JP6372432B2 - Image forming system, image forming method, and control program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming system, an image forming method, and a control program, and more particularly to an image forming system including an image forming apparatus that operates in cooperation with a portable terminal.

  In recent years, an image forming apparatus installed in a store such as a convenience store is often used to print a document or other image data at or near a destination. As a technique for ensuring the secrecy when printing is performed on such an image forming apparatus that is open to the public, the technique of Patent Document 1 has been proposed. Patent Document 1 extracts a part of data from print target data, transmits the remaining data to the image forming apparatus via a communication line, and transmits a part of the extracted data to the portable terminal. The image forming apparatus can execute printing by receiving a part of the extracted data in addition to the remaining data via the portable terminal. As a result, information leakage can be prevented even when the document data transmitted to the image forming apparatus side is intercepted via the communication line.

JP2013-164801A JP 2005-173793 A

  However, in the present technology, it is necessary to mount a unique function only for the realization on the side of the image forming apparatus that is open to the public. For this reason, use of the present technology is limited to use in an image forming apparatus in which the unique technology is mounted.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and is a technology for executing printing while ensuring confidentiality in an image forming apparatus that is not dependent on a specific model and is open to the general public. The purpose is to provide.

  The present invention provides an image forming system that uses a server connected to a predetermined network. The image forming system generates an encryption key, encrypts image data with the generated encryption key to generate encrypted image data, and forms an image based on the image data An image forming apparatus; and a portable terminal connectable to the predetermined network. The encrypted image data generation device transmits the encryption key to the mobile terminal and uploads the encrypted image data to the server. The portable terminal downloads the encrypted image data from the server, decrypts the downloaded encrypted image data with the received encryption key, generates the image data, and generates the generated image data. The image is transmitted to the image forming apparatus.

  The present invention provides an image forming method using a server connected to a predetermined network. The image forming method generates an encryption key, encrypts image data with the generated encryption key to generate encrypted image data, and forms an image based on the image data. An image forming step and a connecting step of connecting to the predetermined network. The encrypted image data generation step includes a step of transmitting the encryption key to the portable terminal and uploading the encrypted image data to the server. The connecting step downloads the encrypted image data from the server, decrypts the downloaded encrypted image data with the received encryption key, generates the image data, and generates the generated image data. Transmitting to the image forming apparatus.

  The present invention provides a control program for controlling an image forming system that uses a server connected to a predetermined network. The control program generates an encryption key, encrypts image data with the generated encryption key, and generates encrypted image data, and image formation that forms an image based on the image data The image forming system is caused to function as an apparatus and a portable terminal connectable to the predetermined network. The encrypted image data generation device transmits the encryption key to the mobile terminal and uploads the encrypted image data to the server. The portable terminal downloads the encrypted image data from the server, decrypts the downloaded encrypted image data with the received encryption key, generates the image data, and generates the generated image data. The image is transmitted to the image forming apparatus.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a technique for performing printing while ensuring secrecy in an image forming apparatus that is open to the general public without depending on a specific model.

1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a block diagram showing the contents of a printing process according to a first processing form in the image forming system. The block diagram which shows the content of the upload process which concerns on the 2nd processing form in an image forming system. The block diagram which shows the content of the printing process which concerns on the 3rd processing form in an image forming system. The block diagram which shows the content of the upload process which concerns on the 4th process form in an image forming system.

  Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiments”) will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an image forming system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming system 1 includes a personal computer 10, a mobile terminal 20, a cloud server 30, a Web server 40, and an image forming apparatus 50. The mobile terminal 20 has a storage unit 21. The portable terminal 20 is registered in advance in software for executing one embodiment installed in the personal computer 10. The image forming apparatus 50 is an apparatus that is open to the general public disposed in a convenience store or the like. Note that the image forming system 1 may use a tablet or other information device instead of the personal computer 10.

  The personal computer 10 includes an image data generation unit 11, an encryption processing unit 12, a control unit 15, a storage unit 16, and a communication unit 17. The image data generation unit 11 generates image data Di using text editing software, image processing software, and an image reading function. The image data Di is generated in a general-purpose file format such as a Portable Document Format (pdf) format file. The personal computer 10 is also called an encrypted image data generation device.

  The encryption processing unit 12 encrypts the image data Di using a common key encryption method to generate encrypted image data Ds. That is, the encryption processing unit 12 generates a common key Cks, encrypts the image data Di using the common key Cks, and generates encrypted image data Ds. Since the encrypted image data Ds is a common key cryptosystem, it can be decrypted using the common key Cks. The encryption processing unit 12 uploads the encrypted image data Ds to the cloud server 30 from the communication unit 17 via the communication line.

  The encryption processing unit 12 transmits the common key Cks to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication unit 17 by public key cryptography. Specifically, the encryption processing unit 12 encrypts the common key Cks using the public key Pks2 received in advance from the mobile terminal 20, and transmits the encrypted common key Cks from the communication unit 17 to the mobile terminal 20. The portable terminal 20 decrypts the common key Cks encrypted using the secret key Sks2 and stores it in the storage unit.

  The encryption processing unit 12 transmits the address of the cloud server 30 and the login information such as information for accessing the cloud server 30 and a password to the portable terminal using a common key encryption method. As described above, the encryption processing unit 12 establishes Secure Sockets Layer protocol (SSL) communication with the mobile terminal 20 to perform communication.

  SSL communication is a communication method that uses a combination of a common key encryption method and a public key encryption method. The common key encryption method has a problem that the processing load of encryption and decryption is light, but it is necessary to ensure confidentiality and pass the common key to the other party. Public key cryptography can start encrypted communication without passing only the public key required for encryption and the other private key required for decryption, but the processing load for encryption and decryption is heavy. There is. SSL communication is a communication method in which a common key is passed to the other party in communication using a public key cryptosystem, and data is exchanged using a common key. Thereby, SSL communication can safely pass a common key and enable high-speed communication with a light processing load.

  In the present embodiment, while SSL communication is established between the encryption processing unit 12 and the mobile terminal 20, the encryption downloaded from the cloud server 30 using the common key Cks acquired by the mobile terminal 20 upon establishment of SSL communication. It has a feature that the converted image data Ds can be decoded. As described above, the present embodiment is similar to the SSL communication in the communication of the image data Di, but has a new and unique feature that the communication route of the image data Di to be communicated with the common key Cks is different. Yes.

  The control unit 15 includes main storage means such as a RAM and a ROM, and control means such as an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) and a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 15 includes controller functions related to various I / O, USB (Universal Serial Bus), bus, and other hardware interfaces, and controls the entire personal computer 10.

  The storage unit 16 is a storage device including a hard disk drive or a flash memory that is a non-temporary recording medium, and stores a control program and data for processing executed by the control unit 15.

  The application program for executing the present embodiment can be provided as an application distributed in a driver of the image forming apparatus 50 installed in a place where it is always used such as an office or home, or in a net shop. This application program may be installed in a device such as a personal computer, a tablet, or a smartphone, or may be provided in a form that can be processed by a Web server on the Internet.

  As described above, the image forming system 1 according to the embodiment can store the encrypted image data Ds that cannot be decrypted without the common key Cks on the cloud server 30. Thereby, even if the encrypted image data Ds flows out, information necessary for decryption or decryption of the encrypted image data Ds does not exist on the cloud server 30, and thus high confidentiality can be ensured. On the other hand, since the mobile terminal 20 has the common key Cks, the image data Di can be used by downloading and decrypting the encrypted image data Ds from the cloud server 30 at any time. As a result, the portable terminal 20 can use the storage area for data safely and virtually without any consumption of the storage area of the storage unit 21.

  The portable terminal 20 transmits the image data Di to the image forming apparatus 50 through near field communication that is virtually difficult to intercept by a third party, and causes the image forming apparatus 50 to execute printing. In this embodiment, the near field communication uses CLASS1 of BLUETOOTH (registered trademark). BLUETOOTH CLASS1 is a communication with an output of 1 mW, and is a short-range wireless communication that enables communication between the mobile terminal 20 and the image forming apparatus 50 within a distance of about 1 m. Since the communication distance is extremely short, it is practically difficult to intercept by a third party. In addition, near field communication is a wireless communication system other than BLUETOOTH (for example, electromagnetic induction system) other than BLUETOOTH if it is practically difficult to intercept by a third party. There may be.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the contents of the printing process according to the first processing form in the image forming system 1. This process is a process in which the mobile terminal 20 performs decoding without performing the decoding in the image forming apparatus 50. Since the image forming apparatus 50 does not require an encryption or decryption function, the process is executed when the image forming apparatus 50 does not have a decryption function.

  In this process, the mobile terminal 20 decrypts the encrypted image data Ds and transmits the image data Di to the image forming apparatus 50 for printing. Specifically, the mobile terminal 20 logs in to the cloud server 30 using login information received in advance from the encryption processing unit 12. The portable terminal 20 downloads the encrypted image data Ds from the cloud server 30 after login, and decrypts the encrypted image data Ds with the previously acquired common key Cks to generate the image data Di. The portable terminal 20 transmits the image data Di to the image forming apparatus 50 through the above-described short-range communication that is virtually difficult to intercept by a third party, and causes the image forming apparatus 50 to perform printing.

  Note that the image forming system 1 can also perform the decryption process with the Web server 40. For example, when the common key Cks has a very high encryption strength and the processing load for decryption is large or a large memory area is required, the decryption process is executed by the Web server 40 instead of the mobile terminal 20 To do. Communication between the portable terminal 20 and the Web server 40 can be performed without SSL communication using the common key Cksw having relatively low encryption strength and a light processing load, or without encryption. The common key Cksw is acquired in advance by the Web server 40 using the public key Pks3 received in advance from the Web server 40, and is decrypted and stored with the secret key Sks3.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the contents of upload processing according to the second processing mode in the image forming system 1. This process is a process executed when the image forming apparatus 50 does not have an encryption or decryption function, as in the first processing mode.

  In this process, the image forming apparatus 50 generates image data Di from the scan target D, and encrypts the image data Di outside the image forming apparatus 50. Specifically, the mobile terminal 20 acquires the image data Di from the image forming apparatus 50 via short-range communication, and encrypts the image data Di using the common key Cks. Thereby, the portable terminal 20 generates encrypted image data Ds and uploads it to the cloud server 30. The image forming system 1 is the same as the first processing mode in that the encryption process can be performed by the Web server 40.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the contents of the printing process according to the third processing form in the image forming system 1. In this process, the image forming apparatus 50 performs decoding. The image forming apparatus 50 is required to have encryption and decryption functions. However, it is considered that encryption and decryption are implemented for other purposes and become general functions. In this process, the mobile terminal 20 transmits the encrypted image data Ds and the common key Cks to the image forming apparatus 50 via short-range communication, and the image forming apparatus 50 decrypts and prints them.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the contents of upload processing according to the fourth processing mode in the image forming system 1. In this process, the image forming apparatus 50 performs encryption. In this process, the image forming apparatus 50 generates image data Di from the scan target D and encrypts it inside the image forming apparatus 50. The image forming apparatus 50 encrypts the image data Di using the common key Cks to generate the encrypted image data Ds. The image forming apparatus 50 transmits the encrypted image data Ds to the mobile terminal 20 via short-range communication. The mobile terminal 20 uploads the encrypted image data Ds to the cloud server 30.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to execute printing and upload of image data (scan data, etc.) while ensuring secrecy in the image forming apparatus 50 that is open to the public. The image forming apparatus 50 can execute the present embodiment by using a commonly used function such as encryption or decryption without mounting a function unique to the present embodiment. Therefore, this embodiment can be printed at or near the destination while ensuring confidentiality using a general image forming apparatus 50 without depending on a specific model.

  The present invention can be implemented not only in the above embodiments but also in the following modifications.

  Modification 1: In the above embodiment, there is one common key used for encryption and decryption of image data, but a plurality of common keys may be used. In this case, the common key to be used for decryption may be stored in a cloud server that stores the encrypted image data. However, from the viewpoint of ensuring high confidentiality, it is not a cloud server that stores encrypted image data, but a table that shows the correspondence between encrypted image data and a common key is stored in an external mobile terminal. preferable.

  Modified example 2: In the above embodiment, the common key encryption method and the public key encryption method are used. However, the present invention is not limited to such an encryption method, and a secret may be secured by simply using a password. Good. In this specification, even when confidentiality is secured using a password, it is also called encryption.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 10 Personal computer 11 Image data generation part 12 Encryption processing part 15 Control part 16 Storage part 17 Communication part 20 Portable terminal 30 Cloud server 40 Server 50 Image forming apparatus

Claims (4)

An image forming system using a plurality of servers connected to a predetermined network,
An encrypted image data generation device that generates one encryption key and encrypts the image data with the generated one encryption key to generate encrypted image data;
An image forming apparatus that forms an image based on the image data;
A portable terminal connectable to the predetermined network,
The encrypted image data generation device transmits the one encryption key to the portable terminal, uploads the encrypted image data to one of the plurality of servers ,
The portable terminal receives the one encryption key, downloads the encrypted image data from the one server, and downloads the downloaded encrypted image data and the received one encryption key to the plurality of encryption keys. Transmitting to another server of the servers, causing the other server to decrypt the encrypted image data with the one encryption key, generating the image data, and generating the generated image data to the other server Is transmitted to the image forming apparatus ,
The image forming system in which the portable terminal performs the transmission / reception with the other server using another encryption key whose processing load is smaller than that of the one encryption key . The image forming system according to claim 1,
The image forming system in which the portable terminal performs SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) communication with the other server using the other encryption key as a common key . A plurality of servers connected to a predetermined network; and an encrypted image data generation device that generates one encryption key and encrypts image data with the generated one encryption key to generate encrypted image data. An image forming method using an image forming apparatus that forms an image based on the image data and a mobile terminal that can be connected to the predetermined network ,
A step wherein the encrypted image data generating apparatus, which transmits the one encryption key to the mobile terminal uploads the encrypted image data to one server of the plurality of servers,
The portable terminal receives the one encryption key, downloads the encrypted image data from the one server, and downloads the downloaded encrypted image data and the received one encryption key to the plurality of Transmitting to another server of the servers, causing the other server to decrypt the encrypted image data with the one encryption key, generating the image data, and generating the generated image data to the other server Receiving from and transmitting to the image forming apparatus ,
With
The image forming method in which the portable terminal performs the transmission / reception with the other server using another encryption key whose processing load is smaller than that of the one encryption key . A control program for controlling an image forming system that uses a plurality of servers connected to a predetermined network,
An encrypted image data generating device that generates one encrypted key and encrypts the image data with the generated one encrypted key to generate encrypted image data;
Causing the image forming system to function as an image forming apparatus that forms an image based on the image data, and a portable terminal connectable to the predetermined network;
The encrypted image data generation device transmits the one encryption key to the mobile terminal, and uploads the encrypted image data to one of the plurality of servers ,
The portable terminal receives the one encryption key, downloads the encrypted image data from the one server, and downloads the downloaded encrypted image data and the received one encryption key to the plurality of Transmitting to another server of the servers, causing the other server to decrypt the encrypted image data with the one encryption key, generating the image data, and generating the generated image data to the other server Is transmitted to the image forming apparatus ,
The control program in which the portable terminal performs the transmission / reception with the other server using another encryption key whose processing load is smaller than that of the one encryption key .