JP4411957B2 - Printing apparatus and printing control program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, and more particularly to a printing apparatus that is installed on a network and receives print job data sent from a terminal connected to the network.

  In recent years, for example, as a printing apparatus used in an office or the like, there is a network-compatible apparatus that is connected to a network (for example, a LAN) and executes printing based on print job data transmitted from a terminal that is also connected to the network. It has become mainstream. At present, it is common that one network is connected to another network via, for example, a communication cable or the Internet and exchanges data with each other, whereby the printing apparatus is connected to a terminal connected to the same network. In addition, print job data can be received from a terminal connected to another network and printed out.

  By the way, in a conventional printing apparatus, printing is generally performed without limitation for print job data sent from a terminal. In such a form, there is a problem in safety management, such as illegal print job data sent intentionally being printed. In addition, when a plurality of printing devices are installed on the network, if the user sets a remote printing device by mistake, the printed material is wasted, and at this time, the printed material has confidential information. In such a case, there is a risk that information may be disclosed to a third party, which is inconvenient in terms of confidentiality management.

  In order to cope with such a problem, conventionally, a technique capable of restricting a printing apparatus that permits printing has been considered. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-143338 (Patent Document 1), data such as an IP specifying a terminal that is permitted to print is registered, and printing is not performed for print job data sent from a terminal other than the permitted terminal. A printing apparatus that discards data is disclosed. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-122527 (Patent Document 2) discloses a printing apparatus that can register a terminal that is a transmission source of print job data to be discarded.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-143338 JP 2003-122527 A

  In the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, printing is executed for print job data from a terminal that permits printing. However, at the present time when portable terminals such as notebook computers and PDAs are widely spread, There is a problem like this. For example, when printing is performed in a network environment different from usual due to a business trip or the like, if the user instructs printing execution without changing the setting for the transmission destination of the print job data on the mobile terminal, another setting is made based on the original setting. Print job data is sent to a printing apparatus installed on the network (that is, a printing apparatus that is normally used), and printed matter is generated wastefully. At this time, if the printed matter has confidential information, the information may still be disclosed to a third party, which is not sufficient for confidentiality management.

  Although the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above can cope with such a problem by periodically updating (including addition and deletion) registration information of terminals that permit or prohibit printing. Also, it is necessary to perform registration work for temporary movement of the terminal during a business trip or the like, which is troublesome to manage. In the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the printing apparatus automatically selects either “print” or “data discard” based on the registration information. The handling of data cannot be decided according to the situation, so flexibility is not effective.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above technical problem, and can prevent generation of useless printed matter and realize more reliable confidentiality management. Further, a user determines a treatment according to a situation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus that is more flexible.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus connected to the network together with the terminal, the distance of the terminal that is the transmission source of the print job data to the printing apparatus is determined according to the reception of the print job data. And the terminal that is the transmission source based on the IP address acquired from the print job data when it is determined that the terminal is far from the printing device based on the result of determination by the determination unit and the determination unit. Requesting the identifier of the terminal, acquiring the identifier of the terminal, and e-mail associated with the acquired identifier of the terminal based on information relating to the association between the terminal identifier and the e-mail address held in advance Acquire the address and send an e-mail addressed to the e-mail address to confirm the necessity of printing to the terminal And means for determining the handling of the print job data based on the instruction information including the necessity of printing from the terminal returned to the warning information. It is characterized by that.
The invention according to claim 2 of the present application is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the determining means determines the distance of the terminal based on whether or not the terminal is a terminal in the same LAN as the printing apparatus. It is characterized by judging.
Further, the invention according to claim 3 of the present application is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the determining means is configured to determine whether the terminal is based on a comparison between the IP address acquired from the job data and the IP address of the printing apparatus. It is characterized by judging perspective.

The invention according to claim 4 of the present application is the invention according to claim 1, wherein, based on the instruction information from the terminal, the print job data is handled by any one of printing, data discard, and standby. It is characterized by doing.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 5 of the present application is a procedure for determining the distance of the terminal that is the transmission source of the print job data to the printing apparatus connected to the network together with the terminal in response to the reception of the print job data. And, based on the result of the determination, when it is determined that the terminal is far from the printing apparatus , the terminal identifier is identified to the terminal that is the transmission source based on the IP address acquired from the print job data. requests, obtains the identifier of the terminal, to retrieve e-mail address associated with the identifier of the acquired terminal on the basis of the association information between the identifier and the e-mail address of the terminal stored in advance, A procedure for transmitting warning information for confirming the necessity of printing to the terminal by transmitting an e-mail to the e-mail address; Based on the instruction information including the necessity of the print from the terminal that has been reply to tell information, print control program for executing a procedure for determining the handling of the print job data is provided.

According to the invention according to claim 1 of the present application, even when the user mistakenly designates the print job data transmission destination and instructs the execution of printing, the generation of useless printed matter is prevented, and information is sent to a third party. Inadvertent disclosure can be avoided. Further, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to register each terminal that permits or prohibits printing, and the above effects can be easily realized.
According to the invention according to claim 2 of the present application, in the printing apparatus, since the distance of the terminal is determined based on whether or not the terminal is a terminal in the same LAN as the printing apparatus, Even when print job data is erroneously transmitted from the terminal, generation of useless prints is prevented, and confidentiality can be ensured even if the print job data has confidential information.
According to the invention according to claim 3 of the present application, in the printing apparatus, the determination unit is configured to change the distance of the terminal based on a comparison between the IP address acquired from the job data and the IP address of the printing apparatus. Therefore, even if print job data is sent by mistake from a remote terminal, generation of useless prints is prevented, and even if the print job data has confidential information, Sex can be ensured.

Further, according to the invention according to claim 4 of the present application, since any one of printing, data discarding, and standby is executed in the printing apparatus based on the instruction information from the terminal, printing according to the situation is performed. Job data can be handled.

Further, according to the invention according to claim 5 of the present application, when it is determined that the terminal that is the transmission source of the print job data is far from the printing apparatus , based on the IP address acquired from the print job data Requests the terminal identifier from the terminal that is the transmission source, obtains the terminal identifier, and obtains the terminal's identifier based on the information relating to the association between the terminal identifier and the e-mail address held in advance. By acquiring an e-mail address associated with the identifier and sending an e-mail to the e-mail address, warning information including the necessity of printing is transmitted to the terminal, and based on the instruction information returned, Since the handling of the print job data is determined, even if the user mistakenly designates the execution destination of the print job data transmission destination, the generation of useless prints is prevented. Together, it is possible to avoid that inadvertently expose the information to third parties. Further, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to register each terminal that permits or prohibits printing, and the above effects can be easily realized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, a multifunctional multifunction peripheral (hereinafter referred to as MFP: Multifunction Products) is taken up as a printing apparatus.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a network system 100 having a plurality of local area networks (hereinafter referred to as LANs) including MFPs according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Each block indicated by a broken line represents, for example, a LAN configured for each office or department. In FIG. 1, the first LAN 10 and the first LAN 10 and a communication cable (for example, Ethernet (registered trademark) cable). A second LAN 20 connected via the network 50 and a third LAN 40 connected to the first LAN 10 and the second LAN 20 via the Internet 30 are shown. Note that the network system 100 is actually composed of more LANs and devices, but FIG. 1 shows only the first to third LANs as the configuration.

The first, second, and third LANs 10, 20, and 40 are respectively MFPs 1, 21, and 41 that have a plurality of functions such as printers, faxes, copies, and scanners, and mail servers that manage transmission and reception of e-mails inside and outside the LAN. 12, 22, 42, proxy servers 13, 23, 43 for ensuring security when connected to the Internet 30, and a plurality of terminals (“PC” in the figure) such as personal computers 14 A to 14 C, 24 A to 24 C , 44A to 44C, and routers 15, 25, 45 that connect each LAN to an external network and can efficiently select a data transfer path on the network system 100. The configurations in each LAN are connected to each other via buses 16, 26, and 46 so that data can be transmitted and received.
Among these configurations, conventionally known configurations (mail server, proxy server, terminal, router, etc.) other than the MFPs 1, 21, 41 can be used.

  In contrast to the first LAN 10, the second LAN 20 is, for example, a LAN that is located in the same building and includes offices or departments with different floors. Between the routers 15, 25 and the communication cable 50 Data is transmitted / received via the. In addition, the third LAN is a remote LAN configured by, for example, a business operator or a department in a different district or a different building with respect to the first LAN 10, and the proxy server 13, Data is transmitted / received via the network 45 and the Internet 30. The relationship between the second LAN 20 and the third LAN 40 is the same as the relationship between the first LAN 10 and the third LAN 40.

  In the network system 100 configured as described above, data can be exchanged between different LANs, and between the different LANs 10, 20, and 40 via the routers 15 and 25 and the communication cable 50, or Via the proxy servers 13, 23, 43 and the Internet 30, the print job data can be transmitted from the terminals 14A to 14C, 24A to 24C, and 44A to 44C to the desired MFPs 1, 21, 41 and printed out.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration of the MFP 1 connected to the first LAN 10. Note that the MFPs 21 and 40 connected to the second LAN 20 and the third LAN 40 have substantially the same configuration as that of the first LAN 10, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The MFP 1 executes various instructions based on a predetermined program and the like, and the CPU 2 that controls each component in the MFP 1 and various data such as color space conversion and binarization processing for data to be processed. A data processing unit 3 that executes data processing, a ROM 4 that stores a program that is a basis for sequence control by the CPU 2, and a work area necessary for executing the program and print job data transmitted from the outside are temporarily stored. A RAM 5 used as a buffer area, a hard disk ("HD" in the figure) 6 for stacking various data such as print job data, and an interface unit for externally transmitting and receiving various data such as print job data ( “I / F” in the figure) 7 and a mark for executing printing on the paper based on the print job data. A part 8, and a scanning unit 9 for acquiring image data of the original is read e.g. bitmap format, the. These components are connected to each other by a bus 11 so that data can be transmitted and received.

  Note that the program that is the basis of the sequence control by the CPU 2 is normally stored in the ROM 4 or the hard disk of the MFP 1, for example. The program is, for example, a CD-ROM 18 or a floppy (registered trademark) disk 19 (see FIG. 2). It may be stored in an external recording medium and read out in a timely manner.

  In the first embodiment, in response to reception of print job data, the MFP 1 in the first LAN 10 checks the route through which the data is transmitted, and based on the check result, the terminal that is the transmission source of the print job data It is determined whether (hereinafter referred to as a transmission source terminal) is a terminal in the same first LAN 10 as MFP 1 (that is, a nearby terminal) or a terminal outside the first LAN 10 (that is, a remote terminal). Is done. If it is determined that the transmission source terminal is a remote terminal, a warning message for confirming whether printing is necessary is transmitted to the transmission source terminal. In this way, even when print job data is mistakenly transmitted from a distant terminal, generation of useless printed matter is prevented, and even if the print job data has confidential information, it is confidential. Sex can be ensured.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart of processing executed when the MFP 1 in the first LAN 10 receives print job data. First, the MFP 1 executes a route investigation (S12) in response to reception of print job data (step S11). Details of the route investigation will be described later with reference to a subroutine shown in FIG. Next, the MFP 1 determines whether or not the transmission source terminal of the print job data is near based on the result of the route investigation (S13). As a result, if it is determined that the transmission source terminal is close, the MFP 1 immediately The printing is executed (S14). When printing is completed, the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the transmission source terminal is far away, the MFP 1 transmits a warning message signal to the transmission source terminal (S15). Then, it waits for a “print execution”, “data discard” or “standby” instruction returned from the transmission source terminal in response to the warning message signal (S16).

  Next, the MFP 1 determines whether an instruction is received from the transmission source terminal (S17). As a result, if it is determined that the instruction has not been received, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (S25). If it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, the data is discarded ( S26). The process ends when the print job data is discarded. On the other hand, as a result of S25, when it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to S16 and continues to wait for an instruction from the source terminal.

  On the other hand, if it is determined as a result of S17 that an instruction has been received, it is subsequently determined whether or not the received instruction is a print execution instruction (S18). As a result, if it is determined that the instruction is to execute printing, printing is immediately executed (S19). The process ends when printing is completed. On the other hand, if it is determined as a result of S18 that it is not a print execution instruction, the MFP 1 continues to determine whether or not it is a data discard instruction (S20), and as a result, determines that it is a data discard instruction. If so, the print job data is immediately discarded (S21).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S20 that the instruction is not a data discard instruction, the MFP 1 determines that the instruction from the transmission source terminal is a standby instruction and waits (S22). During this time, the MFP 1 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (S23). If it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the MFP 1 returns to S22 and continues to stand by. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S23 that the predetermined time has elapsed, printing is immediately executed (S24). The process ends when printing is completed.

  In the first embodiment, “warning transmission” in S15 is executed by directly transmitting a signal in the same form as a signal notifying an error such as out of paper, out of toner, jam occurrence, etc. from the MFP 1 to the transmission source terminal. The As a signal representing the warning message, any form of signal may be used as long as the source terminal can receive the warning message to warn the source terminal that the MFP is not nearby. .

  In addition, the instruction from the transmission source terminal to the MFP 1 is a signal in the same form as a signal indicating printing conditions such as paper selection, black and white, color selection, resolution information, and the like based on a printer driver installed in each terminal. To be executed. As the signal representing the instruction information, any form of signal may be used as long as the MFP 1 can recognize the contents of the instruction or the printing conditions by receiving the signal.

  Furthermore, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, an example is given in which printing is performed if a predetermined time elapses after waiting in S <b> 22, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if a predetermined time elapses, The print job data may be discarded, or after waiting, printing may be executed in response to receiving a password from the transmission source terminal or inputting a password in the MFP main body. Further, when it is determined in S25 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the warning message may be transmitted again before the data is discarded.

  FIG. 4 is a subroutine for route investigation (S12 in FIG. 3). In this route investigation, first, the MFP 1 acquires the IP address of the transmission source from the received print job data (S31). Next, the MFP 1 automatically executes a command for determining an efficient route from the MFP 1 to the transmission source terminal using the acquired transmission source IP address (S32). As this command, for example, a DOS command (TRACERT command) provided as standard in MS-DOS can be used.

  Subsequently, the MFP 1 determines whether or not the route can be determined (S33). As a result, if it is determined that the route cannot be determined, the route is unknown, and the print job data has been transmitted from the outside via the Internet 30, that is, the print job data transmission source terminal Is determined to be far away (S37).

  On the other hand, if the MFP 1 determines that the route can be determined as a result of S33, it continues to determine whether or not the route passes through the router 15 (S34). As a result, when it is determined that it is via the router 15, it is determined that the print job data is transmitted from the outside of the first LAN 10, that is, the print job data transmission source terminal is located far away. (S36).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S34 that the MFP 1 does not pass through the router 15, the print job data is transmitted from any one of the first LAN 10 (for example, the terminals 14A to 14C). That is, it is determined that the transmission source of the print job data is nearby (S35). After S35, S36, and S37, the MFP 1 returns to the main routine and proceeds to Step 13 in FIG.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the MFP 1 determines whether the print job data transmission source terminal is located far away or close. If the transmission source terminal is located far away, the warning message is sent to the terminal side. To check whether printing is necessary. As a result, even when the user mistakenly instructs the transmission destination of the print job data to execute printing, it is possible to prevent the generation of useless printed matter and to inadvertently disclose information to a third party. This can also be avoided. Furthermore, it is not necessary to register or update registration of terminals that permit or prohibit printing on the MFP 1 side, and the above-described effects can be realized more efficiently.

In the first embodiment, the distance of the print job data transmission source terminal is determined based on whether or not the route of the investigated print job data is via a router. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The determination may be made using the IP address and netmask (mask value used for deriving the subnet from the IP address) set in the MFP 1 and the IP address acquired from the received print job data. Specifically, the subnet address derived by ANDing the IP address of the MFP 1 and the netmask is compared with the subnet address derived by ANDing the IP address acquired from the received print job data and the netmask, and more than a certain level. If there is a difference, it is determined that the source terminal is far away. For example, when the subnet address derived from the IP address of the MFP 1 is “ABC”, the subnet derived from the IP address acquired from the received print job data in the “ABC” portion. If there is a difference from the address, it is determined that the source terminal is far away. Or, as a nearby group, some of the above “ABC” parts are registered in the MFP 1 in advance, and these are compared with the subnet address derived from the IP address acquired from the received print job data. If there is a difference, it is determined that the source terminal is far away.
In addition, as another method of determining the distance of the transmission source terminal of the print job data, when the print job data is transmitted via a firewall or a proxy server, information passing through the configuration is added in each configuration, Based on this, the perspective of the transmission source terminal may be determined.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and further description thereof is omitted.
In the first embodiment described above, a method of directly transmitting a warning message from the MFP 1 to the transmission source terminal is adopted as a warning method for the transmission source terminal determined to be far away, but the present invention is not limited to this. A warning e-mail may be transmitted via a mail server (second embodiment). FIG. 5 shows data sent between the MFP 1 and the mail server 12 connected to the first LAN 10 and a remote print job data transmission source terminal (for example, the terminal 24A connected to the second LAN 20). An example of transmission and reception is shown.

  In the second embodiment, prior to transmission / reception of such data, an identifier such as a MAC (Media Access Control) address, for example, for all terminals on the network system 100 is associated with a mail address used by the user of the terminal. It is necessary to register with the server 12 in advance. In this warning method, when it is determined that the print job data transmission source terminal is a remote terminal, first, based on the IP address acquired from the print job data, the MFP 1 sends a MAC address or the like to the transmission source terminal 24A. Is required (arrow a). In response to this request, the identifier of the transmission source terminal 24A is provided from the transmission source terminal 24A to the MFP 1 (arrow b).

  Subsequently, the identifier of the transmission source terminal 24A is transmitted from the MFP 1 to the mail server 12, and the mail address of the transmission source terminal 24A associated therewith is requested (arrow c). In response to this request, the mail server 12 provides the MFP 1 with the mail address of the transmission source terminal 24A (arrow d). Then, a warning e-mail is transmitted from the MFP 1 to this e-mail address. This e-mail is sent from the MFP 1 to the transmission source terminal 24A via the mail server 12 (arrows e and f).

  As described above, when the warning e-mail is transmitted from the MFP 1 to the transmission source terminal 24A, any one of “print”, “data discard”, and “standby” that is possible in the first embodiment is used. In addition to the instruction request, for example, notification of the time to wait for the instruction, setting request for the standby time (for example, one hour, one day, or one week) regarding the standby operation, notification of the password when executing printing after standby For example, additional information can be added, and the MFP 1 can be made more flexible.

  In the second embodiment, prior to data transmission / reception, identifiers for all terminals on the network system 100 need to be registered in advance in the mail server 12 in association with the mail addresses used by the users of the terminals. However, registration is only required once unless the e-mail address and terminal are changed, and the temporary movement of the terminal during a business trip is easier to manage compared to the conventional technology that required registration work each time. It is.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, and it goes without saying that various improvements and design changes are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 is a diagram schematically showing a network system having a plurality of LANs including an MFP according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration of the MFP. 5 is a flowchart of processing executed when the MFP receives print job data. This is a subroutine for “route investigation” in S12 of FIG. It is explanatory drawing showing the exchange between MFP, a mail server, and a transmission origin terminal in the case of transmitting a warning mail with respect to the transmission origin terminal in a distant place.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Multifunction MFP (MFP)
2 ... CPU
3. Data processing unit 4. ROM
5 ... RAM
6. Hard disk (HD)
7 ... Interface part (I / F)
8 ... Printing section 10, 20, 40 ... LAN
12, 22, 42 ... mail server 13, 23, 43 ... proxy server 14A, 14B, 14C, 24A, 24B, 24C, 44A, 44B, 44C ... terminal 15, 25, 45 ... router 30 ... internet 50 ... communication cable

Claims (5)

In a printing device connected to a network with a terminal,
Means for determining the distance of the terminal that is the transmission source of the print job data to the printing apparatus in response to reception of the print job data;
When it is determined that the terminal is far from the printing apparatus based on the result of the determination by the determination unit, the terminal that is the transmission source is determined based on the IP address acquired from the print job data. The terminal identifier is requested, the terminal identifier is obtained, and the e-mail address associated with the obtained terminal identifier is obtained based on the information relating to the association between the terminal identifier and the e-mail address held in advance. Means for acquiring and sending warning information for confirming the necessity of printing to the terminal by acquiring and sending an e-mail to the e-mail address;
Means for determining the handling of the print job data based on the instruction information including the necessity of the printing from the terminal returned to the warning information;
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the distance of the terminal based on whether or not the terminal is a terminal in the same LAN as the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the distance of the terminal based on a comparison between an IP address acquired from the job data and an IP address of the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein as the handling of the print job data, any one of printing, data discarding, and standby is executed based on instruction information from the terminal. To a printing device connected to the network with the terminal,
A procedure for determining the distance of the terminal that is the transmission source of the print job data in response to reception of the print job data;
Based on the result of the determination, when it is determined that the terminal is far from the printing apparatus , the terminal identifier is determined for the terminal that is the transmission source based on the IP address acquired from the print job data. requests, obtains the identifier of the terminal, to retrieve e-mail address associated with the identifier of the acquired terminal on the basis of the association information between the identifier and the e-mail address of the terminal stored in advance, A procedure for transmitting warning information for confirming the necessity of printing to the terminal by transmitting an e-mail to the e-mail address;
A print control program for executing a procedure for determining the handling of the print job data based on the instruction information including the necessity of printing from the terminal returned to the warning information.

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