JP2017098764A - Image formation system, image formation device, and image formation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image formation system capable of protecting an image formation device from unauthorized access using a command for the image formation device.SOLUTION: An authentication server comprises: a user authentication unit that, on the basis of an authentication request from a user terminal, performs user authentication using user authentication information; and a command data transfer unit that, when the user authentication unit's user authentication is successful, transfers command data received from the user terminal to an image formation device, the command data being a collection of commands to be executed by the image formation device. The image formation device comprises: a second storage unit that stores address information on the authentication server, transmission source information; a transmission source confirmation unit that, when receiving command data, determines whether a transmission source of the received command data agrees with the transmission source information; and a command processing unit that, when it is determined that the transmission source of the received command data received by the transmission source confirmation unit agrees with the transmission source information, executes a command included in the received command data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming system, an image forming apparatus, and an image forming method for preventing leakage of information registered in an image forming apparatus (MFP, Multifunction Peripheral).

  In recent years, when sending a facsimile or sending an e-mail from an image forming apparatus to a specific destination, there is a possibility to send or send it by an address book or the like in order to save the trouble of inputting the destination every time. A certain destination is registered in advance.

  In order to prevent leakage of information such as registered destinations, the specification of information acquisition commands for acquiring information registered in the image forming apparatus from the outside should not be used for unauthorized access. That is important.

  Also, commands that may be used for unauthorized access and that require attention are control commands for controlling the image forming apparatus. This is because if the control system command is used, the setting of the image forming apparatus can be changed or the function can be stopped.

  Therefore, for example, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a specific control command is sent to the image forming apparatus, the access key attached to the control command is checked, and the received control command is valid. It is judged whether or not.

JP 2007-306427 A

  As described above, it is important to keep the control system command and the information acquisition system command secret so that they are not used for unauthorized access.

  However, if the format of these commands leaks to the outside for some reason, unauthorized access to the image forming apparatus from outside using these commands will result in unauthorized acquisition of registered information. The image forming apparatus may cause an unintended operation.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system, an image forming apparatus, and an image forming method capable of protecting the image forming apparatus from unauthorized access using an image forming apparatus command. is there.

  To achieve the above object, an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a network-connected authentication server and an image forming apparatus, and the authentication server is capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus and a user terminal. 1 communication unit, a first storage unit storing user authentication information, a user authentication unit that performs user authentication using the user authentication information based on an authentication request from the user terminal, and the user A command data transfer unit that transfers command data, which is a collection of commands executed by the image forming apparatus, received from the user terminal to the image forming apparatus when the authentication unit succeeds in user authentication; The forming apparatus includes: a second communication unit capable of communicating with the authentication server; and source information that is address information of the authentication server A second storage unit stored, a transmission source confirmation unit that determines whether or not the transmission source of the received command data matches the transmission source information when the command data is received, and the transmission source confirmation unit A command processing unit that executes a command included in the received command data when it is determined that the transmission source information of the received command data matches the transmission source information. Therefore, the image forming apparatus can be protected from unauthorized access using the command of the image forming apparatus.

  To achieve the above object, an image forming system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a network-connected analysis server and an image forming apparatus, and the analysis server is capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus and a user terminal. 1 communication unit, a command data analysis unit for analyzing command data received from the user terminal and executed by the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus is controlled by the received command data. A command data transfer unit that transfers the analyzed command data to the image forming apparatus when a control system command to perform or an information acquisition system command to acquire information from the image forming apparatus is not included. The apparatus includes a second communication unit capable of communicating with the authentication server, and address information of the authentication server. A second storage unit that stores transmission source information, a transmission source confirmation unit that determines whether the transmission source information of the received command data matches the transmission source information when the command data is received, and the transmission And a command processing unit that executes a command included in the received command data when it is determined that the transmission source information of the command data received by the original confirmation unit matches the transmission source information. Therefore, the image forming apparatus can be protected from unauthorized access using the command of the image forming apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes an operation unit, a communication unit capable of communicating with a user terminal, and a collection of commands received from the user terminal and executed by the user device. A storage unit storing a mode table describing a plurality of modes, which is a combination of the type of command included in certain command data and processing for the command data, and the administrator or user of the own device through the operation unit A mode switching unit for switching the mode based on an instruction made; a command data analysis unit for analyzing what command is included in the received command data when the command data is received from the user terminal; A command type included in the command data analyzed by the command data analysis unit; When said mode Toggles obtained is determined to match, and a command processing unit to execute a command included in the command data analyzed. Therefore, the image forming apparatus can be protected from unauthorized access using the command of the image forming apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the image forming method according to an aspect of the present invention, the user authentication unit of the authentication server uses the user authentication information stored in the first storage unit based on the authentication request from the user terminal. Command data that is a collection of commands executed by the image forming apparatus received from the user terminal when the user authentication by the user authentication unit is successful by the command data transfer unit of the authentication server. Is transmitted to the image forming apparatus, and when the transmission source confirmation unit of the image forming apparatus receives the command data, the transmission source information stored in the transmission source of the received command data and the second storage unit And the command processing unit of the image forming apparatus transmits the command data received by the transmission source confirmation unit. When said sender information is determined to match the executes the command contained in the command data received.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the image forming method according to an aspect of the present invention, the command data analysis unit of the analysis server analyzes the command data that is received from the user terminal and is a collection of commands executed by the image forming apparatus. When the command data transfer unit of the analysis server does not include a control system command for controlling the image forming apparatus or an information acquisition system command for acquiring information from the image forming apparatus in the received command data, The transmitted command data is transferred to the image forming apparatus, and when the transmission source confirmation unit of the image forming apparatus receives the command data, the command data is stored in the transmission source of the received command data and the second storage unit. The transmission source information matches, and the command processing unit of the image forming apparatus receives the transmission source confirmation unit. When the transmission source information and transmission source of the command data is determined to match, to execute a command included in the command data received.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the image forming method according to an aspect of the present invention, the mode switching unit receives commands received from the user terminal and included in command data that is a collection of commands to be executed by the own device. A plurality of modes, which are combinations of types and processes for the command data, are switched based on an instruction given by an administrator or user of the own device via the operation unit, and the command data analysis unit sends the command data from the user terminal. When the command is received, the command data received is analyzed to determine what command is included in the received command data, and the command processing unit includes a command type included in the command data analyzed by the command data analysis unit and When it is determined that the switched mode matches, the analyzed command data is To execute a command that is included in the.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the image forming apparatus can be protected from unauthorized access using commands of the image forming apparatus.

1 is an overall schematic diagram of an image forming system 1A according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram in case authentication server 10A is comprised with a common computer. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of 20 A of image forming apparatuses. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of processing in the image forming system 1A. It is a whole schematic diagram of the image forming system 1B which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram in case analysis server 10B is comprised by a general computer. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of processing in the image forming system 1B. It is a whole schematic diagram of image forming system 1C concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of 20 C of image forming apparatuses. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the mode table 29b. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the flow of a process in 1 C of image forming systems.

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

<First Embodiment>
First, the image forming system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[overall structure]
First, an overall outline of the image forming system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of an image forming system 1A according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming system 1A includes an authentication server 10A, one or more image forming apparatuses 20A, and a PC (Personal Computer) 30, which are connected via a network.

  When the user causes the image forming apparatus 20A to perform a job such as printing (execute command data) from the PC 30, the user first sends an authentication request to the authentication server 10A (1), and the authentication server 10A authenticates the user. (2).

  When the user authentication is successful, command data executed by the image forming apparatus 20A is transmitted to the authentication server 10A (3). The authentication server 10A transfers the sent command data to the image forming apparatus 20A (4). Thereafter, the image forming apparatus 20A executes the sent command data, and printing, setting change, registration information acquisition, and the like are performed.

  Note that the command data here is a collection of drawing commands, which are commands for printing characters and graphics, the control commands, and information acquisition commands described above.

  The configurations of the authentication server 10A and the image forming apparatus 20A will be described in detail below. Since the PC 30 may be a general PC terminal, the description of the configuration is omitted.

  The overall outline of the image forming system 1A according to the first embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

[Authentication Server Configuration]
Next, the configuration of the authentication server 10A will be described. The authentication server 10A may be configured by dedicated hardware or software, or may be configured by a general computer. FIG. 2 shows a configuration diagram when the authentication server 10A is configured by a general computer.

  As shown in the figure, the authentication server 10A includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an operation input unit 14, a communication unit 15 (first communication unit). ), A display unit 16, and a storage unit 17 (first storage unit), and these blocks are connected via a bus 18.

  The ROM 12 stores a plurality of programs and data such as firmware for executing various processes. The RAM 13 is used as a work area for the CPU 11 and temporarily holds an OS (Operating System), various applications being executed, and various data being processed.

  The storage unit 17 is, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, or other nonvolatile memory. The storage unit 17 stores an OS, various applications, various data, and user authentication information 17a.

  The user authentication information 17a is information for authenticating a user who is going to execute command data in the image forming apparatus 20A.

  The communication unit 15 is connected to a network for exchanging information with the image forming apparatus 20A and the PC 30.

  The CPU 11 develops a program corresponding to an instruction given from the operation input unit 14 among the plurality of programs stored in the ROM 12 or the storage unit 17 in the RAM 13, and the display unit 16 and the storage unit according to the expanded program. 17 is appropriately controlled.

  The operation input unit 14 is, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, and other operation devices.

  The display unit 16 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, an EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, a plasma display, or the like.

  Next, functional blocks realized by executing a program in the CPU 11 will be described.

  Functional blocks implemented in the CPU 11 of the authentication server 10A are a user authentication unit 11a and a command data transfer unit 11b.

  The user authentication unit 11a uses the user authentication information 17a stored in the storage unit 17 to authenticate a user who is about to execute command data in the image forming apparatus 20A.

  When the user authentication is successful, the command data transfer unit 11b transfers the command data sent from the PC 30 to the image forming apparatus 20A.

  The configuration of the authentication server 10 has been described above.

[Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
Next, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 20A will be described. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 20A.

  The image forming apparatus 20 </ b> A includes a control unit 21. The control unit 21 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a dedicated hardware circuit, and the like, and governs overall operation control of the image forming apparatus 20A.

  The control unit 21 includes a document reading unit 22, an image processing unit 23, an image memory 24, an image forming unit 25, an operation unit 26, a display unit 26a, a facsimile communication unit 27, a communication unit 28 (second communication unit), and a storage unit. 29 (second storage unit) and the like. The control unit 21 performs operation control of each of the above connected units, and transmission / reception of signals or data to / from each unit.

  The control unit 21 is necessary to execute operation control for each function such as a scanner function, a print function, a copy function, and a facsimile transmission / reception function in accordance with a job execution instruction input from the user through the operation unit 26 or the like. Control mechanism drive and processing.

  The control unit 21 includes a transmission source confirmation unit 21a and a command processing unit 21b. The transmission source confirmation unit 21a and the command processing unit 21b are functional blocks that are realized by the CPU loading a program loaded from the ROM or the like into the RAM.

  When the command data is received, the transmission source confirmation unit 21a confirms the transmission source of the received command data.

  The command processing unit 21b executes each command in the command data when the received command data is valid.

  The document reading unit 22 reads an image from a document.

  The image processing unit 23 performs image processing on the image data of the image read by the document reading unit 22 as necessary. For example, the image processing unit 23 performs image processing such as shading correction in order to improve the quality after the image read by the document reading unit 22 is formed.

  The image memory 24 is an area for temporarily storing data of a document image obtained by reading by the document reading unit 22 and temporarily storing data to be printed by the image forming unit 25.

  The image forming unit 25 forms an image such as the image data read by the document reading unit 22.

  The operation unit 26 includes a touch panel unit and operation key units that receive instructions from the user regarding various operations and processes that can be executed by the image forming apparatus 20. The touch panel unit includes a display unit 26a such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) provided with a touch panel.

  The facsimile communication unit 27 includes an encoding / decoding unit, a modulation / demodulation unit, and an NCU (Network Control Unit) (not shown), and performs facsimile transmission using a public telephone line network.

  The communication unit 28 includes a communication module such as a LAN board, and transmits and receives various data to and from the authentication server 10 via a LAN or the like connected to the communication unit 28.

  The storage unit 29 stores the original image read by the original reading unit 22 and the transmission source information 29a for determining whether or not the received command data is valid. The storage unit 29 is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD.

  The configuration of the image forming apparatus 20 has been described above.

[Process flow]
Next, the flow of processing in the image forming system 1A will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing in the image forming system 1A.

  First, the user transmits an authentication request to the authentication server 10A by the PC 30 (step S301).

  Next, the user authentication unit 11a of the authentication server 10A authenticates the user using the user authentication information 17a (step S302).

  If the user authentication has failed (N in step S302), the process ends.

  If the user authentication is successful (Y in step S302), the PC 30 transmits command data to the authentication server 10A (step S303).

  Next, the command data transfer unit 11b of the authentication server 10A transfers the command data received from the PC 30 to the image forming apparatus 20A (step S304).

  Next, the transmission source confirmation unit 21a of the image forming apparatus 20A confirms whether or not the transmission source of the received command data matches the transmission source information 29a (authentication server 10A) stored in the storage unit 29 ( Step S305).

  Next, the transmission source confirmation unit 21a of the image forming apparatus 20A determines whether or not the transmission source of the command data matches the transmission source information 29a (step S306).

  If the transmission sources match (Y in step S306), each command in the command data received by the command processing unit 21b is executed (step S307).

  If the transmission sources do not match (N in Step S306), the command processing unit 21b discards the received command data (Step S308).

  The processing flow in the image forming system 1A has been described above.

  The first embodiment has been described above.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, an image forming system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that instead of performing user authentication by the authentication server 10A, the analysis server analyzes the contents of the command data and only forms an image when there is no problem in the analysis result. The command data is transferred to the device.

[overall structure]
First, an overall outline of an image forming system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is an overall schematic diagram of an image forming system 1B according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming system 1B includes an analysis server 10B, one or more image forming apparatuses 20A, and a PC 30, which are connected via a network.

  When the user causes the image forming apparatus 20A to perform a job such as printing (execute command data) from the PC 30, the user first transmits command data to the analysis server 10B (1).

  Next, the analysis server 10B analyzes the contents of the received command data (2). Only when the received command data does not include a control command or an information acquisition command, the received command data is transferred to the image forming apparatus 20A (3).

  The configuration of the analysis server 10B will be described in detail below. Since the PC 30 may be a general PC terminal, the description of the configuration is omitted.

  The configuration of the image forming apparatus 20A is the same as that of the first embodiment, and will be omitted. However, more precisely, in the first embodiment, the transmission source information 29a stored in advance is the address of the authentication server 10A. In contrast, the second embodiment is different in that the address of the analysis server 10B is stored as the transmission source information 29a.

  The overall outline of the image forming system 1B according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

[Analysis Server Configuration]
Next, the configuration of the analysis server 10B will be described. The analysis server 10B may be configured by dedicated hardware or software, or may be configured by a general computer. FIG. 6 shows a configuration diagram when the analysis server 10B is configured by a general computer.

  As shown in the figure, the analysis server 10B includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, an operation input unit 14, a communication unit 15 (first communication unit), a display unit 16, and a storage unit 17. They are connected via a bus 18.

  The ROM 12 stores a plurality of programs and data such as firmware for executing various processes. The RAM 13 is used as a work area for the CPU 11 and temporarily holds the OS, various applications being executed, and various data being processed.

  The storage unit 17 is, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, or other nonvolatile memory. The storage unit 17 stores an OS, various applications, and various data.

  The communication unit 15 is connected to a network for exchanging information with the image forming apparatus 20A and the PC 30.

  The CPU 11 develops a program corresponding to an instruction given from the operation input unit 14 among the plurality of programs stored in the ROM 12 or the storage unit 17 in the RAM 13, and the display unit 16 and the storage unit according to the expanded program. 17 is appropriately controlled.

  The operation input unit 14 is, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, and other operation devices.

  The display unit 16 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, an EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, a plasma display, or the like.

  Next, functional blocks realized by executing a program in the CPU 11 will be described.

  Functional blocks implemented in the CPU 11 of the analysis server 10B are a command data transfer unit 11b and a command data analysis unit 11c.

  When the user authentication is successful, the command data transfer unit 11b transfers the command data sent from the PC 30 to the image forming apparatus 20A.

  The command data analysis unit 11c analyzes a command included in the command data received from the PC 30, and determines whether the command data includes a control command or an information acquisition command.

  The configuration of the analysis server 10B has been described above.

[Process flow]
Next, the flow of processing in the image forming system 1B will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing in the image forming system 1B.

  First, the user transmits command data to the analysis server 10B by the PC 30 (step S401).

  Next, the command data analysis unit 11c of the analysis server 10B analyzes the received command data (step S402).

  Next, the command data analysis unit 11c determines whether the received command data includes a control command or an information acquisition command (step S403).

  If a control command or an information acquisition command is included (Y in step S403), the command data analysis unit 11c discards the received command data (step S404) and ends the process.

  When the control command or the information acquisition command is not included (N in Step S403), the command data transfer unit 11b transfers the analyzed command data to the image forming apparatus 20A (Step S405).

  Next, the transmission source confirmation unit 21a of the image forming apparatus 20A confirms whether or not the transmission source of the received command data matches the transmission source information 29a (analysis server 10B) stored in the storage unit 29 ( Step S406).

  Next, the transmission source confirmation unit 21a of the image forming apparatus 20A determines whether or not the transmission source of the command data matches the transmission source information 29a (step S407).

  If the transmission sources match (Y in step S407), each command in the command data received by the command processing unit 21b is executed (step S408).

  If the transmission sources do not match (N in step S407), the command processing unit 21b discards the received command data (step S409).

  The flow of processing in the image forming system 1B has been described above.

  The second embodiment has been described above.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is different from the above two embodiments in that there is no authentication server 10A or analysis server 10B.

  As a case where there is no authentication server 10A or analysis server 10B, the authentication server 10A or analysis server 10B is down due to maintenance or failure, but the user needs to send the command data to the image forming apparatus for execution. It is assumed that, besides that, the authentication server 10A or the analysis server 10B can be used as a configuration not added to the image forming system from the beginning.

[overall structure]
First, an overall outline of an image forming system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is an overall schematic diagram of an image forming system 1C according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming system 1C includes one or more image forming apparatuses 20C and a PC 30, which are connected via a network.

  First, the administrator or user of the image forming apparatus 20C switches the command data processing mode in the image forming apparatus 20C (1). Then, the user transmits command data from the PC 30 to the image forming apparatus 20C (2). The image forming apparatus 20C executes the command in the command data only when it receives command data that matches the mode set for itself.

  The configuration of the image forming apparatus 20C will be described in detail below. Since the PC 30 may be a general PC terminal, the description of the configuration is omitted.

  The overall outline of the image forming system 1C according to the third embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

[Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
Next, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 20C will be described. FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 20C.

  The image forming apparatus 20 </ b> C includes a control unit 21. The control unit 21 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a dedicated hardware circuit, and the like, and governs overall operation control of the image forming apparatus 20.

  The control unit 21 is connected to the document reading unit 22, the image processing unit 23, the image memory 24, the image forming unit 25, the operation unit 26, the display unit 26a, the facsimile communication unit 27, the communication unit 28, the storage unit 29, and the like. . The control unit 21 performs operation control of each of the above connected units, and transmission / reception of signals or data to / from each unit.

  The control unit 21 performs operation control on each function such as a scanner function, a print function, a copy function, and a facsimile transmission / reception function in accordance with a job execution instruction input from the user through the operation unit 26 or a network-connected PC. Controls the drive and processing of the mechanisms necessary to execute.

  The control unit 21 includes a transmission source confirmation unit 21a, a command processing unit 21b, a mode switching unit 21c, and a command data analysis unit 21d. The command processing unit 21b, the mode switching unit 21c, and the command data analysis unit 21d are functional blocks that are realized by the CPU loading a program loaded from the ROM or the like into the RAM.

  When the command data is received, the transmission source confirmation unit 21a confirms the transmission source of the received command data.

  The command processing unit 21b executes each command in the command data when the received command data is valid.

  The mode switching unit 21c switches a mode that defines a method for processing command data received in the image forming apparatus 20C. Details of the mode will be described later.

  The command data analysis unit 21d analyzes what commands are included in the received command data.

  The document reading unit 22 reads an image from a document.

  The image processing unit 23 performs image processing on the image data of the image read by the document reading unit 22 as necessary. For example, the image processing unit 23 performs image processing such as shading correction in order to improve the quality after the image read by the document reading unit 22 is formed.

  The image memory 24 is an area for temporarily storing data of a document image obtained by reading by the document reading unit 22 and temporarily storing data to be printed by the image forming unit 25.

  The image forming unit 25 forms an image such as the image data read by the document reading unit 22.

  The operation unit 26 includes a touch panel unit and operation key units that receive instructions from the user regarding various operations and processes that can be executed by the image forming apparatus 20C. The touch panel unit includes a display unit 26a such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) provided with a touch panel.

  The facsimile communication unit 27 includes an encoding / decoding unit, a modulation / demodulation unit, and an NCU (Network Control Unit) (not shown), and performs facsimile transmission using a public telephone line network.

  The communication unit 28 includes a communication module such as a LAN board, and transmits and receives various data to and from a network-connected device (such as a PC) via a LAN or the like connected to the communication unit 28.

  The storage unit 29 stores the document image read by the document reading unit 22, the transmission source information 29a, and the mode table 29b. The storage unit 29 is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD.

  The transmission source information 29a is the same as that in the first embodiment or the second embodiment.

  The mode table 29b describes the contents of each mode that determines whether or not to execute the command in the command data according to the type of command included in the received command data. Details will be described later.

  The configuration of the image forming apparatus 20 has been described above.

[About the mode table]
Next, the mode table 29b will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of the mode table 29b.

  Note that the mode to be switched in the mode table 29b is performed by the mode switching unit 21c according to an instruction from the administrator or user of the image forming apparatus 20C.

  In the example shown in the figure, in mode 1, the contents of the received command data are not analyzed, and the command included in the command data is executed unconditionally.

  In mode 2, the command in the received command data is executed only when the control command is not included in the received command data.

  In mode 3, the command in the received command data is executed only when the received command data does not contain an information acquisition command.

  In mode 4, the command in the received command data is executed only when the received command data does not contain a control command or an information acquisition command.

  In mode 5, the command in the received command data is executed only when the transmission source of the received command data matches the transmission source information 29a stored in the storage unit 29. Mode 5 is a mode in which the operation described in the first embodiment or the second embodiment described above is performed, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The mode table 29b has been described above.

[Process flow]
Next, the flow of processing in the image forming system 1C will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing in the image forming system 1C.

  First, the administrator or user of the image forming apparatus 20C calls a maintenance screen from the operation unit 26 of the image forming apparatus 20C, and switches the mode of the image forming apparatus 20C via the mode switching unit 21c (step S501).

  Next, the user transmits command data from the PC 30 to the image forming apparatus 20C (step S502).

  Next, the command data analysis unit 21d of the image forming apparatus 20C analyzes the received command data (step S503).

  Next, the command data analysis unit 21d determines whether or not the switched command data processing mode matches the content of the received command data (step S504).

  If the contents match (Y in step S504), the command processing unit 21b executes the command in the received command data (step S505).

  If the contents do not match (N in step S504), the command data analysis unit 21d discards the received command data (step S506).

  The flow of processing in the image forming system 1C has been described above.

[Additional notes]
As described above, the image forming system 1A according to the present invention includes the authentication server 10A and the image forming apparatus 20A connected to the network, and the authentication server 10A can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20A and the user terminal 30. A user who performs user authentication using the user authentication information 17a based on an authentication request from the first communication unit 15, the first storage unit 17 storing the user authentication information 17a, and the user terminal 30 When the authentication unit 11a and the user authentication unit 11a succeed in user authentication, command data received from the user terminal 30, which is a collection of commands executed by the image forming apparatus 20A, is transferred to the image forming apparatus 20A. And the command data transfer unit 11b, and the image forming apparatus 20A includes the authentication server. The second communication unit 28 that can communicate with 10A, the second storage unit 29 that stores the source information 29a that is the address information of the authentication server 10A, and the command that is received when the command data is received A transmission source confirmation unit 21a that determines whether or not the transmission source of the data matches the transmission source information 29a, and a determination that the transmission source information 29a matches the transmission source of the command data received by the transmission source confirmation unit 21a. A command processing unit 21b that executes a command included in the received command data.

  The image forming system 1B according to the present invention includes an analysis server 10B and an image forming apparatus 20A connected to a network, and the analysis server 10B is capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus 20A and the user terminal 30. A communication unit 15, a command data analysis unit 11c that analyzes command data that is received from the user terminal 30 and that is a collection of commands executed by the image forming apparatus 20A, and the received command data includes the image forming apparatus. A command data transfer unit 11b for transferring the analyzed command data to the image forming apparatus 20A when a control system command for controlling 20A or an information acquisition command for acquiring information from the image forming apparatus 20A is not included; The image forming apparatus 20A includes the analysis server 10B. A second communication unit 28 capable of communication, a second storage unit 29 that stores transmission source information 29a that is address information of the analysis server 10B, and transmission of the received command data when the command data is received A transmission source confirmation unit 21a that determines whether or not the source and the transmission source information 29a match, and when the transmission source information 29a is determined to match the transmission source of the command data received by the transmission source confirmation unit 21a A command processing unit 21b that executes a command included in the received command data.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 20C according to the present invention includes an operation unit 26, a communication unit 28 that can communicate with the user terminal 30, and a command that is received from the user terminal 30 and is a collection of commands that are executed by the own device 20C. A storage unit 29 that stores a mode table 29b describing a plurality of modes that are combinations of types of commands included in the data and processing for the command data, and an administrator or user of the own device 20C controls the operation unit 26. And a command for analyzing what command is included in the received command data when the command data is received from the user terminal 30 and the mode switching unit 21c for switching the mode based on the instruction given via The data analysis unit 21d and the command data analysis unit 21d analyzed the When said mode is switched and the type of command that is included in the command data is determined to match, and a command processing unit 21b to execute the command included in the command data analyzed.

  In addition, this invention is not limited only to the above-mentioned embodiment, Of course, various changes can be added within the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

1A, 1B, 1C ... Image forming system 10A ... Authentication server 10B ... Analysis server 11 ... CPU
11a ... User authentication unit 11b ... Command data transfer unit 11c ... Command data analysis unit 12 ... ROM
13 ... RAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Operation input part 15 ... Communication part 16 ... Display part 16a ... Display screen 17 ... Memory | storage part 17a ... Information for user authentication 18 ... Bus 20A, 20C ... Image forming apparatus 21 ... Control part 21a ... Transmission source confirmation part 21b ... Command Processing unit 21c ... Mode switching unit 21d ... Command data analysis unit 22 ... Document reading unit 23 ... Image processing unit 24 ... Image memory 25 ... Image forming unit 26 ... Operation unit 26a ... Display unit 27 ... Facsimile communication unit 28 ... Communication unit 29 ... Storage unit 29a ... Source information 29b ... Mode table

Claims (6)

Network-connected authentication server and image forming device,
The authentication server is
A first communication unit capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus and the user terminal;
A first storage unit storing user authentication information;
Based on an authentication request from the user terminal, a user authentication unit that performs user authentication using the user authentication information;
A command data transfer unit that transfers command data, which is a collection of commands executed by the image forming apparatus, received from the user terminal to the image forming apparatus when the user authentication unit succeeds in user authentication;
The image forming apparatus includes:
A second communication unit capable of communicating with the authentication server;
A second storage unit storing transmission source information which is address information of the authentication server;
When the command data is received, a transmission source confirmation unit that determines whether or not the transmission source information of the received command data matches the transmission source information;
An image forming system comprising: a command processing unit that executes a command included in the received command data when it is determined that the transmission source information of the command data received by the transmission source confirmation unit matches the transmission source information. Including network-connected analysis server and image forming device,
The analysis server
A first communication unit capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus and the user terminal;
A command data analysis unit that analyzes command data received from the user terminal and that is a collection of commands executed by the image forming apparatus;
When the received command data does not include a control command for controlling the image forming apparatus or an information acquisition command for acquiring information from the image forming apparatus, the analyzed command data is sent to the image forming apparatus. A command data transfer unit for transferring, and
The image forming apparatus includes:
A second communication unit capable of communicating with the analysis server;
A storage unit that stores transmission source information that is address information of the analysis server;
When the command data is received, a transmission source confirmation unit that determines whether or not the transmission source information of the received command data matches the transmission source information;
An image forming system comprising: a command processing unit that executes a command included in the received command data when it is determined that the transmission source information of the command data received by the transmission source confirmation unit matches the transmission source information. An operation unit;
A communication unit capable of communicating with the user terminal;
A memory that stores a mode table that describes a plurality of modes that are combinations of types of commands included in command data that is a collection of commands executed by the own device received from the user terminal and processing for the command data And
A mode switching unit for switching the mode based on an instruction given by an administrator or user of the device through the operation unit;
When receiving the command data from the user terminal, a command data analysis unit that analyzes what command is included in the received command data;
When it is determined that the command type included in the command data analyzed by the command data analysis unit matches the switched mode, the command included in the analyzed command data is executed. An image forming apparatus comprising: a command processing unit. The user authentication unit of the authentication server performs user authentication using the user authentication information stored in the first storage unit based on the authentication request from the user terminal,
The command data transfer unit of the authentication server transfers command data, which is a collection of commands executed by the image forming apparatus, received from the user terminal to the image forming apparatus when the user authentication by the user authentication unit is successful. ,
When the transmission source confirmation unit of the image forming apparatus receives the command data, it determines whether or not the transmission source information stored in the second storage unit matches the transmission source of the received command data;
When the command processing unit of the image forming apparatus determines that the transmission source information of the command data received by the transmission source confirmation unit matches the transmission source information, the command processing unit executes a command included in the received command data. Forming method. The command data analysis unit of the analysis server analyzes the command data received from the user terminal and executed by the image forming apparatus,
The command data transfer unit of the analysis server is analyzed when the received command data does not include a control system command for controlling the image forming apparatus or an information acquisition system command for acquiring information from the image forming apparatus Transferring the command data to the image forming apparatus;
When the transmission source confirmation unit of the image forming apparatus receives the command data, it determines whether or not the transmission source information stored in the second storage unit matches the transmission source of the received command data;
When the command processing unit of the image forming apparatus determines that the transmission source information of the command data received by the transmission source confirmation unit matches the transmission source information, the command processing unit executes a command included in the received command data. Forming method. The mode switching unit receives, from the user terminal, a plurality of modes that are combinations of the types of commands included in the command data that is a collection of commands executed by the own device and processing for the command data. Switching based on instructions given by the administrator or user via the operation unit,
When the command data analysis unit receives the command data from the user terminal, it analyzes what command is included in the received command data,
When the command processing unit determines that the command type included in the command data analyzed by the command data analysis unit matches the switched mode, the command data analyzed An image forming method for executing an included command.

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