JP5647755B2 - Fax sending program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fax transmission executed by a user terminal provided in a network system including an image forming apparatus that performs fax transmission and an authority storage server that stores the authority of fax transmission for each user. Regarding credit programs.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a network system including a user terminal used by a user, an image forming apparatus that performs fax transmission, and an authority storage server that stores the presence / absence of authority for fax transmission for each user. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). When the image forming apparatus of this network system receives a fax transmission request from the user via the user terminal, the image forming apparatus communicates with the authority storage server to confirm whether or not the user is authorized to transmit the fax. Then, the image forming apparatus performs fax transmission when the user has the authority to transmit faxes.

JP 2008-140067 A

  However, in the conventional network system, when the user is not authorized to send a fax, when the user makes a fax transmission request from the user terminal to the image forming apparatus, the fax transmission is performed by the image forming apparatus. There is a problem that the user does not notice that the fax transmission is not performed by the image forming apparatus even though it is not received.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a fax transmission program that can prevent a fax transmission request by a user who is not authorized to transmit a fax.

  A fax transmission program according to the present invention is a user terminal provided in a network system including an image forming apparatus that performs fax transmission and an authority storage server that stores the authority of the fax transmission for each user. A fax transmission program executed by the authentication request means for requesting the user authentication to the authority storage server, an instruction reception means for accepting the fax transmission instruction by the user by a screen display, and When the instruction is accepted by the instruction accepting unit, the user terminal is caused to function as a transmission requesting unit that requests the image forming apparatus to send the fax, and the instruction accepting unit allows the user who has been successfully authenticated to When the authority storage server notifies that the authority is granted Look, and performs a screen display that accepts the instruction.

  With this configuration, the user terminal that executes the fax transmission program according to the present invention transmits the fax by the user only when the authority storage server notifies that the user who has been successfully authenticated is authorized to transmit the fax. Since the screen display for accepting the instruction is displayed, it is possible to prevent a request for fax transmission by a user who is not authorized to send the fax.

  Further, when the transmission request means of the fax transmission program of the present invention requests the image forming apparatus to transmit the fax, the transmission request means is a request corresponding to the authority notified by the authority storage server. The image forming apparatus may be notified of information proving that it exists.

  With this configuration, the user terminal that executes the fax transmission program of the present invention can omit the image forming apparatus communicating with the authority storage server and confirming whether the user is authorized to send a fax. .

  A network system according to the present invention includes a user terminal used by a user, an image forming apparatus that performs fax transmission, and an authority storage unit that stores the presence / absence of the authority of fax transmission for each user. An authority storage server, and the authority storage server includes an authentication unit that authenticates the user, and the user terminal includes an authentication request unit that requests the authentication to the authority storage server; An instruction receiving means for receiving the fax transmission instruction from the user by a screen display; and a transmission requesting means for requesting the image forming apparatus to send the fax when the instruction is received by the instruction receiving means. The authentication unit performs the authentication in response to a request from the authentication request unit, and is stored by the authority storage unit. Among the presence / absence of the authority, the user terminal is notified of the authority of the user who has been successfully authenticated, and the instruction accepting unit has been notified by the authentication unit that the authority is present. Only in such a case, a screen display for accepting the instruction is performed.

  With this configuration, the network system according to the present invention is a screen that accepts a fax transmission instruction by the user only when the authority storage server notifies the user terminal that the authenticated user has the authority to send a fax. Since the display is performed by the user terminal, it is possible to prevent a request for fax transmission by a user who is not authorized to send the fax.

  The fax transmission program of the present invention can prevent a fax transmission request by a user who is not authorized to transmit a fax.

1 is a block diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the user terminal shown in FIG. It is a block diagram of the authentication server shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows a part of data memorize | stored in the memory | storage part shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the MFP shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the network system shown in FIG. 1 when a user terminal requests a MFP to send a fax. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen display performed on the display part shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the network system shown in FIG. 1 when a user terminal requests the MFP to send a fax, and shows a flow different from the flow shown in FIG. 6.

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

  First, the configuration of the network system according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network system 10 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the network system 10 includes a plurality of user terminals including a user terminal 20, an authentication server 30, and a plurality of MFPs including an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) 40. A user terminal is a computer used by a user. The authentication server 30 is a computer that performs user authentication. The MFP is an image forming apparatus. The plurality of user terminals, the authentication server 30 and the plurality of MFPs are connected to be communicable with each other via a network 11 such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

  The plurality of user terminals have the same configuration and can operate in the same way. Therefore, in the following, the configuration and operation of a plurality of user terminals will be described with the user terminal 20 as a representative. A plurality of MFPs have the same configuration and can operate in the same manner. Therefore, in the following, the configuration and operation of a plurality of MFPs will be described with the MFP 40 as a representative.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the user terminal 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 20 stores a control unit 21 that controls the entire user terminal 20, a program including a fax driver program 22a as a fax transmission program of the present invention, and various data. A storage unit 22 that is a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an operation unit 23 that is an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard for inputting various operations by a user, and an LCD (displaying various information) A display unit 24 that is a display device such as a Liquid Crystal Display) and a network communication unit 25 that is a network communication device that communicates with other devices via the network 11 are provided.

  The control unit 21 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs and various data in advance, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a work area of the CPU. ing. The CPU is configured to execute a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 22.

  The control unit 21 executes the fax driver program 22a stored in the storage unit 22 to thereby execute authentication request means 21a for requesting user authentication from the authentication server 30, and display a fax transmission instruction by the user on the screen. It functions as an instruction receiving means 21b for receiving and a transmission requesting means 21c for requesting the MFP 40 to send a fax when the instruction receiving means 21b receives a fax transmission instruction from the user.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the authentication server 30.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the authentication server 30 includes a control unit 31 that controls the entire authentication server 30, a storage unit 32 that is a storage device such as an HDD that stores programs and various data, and the network 11. And a network communication unit 33 that is a network communication device that communicates with other devices.

  The control unit 31 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM that stores programs and various data in advance, and a RAM that is used as a work area of the CPU. The CPU is configured to execute a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 32.

  The control unit 31 functions as an authentication unit 31 a that performs user authentication by executing a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 32.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a part of the data stored in the storage unit 32.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 32 stores, for each user, a user ID 32a, a user password 32b, and whether or not the user is authorized to send a fax. That is, the storage unit 32 constitutes an authority storage unit of the present invention, and the authentication server 30 configures an authority storage server of the present invention.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the MFP 40.

  As illustrated in FIG. 5, the MFP 40 includes a control unit 41 that controls the entire MFP 40, a storage unit 42 that is a storage device such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) that stores various types of data, and a user. An operation unit 43 that is an input device such as buttons for inputting various operations according to, a display unit 44 that is a display device such as an LCD that displays various information, and a printing unit that is a printing device that performs printing on paper 45, a reading unit 46 that is a reading device that reads an image from a document, a fax communication unit 47 that is a fax device that performs fax communication with an external facsimile apparatus (not shown) via a communication line such as a public telephone line, and a network 11 with other devices A network communication unit 48 which is a network communication device for performing communication.

  The control unit 41 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM that stores programs and various data in advance, and a RAM that is used as a work area for the CPU. The CPU executes a program stored in the ROM.

  Next, the operation of the network system 10 will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the network system 10 when the user terminal 20 requests the MFP 40 to send a fax.

  When the user terminal 20 requests the MFP 40 to send a fax, as shown in FIG. 6, the authentication request means 21 a of the user terminal 20 receives the user ID and password input from the user via the operation unit 23. Is sent to the authentication server 30 via the network communication unit 25, thereby requesting the authentication server 30 to authenticate the user (S61).

  When the user authentication is requested by the user terminal 20, the authentication unit 31a of the authentication server 30 authenticates the user in response to the request from the user terminal 20 (S62). That is, the authentication means 31a has succeeded in authenticating the user when the combination of ID and password notified by the user terminal 20 is in the combination of ID 32a and password 32b stored in the storage unit 32. If not, it is determined that the user authentication has not succeeded.

  If the authentication unit 31a determines that the user authentication is successful in S62, in addition to the result of the authentication, the authentication unit 31a includes, in addition to the authentication result, the authority 32c stored in the storage unit 32. The user terminal 20 is notified of the presence / absence of authority to send a fax via the network communication unit 33 (S63).

  For example, when the data illustrated in FIG. 4 is stored in the storage unit 32, the authentication unit 31a receives the ID “abcd” and the password “0123” from the user terminal 20 in S61. In step S63, the user terminal 20 is notified that the user who has been successfully authenticated has the authority to send a fax. Further, the authentication means 31a, when the ID “efgh” and the password “4567” are notified by the user terminal 20 in S61, the authentication means 31a confirms that the user who has succeeded in authentication is not authorized to send a fax. To the user terminal 20.

  The instruction receiving means 21b of the user terminal 20 displays the screen shown in FIG. 7 on the display unit 24 when the authentication server 30 is notified of the user's authority to send a fax (S64). Specifically, the instruction receiving unit 21b displays the screen shown in FIG. 7A for receiving a fax transmission instruction by the user when it is notified that the user has the authority to send a fax. On the other hand, when it is notified that the user is not authorized to send a fax, the instruction receiving unit 21b displays a screen shown in FIG. 7B that prevents the user from receiving a fax transmission instruction. In FIG. 7, a send button 24a for accepting an instruction to send a fax by the user is enabled so that it can be operated by the user in the screen display shown in FIG. 7A. The screen shown in FIG. The display is grayed out, that is, disabled so that it cannot be operated by the user.

  When the instruction receiving unit 21b displays the screen shown in FIG. 7A in S64, the transmission request unit 21c of the user terminal 20 transmits a fax by the user when the transmission button 24a is operated by the user. Is received by the instruction receiving unit 21b, the MFP 40 is requested to send a fax (S65). At this time, the transmission request unit 21 c notifies the MFP 40 via the network communication unit 25 of the user ID and password in addition to the fax data including the fax transmission destination telephone number and the fax image.

  When a fax transmission is requested from the user terminal 20, the control unit 41 of the MFP 40 notifies the authentication server 30 via the network communication unit 48 of the user ID and password notified from the user terminal 20 in S 65. As a result, the authentication server 30 is requested to authenticate the user (S66).

  When the MFP 40 requests user authentication, the authentication unit 31a of the authentication server 30 performs user authentication in response to the request from the MFP 40 (S67). That is, the authentication unit 31a determines that the user has been successfully authenticated when the combination of ID and password notified by the MFP 40 is in the combination of ID 32a and password 32b stored in the storage unit 32. If not, it is determined that the user authentication was not successful. Here, only when the authentication is successful in S62, the processing after S63 is executed, so the authentication in S67 is always successful.

  If the authentication unit 31a determines that the user authentication is successful in S67, in addition to the result of the authentication, the authentication unit 31a includes the authority presence 32c stored in the storage unit 32 and the user who has been successfully authenticated in S67. The MFP 40 is notified of the presence / absence of authority to send a fax via the network communication unit 33 (S68).

  When the user authority is notified by the authentication server 30, the control unit 41 of the MFP 40 confirms that the fax transmission instruction notified from the user terminal 20 in S65 is based on the user authority. After that, fax transmission is performed based on the fax data notified from the user terminal 20 in S65 (S69).

  When the authentication unit 31a of the authentication server 30 determines that the user authentication is not successful in S62, the authentication means 31a does not notify the user terminal 20 of the user's authority and the authentication is not successful. Is notified to the user terminal 20 via the network communication unit 33. Then, the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 displays on the display unit 24 that the authentication has not been successful, and ends a series of processes for fax transmission.

  The control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 accepts an instruction to cancel fax transmission by the user when the instruction accepting unit 21b displays the screen shown in FIG. 7A or 7B in S64. When a cancel button 24b (see FIG. 7) is operated by the user, a series of processes for fax transmission is completed.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow of the network system 10 when the user terminal 20 requests the MFP 40 to send a fax, and is a diagram illustrating a flow different from the flow illustrated in FIG. 6.

  The network system 10 may operate according to the flow shown in FIG. 8 instead of the flow shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 8, the processing from S61 to S64 is the same as the flow shown in FIG.

  When the instruction receiving unit 21b displays the screen shown in FIG. 7A in S64, the transmission request unit 21c of the user terminal 20 transmits a fax by the user when the transmission button 24a is operated by the user. Is received by the instruction receiving unit 21b, the MFP 40 is requested to send a fax (S71). At this time, in addition to the fax data, the transmission request unit 21c transmits information indicating the user authority notified by the authentication server 30 (hereinafter referred to as “authenticated authority information”) via the network communication unit 25 to the MFP 40. Notify This authenticated authority information is information notified from the authentication server 30 to the user terminal 20 in S63, and is information that can be proved to be information notified from the authentication server 30 by an electronic signature or the like. That is, the authenticated authority information is information that proves that the fax transmission request is a request according to the authority notified by the authentication server 30.

  When a fax transmission is requested from the user terminal 20, the control unit 41 of the MFP 40 communicates with the authentication server 30 to confirm whether the user has authority to send a fax. Omitted based on the authenticated authority information that has been notified, and fax transmission is performed based on the fax data notified from the user terminal 20 in S71 (S69).

  As described above, the network system 10 instructs the user to send a fax only when the authentication server 30 notifies the user terminal 20 that the user who has been successfully authenticated has the authority to send a fax. Since the instruction display means 21b of the user terminal 20 performs the screen display shown in FIG. 7A to be received (S64), it is possible to prevent a fax transmission request by a user who is not authorized to send a fax.

  Since the network system 10 can prevent a request for fax transmission by a user who is not authorized to send a fax, the user terminal 20 sends unnecessary fax data from the user terminal 20 to the MFP 40. Can be prevented.

  In the network system 10, since one authentication server 30 functions for a plurality of MFPs, information stored in the storage unit 32 of the authentication server 30 changes when the user's authority to send a fax is changed. It is not necessary to change the settings of a plurality of MFPs individually.

  In this embodiment, the MFP is described as the image forming apparatus. However, as long as the image forming apparatus performs fax transmission, an image forming apparatus other than the MFP, such as a dedicated facsimile machine, may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Network system 20 User terminal 21a Authentication request means 21b Instruction reception means 21c Transmission request means 22a Fax driver program (fax transmission program)
30 Authentication server (privilege storage server)
31a Authentication means 32 Storage unit (authority storage unit)
40 MFP (image forming apparatus)

Claims (4)

A fax transmission program that is executed by a user terminal provided in a network system that includes an image forming apparatus that performs fax transmission and an authority storage server that stores, for each user, whether the user has authority to transmit the fax. There,
An authentication requesting means for requesting authentication of the user to the authority storage server, an instruction receiving means for receiving an instruction to send the fax by the user by a screen display, and when the instruction is received by the instruction receiving means Causing the user terminal to function as a transmission request unit that requests the image forming apparatus to transmit the fax;
It said instruction receiving means, said if the authentication is said that the authority is in the is the user who has success has been notified by the authority storage server only, have line a screen display that accepts the instruction, the use of the authentication is successful A fax transmission program which displays a screen for preventing the instruction from being accepted when the authority storage server notifies that the user has no authority .   In the screen display for accepting the instruction, a send button for accepting the instruction is enabled to be operable by the user,
  2. The fax transmission program according to claim 1, wherein in the screen display for preventing the instruction from being accepted, the transmission button is disabled so that the user cannot operate the transmission button.   When the transmission request unit requests the image forming apparatus to transmit the fax, the transmission request means transmits information indicating that the request for transmitting the fax is a request according to the authority notified by the authority storage server. The fax transmission program according to claim 1, wherein the fax transmission program is notified to the apparatus.   A user terminal used by a user; an image forming apparatus that performs fax transmission; and an authority storage server that includes an authority storage unit that stores the authority of the fax transmission for each user. And
  The authority storage server includes an authentication unit for authenticating the user,
  The user terminal accepts the instruction by an authentication requesting means for requesting the authentication to the authority storage server, an instruction receiving means for receiving the fax transmission instruction from the user by a screen display, and the instruction receiving means. Transmission request means for requesting the facsimile transmission to the image forming apparatus in the case of,
  The authentication unit performs the authentication in response to a request from the authentication request unit, and uses the presence / absence of the authority of the user who has succeeded in the authentication among the presence / absence stored in the authority storage unit. To the user terminal,
  The instruction accepting unit displays a screen for accepting the instruction only when the authority is notified by the authentication unit, and when the authentication unit is notified that there is no authority, the instruction accepting unit displays the instruction. A network system characterized by performing screen display to prevent acceptance of a message.

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