JP2017175548A - Image forming device, image forming system, and image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device that facilitates operability from a portable terminal while maintaining security.SOLUTION: An image forming device 1 comprises a short range communication unit 15a, a long range communication unit 15b, a remote operation reception unit 110, and a permission determination unit 120. The short range communication unit 15a performs communication with a portable terminals 2 located in a short range. The long range communication unit 15b performs communication with the portable terminals which may be located in long range. The remote operation reception unit 110 accepts operation by the user from the portable terminal 2 through the short range communication unit 15a or the long range communication unit 15b. The permission determination unit 120 refers to a permission setting 320, determines distance from the portable terminal 2 based on a communication type indicating whether the communication is performed by the short range communication unit 15a or by the long range communication unit 15b, and determines permission or non-permission about the acceptable operation type using the remote operation reception unit 110 based on this distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and an image forming method, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and an image forming method that can be operated from a mobile terminal.

Conventionally, there are image forming apparatuses such as multifunction peripherals (MFPs) capable of printing documents and images.
In order to operate this image forming apparatus from a portable terminal of an external user, there is an application program (hereinafter referred to as “application”) installed in the portable terminal. In the “remote panel” which is an example of such an application, a display like the operation panel of the image forming apparatus is displayed on the portable terminal and the user operates this. With this remote panel, the image forming apparatus can be operated from a remote place away from the image forming apparatus.

  However, since the remote panel can be operated from a remote location, there has been a technical requirement to limit the execution depending on the function of the image forming apparatus. As a function for which such execution is desired to be restricted, for example, there is a confidential print function for printing a confidential document stored in a document box of a storage unit. This is because if the confidential print function can be executed from a remote location, the functionality of the originally intended confidential print may be impaired. That is, when the confidential print is printed from a remote place, there is a possibility that the recording paper printed by another person is sighted and taken away without the user's eyes.

  For this reason, with reference to Patent Document 1, an image forming apparatus that performs control for restricting an operation for instructing a predetermined operation in the image forming apparatus with respect to a remote panel operation is described. Specifically, in the technique of Patent Document 1, execution of confidential printing is prohibited during operation from the remote panel. With this configuration, the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1 can eliminate security concerns regarding confidentiality such as confidential printing.

JP2015-149623A

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, since confidential printing or the like is always prohibited during operation from the remote panel, the confidential printing cannot be executed even if the user is in front of the image forming apparatus. In this case, the user has to properly use the operation of the remote panel of the portable terminal and the operation of the operation panel unit of the image forming apparatus according to the operation to be executed. For this reason, the operability has deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus that solves the above-described problems.

An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a short-range communication unit that performs communication with a mobile terminal at a short distance, a long-range communication unit that performs communication with the mobile terminal that may be at a long distance, A remote operation receiving unit that accepts an operation by a user from the portable terminal via the short-range communication unit or the long-distance communication unit, and can be accepted by the remote operation receiving unit corresponding to the distance of the portable terminal And a permission determining unit that determines permission or disapproval of the type of operation.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention further includes a user authentication unit that performs user authentication of the user of the mobile terminal, and the permission determination unit is connected to the mobile terminal during user authentication by the user authentication unit, When the user authentication is possible via the short-range communication unit, it is determined that the distance of the portable terminal is short, and when the user authentication is possible only via the long-distance communication unit, the distance of the portable terminal is long. And determining whether the type of the operation is permitted or not, depending on whether the distance between the mobile terminals is short or long.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the permission determining unit permits copying when the distance between the portable terminals is short, and prohibits copying when the distance between the portable terminals is long.
The image forming system of the present invention is an image forming system including an image forming apparatus and a portable terminal capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus is connected to the portable terminal at a short distance. A short-range communication unit that communicates with each other, a long-distance communication unit that performs communication with the mobile terminal that may be in a long-distance range, and the short-range communication unit or the long-distance communication unit A remote operation receiving unit that accepts an operation by a user from the portable terminal, and the type of the operation that can be accepted by the remote operation receiving unit corresponding to the distance between the portable terminals is determined to be permitted or not permitted A permission determination unit, and the mobile terminal communicates between the short-range communication unit that performs communication with the image forming apparatus at a short distance and the image forming apparatus that may be at a long distance. Perform long-distance communication and self The near field communication unit or via said telecommunication unit, characterized in that it comprises a remote operation transmission unit that transmits an operation by the user to the image forming apparatus.
The image forming method of the present invention is an image forming method executed by an image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus communicates with a portable terminal at a short distance and may be at a long distance. Communicates with the terminal, accepts an operation by the user from the mobile terminal by the short-distance or long-distance communication, and accepts the type of operation that can be accepted according to the distance of the mobile terminal Or it is judged that it is not permitted.

  According to the present invention, an operation from a mobile terminal at a short distance or a long distance is accepted, and an operation is selectively used by determining whether the type of operation that can be accepted corresponding to the distance of the mobile terminal is permitted or not permitted. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can be improved in operability while maintaining security.

1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of the image forming system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a conceptual diagram of the permission setting shown in FIG. It is a flowchart of the remote permission function call process which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

<Embodiment>
[Overall Configuration of Image Forming System X]
First, a schematic configuration of an image forming system X according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The image forming system X of the present embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 1 that can communicate at a short distance and a long distance, and a mobile terminal 2. Based on the relative positional relationship with the mobile terminal 2, the image forming apparatus 1 displays a “short-distance menu” or a “far-distance menu” having different functions that are permitted to be executed on the remote panel of the mobile terminal 2. As a result, even if the operation is performed via the remote panel, the permitted function of the image forming apparatus can be called.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 and the portable terminal 2 of the image forming system X according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes an image processing unit 11, a document reading unit 12, a document feeding unit 13, a transport unit (feed roller 42b, transport roller pair 44, discharge roller pair 45), a short-range communication unit 15a, and a long-range communication. The unit 15 b, the operation panel unit 16, the image forming unit 17 (image forming unit), the FAX transmitting / receiving unit 18, the storage unit 19, and the like are connected to the control unit 10. Each unit of the image forming apparatus 1 is controlled by the control unit 10.

The control unit 10 includes a general purpose processor (GPP), a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific processor (ASIC). Information processing means such as a processor for a specific application).
The control unit 10 reads out a control program stored in the ROM or HDD of the storage unit 19, develops the control program in the RAM, and executes it to operate as each unit of a functional block described later. Further, the control unit 10 controls the entire apparatus according to predetermined instruction information input from the mobile terminal 2 or the operation panel unit 16.

The image processing unit 11 is a control calculation unit such as a DSP or a GPU. The image processing unit 11 performs predetermined image processing on the image data. The image processing unit 11 performs various types of image processing such as enlargement / reduction, density adjustment, gradation adjustment, and image improvement.
The image processing unit 11 stores the image read by the document reading unit 12 in the storage unit 19 as print data. At this time, the image processing unit 11 can also convert the print data into a file unit in a format such as PDF or TIFF.

The document reading unit 12 is a (scan) unit that reads a set document.
The document feeding unit 13 is a unit that transports a document read by the document reading unit 12.
The image forming unit 17 is a unit that performs image formation on recording paper from data stored in the storage unit 19 and read by the document reading unit 12 or acquired from the portable terminal 2 in accordance with a user output instruction. .
The transport unit transports the recording paper from the paper feed cassette 42a (FIG. 3), causes the image forming unit 17 to form an image, and then transports the recording paper to the stack tray 50.
The operations of the document reading unit 12, the document feeding unit 13, the transport unit, and the image forming unit 17 will be described later.

  The short-range communication unit 15a is a communication unit that performs communication by short-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication) and Bluetooth (registered trademark). The short-range communication unit 15a performs communication with priority when the mobile terminal 2 is at a short distance. The short-range communication unit 15a can also communicate with an ID (Identification) card or the like used for login of the mobile terminal 2 to acquire user account information.

  The long-distance communication unit 15b is a communication unit including a wireless transmitter / receiver connected to a network such as a wireless local area network (LAN), a mobile phone network, and other WAN (wide area network). The long-distance communication unit 15b can perform communication even when the mobile terminal 2 is at a long distance. Specifically, the long-distance communication unit 15b can communicate with the mobile terminal 2 even if the distance is longer than the distance connectable by the short-range communication unit 15a.

  The long-distance communication unit 15b may be directly wirelessly connected to the mobile terminal 2 by peer-to-peer. The long-distance communication unit 15b may be connected to the portable terminal 2 via a wireless LAN access point, a wireless LAN / WAN router, or the like. The long-distance communication unit 15b may be connected to the network by a wired LAN such as 1000BASE-T / 100BASE-TX.

The operation panel unit 16 includes a display unit and an input unit. The display unit is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL panel, or the like, and displays buttons related to various operations, the state of the image forming apparatus, and the like using a GUI (Graphical User Interface). The input unit includes a touch panel of the display unit, physical buttons, and the like. The input unit includes a numeric keypad, a start / cancel button, an operation mode switching button, a button for giving an instruction related to job execution, and the like. The input unit also includes buttons for switching operation modes such as copying, FAX transmission, and scanner. In addition, buttons relating to printing, transmission, storage, recording, and the like of the selected document are also provided.
In addition, the operation panel unit 16 acquires instructions for various jobs of the image forming apparatus 1 when the user directly operates. It is also possible to input and change information of each user according to user instructions acquired from the operation panel unit 16.

  The FAX transmission / reception unit 18 is a means for performing facsimile transmission / reception. The FAX transmission / reception unit 18 can receive a facsimile from another FAX apparatus (not shown) via a voice line or the like, save it in the storage unit 19, and cause the image forming unit 17 to form an image. Further, the FAX transmission / reception unit 18 converts the document read by the document reading unit 12 or the data of the network FAX transmitted from the portable terminal 2 into image data, and transmits the image data to another FAX apparatus via a voice line or the like. Is possible.

The storage unit 19 is a non-temporary storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a semiconductor memory such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like.
Even if the RAM of the storage unit 19 is in the power saving state, the stored content may be held by a function such as self-refresh.
The ROM, SSD, and HDD of the storage unit 19 store a control program and various data for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. In addition, the storage unit 19 has areas for each user, such as a document box (storage folder) area for each user and a simple box area in which the user can temporarily store a document or the like.

  Note that in the image forming apparatus 1, when communication with the portable terminal 2 is possible by both the short-range communication unit 15a and the long-distance communication unit 15b, priority may be given to communication by the short-range communication unit 15a. Good. Further, when a login process (FIG. 6) described later is performed, the distance to the mobile terminal 2 may be determined depending on which of the communication is performed.

Further, the control unit 10 and the image processing unit 11 may be integrally formed, such as a CPU with a built-in GPU or a chip-on-module package.
The control unit 10 and the image processing unit 11 may include a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, and the like.

Next, the structure of the portable terminal 2 of this Embodiment is demonstrated.
In the portable terminal 2, a short-range communication unit 25 a, a long-range communication unit 25 b, an operation panel unit 26, a storage unit 29, and the like are connected to the control unit 20. Each part of the portable terminal 2 is operation-controlled by the control part 20.

The control unit 20 is a CPU, MPU, DSP, GPU, ASIC, or the like having arithmetic and control capabilities.
The control unit 20 executes each program stored in the storage unit 29 using hardware resources. Specifically, the control unit 20 includes an OS (Operating System) stored in the storage unit 29, a control program including a device driver (hereinafter referred to simply as “driver”) of the image forming apparatus 1, a remote program, Various functions are realized by executing applications such as panels.

  The short-range communication unit 25a is a communication unit that communicates with the image forming apparatus 1 by short-range wireless such as NFC or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The long-distance communication unit 25b is a communication unit including a wireless transceiver connected to a network such as a wireless LAN, a cellular phone network, or other WAN. The long-distance communication unit 25b can communicate with the image forming apparatus 1 even if the distance is longer than the distance that can be connected by the short-range communication unit 25a.
Note that the network connected via the long-range communication unit 25b may be connected to an access point, a hub, a router, or the like. The long-distance communication unit 25b may be connected to a network via a wired LAN.

The operation panel unit 26 includes a display unit such as an LCD or an organic EL, and an input unit such as a touch panel or a physical button for performing a user operation.
The operation panel unit 26 can input a user operation for transmission to the image forming apparatus 1 when a remote panel application is being executed.

  The storage unit 29 is a storage unit such as a flash memory disk such as a RAM or an SSD, an HDD, a magnetic tape device, or an optical disk device. The storage unit 29 stores drivers, various applications, other programs, data, and the like in addition to the OS for causing the mobile terminal 2 to function as a computer. These programs and data can be executed, read, and written by the control unit 20.

[Operation of Image Forming Apparatus 1]
Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The document reading unit 12 is arranged on the upper part of the main body unit 14, and the document feeding unit 13 is arranged on the upper side of the document reading unit 12. The stack tray 50 is disposed on the recording paper discharge port 41 side formed in the main body unit 14, and the operation panel unit 16 is disposed on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1.

The document reading unit 12 includes a scanner 12a, a platen glass 12b, and a document reading slit 12c. The scanner 12 a includes an exposure lamp, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imaging sensor, and the like, and is configured to be movable in the document transport direction by the document feeder 13.
The platen glass 12b is an original table made of a transparent member such as glass. The document reading slit 12 c has a slit formed in a direction orthogonal to the document transport direction by the document feeding unit 13.

When reading a document placed on the platen glass 12b, the scanner 12a is moved to a position facing the platen glass 12b, and reads the document while scanning the document placed on the platen glass 12b to obtain image data. The acquired image data is output to the control unit 10 (FIG. 2) provided in the main body unit 14.
When reading the document conveyed by the document feeding unit 13, the scanner 12a is moved to a position facing the document reading slit 12c, and the document feeding unit 13 conveys the document through the document reading slit 12c. The document is read in synchronization with the operation to acquire image data, and the acquired image data is output to the control unit 10 provided in the main body unit 14.

The document feeding unit 13 includes a document placement unit 13a, a document discharge unit 13b, and a document transport mechanism 13c. The originals placed on the original placement unit 13a are sequentially fed out one by one by the original conveyance mechanism 13c, conveyed to a position facing the original reading slit 12c, and then discharged to the original discharge unit 13b.
The document feeding unit 13 is configured to be retractable, and the upper surface of the platen glass 12b can be opened by lifting the document feeding unit 13 upward.

The main body unit 14 includes the image forming unit 17, and includes a paper feeding unit 42, a paper conveyance path 43, a conveyance roller pair 44, and a discharge roller pair 45. The paper feed unit 42 includes a plurality of paper feed cassettes 42 a that store recording papers of different sizes or orientations, and a paper feed roller 42 b that feeds the recording papers one by one from the paper feed cassette 42 a to the paper transport path 43. Yes. The paper feed roller 42b, the transport roller pair 44, and the discharge roller pair 45 function as a transport unit. The recording paper is conveyed by this conveyance unit.
The recording paper fed to the paper transport path 43 by the paper feed roller 42 b is transported to the image forming unit 17 by the transport roller pair 44. Then, the recording paper on which recording is performed by the image forming unit 17 is discharged to the stack tray 50 by the discharge roller pair 45.

  The image forming unit 17 includes a photosensitive drum 17a, an exposure unit 17b, a developing unit 17c, a transfer unit 17d, and a fixing unit 17e. The exposure unit 17b is an optical unit including a laser device, a mirror, a lens, an LED array, and the like, and outputs light or the like based on image data to a photosensitive drum 17a that is primarily charged by a charging unit (not shown). And an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 17a. The developing unit 17c is a developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 17a using toner, and forms a toner image based on the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 17a. The transfer unit 17d transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 17a by the developing unit 17c to a recording sheet. The fixing unit 17e heats the recording paper on which the toner image is transferred by the transfer unit 17d to fix the toner image on the recording paper.

[Control Configuration of Image Forming System X]
Here, with reference to FIG. 4, the control configuration of the image forming system X according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a remote operation reception unit 110, a permission determination unit 120, and a user authentication unit 130.
The storage unit 19 of the image forming apparatus 1 stores an account setting 300, an access log 310, and a permission setting 320.
The control unit of the mobile terminal 2 includes a remote operation transmission unit 210.

  The remote operation receiving unit 110 receives an operation by the user from the mobile terminal 2 via the short-range communication unit 15a or the long-range communication unit 15b. Specifically, the remote operation reception unit 110 acquires user operation information from the remote operation transmission unit 210 of the mobile terminal 2 and calls and executes a function corresponding to the operation information.

  The permission determination unit 120 determines the distance to the mobile terminal 2 and determines that the type of operation that can be accepted by the remote operation reception unit 110 is permitted or not, corresponding to the determined distance of the mobile terminal 2. At this time, the permission determining unit 120 determines that the type of operation is permitted or not permitted, for example, depending on whether the mobile terminal 2 is close or far. Further, for example, the permission determination unit 120 determines that the distance of the mobile terminal 2 is close when the user authentication unit 130 performs user authentication with the mobile terminal 2 via the short-range communication unit 15a. To do. In addition, for example, the permission determination unit 120 determines that the distance of the mobile terminal 2 is long when the user authentication unit 130 performs user authentication with the mobile terminal 2 via the long-distance communication unit 15b. To do. Further, the permission determination unit 120 refers to the permission setting 320 stored in the storage unit 19 to determine whether the permission is permitted or not. At this time, for example, the permission determination unit 120 acquires permission information indicating permission or non-permission of the function execution by the user from the permission setting 320. This permission information differs depending on whether the user's account information authenticated by the user authentication unit 130 is close or far from the portable terminal 2 when logging in. The acquired permission information is transmitted to the portable terminal 2 and reflected on the remote panel as, for example, a “short distance menu” or a “far distance menu”, and execution of the functions of the image forming apparatus 1 by the user is restricted. .

  More specifically, the permission determining unit 120 refers to the permission setting 320 and, for example, in the state close to the image forming apparatus 1 through the short-range communication unit 15a, the access can be accessed through the remote panel of the portable terminal 2. Allow copying and confidential printing to allow the user to operate. However, the permission determination unit 120 prohibits the user from performing the operation by disallowing the execution of the scan transmission function. This is because the portable terminal 2 can be taken out of the company, and security risks such as information leakage are prevented.

The user authentication unit 130 performs user authentication of the user of the mobile terminal 2. The user authentication unit 130 authenticates the user from the account information of the mobile terminal 2. As this account information, it is possible to use a user ID and a secret key stored in the portable terminal 2, a user ID or a password input through the operation panel unit 26, and the like. Also, the user authentication unit 130 determines whether the user has logged in via the short-range communication unit 15a or the remote communication unit 15b from the input account information. The determined result is recorded in the access log 310.
Note that the user authentication unit 130 is an NFC compatible IC card different from the portable terminal 2 or an ID card (not shown) such as an RFID (Radio Frequency ID) tag and the like via the NFC of the short-range communication unit 15a. It is also possible to authenticate.

  The account setting 300 is a database that stores various types of information about the image forming apparatus 1 for each user ID of the user. The account setting 300 includes the authority of general users, administrator users, etc., the authority to view, transmit, and print confidential documents, contact information for transmission / reception, a link to a document box area, and the like. Information of each user in the account setting 300 can be input, registered, and changed from the operation panel unit 16. In addition, various information of the user may be input and registered from a recording medium connected to the mobile terminal 2 or a card reader. In addition, a guest user may be registered in the account setting 300.

  The access log 310 records a history of login and operation by the user. The access log 310 includes, for example, the user authentication result of the user, the account information of the user authenticated by the user, the type of account information, and the user who has accessed the image forming apparatus 1 through the remote panel and the short-range communication unit 15a and the long-distance communication Information such as a communication type indicating which of the unit 15b has logged in, a history of operation information, and time is recorded.

The permission setting 320 is information indicating permission or non-permission of the execution of the function for each user.
According to FIG. 5, for example, the permission setting 320 is based on each function of the image forming apparatus 1 depending on the direct operation of the operation panel unit 16 or the communication type indicating whether the short-distance communication unit 15 a or the long-distance communication unit 15 b is logged in. Is configured as a table of whether to allow or disallow. In the example of FIG. 5, in the case of the communication type of login (operation via the short-range communication unit) via the short-range communication unit 15a where the distance of the mobile terminal 2 is short, the functions of copy, confidential print, and simple box storage are provided. Allowed. Further, in the case of login (operation via the long-distance communication unit) via the long-distance communication unit 15b where the distance of the mobile terminal 2 is long, the functions of copying, confidential printing, and simple box storage are disabled. In the case of direct operation of the operation panel unit 16 (direct operation of the operation panel unit), all these functions are permitted.
In the permission setting 320, permission or non-permission of the operation may be set not only for each type of function but also for each type of operation of each function. For example, in “copying”, black and white copying is set to allow only direct operation for color copying, even if direct operation, operation via a short-range communication unit, and operation via a long-distance communication unit are possible. It is possible.

  When accessing the image forming apparatus 1, the remote operation transmission unit 210 acquires account information for user authentication and transmits it to the user authentication unit 130. In addition, the remote operation transmission unit 210 executes the remote panel of the mobile terminal 2 to acquire and transmit user operation information. In addition, the permission information of the logged-in user is received from the permission determining unit 120, and the “short distance menu” or the “far distance menu” corresponding to this is drawn on the remote panel. In addition, the remote operation transmission unit 210 transmits and receives these pieces of information via the short-range communication unit 25a or the long-range communication unit 25b.

  The permission setting 320 may be included in the user account setting 300. Further, the permission setting 320 may not be set for each user, and may be configured to apply the same permission setting 320 for each user authority. Further, the administrator's user may be able to change the user permission setting 320 using the GUI of the operation panel unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1.

Here, the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 is caused to function as the remote operation reception unit 110, the permission determination unit 120, and the user authentication unit 130 by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 19.
The control unit 20 of the portable terminal 2 functions as the remote operation transmission unit 210 by executing the driver of the image forming apparatus 1 and the remote panel application on the OS stored in the storage unit 29.
Each unit of the image forming apparatus 1 and the portable terminal 2 described above is a hardware resource for executing the image forming method of the present invention.

[Remote permission function call processing by image forming system X]
Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the remote permission function calling process by the image forming system X according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the remote permission function call processing of the present embodiment, the user logs in to the image forming apparatus 1 through the portable terminal 2. At this time, account information is transmitted, and user authentication is performed by the user authentication unit 130. Then, the permission determination unit 120 acquires the user permission information from the permission setting 320 based on the acquired account information and the communication type of which of the short-distance communication unit 15a and the long-distance communication unit 15b is used to log in. 2 is transmitted. Then, the remote operation transmitting unit 210 of the portable terminal 2 obtains the operation information after reflecting the permission information on the remote panel.
In the remote permission function call processing of the present embodiment, the control unit 10 mainly executes a program stored in the storage unit 19 using hardware resources in cooperation with each unit.
Hereinafter, details of the remote permission function call processing will be described step by step with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S201)
First, the remote operation transmission unit 210 of the mobile terminal 2 performs a login process.
When logging in using the short-range communication unit 25a of the mobile terminal 2, the user brings the mobile terminal 2 close to the short-range communication unit 25a disposed in the vicinity of the operation panel unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1, for example. As a result, the account information including the secret key stored in the storage unit 29 of the portable terminal 2 is transmitted to the short-range communication unit 15a of the image forming apparatus 1 by NFC or the like (timing T201).
In addition, it is also possible to log in using the short-range communication unit 25a with an ID card or the like without using the portable terminal 2.

When logging in using the long-distance communication unit 25b in the portable terminal 2, the remote operation transmission unit 210 is executed when the user activates the application on the remote panel by tapping the operation panel unit 26 or the like. Then, the remote operation transmission unit 210 searches the image forming apparatus 1 that can communicate with the long-distance communication unit 25b, or causes the user to input an address on the network of the image forming apparatus 1 or the like. Here, when the communicable image forming apparatus 1 is searched or communication with the image forming apparatus 1 such as the input address is possible, the remote operation transmitting unit 210 displays the GUI of the application on the remote panel. Then, a login screen (not shown) is displayed on the display unit of the operation panel unit 26, and the user inputs an ID, a password, and the like. The remote operation transmission unit 210 transmits the input ID and password as account information to the image forming apparatus 1.
The remote operation transmission unit 210 may communicate via the short-range communication unit 25a and the short-range communication unit 15a when executing a remote panel application using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like. At this time, login may be executed using the short-range communication unit 15a preferentially.

(Step S101)
Here, the user authentication unit 130 and the permission determination unit 120 of the image forming apparatus 1 determine whether the user authentication is successful. First, when the user authentication unit 130 acquires account information from the mobile terminal 2, the user authentication unit 130 performs user authentication by checking the corresponding account setting 300. The user authentication unit 130 stores the result of this user authentication in the access log 310.
If the user authentication is successful (Yes), the user authentication unit 130 proceeds with the process to step S102.
If the user authentication fails (No), the user authentication unit 130 ends the remote permission function call process.

(Step S102)
When the user authentication is successful by the user authentication unit 130, the permission determination unit 120 performs a distance permission function determination process. The permission determination unit 120 determines the distance between the mobile terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1 depending on what communication type the mobile terminal 2 is logged in with.
Specifically, the permission determination unit 120, when the mobile terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1 are user-authenticated via the short-range communication unit 25a and the short-range communication unit 15a as the communication type of the permission setting 320, It is determined that the distance of the mobile terminal 2 is close. In addition, the permission determination unit 120 determines that the distance of the mobile terminal 2 is also close in the case of login with an ID card. This is because the distance between the portable terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1 is substantially the same as the distance when the operation panel unit 16 of the image forming apparatus 1 is directly operated.

Further, the permission determination unit 120 determines that the distance of the mobile terminal 2 is long when the user is authenticated through the long-distance communication unit 25b and the long-distance communication unit 15b. This is because in this communication type, the mobile terminal 2 can access the image forming apparatus 1 from anywhere within the communicable range.
Even in this case, the permission determination unit 120 checks again whether the short-range communication unit 15a and the short-range communication unit 25a can communicate, and if the communication is possible, the permission determination unit 120 determines the distance of the mobile terminal 2. You may judge again that it is near. That is, the permission determining unit 120 may determine that the distance of the mobile terminal 2 is long when user authentication is possible only via the long-distance communication unit 15b.

(Step S103)
Next, the user authentication unit 130 of the image forming apparatus 1 performs permission information transmission processing.
The permission determining unit 120 refers to the permission setting 320 and acquires permission information of the user corresponding to whether the logged-in mobile terminal 2 is near or far. As described above, the permission information includes information determined to be permitted or not permitted for each type of function or operation.
The permission determination unit 120 transmits the acquired permission information to the mobile terminal 2 (timing T101).

(Step S202)
Here, the remote operation transmission unit 210 of the mobile terminal 2 performs a permission information reception reflection process.
When receiving the permission information from the image forming apparatus 1, the remote operation transmitting unit 210 draws a “short distance menu” or a “far distance menu” corresponding to the received permission information on the remote panel. Specifically, when it is determined that the distance of the mobile terminal 2 is short, the remote operation transmission unit 210 draws a “short distance menu” and causes the display unit of the operation panel unit 26 to express it. In addition, when it is determined that the distance is long, the remote operation transmission unit 210 draws a “long distance menu” and displays it on the display unit of the operation panel unit 26. At this time, the remote operation transmission unit 210 displays, for example, permitted functions with normal icons or the like. In addition, the remote operation transmission unit 210 performs processing such as graying out or not displaying an icon for a function that is not permitted so that the function cannot be selected.

(Step S203)
Next, the remote operation transmission unit 210 of the mobile terminal 2 performs remote operation transmission processing.
The remote operation transmission unit 210 of the portable terminal 2 detects, for example, that the user has tapped an icon of each function of the image forming apparatus 1 with the GUI on the remote panel displayed on the operation panel unit 26. At this time, if the remote operation transmission unit 210 is a permitted function, the remote operation transmission unit 210 further acquires various types of information corresponding to this function, and transmits these as operation information to the image forming apparatus 1 (timing T202). .

(Step S104)
Here, the remote operation reception unit 110 of the image forming apparatus 1 performs remote operation reception processing.
The remote operation receiving unit 110 receives operation information transmitted from the mobile terminal 2. Thereby, the operation by the user from the portable terminal 2 is accepted. The remote operation receiving unit 110 stores a history of the contents of the received operation information in the access log 310.

(Step S105)
Next, the remote operation reception unit 110 performs a permission function call process.
The remote operation receiving unit 110 calls and executes a function of the image forming apparatus 1 included in the operation information. At this time, the permission determination unit 120 may check whether the operation is a function permitted for the logged-in user with reference to the permission setting 320.
Even in this state, when the user is near the image forming apparatus 1, it is possible to call the functions by directly operating the operation panel unit 16. In this case, the permission determination unit 120 can execute each function based on permission information in the case of “operation panel unit direct operation” in the permission setting 320 of the logged-in user. In this case, the permission determination unit 120 may determine that the distance of the mobile terminal 2 is short and instruct the mobile terminal 2 to reflect this.
Thus, the remote permission function call processing according to the embodiment of the present invention is completed.

With the configuration described above, the following effects can be obtained.
Conventionally, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when an image forming apparatus is accessed from a remote panel of a portable terminal, execution of confidential printing is simply prohibited. For this reason, confidential printing cannot be executed from the portable terminal via the remote panel regardless of the distance from the image forming apparatus. For this reason, the user needs to use the remote panel and the panel of the image forming apparatus properly according to the contents to be executed, and the operability is deteriorated.
On the other hand, the image forming system X according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an image forming apparatus 1 and a portable terminal 2 capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus 1. A short-range communication unit 15a that performs communication with the mobile terminal 2 at a short distance, a long-range communication unit 15b that performs communication with the mobile terminal 2 that may be at a long distance, and a short-range communication unit 15a Alternatively, the remote operation receiving unit 110 that accepts an operation by the user from the portable terminal 2 via the long-distance communication unit 15b, and the types of operations that can be accepted by the remote operation receiving unit 110 corresponding to the distance of the portable terminal 2 The portable terminal 2 includes a near field communication unit 25a that communicates with an image forming apparatus at a short distance, and image formation that may be at a long distance. Remote communication with the device And a release communication unit 25b, through the short-range communication unit 25a or the telecommunication unit 25b, characterized by comprising a remote operation transmission unit 210 that transmits the user interaction with respect to the image forming apparatus 1.
With this configuration, the image forming system X according to the present embodiment determines the positional relationship (distance) between the portable terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1 in determining whether the image forming apparatus 1 is permitted or not allowed to execute the function. Can be added. As a result, it is possible to give appropriate function execution restrictions to operations from the remote panel. As a result, even when the remote panel is used, it is not necessary for the user to use different operations between the portable terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1, and operability can be improved while maintaining security.
Further, the image forming system X does not require a position grasping system using a sensor, GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like, and can be realized at low cost.

  Further, the image forming system X of the present embodiment can set functions that can be executed from the remote panel depending on the positional relationship between the mobile terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1. Therefore, only executable functions can be executed from the remote panel without making the user aware of whether to operate the image forming apparatus 1 or the portable terminal 2. Accordingly, it is possible to execute necessary functions of the image forming apparatus 1 without impairing the functionality of the image forming apparatus 1 and without causing the user to feel inconvenience.

In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a user authentication unit 130 that performs user authentication of the user of the mobile terminal 2, and the permission determination unit 120 performs user authentication by the user authentication unit 130. When user authentication is possible with the mobile terminal 2 via the short-range communication unit 15a, it is determined that the distance of the mobile terminal 2 is close, and user authentication is possible only via the long-range communication unit 15b The mobile terminal 2 is determined to be far away, and the type of operation is determined to be permitted or not permitted depending on whether the mobile terminal 2 is close or far.
With this configuration, it is possible to determine the relative positional relationship between the portable terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1 only by the communication type at the time of login. This eliminates the need to constantly measure the distance between the portable terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1, thereby reducing processing costs.

Further, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the permission determining unit 120 permits the copying function when the mobile terminal 2 is short, and the copying function when the mobile terminal 2 is long. It is characterized by disabling.
With this configuration, it is possible to copy by an operation from the mobile terminal 2 while preventing the copy from being taken away by another company. For this reason, for example, when copying a large-sized book that protrudes from the platen glass 12b and covers the buttons of the operation panel unit 16, it can be copied by pressing the button of the portable terminal 2, and the convenience of the user is improved. Get better.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, the distance between the portable terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1 is determined by communication during login.
However, when the portable terminal 2 is operated on the remote panel, the distance between the portable terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1 may be determined in real time (real time), and the operation may be reflected. At this time, the GPS or position information received by the mobile terminal 2 may be acquired to check the position of the mobile terminal 2.
Moreover, the reference of judging the distance of the portable terminal 2 may be set and changed by the administrator user. For example, even when logged in via the long-distance communication unit 25b and the long-distance communication unit 15b, if the IP address is a local address of the same node, the distance is set to be determined to be close. It may be.
With this configuration, the relationship between the distance and the operation can be flexibly handled, and the operability for the user can be improved.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, login using NFC and an ID card is described as an example using the short-range communication unit 15a.
In addition to this, even when the user logs in by biometric authentication such as fingerprint or iris, it is possible to cope with the same login as the above-mentioned short-range communication unit 25a. This is because it can be determined that the distance of the portable terminal 2 is close because the user is considered to be near the image forming apparatus 1.
By configuring in this way, it is possible to determine that the user is nearby without reflecting using the short-range communication unit 25a and reflect the permission information on the remote panel. Therefore, user operability can be improved.

  The present invention can also be applied to an information processing apparatus other than the image forming apparatus. That is, a configuration using a network scanner, a server in which the scanner is separately connected by a USB, or the like may be used.

  Further, the configuration and operation of the above-described embodiment are examples, and it goes without saying that they can be appropriately modified and executed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Mobile terminal 10, 20 Control part 11 Image processing part 12 Original reading part 12a Scanner 12b Platen glass 12c Original reading slit 13 Original feeding part 13a Original placing part 13b Original discharge part 13c Original conveyance mechanism 14 Main body part 15a, 25a Short range communication unit 15b, 25b Long range communication unit 16, 26 Operation panel unit 17 Image forming unit 17a Photosensitive drum 17b Exposure unit 17c Development unit 17d Transfer unit 17e Fixing unit 18 FAX transmission / reception units 19, 29 Storage unit 41 Discharge port 42 Paper feed unit 42a Paper cassette 42b Paper feed roller 43 Paper transport path 44 Transport roller pair 45 Discharge roller pair 50 Stack tray 110 Remote operation reception unit 120 Permission judgment unit 130 User authentication unit 210 Remote operation transmission unit 300 Account setting 310 Access log 320 Yes Settings

Claims (5)

A near field communication unit that communicates with a mobile terminal at a short distance;
A long-distance communication unit that performs communication with the mobile terminal that may be in a long-distance;
A remote operation receiving unit that receives an operation by a user from the mobile terminal via the short-range communication unit or the long-distance communication unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a permission determining unit that determines whether the type of operation that can be received by the remote operation receiving unit is permitted or not, corresponding to the distance of the mobile terminal. A user authentication unit for performing user authentication of the user of the mobile terminal;
The permission determination unit
When user authentication is performed by the user authentication unit, it is determined that the distance of the mobile terminal is close when the user authentication is possible with the mobile terminal via the short-range communication unit, and the long-range communication unit is When the user authentication is possible only through the mobile terminal, it is determined that the distance of the mobile terminal is long, and the type of the operation is determined to be permitted or disapproved depending on whether the distance of the mobile terminal is near or far. Item 2. The image forming apparatus according to Item 1. The permission determination unit
If the mobile terminal is close, allow copying,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein copying is not permitted when the mobile terminal is far away. An image forming system including an image forming apparatus and a portable terminal capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes:
A short-range communication unit that performs communication with the mobile terminal at a short distance;
A long-distance communication unit that performs communication with the mobile terminal that may be in a long-distance;
A remote operation receiving unit that receives an operation by the user from the portable terminal via the short-range communication unit or the long-distance communication unit of the device;
A permission determining unit that determines whether the type of operation that can be accepted by the remote operation receiving unit is permitted or not, corresponding to the distance of the mobile terminal;
The portable terminal is
A short-range communication unit that performs communication with the image forming apparatus at a short distance;
A long-distance communication unit for communicating with the image forming apparatus which may be at a long distance;
An image forming system comprising: a remote operation transmitting unit configured to transmit an operation by the user to the image forming apparatus via the short-range communication unit or the long-distance communication unit of the self-device. An image forming method executed by an image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus includes:
Communicate with a mobile terminal at a short distance, Communicate with the mobile terminal that may be at a long distance,
Accepting an operation by a user from the mobile terminal through the short-distance or long-distance communication,
According to the distance of the portable terminal, it is determined that the type of operation that can be accepted is permitted or not permitted.

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