified by the storage location information.
The printing system according to claim 2. Document information acquisition means for acquiring document information relating to a document to be printed;
Authentication information generating means for generating authentication information that is valid only for one use in response to a print request from a user;
Confirmation response information acquisition means for acquiring confirmation response information generated by executing encryption processing with the document information relating to the document and the authentication information generated by the authentication information generation means as inputs, and
Executing the encryption process using the acquired acknowledgment information acquired by the acquiring unit, the document information acquired by the document information acquiring unit, and the authentication information generated by the authentication information generating unit as inputs. A printing unit that prints the document when the authentication response information obtained in step 1 matches,
A printing apparatus comprising: Implemented in a printing system having a management system for managing users and documents, a printing apparatus that cannot communicate with the management system via a network, and a terminal used by the user;
A document information acquisition step in which the printing apparatus acquires document information about a document to be printed;
An authentication information generation step in which the printing apparatus generates authentication information that is valid only for one use in response to a print request from a user;
A user authentication request step in which the terminal requests user authentication by transmitting user authentication information including user identification information to the management system;
A user authentication step in which the management system performs user authentication based on user authentication information transmitted from the terminal;
When the terminal acquires the authentication information generated by the authentication information generation step, after the user authentication, the validity of the user who made the print request by transmitting the authentication information and the document identification information of the document to the management system A legitimacy request step for requesting confirmation,
When the management system authenticates the user's print authority for the document based on the user identification information and the document identification information in response to a user confirmation request from the terminal, the document information about the document and the terminal A confirmation response information generation step of generating confirmation response information by executing an encryption process with the authentication information acquired from the input as input, and transmitting to the terminal;
When the printing apparatus acquires the confirmation response information transmitted to the terminal, the acquired confirmation response information, the document information acquired by the document information acquisition step, and the authentication information generated by the authentication information generation step, A printing step of printing the document when the authentication response information obtained by executing the encryption processing with the
A printing method comprising:

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