JP4538401B2 - Image forming apparatus having department management function and department management method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and particularly to an image forming apparatus having an advanced department management function and a department management method thereof.

  An image forming apparatus having a copying function such as a copying machine or a printer function in addition to a copying function, such as a so-called digital multi-function machine, has an image reading unit such as a scanner for reading an image of a document, and the read image data as a recording sheet. An image forming unit such as a printer that forms an image is provided on the top, and the copying operation is enabled by outputting the image data read by the image reading unit to the image forming unit.

When an image forming apparatus having such a copying function is installed in one company or the like, and the image forming apparatus is used jointly by a plurality of members in different use departments, the charge for use of each image forming apparatus is set for each use department. Need to share. For this purpose, it is necessary to manage the usage information of each image forming apparatus for each department in use, and to add them up at a predetermined time.
Therefore, so-called department management is performed for such an image forming apparatus. In conventional department management, for example, a key card device is provided in an image forming apparatus, and a user of the image forming apparatus uses a key card on which key information (department code) corresponding to a used department to which the user belongs is magnetically recorded. The key card device reads the key information recorded on the inserted key card and determines whether or not to permit the use of the image forming apparatus. When the image forming apparatus is used, usage information on the number of used recording sheets is stored in a memory, and usage information on the number of used recording sheets of each image forming apparatus is transmitted to the totalization management apparatus as necessary.

  As described above, the conventional department management is limited to the management of grasping the number of recording sheets used for each department in relation to the use of the image forming apparatus. In other words, the conventional department management has been mainly aimed at expense management for each department.

  However, with the recent development of digital technology, the copying machine has a single function only for copying, and the image data read from the original can be transferred to the outside of the copying machine by means of facsimile, e-mail, etc. It is commonly referred to as a so-called multi-function peripheral (MFP) or digital multi-function peripheral that has a function of transmitting data to a hard disk drive (HDD) provided in the device and a filing function by storing for a long time. It has evolved into an image forming apparatus. In such an image forming apparatus with enhanced functions such as an MFP, a new problem arises with the expanded functions.

  In other words, the fact that the MFP has a function of transmitting to the outside of the MFP by various means such as facsimile and E-mail means that the possibility that confidential information input to the MFP will be leaked to the outside increases. Therefore, it is necessary to take some measures without complicated operations from the viewpoint of security.

  Further, when the MFP has a filing function, if the scanned document image data is allowed to be stored in the HDD for a long period of time, the free capacity of the finite capacity HDD included in the MFP decreases, and finally Has a problem in that there is no more free space and no new file can be filed.

Furthermore, as described above, the conventional department management only grasps the number of recording sheets used for copying for each department, and does not manage the type of recording sheet used such as A4 or A3. In many cases, the type of recording paper used in the image forming apparatus has a large usage amount of a specific type of recording paper and a small usage amount of other recording paper. In consideration of such circumstances, there has been a problem that a department management method for managing the amount of recording paper used for each department is not sufficient regardless of the type of recording paper used in the past.
JP2002-77480

The present invention has been made in view of the conventional problems described above, an image having a department management function of preventing confidential information by transmitting the image data in the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus to the outside It is an object to provide a forming apparatus and a department management method thereof.

  An image forming apparatus having a department management function according to the present invention includes an external transmission unit that transmits image data input to the image forming apparatus to the outside of the apparatus, and the image data from the apparatus to the outside. An external transmission function control unit that controls whether or not to transmit the image, department identification information unique to the department to which the user of the image forming apparatus belongs, and the image data by the external transmission unit when the department identification information is input. A department management registration processing unit that performs a process of registering usage restriction information indicating whether or not to restrict transmission from the device to the outside, and the department identification information and the usage restriction information registered by the department management registration processing unit Are stored in association with each other, and when department identification information that matches the department identification information stored in the department management information storage section is input. A department management information processing unit that reads out the usage restriction information associated with the received department identification information from the department management information storage unit and transmits the read usage restriction information to the external transmission function control unit; . The image data is acquired from an image scanner unit or a client PC.

When the external transmission unit includes a unit based on a plurality of different transmission schemes, the department management registration processing unit has an input for restricting transmission to the outside by one transmission scheme included in the external transmission unit. In such a case, processing for registering use restriction information for restricting transmission to the outside by all transmission methods is performed.

An external transmission unit in an image forming apparatus having a department management function according to an aspect of the present invention is configured to send an e-mail processing unit for sending the image data as an attached file, or to transfer the image data as a file. Remote storage processing unit, or Internet FAX or FAX transmission processing unit. In this embodiment, the external transmission function control unit is an E-mail transmission function control unit when the external transmission unit is the E-mail processing unit, and a remote storage function when the external transmission unit is the remote storage processing unit. When it is a control unit and is the Internet FAX or FAX transmission processing unit, it is a FAX transmission function control unit.

According to the present invention, an image having a department management function that reduces the risk of leakage of confidential information due to image data in the image forming apparatus being transmitted from the image forming apparatus to the outside without performing complicated operations. A forming apparatus and its department management method are provided.

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

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing functional blocks of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. Each component in the figure is electrically connected to each other by a bus. In FIG. 1, a CPU 110 plays a central role in information processing and control in the image forming apparatus. The ROM 115 stores a program for the CPU 110 to perform information processing and control. The RAM 120 expands a program stored in the ROM 115 or the like and temporarily stores data. An NVRAM (non-volatile RAM) 125 is a non-volatile storage unit that stores setting information of the image forming apparatus.

  A hard disk drive (HDD) 130 is a large-capacity storage unit that can store a large amount of data such as image data. The storage form of the image file stored in the HDD 130 in the HDD 130 is roughly classified into two types, temporary storage and long-term storage. In the temporary storage mode, image data of a document read by the scanner unit 140 described later is temporarily stored in the HDD when an image formation processing unit 170 described later forms an image on a recording sheet, and the print output is finished. At this stage, the data is erased, or overwriting is allowed with the image data of the original read by scanning by the scanner unit 140 performed later. The long-term storage mode is a mode in which image data of a document read by scanning by the scanner unit 140 is filed and stored for the purpose of reuse. In other words, the image data is stored for the purpose of storage. The image data stored for a long time cannot be deleted by a person other than the user who stored the image data in the HDD 130 or the administrator of the image forming apparatus. In the present invention, storing image data in the HDD 130 provided in the image forming apparatus in the form of long-term storage is referred to as local storage. It is one of the problems to be solved by the present invention to effectively use HDD resources by managing the operation of local storage.

  The user interface 135 has both means for inputting operation information by the operator of the image forming apparatus to the image forming apparatus and display means for allowing the operator to recognize the state of the image forming apparatus, and is configured by a touch panel, for example. The scanner unit 140 scans a document to generate image data of the read document.

  Reference numeral 145 denotes a FAX interface (I / F). The FAX I / F 145 includes an encoding / decoding unit that performs encoding and decoding of image data necessary for FAX transmission / reception, and a signal that is connected to the encoding / decoding unit and that is suitable for encoded data and a transmission path. A modem that performs modulation / demodulation, which is a mutual conversion, and a line control unit that controls a telephone line, transmits a signal to the counterpart FAX, and receives a signal from the counterpart FAX. When FAX transmission is performed, the image data of the document read by the scanner unit 140 is temporarily stored in the RAM 120, and this image data is sent to the FAX I / F 145. The FAX I / F 145 includes band compression of the image data. Encoding is performed and modulation suitable for the transmission path is performed, and then the image forming apparatus sends the transmission path to the transmission path.

  Apart from the classic FAX based on the circuit switching network, the Internet FAX using the Internet protocol is standardized by ITU-T and IETF. The Internet FAX interface has many points different from the classic FAX interface including protocols, but the FAX I / F 145 in the embodiment of the present invention includes an interface for Internet FAX. However, when the communication interface with the image forming apparatus is assumed to be a packet transfer network on the Internet FAX, the image data is transmitted via a network interface circuit (NIC) 150 described below.

  A network interface circuit (NIC) 150 is used to connect the image forming apparatus to a LAN or the like that performs packet transfer, and supports packet communication conforming to, for example, the 100BASE-T or 10BASE-T standard. It functions as an interface for transmitting image data to the outside, but also functions as an interface for receiving print job data from a client PC.

  The E-mail processing unit 155 installs E-mail software and performs transmission processing from the image forming apparatus to the outside as image data as an attached file. In the e-mail processing unit 155, processing for creating an e-mail with image data as an attached file by e-mail software and enabling the created e-mail to be transmitted from the image forming apparatus to the outside is performed by the CPU 110 and the RAM 120. It is realized using hardware resources such as. When transmission processing is performed by the e-mail processing unit 155, an e-mail with image data attached as a file is transmitted from the image forming apparatus via the NIC 150.

  The remote storage processing unit 160 has a function in which file transfer software is installed, image data is transmitted from the image forming apparatus to an external client PC, and stored in a recording medium such as the client PC. In the remote storage processing unit 160, processing for enabling image data to be transmitted from the image forming apparatus to the outside by using file transfer software is realized using hardware resources such as the CPU 110 and the RAM 120. When transmission processing is performed by the remote storage processing unit 160, the image data subjected to the transmission processing is transmitted from the image forming apparatus via the NIC 150.

  The above-described FAX I / F 145, E-mail processing unit 155, and remote storage processing unit 160 all have a function of transmitting image data in the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus to the outside. As described above, it is one of the problems to be solved by the present invention to reduce leakage of confidential information caused by transmitting image data in the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus to the outside.

  The local storage processing unit 165 performs the local storage process described above. That is, it has a function of storing, in the HDD 130, image data of a document read by scanning by the scanner unit 140 when it receives information to perform local storage from the user interface 135. In the local storage processing unit 165, processing for storing image data in the HDD 130 is realized by using local storage processing software using hardware resources such as the CPU 110 and the RAM 120. Since image data stored by local storage cannot be deleted by a person other than the user who stored the image data in the HDD 130 or the administrator of the image forming apparatus, the HDD 130 may run out of free space. For this reason, as described above, it is one of the problems to be solved by the present invention to effectively use HDD resources by managing the operation of local storage.

  The image forming processing unit 170 is responsible for main processing in the image forming apparatus until image data read by the scanner unit 140 is appropriately processed and an image is formed on a recording sheet.

  The paper feeding unit 175 supplies recording paper for printing out by the image forming processing unit 170. The types of recording paper used in the image forming apparatus are various, such as A4, A3, B5, B4, etc. One of the problems to be solved by the present invention is to manage departments of various types of recording sheets. The paper feed unit 175 has a paper feed cassette for storing these recording papers and a manual feed tray. Also provided is a counter for grasping the number of recording sheets used in the image forming apparatus.

  The department management processing unit 180 plays a major role in order to solve the solution problem of the present invention. In the department management processing unit 180, department management processing by department management software is realized using hardware resources such as the CPU 110 and the RAM 120. The configuration of the department management processing unit 180 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

The functional block configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as described with reference to FIG. 1, and the constituent elements are modified without departing from the gist thereof in the implementation stage. Can be materialized. Moreover, various embodiments can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, you may delete a some component from all the components shown by the said embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined. For simplicity, the image data is
Although described as being acquired by reading with the scanner unit 140, it may be acquired by receiving from the client PC via the NIC 150.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram for explaining details of the configuration of the department management processing unit 180 in FIG. A portion surrounded by a broken line is a department management processing unit 180, and a user interface 135 is also shown in the drawing.

  Of the department management processing unit 180, the administrator identification information authentication unit 210, the department management information registration processing unit 220, the administrator identification information storage unit 230, and the department management valid / invalid setting information storage unit 250 are the departments of the image forming apparatus. It is a necessary part for registering management information. Of the department management processing unit 180, the department code authentication unit 260, the department management information processing unit 270, and the department management control unit 280 are parts necessary for executing department management when the user uses the image forming apparatus. It is. The department management information storage unit is necessary for both registering information related to department management of the image forming apparatus and executing department management when the user uses the image forming apparatus.

  First, a part of the department management processing unit 180 necessary for registering information related to department management of the image forming apparatus will be described.

  The administrator identification information authentication unit 210 has a function of authenticating administrator identification information input via the user interface 135 when registering information related to department management of the image forming apparatus. For example, an administrator password can be used as the administrator identification information. Identification information of an administrator who has administrator authority for the image forming apparatus is stored in the administrator identification information storage unit 230.

  When the entered administrator identification information is authenticated by the administrator identification information authentication unit 210, the department management information registration processing unit 220 is specific to the department that uses the image forming apparatus that is continuously input via the user interface 135. Registration processing of identification information and usage restriction information when a member of the department uses the image forming apparatus is performed. Here, for example, a department code can be used as identification information unique to the department.

  In the present embodiment, as an item that can restrict the use when the user uses the image forming apparatus, a function for transmitting image data in the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus to the outside (hereinafter referred to as an external transmission function). There are local storage functions and recording paper types that can be used when copying originals.

  Here, the external transmission function includes, for example, a FAX transmission function including that by Internet FAX, an E-mail transmission function, and a remote storage function.

  The e-mail transmission function is a function for transmitting image data of a document read by scanning by the scanner unit 140 to a destination designated as an attached file using mail software installed in the image forming apparatus. Is performed by the E-mail processing unit 155.

  The remote storage function stores image data of a document read by scanning by the scanner unit 140 in an external device such as a file server or a client PC connected to the image forming apparatus via a network using the file transfer function of the image forming apparatus. This is a function of recording in a non-volatile recording medium for the purpose of storage, and the processing is performed by the remote storage processing unit 160.

  The local storage function is a function for recording image data of a document read by scanning by the scanner unit 140 for the purpose of storing it in a nonvolatile recording medium such as an HDD built in the image forming apparatus.

  The department management information storage unit 240 registers the department identification information registered in the department management information registration processing unit 220 and usage restriction information when members of the department distinguished by the department identification information use the image forming apparatus. Is stored in the form of a table, for example. An example of department management information when stored in the form of a table will be described later in the description of the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

  As described above, with reference to FIG. 2, functional block for registering department management information regarding department identification information and use restriction information when a member of the department specified by the department identification information uses the image forming apparatus. Explained. It is also possible to set whether the department management function based on these department management information is actually operated or stopped. The operation will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7. The department management valid / invalid setting information storage unit 250 in FIG. 2 is a part that stores setting information for actually operating or stopping the department management function. It is. When the setting information for disabling the department management function is stored in the department management valid / invalid setting information storage unit 250, the department management function as the main point of the present invention does not operate. However, in the following description, it is assumed that setting information for enabling the department management function of the image forming apparatus is stored in the department management valid / invalid setting information storage unit 250 unless otherwise specified.

  Subsequently, a functional block necessary for executing department management when the user uses the image forming apparatus in the department management processing unit 180 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The department code authentication unit 260 has a function of authenticating a department code that is department identification information input via the user interface 135 when the image forming apparatus is used by a user of the image forming apparatus. The department code authentication unit 260 authenticates the department code depending on whether or not a department code that matches the input department code is stored in the department management information storage unit 240 that stores the department code of the registered department. I do.

  The department management information processing unit 270 refers to the department management information storage unit 240 when the input department code is authenticated by the department code authentication unit 260, and refers to the use restriction information corresponding to the authenticated department code. The department management information processing unit 270 that has read the usage restriction information corresponding to the authenticated department code from the department management information storage unit 240 transmits the read usage restriction information to the department management control unit 280. The department management control unit 280 controls the operation of a predetermined function of the image forming apparatus according to the usage restriction information transmitted from the department management information processing unit 270.

  Further, the department management information processing unit 270 can transmit the usage restriction information read from the department management information storage unit 240 to the user interface 135 and reflect the usage restriction information on the display screen of the user interface 135. As a result, the user can recognize the contents of the usage restriction information. For example, by thinly displaying an icon representing an item whose use is restricted on the display screen of the user interface 135, the user can recognize that the item corresponding to the icon displayed lightly is restricted.

  A more detailed configuration of the department management control unit 280 will be described with reference to a functional block diagram shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the part surrounded by a broken line is the department management control unit 280, and other functional parts related to department management control are also shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the department management control unit 280 includes a FAX transmission function control unit 281, an E-mail transmission function control unit 282, a remote storage function control unit 283, a local storage function control unit 284, and a paper feed control unit 285. Of these five control units, three control units, a FAX transmission function control unit 281, an E-mail transmission function control unit 282, and a remote storage function control unit 283, transmit image data in the image forming apparatus to the outside. It controls the operation of the function. Further, four control units including these three control units and the local storage function control unit 284 control the operation of predetermined functions of the image forming apparatus. On the other hand, the paper feed control unit 285 does not control the function of the image forming apparatus, but controls the type of recording paper that can be used when copying a document. The paper feed control unit 285 can include a function of counting the number of recording sheets supplied from the paper feed unit 175.

  The department management information processing unit 270 reads the usage restriction information corresponding to the authenticated department code from the department management information storage unit 240, and sends the control units 281 to 285 constituting the department management control unit 280 to the control units. Communicate usage restriction information related to

  The FAX transmission function control unit 281, the E-mail transmission function control unit 282, the remote storage function control unit 283, and the local storage function control unit 284 include FAX transmission function usage restriction information, E-mail related to these control units. The transmission function usage restriction information, the remote storage function usage restriction information, and the local storage function usage restriction information are transmitted.

  For example, when the FAX transmission function control unit 281 receives restriction information indicating that use of the FAX transmission function is prohibited for the input department code, the FAX transmission function control unit 281 transmits a transmission prohibition control signal to the FAX I / F 145. . Then, even if image data read by scanning the original with the scanner unit 140 is input to the FAX I / F 145, the FAX I / F 145 does not transmit the image data to the outside. When the FAX transmission function control unit 281 receives restriction information indicating that the use of the FAX transmission function is permitted for the input department code, the image data can be transmitted from the FAX I / F 145 to the outside. Become.

  The E-mail transmission function control unit 282 controls the E-mail processing unit 151, the remote storage function control unit 283 controls the remote storage processing unit 160, and the local storage function control unit 284 controls the local storage processing unit 165. Although these control units are different in control target from the FAX transmission function control unit 281, the basic operation is the same as the operation of the FAX transmission function control unit 281 described above.

  The paper feed controller 285 receives the type information of the recording paper that can be used for the input department code. The paper feed control unit 285 controls the paper feed unit 175 according to the received recording paper type information.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the department management control unit 280 according to an embodiment different from that in FIG. 3 differs from the embodiment of FIG. 3 in the control operations of the FAX transmission function control unit 281, the E-mail transmission function control unit 282, the remote storage function control unit 283, and the local storage function control unit 284.

  For example, when the FAX transmission function control unit 281 receives restriction information indicating that the use of the FAX transmission function is prohibited for the input department code, the image data input to the FAX transmission function control unit 281. Block. Therefore, the image data is not transmitted to the FAX I / F 145, and the image data is not transmitted to the outside. When the FAX transmission function control unit 281 receives restriction information indicating that the use of the FAX transmission function is permitted for the input department code, the image data input to the FAX transmission function control unit 281 The image data is transmitted to the FAX I / F 145 without blocking. The image data transmitted to the FAX I / F 145 is transmitted to the outside.

  The E-mail transmission function control unit 282 controls the E-mail processing unit 151, the remote storage function control unit 283 controls the remote storage processing unit 160, and the local storage function control unit 284 controls the local storage processing unit 165. Although these control units are different in control target from the FAX transmission function control unit 281, the basic operation is the same as the operation of the FAX transmission function control unit 281 described above.

  The department management control unit 280 of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. Various embodiments can be formed.

  The configuration of the embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention has been described above. Hereinafter, the operation of the embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to functional block diagrams such as FIG. 2 and the following operation explanatory diagrams of FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example for newly registering department management information for a department to be subject to department management of the image forming apparatus. The department management information is registered by an administrator who has the authority of an administrator of the image forming apparatus. First, in step S <b> 510, administrator identification information is input via the user interface 135. The administrator identification information can take various forms such as password information or fingerprints, palm or finger vein patterns, etc., but in the following description, the administrator password is used as the administrator identification information. Give an explanation. When the administrator password is input via the user interface 135, the administrator identification information authenticating unit 210 authenticates the input password in S520. That is, the administrator identification information authentication unit 210 determines whether there is a password that matches the input password among the passwords stored in the administrator identification information storage unit 230. When there is no password that matches the input password among the passwords stored in the administrator identification information storage unit 230, and the input password is not authenticated by the administrator identification information authentication unit 210, the administrator identification information authentication unit 210 prompts for the password again and returns to S510.

  When the administrator identification information authenticating unit 210 determines that there is a password that matches the password entered in the administrator identification information storage unit 230, the process proceeds to S530 and waits for new department information input. Go to state. In S530, the name of the department to which the member who uses the image forming apparatus belongs is input. Here, the reason for inputting the department name is for the convenience reason that the administrator makes it easy to grasp the department management information. That is, when the administrator can recognize the department in use by only the department identification information described below, it is not always necessary to input the department name, and S530 may be skipped.

  Next, department identification information is input in S540. There are various types of department identification information, but here, as an example, a department code consisting of alphanumeric characters is used. Note that the meaning of the department code in the present embodiment is to serve as a personal identification number for members of a predetermined department to use the image forming apparatus.

  When the department code is input, the department management information registration processing unit 220 determines in S550 whether or not the input department code overlaps with a department code of another department already registered in the image forming apparatus. Is done. If the same department code as that of another registered department has been input, the process returns to S540 to request the input of the department code again.

  When a unique department code that does not overlap with a department code of another department that has already been registered is entered, the process proceeds to S560, and the use restriction setting when the members of the department corresponding to the entered department code use the image forming apparatus. Information is input and registered. The input use restriction setting information includes setting information for restricting the use of a predetermined function of the image forming apparatus and restriction setting information related to the used recording paper.

  Here, regarding the use restriction of the predetermined function of the image forming apparatus, the image data generated by scanning and reading the document image is transferred by the E-mail or FAX function (including those by the Internet FAX) of the image forming apparatus. Limiting items can be transmission to the outside of the image forming apparatus and recording for the purpose of storing image data generated by scanning and reading a document image. Recording for the purpose of saving a document image data file includes so-called local storage and remote storage.

  Among the above-described use restriction target functions for the image forming apparatus, a FAX transmission function including an Internet FAX function, an E-mail transmission function, and a remote storage function are used to transfer image data in the image forming apparatus to the image forming apparatus. It is a function to transmit to the outside from. Although these external transmission functions are related to confidential information management, there are many types as described above, and the input work when registering the usage restriction information is complicated.

    Regarding the restriction on the recording paper, in addition to the conventional restriction on the number of sheets, the recording paper types such as A4 and A3 are also restricted items. Further, in the case of an image forming apparatus capable of color copying, full-color and two-color colors may be set as restriction items.

  The input and registration processing of usage restriction setting information in S560 can be performed separately for the attributes of usage restriction items. For example, external transmission function use restriction setting information input and registration processing is performed in S561, local storage function use restriction setting information input and registration processing is performed in S562, and use restriction setting information input and registration processing for recording paper is performed in S563. Note that the order of S561 to S563 is arbitrary, and need not be the order shown in FIG.

  Here, the external transmission function use restriction setting information input operation in S561 has the above-described problems. In consideration of this problem, the department management information registration processing unit 220 can include any or all of several types of use restriction setting information registration modes when registering use restriction information of the external transmission function. The operation of the use restriction setting information input and the registration process in S561 is slightly different depending on the mode. This point will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The local storage function use restriction setting information input in S562 and the use restriction setting information for the recording paper input in S563 are registered as they are in the department management information registration processing unit 220. On the other hand, the external transmission function use restriction setting information input in S561 may be registered as it is in the department management information registration processing unit 220 or may be registered after being processed.

  The use restriction setting information registered in S560 and the department code input in S540 are associated with each other to form department management information. In step S570, the department management information is stored in the department management information storage unit 240 in the form of a table, for example. The department management information storage unit 240 can be configured by a nonvolatile memory such as NVRAM (non-volatile RAM).

  FIG. 6 shows an operation example of the three modes for inputting and registering the external transmission function use restriction setting information in S561.

  The operation mode 1 shown in FIG. 6A should be called an individual registration mode. In this mode, in S5611 to S5613, usage restriction information for the E-mail transmission function, FAX transmission function, and remote storage function is input, respectively. The input usage restriction information for each external transmission function is registered as it is. According to this operation mode 1, the external transmission function can be finely registered, but the input work at the time of registration is complicated.

  In the operation mode 2 shown in FIG. 6 (b), as in the operation mode 1 shown in FIG. 6 (a), the use of the E-mail transmission function, the FAX transmission function, and the remote storage function in S5611 to S5613, respectively. Enter restriction information. However, it is determined in S5615, S5616, and S5617 whether or not the contents of the usage restriction information input in S5611, S5612, and S5613 restrict use. If it is determined in any of S5615, S5616, and S5617 that the content of the input use restriction information restricts use, in S5618, registration for restricting use of all external transmission functions is performed. In other words, if there is an input to restrict the use of any one of the E-mail transmission function, FAX transmission function, and remote storage function, the other external transmission function is permitted without restriction. Even if there is an input, registration that restricts the use of all external transmission functions is performed. Such a mode alleviates the complexity of inputting the usage restriction information for the external transmission function, and enables department management on the safe side against the problem of leakage of confidential information. If it is determined in all of S5615, S5616, and S5617 that the content of the input usage restriction information does not restrict usage, in S5619, the E-mail transmission function, FAX transmission function, and remote storage function are set. Register to allow use of all external transmission functions.

  The operation mode 3 shown in FIG. 6C should be called a batch registration mode. In this operation mode 3, the use restriction information for the entire external transmission function is input in S5614 without entering the individual use restriction information for the external transmission function of the E-mail transmission function, FAX transmission function, and remote storage function. To do. The input usage restriction information regarding the external transmission function is registered separately for each of the external transmission functions of the E-mail transmission function, FAX transmission function, and remote storage function. According to this operation mode 3, the external transmission function cannot be finely registered, but the input work at the time of registration is simple.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of department management information registered in the form of a table for three departments. Members of the department whose department code is A111 are restricted, that is, prohibited, from using external communication functions such as E-mail transmission, FAX transmission, and remote storage. Use of the local storage function is also restricted. The type of recording paper that can be used is limited to A4.

  Members of the department whose department code is B211 are permitted to use external communication functions such as E-mail transmission, FAX transmission, and remote storage. The use of the local storage function is also permitted. The types of recording paper that can be used are A4, A3, and B5.

  Members of the department whose department code is CQ78 are permitted to use the functions of E-mail transmission and FAX transmission, but the use of the functions of remote storage and file storage of local storage is restricted. The types of recording paper that can be used are limited to A4 and A3.

  FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the setting input information and the setting registration information for the three operation modes related to the input and registration processing of the external transmission function use restriction setting information described in FIG. In the case of the operation mode 1 shown in FIG. 8A, the usage restriction information regarding the input E-mail transmission function, FAX transmission function, and remote storage function is registered as it is. Therefore, the setting registration information is the same as the setting input information.

  In the case of operation mode 2 shown in FIG. 8 (b), if there is an input for restricting the use of any one of the E-mail transmission function, FAX transmission function, and remote storage function, Processing to limit the use of the external transmission function is performed. That is, unless there is an input that does not restrict (permit) the use of all of the E-mail transmission function, the FAX transmission function, and the remote storage function, registration for restricting the use of all external transmission functions is performed. In the department code CQ78 in the figure, only the remote storage function is restricted, but registration is also made to restrict the use of the E-mail transmission and FAX transmission functions. If there is an input for restricting the use of any one of the external transmission functions as in the case of the department code CQ78, the use of all the external transmission functions is restricted when this input is made. Therefore, not all of the individual external transmission functions are necessarily input.

  In the case of the operation mode 3 shown in FIG. 8C, instead of inputting the usage restriction information for each of the external transmission functions of the E-mail transmission function, FAX transmission function, and remote storage function, the entire external transmission function is input. Enter usage restriction information. If the usage restriction information for the entire external transmission function that is entered indicates that usage is to be restricted, the registration that restricts the use of all of the E-mail transmission function, FAX transmission function, and remote storage function is individually made. The On the other hand, if the entered usage restriction information for the entire external transmission function indicates that usage is not restricted, registration indicating that usage is not restricted for all of the E-mail transmission function, FAX transmission function, and remote storage function. Made individually. For department codes A111 and CQ78 in the figure, the usage restriction information for the entire external transmission function has been entered to restrict usage, and it is used for all of the E-mail transmission function, FAX transmission function, and remote storage function. The registration to limit is made individually. In the department code B211 in the figure, the usage restriction information for the entire external transmission function has been entered to indicate that usage is not restricted (permitted), and all of the E-mail transmission function, FAX transmission function, and remote storage function have been entered. The registration that does not restrict (permit) the use of is individually made.

  As described above, the input information is registered as it is for the local storage function use restriction setting information and the use restriction setting information for the recording paper.

  FIG. 9 shows an operation of enabling the department management function after newly registering department management information for the department to be subject to department management of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. In step S <b> 910, instruction information as to whether to enable the department management function is input via the user interface 135, for example, by an administrator who has the authority of an administrator of the image forming apparatus. In step S920, the department management information registration processing unit 220 determines whether the input instruction information is instruction information for validating or invalidating the department management function. When the instruction information for enabling the department management function is input, the fact that the department management function is set to be valid is stored in the department management valid / invalid setting information storage unit 250 in S930. On the contrary, when the instruction information for invalidating the department management function is input, the fact that the department management function is set to invalid is stored in the department management valid / invalid setting information storage unit 250 in S940. With the above operation, the department management of the image forming apparatus can be set to valid or invalid. When the department management of the image forming apparatus is set to invalid, the registration result of the department management information described with reference to FIG. 5 is ignored, and the user can use the image forming apparatus without any restriction. However, the present invention prevents leakage of confidential information due to transmission of image data in the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus to the outside, and saves image data in an HDD used for the filing function of the image forming apparatus. Management is aimed at effective use of HDD resources, and moreover, it is necessary to enable finer department management of recording paper used in the image forming apparatus. In the following explanation, department management of the image forming apparatus is effective. It is assumed that it is set to.

  Next, an operation when an image forming apparatus in which department management information is registered and department management is enabled is used will be described. The operation when the image forming apparatus is used varies depending on the manufacturer and model of the image forming apparatus, but the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment has the image forming apparatus after any one of the three modes is selected. It is assumed that various functions can operate. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is provided with three operation modes: a scan mode, a copy mode, and a FAX mode. Scan mode includes e-mail transmission, remote storage and local storage functions. The copy mode includes a copy function, and the FAX mode includes a FAX communication function including an Internet FAX.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation example of department management when the scan mode is selected. When the scan mode is selected by the user, the image forming apparatus requests input of a department code. When the department code is input in S1010, the department code authentication unit 260 refers to the department management information table stored in the department management information storage unit 240 in S1020. If the input department code is not the same as the department code registered in the department management information table, the department code is not authenticated, and the image forming apparatus requests the department code to be input again.

  When the same department code as the input department code is registered in the department management information table, the input department code is authenticated by the department code authentication unit 260. When the department code is authenticated, in step S1040, the department management processing unit 270 refers to the department management information table stored in the department management information storage unit 240 and refers to the use restriction information corresponding to the authenticated department code. , Remember its contents.

  The department management processing unit 270 determines whether or not the local storage function is restricted in the stored use restriction information (S1050). If the local storage function is restricted, the department management processing unit 270 performs a local storage function restriction process in S1055. That is, the department management processing unit 270 transmits usage restriction information indicating that the local storage function is prohibited to the local storage function control unit 284 and also transmits the same information to the user interface. When the local storage function is not restricted, the department management processing unit 270 does nothing.

  In step S1060, the department management processing unit 270 determines whether the remote storage function is restricted in the stored use restriction information. If the remote storage function is restricted, in step S1065, the department management processing unit 270 performs remote storage function restriction processing. That is, the department management processing unit 270 transmits usage restriction information indicating that the remote storage function is prohibited to the remote storage function control unit 283 and also transmits the same information to the user interface. When the remote storage function is not restricted, the department management processing unit 270 does nothing.

  In step S <b> 1070, the department management processing unit 270 determines whether the e-mail transmission function is restricted in the stored use restriction information. If the e-mail transmission function is restricted, the department management processing unit 270 performs restriction processing for the e-mail transmission function in S1075. That is, the department management processing unit 270 transmits usage restriction information indicating that the E-mail transmission function is prohibited to the E-mail transmission function control unit 282 and also transmits the same information to the user interface. When the e-mail transmission function is not restricted, the department management processing unit 270 does nothing.

  When the above-described processing from S1010 is completed, the process proceeds to S1080, and enters a standby state in which a scanning operation can be performed under a usage restriction condition corresponding to the input department code.

  In this embodiment, the department management information table is referred to twice in S1020 and S1040, but the department management information table is referenced only once in S1020, and the same department code as the input department code is obtained. When registered in the department management information table, the usage restriction information corresponding to the department code may be referred to and the contents stored therein. Further, it is determined whether or not each function of S1050, S1060, and S1070 is restricted, and the order of the restriction process of each function of S1055, 1065, and 1075 that accompanies these is limited to that shown in FIG. Obviously, any order is possible.

  An example of operation when the FAX mode is selected is the same, although not shown. When the user selects the FAX mode, when the department code is input in the same manner as when the scan mode is selected, the department code authentication unit 260 stores the department management information table stored in the department management information storage unit 240. Refer to If the input department code is not the same as the department code registered in the department management information table, the department code is not authenticated, and the image forming apparatus requests the department code to be input again.

  When the same department code as the input department code is registered in the department management information table, the input department code is authenticated by the department code authentication unit 260, and the department management processing unit 270 includes the department management information storage unit. The department management information table stored in 240 is referred to, the usage restriction information corresponding to the authenticated department code is referenced, and the contents are stored. The processing so far is the same as S1010 to S1040 when the scan mode of FIG. 10 is selected.

  Next, the department management processing unit 270 determines whether or not the FAX transmission function is restricted in the stored use restriction information. When the FAX transmission function is restricted, the department management processing unit 270 determines whether or not the FAX transmission function is restricted. Perform the restriction process. That is, the department management processing unit 270 transmits usage restriction information indicating that the FAX transmission function is prohibited to the FAX transmission function control unit 281 and also transmits the same information to the user interface. When the FAX transmission function is not restricted, the department management processing unit 270 does nothing.

  When the above processing is completed, the apparatus enters a standby state in which a FAX transmission operation can be performed under a use restriction condition corresponding to the input department code.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an operation example of department management when the copy mode is selected. The operation from the input of the department code in S1110 to the authentication of the department code in S1130 is the same as the operation from the input of the department code in S1010 to the authentication of the department code in S1030 when the scan mode in FIG. 10 is selected. .

  When the department code is authenticated, in step S1140, the department management processing unit 270 refers to the department management information table stored in the department management information storage unit 240 and refers to the use restriction information corresponding to the authenticated department code. , Remember its contents.

  The department management processing unit 270 determines whether or not use of a predetermined recording sheet type is restricted in the stored use restriction information (S1150). When the use of the predetermined recording paper type is restricted, the department management processing unit 270 performs the use restriction process for the predetermined recording paper type in S1155. That is, the department management processing unit 270 transmits usage restriction information indicating that the use of a predetermined recording paper type is prohibited to the paper feed control unit 285 and also transmits the same information to the user interface. If the use of the recording paper type is not restricted at all, the department management processing unit 270 does nothing.

  When the above process is completed, the process proceeds to S1160, and a standby state is enabled in which a copy operation can be performed under the use restriction condition corresponding to the input department code.

  In this embodiment, the department management information table is referred to twice in S1120 and S1140. However, when the department management information table is referred to once in S1120 and the same department code as the input department code is registered in the department management information table, the usage restriction information corresponding to the department code is referred to. The contents may be stored as in the scan mode.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

1 is a functional block diagram of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a functional block diagram for explaining details of a configuration of a department management processing unit in an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a functional block diagram for demonstrating the detailed structure of the department management control part in the department management processing part shown in FIG. It is a functional block diagram of other embodiments of a department management control part in the department management processing part shown in FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of registering department management information for a department that is newly targeted for department management in an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation example of input and registration processing of external transmission function use restriction setting information for a department newly targeted for department management in the embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 6 is a diagram showing an example of registered department management information in an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a relationship between setting input information and setting registration information in the input and registration processing operation of external transmission function use restriction setting information shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of enabling a department management function after registering department management information for a department that is newly targeted for department management of the image forming apparatus in an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention; . FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation example of department management when a scan mode is selected in an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation example of department management when a copy mode is selected in an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

125 non-volatile RAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 130 Hard disk drive 135 User interface 140 Scanner unit 145 FAX interface 150 Network interface circuit 155 E-mail processing unit 160 Remote storage processing unit 165 Local storage processing unit 170 Image formation processing unit 175 Paper feeding unit 180 Department management processing unit 210 Administrator identification Information authentication unit 220 Department management information registration processing unit 230 Administrator identification information storage unit 240 Department management information storage unit 250 Department management valid / invalid setting information storage unit 260 Department code authentication unit 270 Department management information processing unit 280 Department management control unit 281 FAX transmission function control unit 282 E-mail transmission function control unit 283 Remote storage function control unit 284 Local storage function control unit 285 Paper feed control unit

Claims (3)

External transmission means for transmitting input image data to the outside of the device;
An external transmission function control unit for controlling whether or not the image data is transmitted from the device to the outside by the external transmission unit;
Department identification information unique to the department to which the user of the image forming apparatus belongs, and whether or not to restrict transmission of the image data from the apparatus to the outside by the external transmission means when the department identification information is input A department management registration processing unit that performs processing for registering usage restriction information;
A department management information storage unit that stores the department identification information registered in the department management registration processing unit in association with the usage restriction information;
When department identification information that matches the department identification information stored in the department management information storage unit is input, the usage restriction information associated with the input department identification information is read from the department management information storage unit. A department management information processing unit that reads the read usage restriction information to the external transmission function control unit ;
When the external transmission unit includes a unit based on a plurality of different transmission schemes, the department management registration processing unit has an input for restricting transmission to the outside by one transmission scheme included in the external transmission unit. An image forming apparatus having a department management function that performs processing for registering use restriction information for restricting transmission to the outside by all transmission methods . The external transmission means includes
An e-mail processing unit for sending the image data as an attached file by e-mail;
Or a remote storage processing unit for transferring the image data as a file,
Or, it has an Internet FAX or FAX transmission processing unit,
The external transmission function control unit is an E-mail transmission function control unit when the external transmission means is the E-mail processing unit, and a remote storage function control unit when the external transmission unit is the remote storage processing unit, 2. The image forming apparatus having a department management function according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a FAX transmission function control unit when the Internet FAX or the FAX transmission processing unit is used. Whether department identification information unique to the department to which the user of the image forming apparatus belongs and whether image data in the image forming apparatus is restricted from being transmitted to the outside when the department identification information is input An information registration step for registering such usage restriction information;
A department management information storage step for storing the department identification information registered in the information registration step and the use restriction information in association with each other;
Receiving an input of department identification information;
Determining whether the department identification information received in this step matches the department identification information stored in the department management information storage step;
In this determination step, when it is determined that the received department identification information matches the department identification information stored in the department management information storage step, the received department identification information is associated with the received department identification information in the department management information storage step. Reading the stored use restriction information;
Controlling the transmission of image data in the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus to the outside according to the use restriction information read in this step ,
The information registration step is included in the external transmission means when the external transmission means for transmitting the image data in the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus to the outside includes means based on a plurality of different transmission methods. Including a step of performing a process of registering use restriction information for restricting external transmission by all transmission methods when there is an input to restrict external transmission by one transmission method. Section management method for image forming apparatus.

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