JP2018121244A - Image forming apparatus, control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily perform setting as to whether a user is permitted or inhibited to use functions included in applications without requiring complex user operations.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus comprises: receiving means that receives an instruction for setting as to whether a user is permitted or inhibited to use functions provided by the image forming apparatus; and setting means that performs the same setting as to whether the user is permitted or inhibited to use the same function included respectively in a plurality of applications different from each other according to the instruction for setting.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of performing a plurality of functions.

  Conventionally, an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) having a plurality of applications such as a copy application and an image reading (scanning) application is known. Each of these applications has a plurality of functions. For example, the copy application has a plurality of functions such as a show-through removal function, a monochrome printing function, and a duplex printing function.

  For each of these functions, there is known an MFP capable of setting whether to use the function according to the user authority. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-228561 discloses a technique that allows setting of whether or not each of a plurality of functions included in an MFP copy application can be used by a plurality of authorized users.

JP 2012-221669 A

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, even when a plurality of applications (for example, copying and scanning) have a common function (for example, removal of show-through), setting of use restrictions on the function is set for each application. Need to do. As described above, there is a problem that it is troublesome for the user to set the function use restriction for each application.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and it is an object of the present invention to easily set permission / prohibition for functions included in an application without requiring a complicated user operation.

  Therefore, the present invention is an image forming apparatus, and is included in each of a plurality of applications different from each other according to the setting instruction and a receiving unit that receives a setting instruction for whether to use the user for the function provided by the image forming apparatus. It has a setting means for setting the same use permission / rejection for the same function.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily set whether or not to use a function included in an application without requiring a complicated user operation.

2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an MFP according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration of an MFP. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a function management table. It is a figure which shows an example of an application management table. It is a figure which shows an example of a group management table. It is a figure which shows an example of a setting screen. It is a figure which shows an example of an authentication table. It is a figure which shows an example of a selection screen. It is a figure which shows an example of an application screen. It is a flowchart which shows a guest login process. It is a figure which shows an example of an application screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a guest management table. It is a figure which shows an example of an authentication screen. It is a figure which shows an example of an authentication screen. It is a figure which shows an example of an application screen. It is a flowchart which shows the guest login process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of an error screen.

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

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) 100 according to the first embodiment. MFP 100 is an example of an image forming apparatus. Control unit 200 controls MFP 100 as a whole. The CPU 210 reads out the control program (first program) stored in the flash ROM 211 and the program stored in the program area 251 in the hard disk drive (HDD) 213 to the RAM 212 and executes them.

  The HDD 213 stores print data received from the PC 225 via the network I / F 218. Note that the program executed by the CPU 210 includes a print application program to be described later. The print application program converts the print data stored in the HDD 213 into image data that can be printed by the printer unit 220.

  The HDD 213 also stores image data that can be printed by the printer unit 220. The program executed by the CPU 210 includes a scanning application program. With this scanning application program, the scanner unit 221 reads image data, and the read image data is transferred to the HDD 213. Note that the functions and processing of the MFP 100 described later are realized by the CPU 210 reading a program stored in the flash ROM 211 or the HDD 213 and executing this program.

  The operation unit I / F 214 is an I / F for transmitting an instruction input by the operator of the MFP 100 via the operation unit 219 to the CPU 210. Further, the operation unit I / F 214 receives an instruction for switching the content displayed on the operation unit 219 from the CPU 210 and transmits the instruction to the operation unit 219. The display unit I / F 230 is an I / F for connecting the control unit 200 and the display unit 231. The display unit 231 displays various information.

  A printer I / F 215 is an I / F for connecting the control unit 200 and the printer unit 220. Here, the printer unit 220 performs printing on a sheet based on image data transferred from the HDD 213 via the printer I / F 215. The printer unit 220 includes a CPU 210a and a flash ROM 220b. The CPU 210a causes the printer unit 220 to execute various operations associated with print processing by executing a program stored in the FlashROM 220b.

  A scanner I / F 216 is an I / F for connecting the control unit 200 and the scanner unit 221. Here, the scanner unit 221 reads an image on a document as image data using a line sensor configured by a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or the like. Then, the scanner unit 221 transfers the read image data to the HDD 213 via the scanner I / F 216. The image data transferred to and stored in the HDD 213 can be printed by the printer unit 220 described above, and the image data read by the scanner unit 221 is printed by the printer unit 220, so that copying (copying) processing can be performed. It becomes possible.

  The USB-Host I / F 217 is an I / F for connecting the control unit 200 and the external USB device 223. Here, examples of the external USB device 223 include a USB memory and a USB keyboard. In some cases, a program is stored in a USB memory, downloaded, and placed in the file storage area of the FlashROM 211. The network I / F 218 connects the control unit 200 to the LAN 229 and communicates with the PC 225 and the server device 224 on the LAN 229. The SRAM 227 is used for storing setting values of the MFP 100 necessary for executing the first program.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration of the MFP 100. The device driver 301 is a device driver for controlling various hardware. Application platform 302 manages the activation of applications and services that operate on MFP 100. The application platform 302 provides the following APIs for applications and services.
API for exchanging data between application and service
API for using hardware functions from device drivers through applications and services

  The application platform 302 can be configured to include an operating system such as Linux (registered trademark), a JAVA (registered trademark) virtual machine, and an OSGi framework. The OSGi framework is a JAVA (registered trademark) -based service platform defined by OSG Alliance (standardization organization). The local application 303 displays a user interface on the operation unit 219 of the MFP 100. The local application 303 includes a copy application that provides a copy function, a scan application that provides a scan function, and the like.

  The remote application 304 provides a user interface described in HTML to a Web browser of a personal computer. The remote application 304 includes a multifunction peripheral management application that provides a setting function of the MFP 100, a direct print application that provides a PDF format document printing function, and the like.

  The login service 305 provides an authority management function, authentication necessity setting for each application, local login, and remote login functions. Here, the relationship between applications and functions will be described. MFP 100 has a plurality of functions, and an application that executes processing of MFP 100 includes at least one of these functions. Applications that can be executed by the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment are, for example, copying, faxing, scanning and transmission, scanning and storage, and the like. The functions that can be executed by the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment include, for example, an address book, one-touch, new input, and transmission to the user. The application is software that provides a plurality of functions, and the plurality of applications may have a common function.

Hereinafter, each function of the login service 305 will be described.
-Authority management function The login service 305 manages the use permission / denial for each role group for each function category, each application, and each application group. Here, the role is a role related to the authority of the MFP 100 user to use the MFP 100. That is, the range of use authority of the user for MFP 100 varies depending on the role group. In this embodiment, it is assumed that three types of “Administrator”, “General”, and “Guest” are set as role groups. The Administrator role is a role that is assigned only to a user who has management authority for the MFP 100. General is a role assigned to a general user who has already been registered for the MFP 100. The guest role is a role assigned to an unregistered user who is not registered in the MFP 100.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a function management table 300 for managing permission / prohibition for each function for each role. The function management table 300 is a table for managing use permission / prohibition for each function for each role. In the present embodiment, the functions are classified for each category. In the function management table 300 shown in FIG. 3, functions are associated with whether or not users of each role can use the functions. The function management table 300 can be set only by an administrator who belongs to the Administrator role. In accordance with the administrator's instruction, the login service 305 accepts a user permission setting instruction for each function provided by the MFP 100 according to an operation by the administrator (accepting process). Then, the login service 305 sets the use permission / prohibition of the user of each role for each function in accordance with the setting instruction (setting process).

  For example, in the function management table 300 of FIG. 3, in the “send to yourself” function, use prohibition is set for the guest role user. This is because the “send to me” function requires user identification in order to determine the transmission destination of scan data and cannot be used by guest users. In addition, the setting of permission for use for each function in the function category is effective across a plurality of applications using the function. For example, it is assumed that use permission is set for a guest user who uses the address book. In this case, MFP 100 prohibits the use of the guest user for the address book function across a plurality of applications such as a “fax” application and a “scan and send” application.

  As described above, when the user's use permission / prohibition is set for a certain function, the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment reflects the setting in common for a plurality of applications. According to the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to set permission / inhibition of the function executed by the application for each application, the labor of the administrator who sets the management table is reduced.

  Note that FIG. 3 shows functions related to functions related to data transmission, but the login service 305 has functions of other categories such as a print function, a copy function, a web browser function, a utility function in addition to the transmission function. A similar table is assumed for. There are no particular restrictions on how the functional categories are classified. Any device may be used as long as the user's use permission is set in units of functions, not in units of applications.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the application management table 400. The application management table 400 is a table for managing whether or not a user can use an application for each role. In the application management table 400, an application is associated with whether or not each role user can use the application.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the group management table 500. The group management table 500 is a table for managing user permission / prohibition for each group in units of application groups. In the group management table 500, an application group and use permission / prohibition for each role user for the application group are associated with each other. Here, the application group is a group of applications that perform processing of the same system. As a result, the MFP 100 can restrict the use of a plurality of applications. For example, a “scan and send” application and a “fax” application are associated with the “scan and send” group. Therefore, when use permission is set for the “scan and send” group, the MFP 100 can collectively restrict the use of a plurality of applications associated with the group. Note that the function management table 300, the application management table 400, and the group management table 500 are all stored in advance in a storage unit such as the HDD 213.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen 600 for setting permission / denial for a guest role. On the setting screen 600, the administrator who belongs to the Administrator role can set whether or not each role user can use the function category, application group, and application. When the toggle button 604 of the setting screen 600 is pressed, the login service 305 displays setting values that can be set by the “send to yourself” function on the display unit 231. The value selected by the administrator is displayed in the input field 603. When the OK button 601 is pressed after each item is set, the login service 305 sets permission / prohibition for each role according to the input content. That is, the login service 305 stores the setting contents. If the cancel button 602 is pressed, the login service 305 and settings are cleared and the display is returned to the previous page.

-Authentication Necessity Setting for Each Application The login service 305 can set whether or not authentication for use is required for each application, separately from the above-described authority management function. In this setting, when an application is selected, it is possible to set whether or not to perform user authentication processing before enabling the application. Specifically, presence / absence of authentication is set in the authentication table 700 shown in FIG. The authentication table 700 is a table that associates an application with an authentication setting, and is preliminarily stored in a storage unit such as the HDD 213. In the authentication table 700 shown in FIG. 7, the presence / absence of authentication is associated with each application of copy, print, scan and send, and scan and save.

  If authentication is set for an application, the login service 305 displays an authentication screen after the icon of the application is pressed and before the operation screen of the application is displayed. This authentication screen is, for example, a screen for inputting user identification information and a password. The login service 305 can execute an authentication process in its own apparatus using the authentication information input via the authentication screen. When the user authentication is successful by the authentication process, the login service 305 displays an operation screen for executing the application on the display unit 231. This setting can be performed by a user belonging to the Administrator role. As another example, the login service 305 may execute authentication processing by sending authentication information input via an authentication screen to an external authentication server via a network.

Local Login The login service 305 performs user authentication using the user ID and password input from the operation unit 219. In this way, logging in directly to the MFP 100 so that the operation unit 219 can be operated by the user is referred to as local login. The login service 305 permits the authenticated user to access the local application 303. The number of users who can log in locally at the same time is one, and a plurality of users cannot log in locally at the same time.

Remote Login The login service 305 acquires user authentication information via the network and performs user authentication. The login service 305 is configured so that a plurality of users can remotely log in at the same time.

  Next, processing for executing an application will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the selection screen 800. On the selection screen 800, a plurality of buttons corresponding to a plurality of applications are displayed. The selection screen 800 according to the present embodiment displays four buttons: a copy button 801, a print button 802, a scan and send button 803, and a scan and save button 804. The user can select an application button to be used on the selection screen 800 shown in FIG. When an application is selected by the user, MFP 100 executes the selected application.

  When an application button is selected on the selection screen 800, an application screen corresponding to the selected button is displayed. Here, the application screen is an execution screen of an application corresponding to the selected button. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the application screen 900. For example, when the scan and transmission application button 803 is selected on the selection screen 800, an application screen 900 of the scan and transmission application is displayed as shown in FIG. The application screen 900 displays buttons 901 to 905 for functions that can be scanned and executed.

  The MFP 100 can perform various settings associated with application execution in accordance with the button selection by the user. For example, assume that the “send to me” function is selected by the user. In this case, the setting for transmitting the scanned image data to a mail address registered in advance by a registered user is valid. With this function, since a predetermined mail address is automatically set, it is not necessary to input a destination mail address each time, and the convenience of the user can be improved. Here, each of the buttons 901 to 905 is an example of an image for receiving a function execution instruction.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing guest login processing in the function-specific authentication mode by MFP 100. In S101, CPU 210 of MFP 100 displays an application selection screen 800 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, it is assumed that four application buttons 801 to 804 are displayed in correspondence with the four applications being enabled. The user can select an application to be used with reference to the button display. Next, in S <b> 102, the CPU 210 accepts an application selection instruction in response to the user pressing any button displayed on the selection screen 800. Here, the selection instruction is an example of an application use request.

  Next, in S103, the CPU 210 refers to the authentication table 700 shown in FIG. 7 and confirms the authentication setting for the application related to the selection instruction. If the CPU 210 is set to be authenticated (Yes in S103), the process proceeds to S104. If the CPU 210 is set without authentication (No in S103), the process proceeds to S111.

  In S111, the CPU 210 displays an application screen corresponding to the selected application without restriction by the user authority. In the present embodiment, a case where an application for scanning and transmission is selected in S102 will be described as an example. In this case, the application screen 1100 shown in FIG. 11 is displayed in S111. Here, the application screen 1100 corresponds to the application screen 900 shown in FIG. 9, but in the application screen 1100, the guest user displayed on the application screen 900 shown in FIG. The function button 904 is not displayed. This is because user authentication is not performed, and a transmission destination when performing “send to me” cannot be specified.

  In S104, the CPU 210 confirms whether or not the guest user can use the application related to the selection instruction. Specifically, the CPU 210 refers to the guest management table 1200 shown in FIG. 12 and makes a determination based on the usage permission / inhibition regarding the function set for the guest user, the usage permission / inhibition for the application group, and the usage permission / inhibition for the application.

  In the guest management table 1200 shown in FIG. 12, the guest role setting column stores information on whether or not the guest user is permitted to use, which is set for the guest user. The guest role setting includes setting of permission / inhibition for each of the function, application group, and application. The CPU 210 determines whether or not to use the application according to the selection instruction in accordance with the combination of the function, application group, and usage permission / prohibition settings related to the application. As another example, the CPU 210 may determine whether or not to use the application according to the selection instruction according to the combination of the function and the setting of permission or prohibition related to the application.

  The process in S104 will be specifically described. The CPU 210 first identifies an application related to the selection instruction, a function included in the application related to the selection instruction, and an application group including the application related to the selection instruction. For example, it is assumed that the application related to the selection instruction is an application for scanning and transmission. In this case, as the function, an address book function, a new input function, a one-touch function, and transmission to oneself are specified.

  Then, the CPU 210 refers to the function management table 300 shown in FIG. 3 and specifies whether the function is permitted or not corresponding to the application related to the selection instruction. When the application related to the selection instruction has a plurality of functions, the CPU 210 specifies the use disapproval as the setting for the function when the disapproval is set for at least one function. However, in the address book function, the new input function, the one-touch function, and the transmission function to oneself, when only the transmission function to oneself cannot be used, authority such as partial permission may be provided. In this way, the function use permission / prohibition setting for the guest role user in the guest management table 1200 shown in FIG. 12 is specified.

  The CPU 210 refers to the application management table 400 shown in FIG. 4 in the same process as specifying the function use permission / inhibition setting, and identifies the use permission / inhibition of the application related to the selection instruction. Furthermore, the CPU 210 refers to the group management table 500 shown in FIG. 5 and specifies whether or not the application group to which the application related to the selection instruction belongs belongs. Note that if the use restriction is not set, the CPU 210 sets the corresponding use restriction unset.

  In this way, the CPU 210 first specifies each value of the guest role setting shown in FIG. Then, the use permission / inhibition (use authority) of the guest for the rightmost application shown in FIG. 12 corresponding to the combination of these values is specified as the use permission / inhibition for the application related to the selection instruction. In other words, when “permission (use permission)” is set for “use of application” identified from the guest role setting, the CPU 210 permits the guest user to use the application related to the selection instruction. It is determined that The CPU 210 also permits the guest user to use the application related to the selection instruction when “not allowed (use not allowed)” is set in the “use of application” specified from the guest role setting. Judge that it is not.

  If the CPU 210 determines that the use is permitted (Yes in S104), the process proceeds to S105. If the CPU 210 determines that the use is not permitted (No in S104), the process proceeds to S106. In S105, the CPU 210 controls to display the authentication screen 1300 shown in FIG. An authentication screen 1300 illustrated in FIG. 13 is an authentication screen with guest login, and a guest login button 1302 is displayed on the authentication screen 1300 in addition to the login button 1301. After the process of S105, the CPU 210 advances the process to S107.

  On the other hand, in S106, the CPU 210 controls to display the authentication screen 1400 shown in FIG. An authentication screen 1400 shown in FIG. 14 is an authentication screen without guest login. The login screen 1401 is displayed on the authentication screen 1400, but the guest login button 1302 as displayed on the authentication screen 1300 in FIG. Is not displayed. This corresponds to the guest user being unable to use the selected application. CPU210 advances a process to S108 after the process of S106. The process of S106 is an example of a restriction process that restricts the use of an application.

  In S107, in response to the guest login button 1302 being pressed, the CPU 210 advances the process to S110 when a guest login instruction is accepted (Yes in S107). If the CPU 210 has not accepted the guest login instruction (No in S107), the process proceeds to S108.

  In S110, the CPU 210 displays an application screen corresponding to the role of the guest user. FIG. 15 is an example of the application screen 1500 displayed in S110. The application screen 1500 corresponds to the application screen 900 of FIG. 9, but on the application screen 1500 displayed in S <b> 1100, the send to yourself button 904 and the address book button 901 are not displayed. This corresponds to the fact that in the function management table 300 shown in FIG. 3, use disapproval is set for a function such as an address and a function for transmission to itself. Thus, even when the execution of the application is permitted, the CPU 210 restricts its use in units of functions provided by this application. This process is an example of a display control process for controlling to display an application screen (execution screen). This process is an example of a restriction process that restricts the use of a function in units of functions.

  In S <b> 108, the CPU 210 determines whether the user authentication is successful according to the input content on the authentication screen. When the user name and password are input on the authentication screen shown in FIG. 13 or FIG. 14 and the login button is pressed, the CPU 210 performs the process of S108. If the authentication is successful (Yes in S108), the CPU 210 advances the process to S109. If the authentication is not successful (No in S108), the CPU 210 advances the process to S104. In S109, the CPU 210 performs a login process by the registered user and displays an application screen based on the authority of the registered user. On the application screen displayed in S109, all functions associated with the application related to the selection instruction are displayed as in the application screen 900 shown in FIG.

  As described above, in MFP 100 according to the first embodiment, when a user's use permission is set for a certain function, the setting is reflected in common to a plurality of applications. That is, it is possible to easily set permission / prohibition for the functions included in the application without requiring a complicated user operation. Furthermore, the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment can restrict the use of the application to the users of each role based on the setting of usage permission / inhibition in units of functions and the setting of usage permission / inhibition in units of applications and groups.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, differences between the MFP 100 according to the second embodiment and the MFP 100 according to the first embodiment will be described. The MFP 100 according to the second embodiment differs from the timing according to the first embodiment in the timing for confirming whether or not the application according to the selection instruction is permitted. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating guest login processing in the function-specific authentication mode by the MFP 100 according to the second embodiment. The same processes as those of the guest login process according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, the CPU 210 advances the processing to S105 when the authentication is set in S103 (Yes in S103). That is, the CPU 210 controls to display an authentication screen with guest login without confirming whether the guest user can use the application related to the selection instruction. Furthermore, in S107, when the CPU 210 receives a guest login instruction (Yes in S107), the process proceeds to S201. In S201, the CPU 210 confirms whether or not the guest user can use the application related to the selection instruction. This process is the same as the process of S104 shown in FIG.

  If the CPU 210 determines that use is permitted (Yes in S201), the process proceeds to S110. If the CPU 210 determines that the use is not permitted (No in S201), the process proceeds to S202. In S202, the CPU 210 displays an error screen indicating that there is no authority to use the application. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the error screen 1700. As described above, in the second embodiment, the CPU 210 displays the execution screen of the application when the use of the application is not restricted, and displays the execution screen when the use is restricted. Control not to display. Other configurations and processes of MFP 100 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of MFP 100 according to the first embodiment.

  As described above, the MFP 100 according to the second embodiment confirms whether or not a guest user can be used when the guest login button is pressed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the use of an application that is not permitted by the guest user.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.・ Change is possible.

(Other examples)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

100 MFP
210 CPU
231 display

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus,
Accepting means for accepting an instruction to set whether or not the user can use the function provided by the image forming apparatus;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a setting unit configured to set the same use permission / rejection for the same function included in each of a plurality of different applications according to the setting instruction. The accepting means accepts the setting instruction for use permission / prohibition of a user of a predetermined role,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets whether or not a user can use each role for the function in accordance with the setting instruction.   When a use request for an application providing a plurality of functions is received, the use of the function is restricted on a function basis based on the use permission / rejection preset for each function included in the application related to the use request. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first restricting unit.   The use of the application is restricted based on the use permission / rejection preset for the application related to the use request and the use permission / rejection set for each function included in the application related to the use request. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a second restricting unit that   5. The image according to claim 4, wherein the second restriction unit further restricts use of the application based on use permission / rejection preset for a group to which the application related to the use request belongs. Forming equipment.   When the use of the application related to the use request is not restricted by the second restricting means, the execution screen of the application is displayed on the display means, and among the functions included in the application related to the use request, An image for accepting an execution instruction for a function whose use is not restricted by the first restriction means is displayed on the execution screen, and an image for accepting an execution instruction for the function whose use is restricted is executed. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising display control means for controlling the display so as not to be displayed on the screen.   When the use of the application is not restricted by the second restriction means, the application execution screen is displayed on the display means. When the use of the application is restricted, the application execution screen is displayed. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a display control unit that controls the display unit not to display the image.   The display control means, when displaying the execution screen, an image for receiving an instruction to execute a function whose use is not restricted by the first restriction means among the functions included in the application related to the use request 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the image forming apparatus is controlled so that an image for receiving an execution instruction of the function whose use is restricted is not displayed on the execution screen. A control method executed by an image forming apparatus,
An accepting step of accepting an instruction to set whether or not the user can use the function provided by the image forming apparatus;
And a setting step of setting the same use permission / rejection for the same function included in each of a plurality of different applications according to the setting instruction. The computer of the image forming apparatus
Accepting means for accepting an instruction to set whether or not the user can use the function provided by the image forming apparatus;
A program for causing the same function included in each of a plurality of different applications to function as setting means for setting the same use permission / refusal according to the setting instruction.

Images