JP2022192004A - Printing control device, control method of printing control device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve such a problem that the time taken from reception of a printing execution instruction from a user to printing completion is increased when dictionary comparison processing using text information in a document is executed.SOLUTION: An image formation apparatus according to the present invention comprises: registration means which registers character strings; extraction means which extracts text information from the received job data; determination means (S05015) which determines a job execution possibility on the basis of comparison between the text information extracted by the extraction means and the character strings registered by the registration means; storage means (S05017) which stores the job execution possibility result determined by the determination means in association with the job data; and control means (S05022) which controls job execution of the job data on the basis of the job execution possibility result when receiving the job execution instruction to the job data stored in the storage means from an operation unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a print control device, a print control device control method, and a program.

The locations where printing devices are installed and the environments of users are diversifying, and there is an increasing number of usage methods in which access is made not only within a firewall but also directly from an external network such as the Internet. In addition, there are problems such as attacks by malicious users inside and outside firewalls due to unauthorized operation of printing apparatuses, and information leakage due to loss of printed documents.

As one of the security measures for printing devices, it is known to censor the contents of printed documents.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200003 proposes a technique of inspecting print data for the presence of NG words registered in advance before printing is executed after a print instruction is issued.

JP 2010-49520 A

However, if the print data is compared with NG words registered in advance for the print data after the print instruction is given to the printing device and before the print is executed, the print execution instruction from the user is accepted until the print is completed. time increases.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems. By executing dictionary comparison processing before issuing a print execution instruction, the time required from the user's print execution instruction to the completion of printing can be reduced. The purpose is to prevent information leakage.

An image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus having an operation unit, comprising a registering unit for registering a character string, a receiving unit for receiving job data, and extracting text information from the job data received by the receiving unit. extracting means; judging means for judging job executability based on comparison between the text information extracted by the extracting means and the character string registered by the registering means; a storage unit for storing job data in association with the job data; when a job execution instruction is received from the operation unit for the job data stored in the storage unit, the job execution of the job data is performed based on the job executability result. and a control means for controlling the

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent information leakage without increasing the time from the user's print execution instruction to the completion of printing.

An example of a system configuration diagram in the embodiment An example of a hardware configuration diagram of the MFP 1000 in the embodiment An example of a software configuration diagram of the MFP 1000 in the embodiment (A) An example of a flowchart showing the flow of device processing from print data submission to retention in the first embodiment (B) An example of a flowchart showing the flow of device processing after a user instructs print execution in the first embodiment (C ) An example of a flowchart showing the flow of device processing from the submission of another print data to the hold in the first embodiment (D) An example of a flowchart showing the flow of device processing after another user instructs to execute printing in the first embodiment An example of a notification screen when a censorship error occurs An example of a flowchart showing the flow of NG word registration processing of the embodiment An example of the NG word setting screen (A) An example of a flowchart showing the flow of device processing from print data submission to retention in the second embodiment (B) An example of a flowchart showing the flow of device processing after a user instructs print execution in the second embodiment (A) An example of a flowchart showing the flow of device processing from print data submission to retention in the third embodiment (B) An example of a flowchart showing the flow of device processing after a user instructs print execution in the third embodiment An example of a table that associates functions possessed by the MFP 1000 with censorship timings An example of a flowchart showing data censorship processing by the print management server in the fourth embodiment An example of a flowchart showing details of data censorship processing in the embodiment An example of a software module block diagram of the print management server 3000 according to the fifth embodiment An example of a flowchart showing data censorship processing by the print management server in the fifth embodiment An example of a flowchart showing details of data censorship processing in the fifth embodiment

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a multi-function peripheral (digital multi-function peripheral/MFP/Multi Function Peripheral) having a hold print function is taken as an example. The reserved print function refers to a function in which a print job sent from a PC, for example, is not immediately output from the multifunction machine, but is temporarily held in the HDD or external storage device of the multifunction machine.

However, because hold printing is generally used in SFPs (Single Function Peripherals), the scope of application is not limited to multifunction machines.

FIG. 1 is a network configuration diagram of this embodiment.

A multi-function device 1000 having a print function of forming an image on paper receives print data (also referred to as a print job) via a network 100 with other information processing devices, scanned image data, and device management. It is possible to send and receive information.

The MFP 1000 can also communicate with the print management server 3000 via the network 100 . Also, the print management server 3000 and the PC 2000 can communicate with a cloud storage, a file server, etc. via the external network 200 . Although FIG. 1 shows one multifunction machine 1000, one print management server 3000, and one cloud storage 4000 as an example, there may be a plurality of each, and there is no limitation. Although the MFP 1000 and the print management server 3000 are separate devices in FIG. 1, the role of the print management server may be included in the MFP 1000, and there is no particular limitation.

FIG. 2A is a hardware block diagram showing the configuration of the MFP 1000. As shown in FIG.

A CPU 211 executes a software program of the MFP 1000 and controls the entire apparatus. A ROM 212 is a read-only memory, and stores a boot program, fixed parameters, and the like for the multifunction machine 1000 . A RAM 213 is a random access memory, and is used for storing programs and temporary data when the CPU 211 controls the multifunction device 1000 . The HDD 214 is a hard disk drive and stores system software, applications, and various data. The CPU 211 executes the boot program stored in the ROM 212, develops the program stored in the HDD 214 in the RAM 213, and executes the expanded program to control the operation of the multifunction device 1000. FIG.

Flash memory 215 stores the loader, kernel, and applications. In addition to the execution program, the flash memory 215 also stores license information for activating the functions of the MFP 1000, signatures and public keys used for verification used to detect falsification of programs. . An operation unit I/F 216 is an I/F for transmitting instructions input by the user of the multifunction peripheral 1000 via the operation unit 230 to the CPU 211 . Further, the operation section I/F 216 receives from the CPU 211 the processing contents for switching the contents displayed on the operation section unit 230 and transmits the processing contents to the operation section unit 230 . The operation unit 230 is provided with a liquid crystal display having a touch panel function, a keyboard, and the like, displays the status of the multi-function peripheral 1000 and operation menus, and accepts user instructions.

The RIP unit 221 performs rendering processing on print data to obtain a raster image.

A printer I/F 217 controls print processing by the printer unit 240 and the like. A scanner I/F 218 controls reading of an original by the scanner unit 250 . A USB-Host I/F 219 is an interface for connecting the main controller 200 and the external USB device 260 . Here, an example of the external USB device 260 is a FAX unit. In the example of the FAX unit, FAX transmission is performed based on image data transferred from the HDD 214 via the USB-Host I/F 219 . It also generates image data based on the received data and transfers the image data to the HDD 214 via the USB-Host I/F 219 . The image data stored in HDD 214 is printed on a storage medium by printer unit 240 as described above. Examples of the external USB device 260 include a USB memory and a USB keyboard. It is also possible to transfer update files required for firmware update from the USB memory.

Network I/F 220 controls transmission and reception of data with network 100 .

FIG. 2B is a hardware block diagram showing the configuration of the print management server 3000. As shown in FIG.

A CPU 401 executes a software program of the print management server 3000 and controls the entire apparatus. A ROM 402 is a read-only memory and stores a boot program, fixed parameters, and the like for the print management server 3000 . A RAM 403 is a random access memory, and is used for storing programs and temporary data when the CPU 401 controls the print management server 3000 . An HDD 404 is a hard disk drive and stores system software, applications, and various data. The CPU 401 executes the boot program stored in the ROM 402 , develops the program stored in the HDD 404 in the RAM 403 , and controls the operation of the print management server 3000 by executing the expanded program. A network I/F control unit 405 controls transmission and reception of data with the network 100 .

A bus 408 interconnects the CPU 401 , ROM 402 , RAM 403 , HDD 404 and network I/F control unit 405 . Control signals from the CPU 401 and data signals between devices are transmitted and received via this bus 408 .

FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating software modules representing the configuration of the MFP 1000. FIG. The software module shown in FIG. 3A is implemented by the CPU 211 executing a program developed in the RAM 213. FIG.

A startup control unit 311 is a program that controls startup processing of the print control apparatus 1000, and starts the OS (operating system) of the main controller 200 to start up a basic system for operating various programs. The operating section control section 312 is a program for controlling the operating section unit 230 via the operating section I/F 216 . A printer control unit 313 controls printing by the printer unit 240 , and a scanner control unit 314 is a module for executing functions such as document reading by the scanner unit 250 . The USB control unit 315 is a program for controlling subsequent USB devices via the USB-Host I/F 219 . A communication control unit 316 is a module for controlling a plurality of communication protocols supported by the MFP 1000 via the network I/F 220 . The error notification control unit 317 controls error details to be notified to the operation unit 230 and external devices connected to the network 100 when a problem is detected in the content of the print data by the print data censoring process. .

The censorship setting management unit 318 is a program for managing NG word settings. The administrator who manages the MFP 1000 provides the data censoring processing unit 319 with setting values related to censorship processing, such as input NG words, when censoring print data.

The data censorship processing unit 319 is a program for controlling censorship processing for print data based on NG words registered by the censorship setting management unit 318 .

The user data management unit 320 is a program that manages data of users who can use the MFP 1000 . The authentication control unit 321 controls the authentication of the authenticated user to the MFP 1000 based on the user information registered by the user data management unit 320 .

FIG. 3B is a block diagram for explaining software modules showing the configuration of the print management server 3000 according to the first embodiment.

Note that the software module shown in FIG. 3B is implemented by the CPU 401 executing a program developed in the RAM 402 .

A startup control unit 501 is a program for controlling startup processing of the print management server 3000, and starts an OS (operating system) of the print management server 3000 to start up a basic system for operating various programs.

A communication control unit 504 is a module for controlling a plurality of communication protocols supported by the print management server 3000 via the network I/F control unit 405 .

A censorship setting management unit 503 is a program that manages setting of NG words later.

The data censorship processing unit 502 is a module for controlling censorship processing for print data based on NG words registered by the censorship setting management unit 503 .

In the subsequent sequences and flowcharts, the above-described software modules are stored in any one of the ROM 402, RAM 403, and HDD 404 and executed by the CPU 401 for processing by the print management server 3000. FIG.

FIG. 4A is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the device from when print data is received from the PC 2000 to when it is retained in the MFP 1000 according to the first embodiment. A program for realizing the operations described in this flow chart is stored in the flash memory 215, developed in the RAM 213 by the CPU 211, and executed.

First, in step S05011, the MFP 1000 receives print data input by the user. Specifically, the user sends print data from the PC 2000 to the MFP 1000 via the network 100 . The data submitted in step S05011 may be in PDF (Portable Document Format) or PDL (Page Description Language) format, and is not limited.

Subsequently, in step S05012, the main controller 200 obtains from the setting values registered in the censorship setting management unit 318, and confirms whether the censorship mode of the multifunction peripheral 1000 is valid. If it is valid, the process proceeds to step S05013, and if it is determined that the censorship mode is not valid, the process proceeds to step S05017 without performing the censorship process.

In step S05013, the data inspection processing unit 319 determines whether or not there is text in the print data. transition to The text described here refers to text information of PDL data or searchable PDF, for example.

In step S05014, the data censoring processor 319 performs text extraction processing (OCR: Optical Character Reader) on the print data to extract text information from the print data. After that, the process proceeds to step S05015.

In step S05015, the data censoring processing unit 319 performs processing (dictionary comparison processing: DLP) for determining whether NG words are present in the text of the print data. If there is an NG word, it is determined that printing is impossible, and if there is no NG word, it is determined that printing is possible. NG words are words registered in the censorship setting management unit 318 by the administrator, and the registration method will be described later. Then, the process proceeds to step S05016.

In step S05016, the main controller 200 performs a process of associating (associating) the print data with the print permission result determined in step S05015. Then, the process proceeds to step S05017.

In step S<b>05017 , the main controller 200 retains the print data associated with the printability result in a storage medium such as the HDD 214 or flash memory 215 of the MFP 1000 . Note that the print data retained in step S05017 may be PDL data, or may be a raster image after rendering processing by the RIP unit 221, and is not limited.

FIG. 4B is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the MFP 1000 in the system according to the first embodiment, from the user receiving a print execution instruction to the MFP 1000 until printing. This flowchart starts, for example, when the user performs user authentication on the MFP 1000 and displays a hold print job list on the LUI (Local User Interface: operation unit 230 ) of the MFP 1000 .

First, in step S05021, the MFP 1000 receives a print execution instruction from the user. Specifically, the user issues a print execution instruction for an arbitrary print job from the reserved print job list displayed on the LUI of the multifunction peripheral 1000 . The hold print job list here refers to the print data jobs held in step S05017. In the above description, the user issues a print execution instruction to an arbitrary print job from the reserved print job list displayed on the LUI of the MFP 1000. However, even if the send job does not involve printing, Well, the instructions received from the user here are not limited to jobs involving printing.

Next, in step S05022, the main controller 200 determines the print permission result associated with the print data instructed in S05021. If the printability result indicates that printing is possible (OK), the process proceeds to step S05023, and the printer control unit 313 executes the print job. If the printability result indicates that printing is not possible (NG), the process proceeds to step S05024. Here, jobs to be executed are not limited to jobs involving printing. For example, it may be a send job for sending data.

In step S05024, the error notification control section 317 displays an error screen (FIG. 5) informing the operation section unit 230 of the MFP 1000 that the result of printing is NG.

As described above, it is possible to end the censorship processing using NG words before the print execution instruction from the user, and information leakage can be prevented without increasing the time from the print execution instruction from the user to the end of printing. can be prevented.

Next, a modification of the processing flow of the device from the submission of the print data to the censoring and printing will be described with reference to FIGS. 4(C) and 4(D). FIG. 4C is a flow chart showing the processing flow of the device from when print data is received from the PC 2000 to when it is retained in the MFP 1000 according to the first embodiment. A program for realizing the operations described in this flow chart is stored in the flash memory 215, developed in the RAM 213 by the CPU 211, and executed. The same numbers are given to the same processes as in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

First, in step S05011, the MFP 1000 receives print data input by the user.

Subsequently, in step S05012, the main controller 200 obtains from the setting values registered in the censorship setting management unit 318, and confirms whether the censorship mode of the multifunction peripheral 1000 is valid. If it is valid, the process proceeds to step S05025, and if it is determined that the censorship mode is not valid, the process proceeds to step S05028 without performing the censorship process.

In step S05025, the data inspection processing unit 319 determines whether or not there is text in the print data. transition to

In step S05026, the data censoring processor 319 performs text extraction processing (OCR: Optical Character Reader) on the print data to extract text information from the print data. After that, the process proceeds to step S05027.

In step S05027, the extracted text information and print data are linked and stored in a storage medium.

In step S05028, the main controller 200 retains the print data in a storage medium such as the HDD 214 or flash memory 215 of the MFP 1000. FIG. Note that the print data retained in step S05017 may be PDL data, or may be a raster image after rendering processing by the RIP unit 221, and is not limited.

FIG. 4D is a flow chart showing a modified example of the processing flow of the MFP 1000 from when the user receives a print execution instruction to printing in the system according to the first embodiment. . This flowchart starts, for example, when the user performs user authentication on the MFP 1000 and displays a hold print job list on the LUI (Local User Interface: operation unit 230 ) of the MFP 1000 .

First, in step S05021, the MFP 1000 receives a print execution instruction from the user.

Next, in step S05029, the data censoring processing unit 319 performs processing (dictionary comparison processing: DLP) for determining whether NG words are present in the text of the print data. If there is an NG word, it is determined that printing is impossible, and if there is no NG word, it is determined that printing is possible. NG words are words registered in the censorship setting management unit 318 by the administrator. Then, the process proceeds to step S05022.

Next, in step S05022, the main controller 200 determines the print permission result associated with the print data instructed in S05021. If the printability result indicates that printing is possible (OK), the process proceeds to step S05023, and the printer control unit 313 executes the print job. If the printability result indicates that printing is not possible (NG), the process proceeds to step S05024.

In step S05024, the error notification control section 317 displays an error screen (FIG. 5) informing the operation section unit 230 of the MFP 1000 that the result of printing is NG.

As described above, it is possible to finish the processing up to character string extraction for censorship processing before a print execution instruction from the user, and to judge whether printing is possible by dictionary comparison processing using the latest NG words after a print instruction. Become. Therefore, it is possible to prevent information leakage while shortening the time from the print execution instruction from the user to the end of printing.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing for registering character strings of NG words used in the dictionary comparison processing (DLP) performed in S05015. The NG word is a word indicating confidential information, for example, and the administrator who manages the MFP 1000 registers the character string. For example, if there is an NG word in the text information of the print data, it is determined that the print data contains confidential information and cannot be printed. It is possible to reduce the risk of

In step S<b>04001 , MFP 1000 connects to PC 2000 via network 100 , and displays a screen that allows operation of MFP 1000 on the web browser of PC 2000 . The operation unit of the MFP 1000 that is displayed on the PC or mobile terminal is called a remote UI (user interface: RUI).

Subsequently, in step S04002, main controller 200 of image forming apparatus 1000 displays censorship setting screen 600 (FIG. 7) for NG word registration on the RUI. FIG. 7 is an example of a censorship setting screen for NG word registration. The screen 600 includes a censorship mode setting 601 , a censorship keyword (NG word) setting 602 , an operation setting 603 during censorship, an add button 610 , an OK button 620 , and a cancel button 630 . The censorship mode setting 601 is a button for enabling the censorship mode, and the add button 610 is used by the user (administrator) to input an NG word and press the add button 610 to input it to the registered keyword item. NG word is added. In FIG. 7, as an example of NG words, "confidential", "confidential", and "confidential" are registered as character strings. The operation at the time of censorship 603 can set the operation of the MFP 1000 when a print execution instruction is issued for a document containing NG words at the time of censorship. In FIG. 7, "stop operation", "notify (to administrator) by e-mail", and "display warning (to user)" can be selected as an example of operation, and "stop operation" is selected. This is merely an example, and multiple options may be selected at the same time.

When button 620 is selected, the entered setting data is registered in censorship setting management section 318 .

Next, in step S04003, NG word registration from the user is accepted. Next, in step S04004, the NG word input in step S04003 is saved in the censorship setting management unit 318. When the storage is completed, the NG word registration process ends.

In addition, in this embodiment, in the NG word registration processing, the registration processing is performed through the remote UI. Not limited.

In the first embodiment, assuming reserved printing, when print data is submitted to the MFP 1000, censorship processing is subsequently performed on the print data, and the print data associated with the print approval/disapproval result is displayed. I kept it. When a print execution instruction is received from a user, printing is executed or restricted based on the print permission/prohibition result associated with the print data.

If there is a large time lag between the user's input of print data and the print execution instruction, the multifunction machine 1000 performs inspection processing, and after linking the print data/job with the result of whether printing is permitted or not, the administrator who manages the multifunction machine 1000 , NG words may be changed/updated, and censorship mode settings may be changed. In such a case, the deferred print data job would no longer be the result of the most recent NG word.

In the second embodiment, assuming the above case, a control method for always executing and restricting printing based on the result of whether or not the latest version of printing is permitted will be described. Specifically, a control method will be described in which the retained print data is always censored using the latest version of the censorship mode and NG words, and the print data is always associated with the latest version of the printing approval/disapproval result.

In the second embodiment, parts that are not explained, such as the network configuration diagram, the hardware configuration of the multifunction machine 1000 as an information processing apparatus, the software configuration, print execution instruction reception, print processing such as print execution, etc., are the same as those in the first embodiment. is the same as

FIG. 8A is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing in the MFP 1000 from print data submission to print data retention in the system according to the second embodiment.

A program that implements the operations described in this flowchart is stored in the flash memory 215, and is developed in the RAM 213 by the CPU 211 and executed.

Steps S08011 to S08015 are the same as steps S05011 to S05015 of the first embodiment, respectively.

In step S08016, the time when the dictionary comparison process (DLP) of step S08015 was performed is acquired.

Subsequently, in step S08017, the print data job is associated with the print permission result determined in step S08015 and the time obtained in step S08016, and stored in a storage medium such as the flash memory 215 or HDD 214 in step S08018. Note that the print data retained in step S08018 may be in the form of PDL data, may be a raster image image rendered by the RIP unit 221, and may be retained with the text information extracted in step S09015. may be, and is not limited to.

FIG. 8B is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow of the MFP 1000 in the system according to the second embodiment, from receiving a print execution instruction from the user to printing.

A program that implements the operations described in this flowchart is stored in the flash memory 215, and is developed in the RAM 213 by the CPU 211 and executed.

First, in step S08021, the MFP 1000 receives a print execution instruction from the user. Next, in step S08022, it is determined whether the censorship mode is valid, and if it is valid, the process proceeds to step S08023. If the censorship mode is not valid, the process moves to step S08028.

In step S08023, the main controller 200 confirms whether the print data job for which the print execution instruction was issued in step S08021 is associated with the print permission result. If the print availability result is linked, the process proceeds to step S08025, and if not linked, the process proceeds to step S08024. In step S08024, the data censoring processor 319 executes text extraction processing (OCR) on the print data. In S08024, even if the print data/job is not linked to the print data/job in S08023, the text extraction process may be omitted if the print data/job is text information.

In step S08025, the main controller 200 compares the time associated with the print data in step S08017 with the last update time of the NG word. Thereby, it is determined whether or not the latest NG word has been used to determine whether or not printing is possible. If not, the process moves to step S08026. Specifically, if the NG word update time is later than the time linked to the print data, or if there is no time linked to the print data, it is necessary to perform censorship using the latest NG word (S08026). .

Step S08026 is the same as step S05015, and compares the text information in the print data with NG words again.

In step S08027, the main controller 200 confirms the print approval/disapproval result, and if the print approval/disapproval result is OK, the process proceeds to step S08028 to execute printing. If the printing permission result is NG, the process moves to step S08029, and the fact that the NG word is matched in the censorship processing and the printing permission result is NG is displayed on the operation unit 230 of the multifunction machine 1000 .

As described above, even if NG words are updated or the censorship mode is set, censorship processing can be performed with the latest settings.

If censorship processing is required after receiving a print execution instruction, a screen (not shown) indicating that censorship processing is being performed is displayed on the operation unit 230 of the multifunction machine 1000. Also good.

In this embodiment, whether or not the latest NG word is used to determine whether or not printing is possible is determined by comparing the time associated with the print data with the last update time of the NG word. You may comprise so that it may judge by a method. For example, version information may be attached to NG words, and by comparing the versions of NG words, it may be determined whether the latest NG word is used for the printability determination. Specifically, when the NG word is updated, the version information is similarly updated, and in S08016, the version information of the NG word used in the dictionary comparison process of S08015 is acquired. Subsequently, in S08017, the print data is associated with the print permission result and the version information of the acquired NG word. When a print instruction is received from the user, in S08025, the version of the NG word linked to the print data is compared with the version information of the current NG word, thereby determining whether the latest NG word is used to determine whether printing is possible. do. If the versions match, the process proceeds to S08027, and if the versions do not match, dictionary comparison processing is executed using the current NG word in S08026. Alternatively, it may be determined whether the word is the latest by comparing the checksums of the NG words in a method other than the above. Specifically, in S08016, the checksum of the NG word used when executing the dictionary comparison process in S08015 is obtained. Subsequently, in S08017, the print data is associated with the print permission result and the checksum. Then, when a print instruction from the user is received, in S08025, the checksum of the NG word linked to the print data is compared with the checksum of the current NG word to determine whether printing is possible based on the latest NG word. to judge. If the checksums match, the process proceeds to S08027, and if the versions do not match, dictionary comparison processing is executed using the current NG word in S08026. It may be configured as described above.

Next, Example 3 of the present invention will be described.

In Embodiments 1 and 2, the censorship process is described when printing with reserved printing.

However, the MFP 1000 has various functions such as a scan data transmission function, a FAX function, a stored document transmission function, and data transmission to an external storage, in addition to the print function. For example, BOX storage is often used by printing the data stored in the BOX after a certain amount of time has passed since the user submitted (stored) the data in the BOX. In such a case, there is no need to perform censorship processing immediately after the print data is submitted.

Therefore, in the third embodiment, control for changing the timing of censorship processing by the printing function of the multifunction peripheral 1000 will be described. In the present embodiment, portions that are not explained, such as the network configuration diagram, the hardware configuration and software configuration of the MFP 1000 as an information processing device, the reception of print execution instructions, and print processing such as print execution, are not explained. Same as Example 1.

FIG. 9A is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing performed by the multifunction peripheral 1000 in the system according to the third embodiment, from print data submission from the PC 2000 to print data retention. .

Steps S09011 and S9012 are the same as steps S05011 and S05012 of the first embodiment, respectively.

In step S09013, the main controller 200 of the MFP 1000 determines whether the function requires inspection immediately after data submission by determining the job type of the accepted print job. Specifically, the main controller 200 makes a determination using the table shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is an example of a table in which print functions of the MFP 1000 are associated with censorship timings. This table is registered by an administrator who manages the MFP 1000 and is stored in the censorship setting management unit 318 . As an example in FIG. 10, BOX saving is described as a function that does not require immediate censorship processing, but other functions may be functions that do not require immediate censorship processing, and are not limited. .

Specifically, the main controller 200 determines the attribute information of the received print data from the header portion of the print data, and refers to the table shown in FIG. Thereby, it is determined whether or not the received print data needs to be censored after the print data is submitted. In step S09013, if censorship timing is a necessary function following submission, the process proceeds to step S09014. If the censorship timing is not a function that is necessary following submission, censorship processing is not performed, and BOX storage is performed in step S09019.

Steps S09014 to S09018 are the same as S05013 to S05017 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9B is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the MFP 1000 in the system according to the third embodiment, from receiving a print execution instruction from the user to executing printing.

In step S09021, the MFP 1000 accepts a print execution instruction from the user, and proceeds to step S09022.

In step S09022, the main controller 200 confirms whether the censorship mode of the MFP 1000 is enabled. If the censorship mode is valid, the process proceeds to step S09023, and if the censorship mode is not valid, the process proceeds to step S09027 and printing is executed.

In step S09023, the main controller 200 of the MFP 1000 determines whether the print job for which the print execution instruction has been received requires inspection immediately after the print execution instruction is issued. Specifically, the main controller 200 makes a determination using the table shown in FIG. If there is no need to perform inspection immediately after issuing the print execution instruction, the process proceeds to step S09026. If it is necessary to perform inspection immediately after issuing the print execution instruction, the process proceeds to step S09024. Steps S09024-S09025 are the same as steps S05014-S05015 of the first embodiment. Steps S09026 to S09028 are the same as S05022 to S05024 of the first embodiment.

In addition, in the flow when the function is not to execute the censorship process when receiving the print execution instruction in S09023, it is further determined whether the latest NG word is used to determine whether printing is possible (S08025 of the second embodiment). You can do it.

As described above, the censorship timing can be changed by the function of the multifunction machine 1000 . As a result, for functions that do not require censoring processing after print data submission, it is possible to avoid the trouble of re-censoring due to updating NG words.

Next, Example 4 of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating the flow of overall processing in which the print management server 3000 inspects the print data of the target user after the multifunction peripheral 1000 is authenticated in the system according to the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, there are a multifunction peripheral 1000 that performs user authentication, reception of print execution instructions from the operation unit, and print control, and a cloud storage 4000 that stores data to be printed. Also, there is a print management server 3000 that acquires data to be printed from the cloud storage based on user information transmitted from the multifunction peripheral 1000 and presents the data to be printed to the multifunction peripheral 1000 .

In this embodiment, the MFP 1000 and the print management server 3000 are separate devices, but the functions of the print management server may be included in the MFP 1000, and there is no particular limitation. Further, although the print management server refers to the cloud storage 3000, it may be an on-premises file server, a plurality of cloud storages or servers, etc., and the storage and reference destinations of data to be printed are not limited.

This sequence is started in response to a request for login processing by the user to the MFP 1000 .

First, in S1401, the MFP 1000 accepts login processing from the user and accepts input of user information and a password from the user. The input password is compared with the password linked to the user information managed by user authentication held in the MFP 1000 to verify whether the password is correct. If it is determined that the password is correct, the MFP 1000 permits login and holds the information of the logged-in user.

Next, in S<b>1402 , the MFP 1000 transmits user authentication information of the authenticated user to the print management server 3000 . In step S<b>1403 , the print management server 3000 transmits to the cloud storage 4000 a request to acquire a data list to be printed by the target user. The data list in this embodiment is, for example, a list listing file names, file formats, update dates, etc., but is not particularly limited.

In S<b>1404 , the print management server 3000 receives the data list from the cloud storage 4000 . In step S<b>1405 , the print management server 3000 transmits a print target data acquisition request to the cloud server 4000 based on the print target list saved in the RAM 403 .

Next, in S<b>1406 , the print management server 3000 receives the print data from the cloud server 3000 and saves it in the HDD 404 .

Next, in S1407, the print management server 3000 performs data inspection processing on the received print data.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the data censorship processing in S1407 of FIG.

A program that implements the operations described in this flowchart is stored in any one of the ROM 402, RAM 403, and HDD 404, and is executed by the CPU 401. FIG.

First, in step S15011, whether or not the print management server 3000 is in the censorship mode is acquired from the setting value registered by the censorship setting management unit 503, and it is confirmed whether the censorship mode is valid. Then, the process moves to step S15012. If it is determined in step S15012 that the censorship mode is not valid, the flow ends without performing censorship processing.

In step S05013, the data inspection processing unit 502 determines whether or not there is text in the print data. The process proceeds to S15013.

In step S15013, the data censoring unit 502 performs text extraction processing (OCR) on the print data, and the process proceeds to step S15014.

In step S15014, processing is performed to determine whether or not there is an NG word registered in advance for the text of the print data.

In step S15015, it is determined whether printing is possible. If there is an NG word registered in advance in the text of the print data, it is determined that the result of printing is NG, and the process proceeds to step S15016. If there is no NG word registered in advance in the text of the print data, it is determined that the result of printing is OK, and the process proceeds to step S15017.

In step S15016, the data for which the printability result is NG in step S15015 is removed from the data list. Then, the process moves to step S15017.

In step S15017, if uncensored print data exists in the HDD 404, the process returns to step S15011 to continue data censorship processing for the uncensored print data.

If it is determined in step S15017 that there is no uncensored print data in the HDD 404, this flow ends.

Next, in S<b>1408 , the print management server 3000 transmits print data to the MFP 1000 .

The MFP 1000 saves the received print data.

In S1409, the MFP 1000 displays the received print data.

In S1410, the MFP 1000 receives a print execution instruction from the user for the displayed print data.

In S1411, the MFP 1000 prints the print data instructed to execute printing.

According to this embodiment, at the time of user authentication, it is possible to ensure security by checking the data content of the user's print data in the external storage and not to increase the time required for the user to complete printing. .

Next, Example 5 of the present invention will be described.

In the fourth embodiment, the print data held in the external storage is censored by the print management server.

However, if the print data is in the PDL format, it is difficult to inspect it because PDL analysis is not possible with a typical print management server configuration. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a print management server inspects PDL-format print data held in an external storage.

Since the system configuration and hardware configuration are the same as those of the first embodiment, descriptions of FIGS. 1 and 2 are omitted.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating software modules showing the configuration of the print management server 3000 according to the first embodiment.

The software module shown in FIG. 13 is implemented by the CPU 401 executing a program developed in the RAM 402. FIG.

Since 501 to 504 in FIG. 13 are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

A PDL analysis/RIP development unit 505 is a module for analyzing PDL-format print data using PDL resources such as fonts, performing RIP processing, and generating bitmap-format image data.

In the subsequent sequences and flowcharts, the above-described software modules are stored in any one of the ROM 402, RAM 403, and HDD 404 and executed by the CPU 401 for processing by the print management server 3000. FIG.

FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram illustrating the flow of overall processing in which the print management server inspects the print data of the target user after user authentication of the MFP in the system according to the fifth embodiment.

First, since steps S1701 to S1706 are almost the same as steps S1401 to S1406 of the fourth embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

In step S1707, the MFP 1000 is requested to acquire PDL resources such as downloaded fonts required for PDL interpretation.

In step S1708, the download font transmitted by the MFP 1000 is received.

Next, in step S1709, the print management server 3000 performs data inspection processing on the received print data.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart for explaining the data censorship processing in S1709 of FIG.

A program that implements the operations described in this flowchart is stored in any one of the ROM 402, RAM 403, and HDD 404, and is executed by the CPU 401. FIG.

First, steps S18011 and S18012 are substantially the same as steps S15011 and S15012 of the first embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted.

In step S18013, the header information of the print data is checked, and if it can be determined that the print data is in the PDL format, the process proceeds to step S18015. If the print data is not in PDL format, the process proceeds to step S18015.

In step S18014, using the font acquired from the MFP 1000, PDL analysis of the print data is performed, RIP development is performed, and bitmap format image data is generated.

Steps S18015 to S18019 after PDL analysis and RIP development processing are substantially the same as steps S15013 to S15017 in the first embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted.

Steps S1710 to S1713 after the data censoring process are substantially the same as steps S1408 to S1411 in the first embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted.

According to this embodiment, at the time of user authentication, by checking the data content of the user's PDL-format print data in the external storage, it is possible to ensure security and not increase the time required for the user to complete printing. It becomes possible.

[Other Examples]
The present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by processing to It can also be implemented by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

1000 MFP 220 Network I/F
319 data censorship processing unit 214 HDD
215 flash memory 313 printer controller 313

Claims (19)

An image forming apparatus having an operation unit,
a registration means for registering a character string;
receiving means for receiving job data;
extracting means for extracting text information from the job data received by the receiving means;
determination means for determining whether or not a job can be executed based on a comparison between the text information extracted by the extraction means and the character string registered by the registration means;
a storage unit that stores the job executability result determined by the determination unit in association with the job data;
a control means for controlling job execution of the job data based on the job executability result when a job execution instruction for the job data stored in the storage means is received from the operation unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The control means, when receiving the job execution instruction in a situation where the character string is updated by the registration means after the judging means determines whether or not the job can be executed, performs the judgment on the job data. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means determines whether or not the job can be executed using the updated character string, and controls the execution of the job based on the determined job executability result. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character string registered by said registering means is registered by an administrator who manages said image forming apparatus. 4. The image according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control means executes the job in response to a result indicating that the job is executable in the job executable/non-executable result associated with the job data. forming device. a notification means for notifying that the job cannot be executed;
The control means restricts job execution in response to the fact that the job executability result associated with the job data indicates that the job cannot be executed, and the notification means displays an error screen. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The control means restricts job execution in response to the fact that the job executability result associated with the job data indicates that the job cannot be executed, and notifies an administrator of the image forming apparatus through the notification means. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage means temporarily stores the job data associated with the job executability result determined by the determination means. The image forming apparatus is communicably connected to an external device,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the job data received by said receiving means is print data received from said external device. The image forming apparatus comprises reading means for reading data,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the job data received by said receiving means is scan data read by said reading means. The image forming apparatus includes printing means for printing an image on a recording sheet,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said job execution is execution of printing of an image included in said job data by said printing means. The image forming apparatus is communicably connected to an external device,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the job execution is execution of transmission of the job data to the external device. a type determining means for determining a job type of the received job data;
2. If the job type determined by said type determining means is a job for which job executability is determined when said job data is received, said determining means determines whether said job is executable or not. 2. The image forming apparatus according to 2 above. date and time acquisition means for acquiring updated date and time when the character string registered in the registration means is updated;
the storage means stores the date and time when the judging means determines whether or not the job can be executed in association with the job data;
When a job execution instruction for the job data stored in the storage means is received from the operation unit, the date and time obtained by the date and time obtaining means are compared with the date and time at which the job executability determination is made. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the registration means determines whether or not the character string has been updated after the judgment means determines whether or not the job can be executed. the storage means stores the version of the character string used by the determination means in association with the job data;
When a job execution instruction for the job data stored in the storage means is received from the operation unit, the version of the character string stored in the storage means and the latest version registered in the registration means are obtained. 3. The image forming method according to claim 2, wherein, after judging whether or not the job can be executed by the judging means, the registration means judges whether or not the character string has been updated based on the comparison of the Device. The storage means stores a checksum of the file containing the character string used by the determination means in association with the job data,
When a job execution instruction for the job data stored in the storage means is received from the operation unit, the checksum of the file in which the character string stored in the storage means is described and the file registered in the registration means. determining whether or not the character string has been updated by the registration means after the determination means determines whether or not the job can be executed, based on comparison with the checksum of the file containing the latest character string stored in the file. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by: 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said extraction means extracts text information from an image included in said job data. An image forming apparatus having an operation unit,
a registration step for registering a character string;
a judgment step of extracting text information from the accepted job data and judging whether or not the job can be executed based on comparison between the extracted text information and the character string registered by the registration means;
a storage step of correlating the job executability result determined in the determination step with the job data and storing it in a storage unit;
a control step of controlling job execution of the job data based on the job executability result when a job execution instruction for the job data stored in the storage unit is received from the operation unit;
A control method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: A program for causing a computer to function as the power control means according to claim 1. An image forming apparatus having an operation unit,
a registration means for registering a character string;
receiving means for receiving job data;
determination means for determining whether a job can be executed based on comparison between text information extracted from the job data received by the reception means and character strings registered by the registration means;
a storage unit that stores the job executability result determined by the determination unit in association with the job data;
a control unit configured to control job execution of the job data based on the job executability result when a job execution instruction for the job data stored in the storage unit is received from the operation unit;
The control means, when receiving the job execution instruction in a situation where the character string is updated by the registration means after the judging means determines whether or not the job can be executed, performs the judgment on the job data. 1. An image forming apparatus, wherein means determines whether or not a job can be executed using an updated character string, and controls execution of the job based on the determined job executability result.

Images