JP6791279B2 - Image forming apparatus, image forming system, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of switching an operation permitted by user authentication.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a multifunction device that executes user authentication and permits the use within the range of authority assigned to the authenticated user. According to the above configuration, for example, a multifunction device installed in a common space is given to a user to whom authentication information is given (hereinafter, referred to as "authentication user") within the range of authority associated with the authentication information. It can be used. In other words, it is possible to restrict the use of the multifunction device by an unauthorized user (hereinafter referred to as "guest user") without permission.

JP-A-2010-277557

The authenticated user may want to allow the guest user accompanying the authenticated user to use the multifunction device. However, when the guest user is to use the multifunction device having the above configuration, the authenticated user needs to be authenticated by his / her own authentication information. As a result, the work of receiving user authentication is required from the authenticated user, and there is a possibility that even a forming operation that the guest user does not want to allow can be used.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to form an image that allows a guest user to use the image within an appropriate range without requiring an authenticated user to perform complicated work. To provide the equipment.

(1) The image forming apparatus described in the present specification includes an image forming unit capable of performing a plurality of forming operations for forming an image, a reception unit accepting a user operation, and a first radio conforming to a first radio communication protocol. It includes a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving signals and a control unit. The control unit has a reception process for receiving the user operation through the reception unit, and an operation for causing the image forming unit to execute the formation operation corresponding to the instruction operation in response to receiving the instruction operation in the reception process. Execute control processing. The instruction operation is the user operation instructing the execution of the corresponding formation operation . Before SL control unit executes the reception process of receiving the first radio signal from the mobile terminal through the communication unit. The first radio signal is the first radio signal transmitted by the mobile terminal with a predetermined radio wave strength. Wherein, in response to receiving the first radio signal in the previous SL reception process executes a first transition process for transitioning the image forming apparatus to enable status. The permission state is a state in which only the instruction operation associated with the received first radio signal can be accepted by the reception process. Wherein, the period of not receiving the first radio signal by the reception processing when the authorization state in response to reaching a threshold period, to transition the image forming apparatus to a specific state not in the permission state 2 Execute transition processing. The specific conditions, situations that der can accept only pre Symbol said instruction operation less than permitted state in the reception processing. The control unit has a first determination process of determining the degree of separation distance between the image forming apparatus and the mobile terminal based on the first radio signal received in the reception process, and the separation distance is the first distance. In the first transition process when it is determined by the first determination process that the distance is less than, the image forming apparatus is transitioned to the first permitted state, and the separation distance is equal to or more than the first distance and less than the second distance. In the first transition process when it is determined in the first determination process that there is, the image forming apparatus is transitioned to the second permitted state in which only the instruction operation less than the first permitted state can be accepted in the receiving process. The second transition process is executed in response to the determination in the first determination process that the separation distance is equal to or greater than the second distance. The first permitted state and the second permitted state are states in which at least one of the plurality of forming operations is permitted.

According to the above configuration, since the instruction operation that can be accepted is switched according to the state of the image forming apparatus, each user can use the image forming apparatus within an appropriate range. Further, since the image forming apparatus can be transitioned to the permitted state only by bringing the mobile terminal close to the range in which the image forming apparatus can receive the first radio signal, the authenticated user can perform the instruction operation when permitting the guest user. There is no need to require complicated work.

Delete

According to the above configuration, the closer the authentication user possessing the mobile terminal to the image forming apparatus, the more instructional operations permitted to the guest user. As a result, for example, the advanced instruction operation provided in the image forming apparatus can be used by the guest user with the permission of the authentication user to monitor.

(2) As an example, in the first determination process, the control unit determines that the stronger the radio wave strength of the presence notification signal received in the reception process, the shorter the separation distance.

(3) As another example, the control unit executes a transmission process of transmitting a device beacon signal, which is the first radio signal having a predetermined radio wave strength, through the communication unit, and in the reception process, distance information. The first radio signal including the above is received, and the distance information indicates the separation distance determined by the mobile terminal that has received the device beacon signal, and in the first determination process, the separation is based on the distance information. Determine the degree of distance.

(4) As yet another example, the control unit executes a transmission process of transmitting a device beacon signal, which is the first radio signal having a predetermined radio wave strength, through the communication unit, and in the reception process, a distance. The response signal including the information is received, the response signal is the first radio signal transmitted by the mobile terminal that has received the device beacon signal, and the distance information is the mobile device that has received the device beacon signal. The separation distance determined by the terminal is shown, and in the first determination process, the degree of the separation distance is determined based on the distance information.

(5) As an example, the control unit executes a transmission process of transmitting a device beacon signal, which is the first radio signal having a predetermined radio wave strength, through the communication unit, and in the reception process, the device beacon signal is transmitted through the communication unit. A response signal is received from the mobile terminal. The response signal is the first radio signal transmitted by the mobile terminal that has received the device beacon signal.

(6) For example, the control unit starts the transmission process in response to receiving the instruction operation in the reception process when the image forming apparatus is in the specific state.

(7) For example, the image forming unit includes a recording unit that records an image indicated by image data on a sheet, and a reading unit that reads an image recorded on a manuscript and generates image data. The first permission state is a state in which the instruction operation corresponding to each of the formation operation to be executed by the recording unit and the formation operation to be executed by the reading unit can be accepted. The second permission state is a state in which only the instruction operation corresponding to the formation operation to be executed by the recording unit among the recording unit and the reading unit can be accepted.

(8) Preferably, the image forming apparatus is connected to a storage device. The storage device, the identification information for identifying the portable terminal, and a plurality sets store the authorization information associated with the identification information. Before Kimoto Allowed information is the information indicating the instruction operation acceptable to accept treatment when the enabled state. In the reception process, the control unit receives the first radio signal including the target identification information, and the target identification information is the identification information for identifying the mobile terminal from which the first radio signal is transmitted. , in the first transition process, to the instruction operation only the possible reception state represented by the previous associated with the object identification information Kimoto friendly information.

According to the above configuration, the instruction operation that can be permitted to the guest user can be different for each mobile terminal, that is, for each authenticated user who owns the mobile terminal.

(9) Preferably, the control unit executes a third transition process for transitioning the image forming apparatus to the login state in response to receiving the login operation in the reception process. The login operation is the user operation for inputting account information, and the login state is a state in which only the instruction operation associated with the input account information can be accepted by the reception process. The storage device stores a plurality of sets of account information associated with the identification information and login permission information associated with the account information. The account information is assigned to the user of the mobile terminal identified by the corresponding identification information. The login permission information is information indicating the instruction operation that can be accepted in the reception process in the login state. The login permission information indicates at least the instruction operation indicated by the identification information before associated with same said identification information and Kimoto friendly information corresponding to the login permission information. In the reception process, the control unit receives the login operation for inputting the target account information, the target account information is the account information assigned to the user who performs the login operation, and the target account information is the target account information. In the third transition process when the second determination process for determining whether or not the target account information is stored in the storage device is executed and the second determination process determines that the target account information is stored, the target account Only the instruction operation indicated by the login permission information associated with the information can be accepted.

According to the above configuration, the guest user can be permitted to perform the instruction operation within the range of the instruction operation permitted to the authenticated user.

(10) Preferably, the control unit has a third determination process of determining whether or not the image forming apparatus is in the permitted state in response to receiving the instruction operation in the reception process, and the permission. in response to that the state is determined by the third determination process, the fourth determination process of determining whether the target instruction operation pre Kimoto friendly information which is an instruction operation accepted by said acceptance process is shown If, before in response to determining that Kimoto friendly information is not shown in the fourth determination process, the login permission information via the identification information associated with those該許friendly information the target instruction operation In response to the fifth determination process for determining whether or not the login permission information is indicated and the fifth determination process for determining that the login permission information indicates, the account information associated with the login permission information is used. The notification process for prompting the login operation used is executed.

According to the above configuration, a formation operation corresponding to an instruction operation is performed by causing an authenticated user who has a mobile terminal near the image forming apparatus, that is, a mobile terminal in which the image forming apparatus is transitioned to the guest state, to perform a login operation. Can be made aware that is feasible.

(11) Preferably, the control unit has a third determination process of determining whether or not the image forming apparatus is in the permitted state in response to receiving the instruction operation in the reception process, and the permission. in response to that the state is determined by the third determination process, the fourth determination process of determining whether the target instruction operation pre Kimoto friendly information which is an instruction operation accepted by said acceptance process is shown If, before the a Kimoto friendly information indicates according to a fourth that is determined in the determination processing, the query processing of transmitting an inquiry signal through the communication unit to the portable terminal which is the transmission source of the first radio signal And execute. The inquiry signal is the first radio signal that inquires whether or not to permit execution of the formation operation associated with the instruction operation. The control unit receives a permission signal indicating that the formation operation is permitted to be executed from the mobile terminal through the communication unit, and receives the permission signal in the response reception process. , The operation control process is executed.

(12) More preferably, the control unit does not execute the operation control process in response to the failure to receive the permission signal in the response reception process.

According to the above configuration, the formation operation corresponding to the instruction operation performed by the guest user is executed by the explicit permission of the authenticated user. As a result, it is possible to prevent the guest user who has not obtained the permission of the authenticated user from using the image forming apparatus.

(13) As another example, the mobile terminal repeatedly transmits a terminal beacon signal, which is the first radio signal having a predetermined radio wave intensity. The control unit receives the terminal beacon signal transmitted by the mobile terminal in the reception process.

(14) For example, the reception unit can transmit and receive a second radio signal conforming to the second radio communication protocol, and the second radio communication protocol has a shorter reach of the radio signal than the first radio communication protocol. It is a proximity wireless communication protocol. The control unit executes a third transition process for transitioning the image forming apparatus to the login state in response to receiving the login operation in the reception process. The login operation is the user operation for inputting account information, and the login state is a state in which only the instruction operation associated with the input account information can be accepted by the reception process. In the reception process, the control unit receives the second radio signal including the account information through the reception unit.

(15) The image forming system described in the present specification includes an image forming device and a mobile terminal. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit capable of performing a plurality of forming operations for forming an image, a reception unit accepting a user operation, a first communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a wireless signal conforming to a wireless communication protocol, and a first communication unit. 1 Control unit is provided. The first control unit executes the reception process of receiving the user operation through the reception unit and the formation operation corresponding to the instruction operation on the image forming unit in response to the reception of the instruction operation in the reception process. Execute the operation control process to be performed. The instruction operation is the user operation instructing the execution of the corresponding formation operation. The first control unit executes a reception process of receiving the radio signal from the mobile terminal through the first communication unit. The radio signal is the radio signal transmitted by the mobile terminal with a predetermined radio wave strength. The first control unit, in response to the previous SL reception processing of the reception of the radio signal, performing a first transition process for transitioning the image forming apparatus to enable status. The permission state is a state in which only the instruction operation associated with the received radio signal can be accepted by the reception process. The first control unit, a period which does not receive the radio signal by the reception processing when the authorization state in response to reaching a threshold period, to transition the image forming apparatus to a specific state not in the permission state 2 Execute transition processing. The specific state is ready only accept before Symbol said instruction operation less than permitted state in the reception processing. The first control unit has a first determination process of determining the degree of separation distance between the image forming apparatus and the mobile terminal based on the radio signal received in the reception process, and the separation distance is the first distance. In the first transition process when it is determined by the first determination process that the distance is less than, the image forming apparatus is transitioned to the first permitted state, and the separation distance is equal to or more than the first distance and less than the second distance. In the first transition process when it is determined in the first determination process that there is, the image forming apparatus is transitioned to the second permitted state in which only the instruction operation less than the first permitted state can be accepted in the receiving process. The second transition process is executed in response to the determination in the first determination process that the separation distance is equal to or greater than the second distance. The first permitted state and the second permitted state are states in which at least one of the plurality of forming operations is permitted. The mobile terminal includes a second communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving the wireless signal, and a second control unit. The second control unit executes a transmission process of transmitting the radio signal to the image forming apparatus through the second communication unit.

According to the present invention, since the instruction operation that can be accepted is switched according to the state of the image forming apparatus, it is possible to allow each user to use the image in an appropriate range. Further, since the image forming apparatus can be transitioned to the guest state only by bringing the mobile terminal close to the range in which the image forming apparatus can receive the existence notification signal, the authenticated user is asked to perform the instruction operation when permitting the guest user to perform the instruction operation. There is no need to require complicated work.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an image forming system 100 according to the present embodiment. 2A and 2B are a functional block diagram of the multifunction device 10 and FIG. 2B is a functional block diagram of the mobile terminal 50. FIG. 3 is an example of a guest permission list stored in the data storage area 32B. FIG. 4 is an example of a login permission list stored in the data storage area 32B. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the image forming process. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the login process. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the state transition process. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the forming process 2. 9A and 9B are display examples of the display unit 23, in which FIG. 9A shows a menu screen and FIG. 9B shows a login screen. 10A and 10B show an example of a menu screen in which (A) is displayed on the display unit 23, and FIG. 10B is an example of an inquiry screen displayed on the display unit 53. 11A and 11B are display examples of the display unit 23, in which FIG. 11A shows an error screen and FIG. 11B shows a login notification screen.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. It goes without saying that the embodiments described below are merely examples of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an image forming system 100 according to the present embodiment. The image forming system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a multifunction device 10 and mobile terminals 50A, 50B, and 50C (hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as "mobile terminal 50"). .. The image forming system 100 may further include a server (not shown) or the like, which will be described later. In the present embodiment, the mobile terminal 50A is identified by the terminal ID "term-A", the mobile terminal 50B is identified by the terminal ID "term-B", and the mobile terminal 50C is identified by the terminal ID "Term-C". .. The terminal ID is an example of identification information that identifies each of the mobile terminals 50A to 50C.

[Multifunction device 10]
As shown in FIG. 2A, the multifunction device 10 includes a printer unit 11, a scanner unit 12, a fax unit 13, a display unit 23, an operation unit 24, and a Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi Alliance). A registered trademark) mainly includes a communication unit 25, a BT communication unit 26, a mounting unit 27, a CPU 31, a storage unit 32, and a communication bus 33. The components constituting the multifunction device 10 are connected to each other through the communication bus 33. The multifunction device 10 is an example of an image forming apparatus.

[Printer unit 11, scanner unit 12, FAX unit 13]
The printer unit 11 executes a printing operation of recording an image indicated by image data on recording paper. The recording paper is an example of a sheet or a recording medium. As the recording method of the printer unit 11, a known method such as an inkjet method or an electrophotographic method can be adopted. Further, the printing operation according to the present embodiment includes "monochrome printing" in which a monochrome image is recorded on a recording paper using only black ink or toner, and inks of a plurality of colors (for example, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow). Alternatively, it includes a "color print" in which a color image is recorded on a recording paper using toner.

The scanner unit 12 executes a scanning operation of reading an image recorded on a document and generating image data. The FAX unit 13 executes a FAX transmission operation and a FAX reception operation for transmitting and receiving FAX image data in a method compliant with the FAX protocol. Further, the multifunction device 10 executes a copy operation in which the printer unit 11 records the image represented by the image data generated by the scanner unit 12 on the recording paper.

The print operation, scan operation, fax transmission operation, fax reception operation, and copy operation are examples of formation operations for forming an image. The printer unit 11, the scanner unit 12, and the fax unit 13 are examples of an image forming unit that executes a forming operation. The printer unit 11 is an example of a recording unit, and the scanner unit 12 is an example of a reading unit. Then, in response to the user operation (hereinafter, referred to as "instruction operation") instructing the execution of the forming operation to be received through the operation unit 24, the multifunction device 10 causes the forming operation to correspond to the image forming unit. Let it run.

[Display unit 23]
The display unit 23 includes a display screen for displaying various information. As the display unit 23, a liquid crystal display (abbreviation of Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL display (abbreviation of Organic Electro-Luminence Display), and the like can be adopted.

[Operation unit 24]
The operation unit 24 receives an operation of a user who selects an object displayed on the display screen of the display unit 23. Specifically, the operation unit 24 has a button, and outputs various operation signals associated with the pressed button to the CPU 31. Further, the operation unit 24 may have a film-like touch sensor superimposed on the display screen of the display unit 23. That is, the display unit 23 may be configured as a touch panel display. The operation unit 24 is an example of a reception unit.

The "object" refers to an image that can be selected by the user by operating the operation unit 24. As an example, the object is a character string displayed on the display unit 23, and one of the objects is highlighted by pressing the direction key of the operation unit 24, and high by pressing the enter button of the operation unit 24. Lighted objects may be selected. As another example, when the operation unit 24 is a touch panel, the object may be an icon, a button, a link, or the like displayed on the display unit 23, and the object displayed at the touch position may be selected.

The operation unit 24 realized as a touch panel accepts a user operation of touching the display screen of the display unit 23. In addition, the operation unit 24 outputs position information indicating a position on the display screen touched by the user. The position information can be expressed, for example, as coordinates (x, y) on the xy plane with the upper left edge of the display screen as the origin, the right direction as the positive direction of the x-axis, and the downward direction as the positive direction of the y-axis. As the touch sensor, a well-known method such as a capacitance method or a resistance film method can be adopted.

The term "touch" in the present specification includes all operations of bringing the input medium into contact with the display screen. That is, a tap operation for separating the touched input medium from the display screen within a predetermined time, a long touch operation for keeping the touched input medium stationary on the display screen, a slide operation for sliding the touched input medium on the display screen, and a display screen. A flick operation in which the acceleration of the input medium that slides up is above the threshold, a pinch-in operation that slides two input media that touched different positions on the display screen in a direction that brings them closer to each other, and two touches that touch different positions on the display screen. A pinch-out operation in which the input media are slid away from each other is an example of touch.

Further, even if the input medium does not touch the display screen, bringing the input medium close to a position where the distance from the display screen is very small may be included in the above-mentioned concept of "touch". Further, the input medium may be a user's finger, a stylus, or the like.

[Wi-Fi communication unit 25]
The Wi-Fi communication unit 25 is an interface for communicating with an external device by a method compliant with Wi-Fi. The multifunction device 10 can transmit and receive various information or various data to and from the mobile terminal 50 or a server (not shown) through the Wi-Fi communication unit 25, for example. However, the Wi-Fi communication unit 25 can be omitted.

[BT communication unit 26]
The BT communication unit 26 is an interface for communicating with an external device by a method compliant with Bluetooth (registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.) LE (abbreviation of Low Energy). The multifunction device 10 can transmit and receive various information or various data to and from the mobile terminal 50 and the like through the BT communication unit 26, for example. The BT communication unit 26 is an example of a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a wireless signal conforming to the first wireless communication protocol. However, the specific example of the first wireless communication protocol is not limited to Bluetooth LE, and may be, for example, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Smart, iBeacon (registered trademark of Apple Inc.) or the like. The first radio signal is an example of a radio signal.

[Mounting part 27]
The mounting unit 27 is an interface to which the portable storage medium is attached / detached. The CPU 31 can read data or information from the portable storage medium mounted on the mounting unit 27, or write data or information to the portable storage medium mounted on the mounting unit 27. Specific examples of the portable storage medium are not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a USB memory, an SD card, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or the like.

[CPU31]
The CPU (abbreviation of Central Processing Unit) 31 controls the overall operation of the multifunction device 10. The CPU 31 acquires various programs described later from the storage unit 32 and executes them. By executing various programs, the CPU 31 executes various processes based on various information output from the operation unit 24 and various information acquired from an external device through the Wi-Fi communication unit 25. The CPU 31 and the storage unit 32 form an example of the control unit.

[Storage 32]
The storage unit 32 has a program storage area 32A and a data storage area 32B. The OS (abbreviation of Operating System) 34 and the control program 35 are stored in the program storage area 32A. The OS 34 and the control program 35 are programs built in a binary format. The control program 35 may be a single program or a collection of a plurality of programs. Data or information (hereinafter, may be referred to as "data or the like") necessary for executing the control program 35 is stored in the data storage area 32B. The storage unit 32 is an example of a storage device.

It should be noted that "data" and "information" in the present specification are common in that they are bits or bit strings that can be handled by a computer. "Data" refers to data that can be handled without the computer considering the meaning and content of each bit. On the other hand, "information" refers to information in which the operation of a computer branches depending on the meaning and content indicated by each bit. Further, the "instruction" is a control signal for prompting the destination device to perform the next operation, may include information, and has the property of information itself. There is also.

In addition, "data" and "information" are the same data and information as long as they are recognized as having the same meaning even if the format (for example, text format, binary format, flag format, etc.) is changed for each computer. Treated as. For example, information indicating that there are "two" is held as text format information "0x32" in ASCII code on one computer, and as binary format information "10" in binary notation on another computer. May be done.

However, the above distinction between "data" and "information" is not strict, and exceptional handling is permitted. For example, the data may be temporarily treated as information, or the information may be temporarily treated as data. Further, what is treated as data in one device may be treated as information in another device. Furthermore, information may be extracted from the data, or data may be extracted from the information.

The storage unit 32 includes, for example, a RAM (abbreviation of Random Access Memory), a ROM (abbreviation of Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (abbreviation of Electrically Erasable Program Read-Only Memory), a CPU (abbreviation of Disk 31), and an HDD (abbreviation of HDD). It is composed of a buffer or the like or a combination thereof.

The storage unit 32 may be a storage medium that can be read by a computer. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, the non-transitory medium also includes a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM. The non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium. On the other hand, an electric signal that carries a program downloaded from a server on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium, which is a kind of computer-readable medium, but is a storage that can be read by a non-transitory computer. Not included in the medium.

The program stored in the program storage area 32A is executed by the CPU 31. However, in the present specification, the operation of each program may be described by omitting the CPU 31. That is, in the following description, the description to the effect that "the program A executes the process A" may refer to "the CPU 31 executes the process A described in the program A".

Further, the program stored in the program storage area 32A determines an event and operates according to the determination result. However, in the present specification, the operation of each program may be described without making a judgment. That is, in the following description, the description to the effect that "the program executes the process A according to the condition A" is "determine whether or not the program is the condition A. The program is an affirmative judgment." Depending on the situation, the process A may be executed. "

Further, the program stored in the program storage area 32A identifies, acquires, extracts, or selects data or the like. When a program specifies data or the like, for example, data that meets the conditions is specified from a plurality of data or the like, and the data or the like or information that identifies the data or the like is stored in a predetermined storage area. Refers to processing. The information for identifying the data or the like is, for example, identification information for identifying the data or the like, an index of an array in which the data or the like is stored, a pointer of a storage area in which the data or the like is stored, or the like. The same applies to the process in which the program acquires, extracts, or selects data or the like.

The OS 34 includes a printer unit 11, a scanner unit 12, a fax unit 13, a display unit 23, an operation unit 24, a Wi-Fi communication unit 25, a BT communication unit 26, a mounting unit 27, etc., which are hardware constituting the multifunction device 10. It is a basic program that provides an API (an abbreviation for Application Programming Interface) for controlling a fax machine. That is, each of the above programs controls each hardware by calling the API provided by the OS 34. However, in this specification, the operation of each program may be described by omitting OS34. That is, in the following description, the description to the effect that "program B controls hardware C" may refer to "program B controls hardware C through the API of OS34".

As shown in FIG. 3, the data storage area 32B stores the terminal ID and the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID. Hereinafter, the information shown in FIG. 3 may be generically referred to as a “guest permission list”, and each record shown in FIG. 3 may be referred to as a “guest permission record”. That is, the guest permission list shown in FIG. 3 includes a plurality of guest permission records.

The guest permission information is information indicating an instruction operation that can be accepted through the operation unit 24 when the multifunction device 10 is in the guest state described later. The guest permission information includes an instruction operation that can be accepted when the distance between the mobile terminal 50 identified by the terminal ID and the multifunction device 10 (hereinafter referred to as "separation distance") is less than the first distance, and the separation distance. Includes an instruction operation that can be accepted when is greater than or equal to the first distance and less than the second distance, and an instruction operation that can be accepted when the distance is greater than or equal to the second distance. The first distance and the second distance can be expressed as radii of concentric circles centered on the multifunction device 10, for example, as shown in FIG. Further, the first distance shall be shorter than the second distance. For example, the first distance may be 5 m and the second distance may be 10 m.

In the example of FIG. 3, the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID "term-A" executes the forming operations "color print", "copy", and "scan" when the separation distance is less than the first distance. Indicates that the instruction operation for instructing is acceptable. Further, the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID "term-A" instructs the execution of the forming operations "color print" and "copy" when the separation distance is equal to or greater than the first distance and less than the second distance. Indicates that the instruction operation to be performed is acceptable. That is, the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID "term-A" permits both the print operation and the scan operation when the separation distance is less than the first distance, and the separation distance is the first distance or more and the first distance. When the distance is less than 2, only the print operation of the print operation and the scan operation is permitted.

Further, the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID "term-A" indicates that all instruction operations cannot be accepted when the separation distance is the second distance or more. As shown in FIG. 7 described later, the multifunction device 10 according to the present embodiment transitions to the non-login state when the separation distance is the second distance or more. That is, the instruction operation that can be accepted when the separation distance is the second distance or more coincides with the instruction operation that can be accepted in the non-login state. The instruction operation that can be accepted when the separation distance is the second distance or more may not be defined in the guest permission information. In this case, in step S40 described later, the process of reading the information indicating the instruction operation permitted by the guest permission information is omitted. Further, the instruction operation that can be accepted when the separation distance is the second distance or more may be different from the instruction operation that can be accepted in the non-logged-in state. For example, the multifunction device 10 may allow only an instruction operation for instructing monochrome printing on one sheet of recording paper when the separation distance is the second distance or more. The non-logged-in state is an example of a specific state.

The formation operation "color print" refers to both color print and monochrome print, the formation operation "monochrome print" refers to monochrome print, the formation operation "copy" refers to the copy operation, and the formation operation "scan" refers to the scan operation. .. The same applies to the login permission information shown in FIG. Further, the formation operation "FAX transmission" included in the login permission information shown in FIG. 4 refers to a FAX transmission operation. Further, the parentheses added after the character string representing the forming operation indicate the restriction information that limits the function of the image forming unit that executes the forming operation.

As an example, the forming operation "monochrome printing (less than 20 sheets)" indicates that the printer unit 11 is allowed to execute only monochrome printing, and the number of prints in one printing operation is limited to less than 20 sheets. As another example, the forming operation "color print (less than 50 sheets)" allows the printer unit 11 to execute monochrome printing and color printing, and limits the number of prints in one printing operation to less than 50 sheets. Is shown. As yet another example, although not shown, "FAX transmission (telephone directory unavailable)" allows the fax unit 13 to perform a fax transmission operation, but the fax number registered in advance by the authenticated user in the multifunction device 10. Indicates that use is not permitted. On the other hand, the forming operation to which the restriction information is not added indicates that all the functions of the image forming unit that executes the forming operation can be used without limitation.

According to the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID "term-A", the longer the separation distance, the smaller the number of forming operations that can be executed by the multifunction device 10. Further, according to the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID "term-B", the number of forming operations that can be executed by the multifunction device 10 when the separation distance is less than the second distance does not change, but the separation is performed. The longer the distance, the stricter the function restrictions indicated by the restriction information. Further, according to the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID "term-C", as the separation distance becomes longer, the number of forming operations that can be executed by the multifunction device 10 decreases, and the function indicated by the restriction information. The restrictions will be stricter. The decrease in the number of feasible forming operations and the stricter functional restrictions are examples of the decrease in the number of instructional operations that can be accepted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the data storage area 32B stores the terminal ID, the account information associated with the terminal ID, and the login permission information. Hereinafter, the information shown in FIG. 4 may be generically referred to as a “login permission list”, and each record shown in FIG. 4 may be referred to as a “login permission record”. That is, the login permission list shown in FIG. 4 includes a plurality of login permission records.

The account information is a combination of a user ID and a password (hereinafter, may be referred to as "registered account information") input through the operation unit 24 in order to transition the multifunction device 10 to the login state described later. The account information is assigned to, for example, the user of the mobile terminal 50 identified by the corresponding terminal ID. The login permission information is information indicating an instruction operation that can be accepted through the operation unit 24 when the multifunction device 10 is in the login state described later.

The guest permission information shown in FIG. 3 and the login permission information shown in FIG. 4 are associated with each other by a common terminal ID. The instruction operation permitted by each of the guest permission information and the login permission information is arbitrarily set by, for example, the administrator of the image forming system 100. However, the guest permission information and the login permission information associated with the same terminal ID may have the following relationships, for example.

As an example, when comparing the guest permission information and the login permission information associated with the terminal ID "term-A", the instruction operation permitted by the guest permission information less than the first distance and the instruction permitted by the login permission information are compared. The operation is the same. As another example, when the guest permission information and the login permission information associated with the terminal ID "term-B" are compared, the instruction operations permitted by the login permission information are all permitted by the corresponding guest permission information. It includes an instruction operation and an instruction operation of the formation operation "scan" which is not permitted by the guest permission information. In other words, the instructional operation permitted by the guest permission information is part of the instructional operation permitted by the corresponding login permission information. As yet another example, when the guest permission information and the login permission information associated with the terminal ID "term-C" are compared, the instruction operation permitted by the guest permission information and the instruction operation permitted by the login permission information are compared. Is not duplicated.

[Mobile terminal 50]
As shown in FIG. 2B, the mobile terminal 50 includes a display unit 53, an operation unit 54, a Wi-Fi communication unit 55, a BT communication unit 56, a CPU 61, a storage unit 62, and a communication bus. Mainly equipped with 63. The display unit 53, the operation unit 54, the Wi-Fi communication unit 55, the BT communication unit 56, the CPU 61, the storage unit 62, and the communication bus 63 included in the mobile terminal 50 are the display unit 23 and the operation unit included in the multifunction device 10. 24, Wi-Fi communication unit 25, BT communication unit 26, CPU 31, storage unit 32, and communication bus 33 are common, so the description will be omitted again.

[Operation of image forming system 100]
The image forming process according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 11. The image forming process is a process of causing the image forming unit to execute the forming operation based on the instruction operation received through the operation unit 24. The image forming process shown in FIG. 5 is repeatedly executed, for example, while the power of the multifunction device 10 is turned on.

The multifunction device 10 according to the present embodiment can change its state between a logged-in state, a guest state, and a non-logged-in state. The multifunction device 10 transitions to the login state in response to receiving the login operation described later through the operation unit 24. Further, the multifunction device 10 transitions to the guest state in response to receiving the existence notification signal described later when not in the login state. Further, the multifunction device 10 is put into the non-login state according to the reception of the log-out operation described later through the operation unit 24 or the period during which the presence notification signal is not received in the guest state reaches the threshold period. Transition. The threshold period may be, for example, a period of about 10 seconds to 10 minutes.

The login state is a state in which only the instruction operation permitted by the authenticated user can be accepted through the operation unit 24. The authenticated user refers to the user to which the above-mentioned account information is assigned. In other words, the login state is a state in which only the instruction operation indicated by the login permission information shown in FIG. 4 can be accepted through the operation unit 24. The guest state is a state in which only the instruction operation permitted to the guest user can be accepted through the operation unit 24. The guest user refers to a user to whom the above-mentioned account information is not assigned. In other words, the guest state is a state in which only the instruction operation indicated by the guest permission information shown in FIG. 3 can be accepted through the operation unit 24. The non-logged-in state is a state in which only instruction operations permitted to all users can be accepted through the operation unit 24. The number of instruction operations that can be accepted in the non-logged-in state is less than that in the logged-in state and the guest state. The multifunction device 10 according to the present embodiment does not accept all instruction operations in the non-logged-in state.

The control program 35 of the multifunction device 10 causes the display unit 23 to display the menu screen, for example, when the power of the multifunction device 10 is turned on (S11). Further, the state of the multifunction device 10 at the time when the power is turned on is a non-login state. Specifically, the control program 35 sets a value indicating that the user is in the non-logged-in state in the state flag prepared in advance in the data storage area 32B. Further, the control program 35 initializes an area prepared in advance in the data storage area 32B in order to store the permitted operation list. That is, when the multifunction device 10 is in the non-logged-in state, the permitted operation list is not stored in the data storage area 32B. As will be described later, the permitted operation list includes information indicating instruction operations that can be accepted in the current state of the multifunction device 10.

FIG. 9A is an example of the menu screen in the non-logged-in state. The menu screen shown in FIG. 9A includes a [color print] icon, a [monochrome print] icon, a [COPY] icon, a [SCAN] icon, a [FAX] icon, and a [login] icon. Then, the control program 35 accepts a user operation of tapping the positions of various icons included in the menu screen through the operation unit 24 (S12). The process of step S12 is an example of the reception process.

The [color print] icon is an icon for accepting an instruction operation instructing execution of color print. The [Monochrome print] icon is an icon for accepting an instruction operation instructing the execution of monochrome print. The [COPY] icon is an icon for accepting an instruction operation instructing the execution of the copy operation. The [SCAN] icon is an icon for receiving an instruction operation instructing the execution of the scanning operation. The [FAX] icon is an icon for accepting an instruction operation instructing execution of a fax transmission operation. The [Login] icon is an icon for accepting a user operation instructing execution of the login process.

The control program 35 controls the multifunction device 10 so that it cannot accept an instruction operation through an icon other than the [login] icon when the multifunction device 10 is in the non-logged-in state. For example, the control program 35 causes the display unit 23 to display an error screen when the position of the [Monochrome print] icon is touched when the multifunction device 10 is not logged in. FIG. 11A is an example of an error screen. The error screen shown in FIG. 11A includes a message "You do not have the authority to execute the formation operation" and an [OK] icon. The fact that an error screen is displayed on the display unit 23 in response to the touch of the position of the [monochrome print] icon is an example of the fact that the instruction operation corresponding to the formation operation "monochrome print" cannot be accepted.

Then, the control program 35 executes the login process in response to the reception of the login operation of tapping the position of the [login] icon through the operation unit 24 (S12: [login] icon) (S13). The login process is a process for transitioning the multifunction device 10 to the login state. The details of the login process will be described with reference to FIG. The login process can be executed not only when the multifunction device 10 is in the non-logged-in state but also when the multifunction device 10 is in the guest state.

First, the control program 35 displays the login screen on the display unit 23 (S21). FIG. 9B is an example of a login screen. The login screen shown in FIG. 9B is entered through the message "Enter user ID & password", a text box displaying the user ID entered through the operation unit 24, and the operation unit 24. Includes a text box to display the password and a Login icon. Then, the control program 35 accepts a user operation for inputting the user ID and password and a user operation for tapping the position of the [login] icon through the operation unit 24 (S22).

Next, the control program 35 receives from the user through the operation unit 24 in response to the tapping of the position of the [login] icon (S22: Yes), that is, the user ID and password displayed in the text box (S22: Yes). Hereinafter, it may be referred to as "target account information".). The control program 35 determines whether or not the same registered account information as the target account information is registered in the login permission list (S23). The process of step S23 is an example of the second determination process. The operation of inputting the target account information and the operation of selecting the [Login] icon are examples of the login operation.

Then, the control program 35 shifts the multifunction device 10 to the login state in response to the determination that the same registered account information as the target account information is registered in the login permission list (S23: Yes) (S24). .. That is, the control program 35 sets a value indicating the login state in the state flag. Further, the control program 35 reads the login permission information associated with the target account information from the login permission list. Then, the control program 35 stores the information indicating the instruction operation permitted by the read login permission information in the data storage area 32B as the permission operation list. The process of step S24 is an example of the third transition process.

For example, the permitted operation list when the user ID "abc" and the password "001" are entered through the login screen is information indicating an instruction operation instructing the execution of the formation operations "color print", "copy", and "scan". including. In this case, the multifunction device 10 can accept the instruction operation instructing the execution of the color print, the copy operation, and the scan operation, and cannot accept the instruction operation instructing the execution of the FAX transmission operation. In this way, the multifunction device 10 in the logged-in state can accept only the instruction operation permitted by the login permission information associated with the target account information.

Returning to FIG. 5, the control program 35 causes the display unit 23 to display the menu screen shown in FIG. 10 (A) (S11). The menu screen shown in FIG. 10A differs from the menu screen shown in FIG. 9A in that the [Login] icon is included instead of the [Login] icon, and the other points are FIG. It is common with the menu screen shown in (A). The [Logout] icon is an icon for accepting a logout operation. The control program 35 transitions the multifunction device 10 to the log-out state in response to the reception of the log-out operation of tapping the position of the [log-out] icon through the operation unit 24 (S12: log-out operation) (S12). That is, the control program 35 sets a value indicating that the logout state is in the state flag in the state flag. Further, the control program 35 initializes the permitted operation list. The process of step S18 is an example of the second transition process.

On the other hand, the control program 35 notifies the failure of the login process in response to the determination that the same registered account information as the target account information is not registered in the login permission list (S23: No). The specific method of notification is not particularly limited, but for example, a screen for notifying the failure of the login process may be displayed on the display unit 23, or the notification sound may be output to a speaker (not shown). Then, the control program 35 causes the display unit 23 to display the menu screen shown in FIG. 9A again without changing the state of the multifunction device 10 (S11).

Further, the control program 35 has received an instruction operation for tapping the position of the [color print] icon, the [monochrome print] icon, the [COPY] icon, the [SCAN] icon, or the [FAX] icon through the operation unit 24. Correspondingly (S12: instruction operation), the state transition process is executed (S14). Hereinafter, the acceptance of the instruction operation of tapping the position of the icon through the operation unit 24 may be described as "the icon has been selected". In the present embodiment, the following processing will be described assuming that the [Monochrome print] icon is selected. Hereinafter, the instruction operation received in step S12 will be referred to as "target instruction operation". The state transition process is a process for transitioning the state of the multifunction device 10 according to the degree of separation distance from the mobile terminal 50 existing around the multifunction device 10. The details of the state transition process will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

First, the control program 35 determines whether or not the multifunction device 10 is in the logged-in state (S31). That is, the control program 35 determines whether or not a value indicating the login state is set in the state flag. Then, the control program 35 ends the state transition process without changing the state of the multifunction device 10 in response to the determination that the multifunction device 10 is in the login state (S31: Yes).

On the other hand, the control program 35 causes the BT communication unit 26 to start transmitting the device beacon signal in response to the determination that the multifunction device 10 is not in the login state (S31: No) (S32). As a result, the BT communication unit 26 repeatedly transmits the device beacon signal of a predetermined output at a predetermined time interval. The device beacon signal transmitted from the multifunction device 10 propagates in the air while gradually attenuating. That is, the radio field intensity of the device beacon signal tends to be stronger at a position where the distance from the multifunction device 10 is shorter, and weaker at a position where the distance from the multifunction device 10 is longer. The process of step S32 is an example of a transmission process. The device beacon signal is an example of a first wireless signal conforming to the first wireless communication protocol.

The control program 65 of the mobile terminal 50 can receive the device beacon signal through the BT communication unit 56. Next, the control program 65 determines the degree of separation distance between the multifunction device 10 and the mobile terminal 50 based on the reception intensity of the received device beacon signal. Then, the control program 65 transmits a response signal having a predetermined radio wave intensity to the multifunction device 10 through the BT communication unit 56. The response signal includes the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 50 and distance information indicating the determined distance. The response signal is an example of a first radio signal . The process of transmitting the response signal is an example of the first transmission process.

The control program 65 determines that the separation distance is less than the first distance according to the reception strength of the received device beacon signal being the first strength or more, and uses the distance information "NEAR" as the response signal. include. Further, the control program 65 determines that the separation distance is the first distance or more and less than the second distance according to the reception strength of the received device beacon signal being less than the first strength and the second strength or more. Then, the distance information "MIDDLE" is included in the response signal. Further, the control program 65 determines that the separation distance is equal to or greater than the second distance according to the reception intensity of the received device beacon signal being less than the second intensity, and uses the distance information "FAR" as the response signal. include.

That is, in the example of FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 50A transmits a response signal including the terminal ID “term-A” and the distance information “NEAR” in response to receiving the device beacon signal transmitted by the multifunction device 10. Send. Further, the mobile terminal 50B transmits a response signal including the terminal ID "term-B" and the distance information "MIDDLE" in response to receiving the device beacon signal transmitted by the multifunction device 10. Further, the mobile terminal 50C transmits a response signal including the terminal ID “term-C” and the distance information “FAR” in response to receiving the device beacon signal transmitted by the multifunction device 10.

Further, the control program 35 of the multifunction device 10 receives the response signal through the BT communication unit 26 (S33), or waits until the time during which the response signal cannot be received reaches the first threshold time (S34). The first threshold time may be, for example, about 30 msec to 100 msec. Then, the control program 35 puts the multifunction device 10 in a non-logged-in state in response to the fact that the response signal cannot be received by the time when the first threshold time elapses from the start of transmitting the device beacon signal (S33: No & S34: Yes). (S35). That is, the control program 35 sets a value indicating that it is in the non-logged-in state in the state flag. Further, the control program 35 initializes the permitted operation list. The process of step S35 is an example of the first transition process. It should be noted that the fact that the response signal cannot be received in step S33 includes the case where the signal strength of the response signal is too low and the BT communication unit 26 or the control program 35 does not recognize the signal as valid.

On the other hand, the control program 35 receives the response signal through the BT communication unit 26 before the first threshold time elapses (S33: Yes), and the mobile terminal 50 and the multifunction device 10 which are the sources of the response signal. The degree of separation distance from and is determined (S36 & S38). Specifically, the control program 35 may determine the degree of separation distance based on the distance information included in the received response signal. The process of step S33 is an example of the reception process, and the processes of steps S36 and S38 are an example of the first determination process.

When a plurality of response signals are received through the BT communication unit 26 before the first threshold time elapses, the control program 35 selects one of the plurality of response signals according to a predetermined priority order. The degree of separation distance between the mobile terminal 50, which is the source of the selected response signal, and the multifunction device 10 may be determined. The order in which the signal strength of the response signal is strong is an example of a predetermined priority. The order of highest priority information associated with each terminal ID is an example of a predetermined priority. The guest permission information may further include priority information associated with the terminal ID.

As an example, the control program 35 for determining the degree of separation distance from the mobile terminal 50A determines that the separation distance is less than the first distance because the response signal includes the distance information "NEAR" (S36). : Yes). Then, the control program 35 shifts the multifunction device 10 to the first guest state (S37). That is, the control program 35 sets a value indicating that it is in the first guest state in the state flag. The process of step S37 is an example of the first transition process, and the first guest state is an example of the first permitted state and the permitted state .

Further, the control program 35 reads the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID “term-A” included in the response signal from the guest permission list. Then, the control program 35 stores the information indicating the instruction operation permitted by the read guest permission information in the data storage area 32B as the permission operation list. That is, the permitted operation list in this case includes information indicating an instruction operation instructing the execution of the formation operations “color print”, “copy”, and “scan”. In this case, the multifunction device 10 can accept the instruction operation instructing the execution of the print operation, the copy operation, and the scan operation, and cannot accept the instruction operation instructing the execution of the fax transmission operation. As described above, when the distance between the multifunction devices 10 in the first guest state is less than the first distance among the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID that identifies the mobile terminal 50 that is the source of the response signal Only permitted instruction operations can be accepted.

As another example, in the control program 35 for determining the degree of separation distance from the mobile terminal 50B, since the response signal includes the distance information "MIDDLE", the separation distance is equal to or greater than the first distance and the second distance. It is determined that it is less than (S36: No: S38: Yes). Then, the control program 35 shifts the multifunction device 10 to the second guest state (S39). That is, the control program 35 sets a value indicating that it is in the second guest state in the state flag. The process of step S39 is an example of the first transition process, and the second guest state is an example of the second permitted state and the permitted state .

Further, the control program 35 reads the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID “term-B” included in the response signal from the guest permission list. Then, the control program 35 stores the information indicating the instruction operation permitted by the read guest permission information in the data storage area 32B as the permission operation list. That is, the permitted operation list in this case includes information indicating an instruction operation instructing the execution of the formation operation "monochrome print (less than 20 sheets)". In this case, the multifunction device 10 can accept the instruction operation instructing the execution of the monochrome print, and cannot accept the instruction operation instructing the execution of the color print, the copy operation, the scan operation, and the FAX transmission operation. As described above, the multifunction device 10 in the second guest state has the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID that identifies the mobile terminal 50 that is the source of the response signal, and the separation distance is the first distance or more and the first distance. Only the instruction operation permitted when the distance is less than 2 can be accepted.

As yet another example, the control program 35 for determining the degree of distance from the mobile terminal 50C determines that the separation distance is the second distance or more because the response signal includes the distance information "FAR". (S36: No: S38: No). Then, the control program 35 shifts the multifunction device 10 to the non-logged-in state (S40). That is, the control program 35 sets a value indicating that it is in the non-logged-in state in the state flag. Further, the control program 35 reads the guest permission information associated with the terminal ID “term-C” included in the response signal from the guest permission list. Then, the control program 35 stores the information indicating the instruction operation permitted by the read guest permission information in the data storage area 32B as the permission operation list. That is, the permitted operation list in this case does not include information indicating an instruction operation. The process of step S40 is an example of the second transition process.

Returning to FIG. 5, the control program 35 determines whether or not the multifunction device 10 is in the guest state (S15). That is, the control program 35 determines whether or not a value indicating the first guest state or the second guest state is set in the state flag. The process of step S15 is an example of the third determination process. Then, the control program 35 executes the formation process 1 (S16) in response to the determination that the multifunction device 10 is not in the guest state (S15: No). On the other hand, the control program 35 executes the formation process 2 (S17) in response to the determination that the multifunction device 10 is in the guest state (S15: Yes). The forming process 1 is a process of causing the image forming unit to execute a forming operation corresponding to the target instruction operation when the multifunction device 10 is in the non-logged-in state or the logged-in state. The forming process 2 is a process of causing the image forming unit to execute a forming operation corresponding to the target instruction operation when the multifunction device 10 is in the guest state. The details of the forming process 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the control program 35 determines whether or not the target instruction operation is permitted in the current state of the multifunction device 10 (S51). That is, the control program 35 may determine whether or not the information indicating the target instruction operation is included in the permitted operation list. As an example, when the [Monochrome print] icon is selected and the mobile terminal 50A or the mobile terminal 50B exists within the second distance range centered on the multifunction device 10, the control program 35 contains information indicating the target instruction operation. Judge that it is included in the permitted operation list. As another example, when the [Monochrome print] icon is selected, the mobile terminal 50C exists within the second distance range centered on the multifunction device 10, and the mobile terminals 50A and 50B do not exist, the control program 35 Determines that the information indicating the target instruction operation is not included in the permitted operation list. As yet another example, when the [Monochrome print] icon is selected and the multifunction device 10 is in the non-logged-in state, the control program 35 determines that the target instruction operation is not included in the permitted operation list. The process of step S51 is an example of the fourth determination process.

Next, the control program 35 sends an inquiry signal to the mobile terminal 50, which is the source of the response signal, through the BT communication unit 26, in response to the information indicating the target instruction operation being included in the permitted operation list (S51: Yes). Is transmitted (S52). The inquiry signal is an example of a radio signal inquiring whether or not to permit execution of the formation operation corresponding to the target instruction operation. That is, the inquiry signal includes an operation ID that identifies the target instruction operation. That is, the inquiry signal when the [Monochrome print] icon is selected includes the operation ID that identifies the target operation signal corresponding to the formation operation “monochrome print”. The process of step S52 is an example of inquiry process.

On the other hand, although not shown, the control program 65 of the mobile terminal 50 receives an inquiry signal from the multifunction device 10 through the BT communication unit 56. The process of receiving the inquiry signal is an example of the reception process. Then, the control program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the inquiry screen. FIG. 10B is an example of an inquiry screen. The inquiry screen shown in FIG. 10B includes a message "Do you want to allow the guest user to execute monochrome printing?", A [Yes] icon, and a [No] icon. The "monochrome print" portion shown in FIG. 10B is appropriately changed according to the operation ID included in the received inquiry signal. Then, the control program 65 receives the user operation for the inquiry screen through the operation unit 54. The process of accepting a user operation on the inquiry screen is an example of the acceptance process.

The control program 65 transmits a permission signal to the multifunction device 10 through the BT communication unit 56 in response to receiving a user operation of tapping the position of the [Yes] icon through the operation unit 54. The permission signal is a signal indicating that the execution of the formation operation "monochrome print" corresponding to the target instruction operation is permitted. On the other hand, the control program 65 transmits a rejection signal to the multifunction device 10 through the BT communication unit 56 in response to the user operation of tapping the position of the [No] icon being accepted through the operation unit 54. The rejection signal is a signal indicating that the execution of the formation operation "monochrome print" corresponding to the target instruction operation is not permitted. Hereinafter, the permission signal and the rejection signal may be generically referred to as "answer signal". The process of transmitting the response signal is an example of the second transmission process.

Further, the control program 35 of the multifunction device 10 receives the permission signal from the mobile terminal 50 from which the response signal is transmitted through the BT communication unit 26 (S53), or until the time during which the permission signal cannot be received reaches the second threshold time. Stand by (S55). The second threshold time may be, for example, about 30 sec to 5 min. Then, the control program 35 causes the image forming unit to execute the forming operation "monochrome print" corresponding to the target instruction operation in response to receiving the permission signal from the mobile terminal 50 through the BT communication unit 26 (S53: Yes). (S54). The fact that the forming operation "monochrome printing" is executed by the printer unit 11 when [monochrome printing] is selected is an example in which the instruction operation corresponding to the forming operation "monochrome printing" can be accepted. The process of step S53 is an example of the answer reception process, and the process of step S54 is an example of the operation control process.

For example, when the permission signal is received from the mobile terminal 50A shown in FIG. 1, the printer unit 11 reads the image data specified by the user from the portable storage medium mounted on the mounting unit 27 and shows the image data. The image to be printed is recorded on a recording paper using black ink or toner. The same applies when the permission signal is received from the mobile terminal 50B shown in FIG. However, when the image data specified by the user includes 20 or more images, the printer unit 11 does not execute the print process, and the specified image data includes 20 or more images. The user may be notified, or after recording 19 images on the recording paper, the user may be notified that no further printing process can be executed.

On the other hand, the control program 35 receives a rejection signal from the mobile terminal 50 through the BT communication unit 26, or fails to receive the permission signal by the time the second threshold time elapses after the inquiry signal is transmitted. (S53: No & S55: Yes), the error screen shown in FIG. 11A is displayed on the display unit 23 (S56). Then, the control program 35 causes the display unit 23 to display the menu screen again without executing the operation control process in response to the user operation of tapping the position of the [OK] icon being received through the operation unit 24 ( S11).

Further, the control program 35 determines whether or not the target instruction operation is permitted by the corresponding login permission information according to the fact that the information indicating the target instruction operation is not included in the permission operation list (S51: No). (S57). The corresponding login permission information refers to the login permission information associated with the guest permission information stored in the data storage area 32B as the permission operation list via the terminal ID. In other words, the corresponding login permission information refers to the login permission information associated with the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 50 that is the source of the response signal. The process of step S57 is an example of the fifth determination process. Next, the control program 35 causes the display unit 23 to display the login notification screen according to the determination that the target instruction operation is permitted based on the corresponding login permission information (S57: Yes) (S58).

For example, when the [Monochrome print] icon is selected, it is assumed that the response signal is received from the mobile terminal 50C and the response signal is not received from the mobile terminal 50A and the mobile terminal 50B. The control program 35 in this case determines that the target instruction operation corresponding to the formation operation “monochrome print” is not permitted by the guest permission information corresponding to the terminal ID “term-C” (S51: No). Further, the control program 35 determines that the target instruction operation corresponding to the formation operation “monochrome print” is permitted by the login permission information corresponding to the terminal ID “term-C” (S57: Yes). That is, according to the above example, the login notification screen is displayed on the display unit 23 (S58).

FIG. 11B is an example of a login notification screen. The login notification screen shown in FIG. 11B includes a message "Please log in to perform the selected operation", a [login] icon, and a [cancel] icon. The process of step S58 is an example of a notification process for prompting a login operation using the account information associated with the corresponding login permission information. Then, the control program 35 receives the user operation for the login notification screen through the operation unit 24.

The control program 35 executes the login process shown in FIG. 6 in response to receiving the user operation of tapping the position of the [login] icon through the operation unit 24. Since the details of the login process have already been explained, the explanation will be omitted again. Although not shown, the control program 35 receives a login operation using the user ID “ghi” and the password “789” through the operation unit 24, and the formation operation associated with the target instruction operation “ The printer unit 11 is made to execute "monochrome printing".

On the other hand, the control program 35 determines that the target instruction operation is not permitted in the corresponding login permission information (S57: No), or taps the position of the [Cancel] icon on the login notification screen. The error screen shown in FIG. 11A is displayed on the display unit 23 in response to the reception through 24 (S59).

The formation process 1 is composed of the processes of steps S51, S54, and S59 of the formation process 2. That is, the control program 35 determines whether or not the target instruction operation is permitted in the current state of the multifunction device 10 (S51). Regardless of which account information shown in FIG. 4 is used to log in to the multifunction device 10, the information indicating the instruction operation corresponding to the formation operation "monochrome print" is included in the permitted operation list. On the other hand, when the multifunction device 10 is in the non-logged-in state, the information indicating the instruction operation corresponding to the forming operation "monochrome print" is not included in the permitted operation list.

Then, the control program 35 causes the image forming unit to execute the forming operation corresponding to the target instruction operation in response to the determination that the information indicating the target instruction operation is included in the permitted operation list (S51: Yes). ). That is, when the [Monochrome print] icon is selected, the control program 35 causes the printer unit 11 to execute the forming operation "monochrome print". On the other hand, the control program 35 displays the error screen shown in FIG. 11A on the display unit 23 in response to the determination that the information indicating the target instruction operation is not included in the permitted operation list (S51: No). Display (S59).

[Action and effect of this embodiment]
According to the above embodiment, since the instruction operation that can be accepted is switched according to the state of the multifunction device 10, each user can use the multifunction device 10 within an appropriate range. Further, since the multifunction device 10 can be transitioned to the guest state only by bringing the mobile terminal 50 close to the range in which the multifunction device 10 can receive the response signal, the authenticated user is allowed to perform the instruction operation when the guest user is allowed to perform the instruction operation. There is no need to require complicated work.

That is, the user to which the account information is assigned can input the instruction operation indicated by the login permission information into the multifunction device 10 by performing the login operation on the multifunction device 10. Further, the guest user can input the instruction operation indicated by the guest permission information to the multifunction device 10 by approaching the multifunction device 10 together with the user who owns the mobile terminal 50. Further, the guest user cannot use the multifunction device 10 even if he / she approaches the multifunction device 10 by himself / herself.

Further, according to the above embodiment, as the authentication user possessing the mobile terminal 50 approaches the multifunction device 10, the instruction operations permitted to the guest user increase. As a result, for example, the advanced instruction operation included in the multifunction device 10 can be used by the guest user with the permission of the authentication user to monitor. As a result, it is possible to improve the convenience of guest users while ensuring security.

Further, according to the above embodiment, since the guest permission information is stored in the data storage area 32B in association with the terminal ID, the instruction operation that can be permitted to the guest user is performed for each mobile terminal 50, that is, the mobile phone. It can be made different for each authenticated user who has the terminal 50. Further, since the login permission information is stored in the data storage area 32B in association with the terminal ID and the login notification screen is displayed on the display unit 23, the guest permission information is not permitted and the corresponding login permission information is permitted. The instruction operation can be permitted to the guest user at the discretion of the authenticated user.

Further, according to the above embodiment, since the inquiry screen is displayed on the mobile terminal 50 that is the source of the response signal, the formation operation corresponding to the instruction operation performed by the guest user is executed by the explicit permission of the authenticated user. .. As a result, it is possible to prevent the guest user who has not obtained the permission of the authenticated user from using the multifunction device 10.

In the above embodiment, the multifunction device 10 is made to send the device beacon signal, but the mobile terminal 50 may send the terminal beacon signal. That is, the mobile terminal 50 may be made to execute the transmission process. The terminal beacon signal includes the terminal ID of the transmission source mobile terminal 50. Then, the compound machine 10 receives the terminal beacon signal through the BT communication unit 26, and according to the terminal ID included in the terminal beacon signal and the radio field strength of the terminal beacon signal, the compound machine 10 The state may be changed. Further, in the above embodiment, the state transition process is executed in response to the reception of the instruction operation, but the terminal beacon signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 50 when the multifunction device 10 is not in the login state is constantly monitored. May be good. The terminal beacon signal is an example of a first wireless signal conforming to the first wireless communication protocol.

Further, in the above embodiment, the guest permission list and the login permission list are stored in the data storage area 32B of the multifunction device 10, but may be stored in the server connected to the multifunction device 10 through the communication network. Then, the multifunction device 10 may receive the necessary guest permission record and login permission record from the server through the Wi-Fi communication unit 25. As a result, when a plurality of multifunction devices 10 are connected to the image forming system 100, it is not necessary to register the guest permission list and the login permission list in each multifunction device 10. Further, the guest permission record may be stored in the data storage area 62B of the mobile terminal 50 identified by the corresponding terminal ID. Then, the mobile terminal 50 may transmit an existence notification signal including a guest permission record to the multifunction device 10 through the BT communication unit 56.

Further, in the above embodiment, an error screen is displayed for an instruction operation that is not permitted, but the specific method for making the instruction operation unacceptable is not limited to this. As an example, the icon for accepting an unauthorized instruction operation may be grayed out, or the icon for accepting an unauthorized instruction operation may be hidden. That is, among the icons included in the menu screen, the icon for accepting the instruction operation permitted in the current state of the multifunction device 10 can be selected, and the instruction operation not permitted in the current state of the multifunction device 10 is accepted. The icon for is not selectable.

Further, in the above embodiment, the account information is input through the operation unit 24 in the login process, but the login operation using NFC (abbreviation of Near field radio communication) may be accepted. That is, the multifunction device 10 may further include an NFC communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving an NFC-compliant second radio signal. In addition, the authenticated user may have a mobile terminal 50 or a card (not shown) having a storage unit in which account information is stored and an NFC communication unit capable of transmitting an NFC-compliant second radio signal. Then, in step S22, the multifunction device 10 may receive account information from the mobile terminal 50 or a card (not shown) through the NFC communication unit. NFC is an example of a near field communication protocol and a second radio communication protocol in which the reach of a radio signal is shorter than that of Bluetooth LE. The second radio signal is an example of a radio signal.

Further, in the multifunction device 10 and the mobile terminal 50 of the embodiment, the control unit of the present invention executes the various programs stored in the program storage areas 32A and 62A of the storage units 32 and 62 by the CPUs 31 and 61. An example in which each process to be performed is realized has been described. However, the configuration of the control unit is not limited to this, and a part or all of the control unit may be realized by hardware such as an integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC (abbreviation of Integrated Circuit)).

Further, the present invention can be realized not only as a multifunction device 10 and a mobile terminal 50, but also as a program for causing the multifunction device 10 and the mobile terminal 50 to execute a process. Then, the program may be recorded and provided on a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium may include a storage unit mounted on a server that can be connected to the multifunction device 10 and the mobile terminal 50 through a communication network, in addition to a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, and the like. Then, the program stored in the storage unit of the server may be distributed as information or a signal indicating the program through a communication network such as the Internet.

10 ... Multifunction device 11 ... Printer unit 12 ... Scanner unit 13 ... FAX unit 23, 53 ... Display unit 24, 54 ... Operation unit 26, 56 ... BT communication unit 31 , 61 ... CPU
32, 62 ... Storage unit 50 ... Mobile terminal 100 ... Image formation system

Claims (15)

An image forming unit capable of performing a plurality of forming operations for forming an image,
The reception department that accepts user operations and
A communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a first wireless signal conforming to the first wireless communication protocol,
An image forming apparatus including a control unit.
The control unit
The reception process that accepts the user operation through the reception unit,
In response to the reception of the instruction operation in the reception process, the operation control process for causing the image forming unit to execute the formation operation corresponding to the instruction operation is executed, and the instruction operation is the corresponding formation operation. This is the user operation instructing execution.
The control unit executes a reception process of receiving the first radio signal from the mobile terminal through the communication unit, and the first radio signal is the first radio transmitted by the mobile terminal with a predetermined radio wave strength. It is a signal and contains identification information that identifies the mobile terminal.
The control unit receives the first radio signal including the specific identification information in the reception process, is in a specific state, and is in a specific state, depending on the distance between the image forming device and the mobile terminal. , The first transition process for transitioning the image forming apparatus to the permitted state is executed, and the permitted state is in a state where only the instruction operation associated with the received first radio signal can be accepted by the reception process. Yes, the specific state is a state in which only the instruction operation less than the permission state can be accepted by the reception process.
Wherein, in response to a period of not receiving the first radio signal by the reception processing when the permission state has reached the threshold period, the second to shift the image forming apparatus before Kitoku constant state run the transition process,
The control unit
Based on the first radio signal received in the reception process, the first determination process for determining the degree of separation distance between the image forming apparatus and the mobile terminal, and
In the first transition process when the first determination process determines that the separation distance is less than the first distance, the image forming apparatus is transitioned to the first permitted state.
In the first transition process when it is determined by the first determination process that the separation distance is greater than or equal to the first distance and less than the second distance, only the instruction operation less than the first permission state is accepted. The image forming apparatus is transitioned to the second permitted state that can be accepted by
The second transition process is executed in response to the determination in the first determination process that the separation distance is equal to or greater than the second distance.
The first permitted state and the second permitted state are image forming devices in which at least one of the plurality of forming operations is permitted. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines in the first determination process that the stronger the radio field intensity of the first radio signal received in the reception process, the shorter the separation distance. The control unit
A transmission process for transmitting a device beacon signal, which is the first radio signal having a predetermined radio wave strength, through the communication unit is executed.
In the reception process, the first radio signal including the distance information is received, and the distance information indicates the separation distance determined by the mobile terminal that has received the device beacon signal.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the first determination process, the degree of the separation distance is determined based on the distance information. The control unit
A transmission process for transmitting a device beacon signal, which is the first radio signal having a predetermined radio wave strength, through the communication unit is executed.
In the reception process, a response signal including distance information is received, the response signal is the first radio signal transmitted by the mobile terminal that has received the device beacon signal, and the distance information is the device beacon. Indicates the separation distance determined by the mobile terminal that received the signal.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the first determination process, the degree of the separation distance is determined based on the distance information. The control unit
A transmission process for transmitting a device beacon signal, which is the first radio signal having a predetermined radio wave strength, through the communication unit is executed.
In the reception process, a response signal is received from the mobile terminal through the communication unit, and the response signal is the first radio signal transmitted by the mobile terminal that has received the device beacon signal, claim 1 or 2. The image forming apparatus according to. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the control unit starts the sending process in response to receiving the instruction operation in the receiving process when the image forming apparatus is in the specific state. The image forming part is
A recording unit that records the image indicated by the image data on the sheet, and
Including a reading unit that reads an image recorded on a manuscript and generates image data.
The first permission state is a state in which the instruction operation corresponding to each of the formation operation to be executed by the recording unit and the formation operation to be executed by the reading unit can be accepted.
The second permission state is described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein only the instruction operation corresponding to the formation operation to be executed by the recording unit among the recording unit and the reading unit can be accepted. Image forming device. The image forming apparatus is connected to a storage device and is connected to the storage device.
The memory device includes a front Ki識specific information, and a plurality sets store the permission information associated with the identification information, the permission information is acceptable to the receiving process when the permission state the Information that indicates an instruction operation,
The control unit
In the reception process, the first radio signal including the target identification information is received, and the target identification information is the identification information that identifies the mobile terminal that is the source of the first radio signal.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein in the first transition process, only the instruction operation indicated by the permission information associated with the target identification information can be accepted. The control unit executes a third transition process for transitioning the image forming apparatus to the login state in response to receiving the login operation in the reception process, and the login operation is the user operation for inputting account information. The login state is a state in which only the instruction operation associated with the input account information can be accepted by the reception process.
The storage device stores a plurality of sets of account information associated with the identification information and login permission information associated with the account information, and the account information is identified by the corresponding identification information. The login permission information is assigned to the user of the mobile terminal, and is information indicating the instruction operation that can be accepted in the reception process in the login state.
The login permission information indicates at least the instruction operation indicated by the permission information associated with the identification information that is the same as the identification information corresponding to the login permission information.
In the reception process, the login operation for inputting the target account information is accepted, and the target account information is the account information assigned to the user who performs the login operation.
A second determination process for determining whether or not the target account information is stored in the storage device is executed.
In the third transition process when it is determined in the second determination process that the target account information is stored, only the instruction operation indicated by the login permission information associated with the target account information can be accepted. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8. The control unit
A third determination process for determining whether or not the image forming apparatus is in the permitted state in response to the acceptance of the instruction operation in the reception process.
A fourth determination process for determining whether or not the permission information indicates the target instruction operation, which is the instruction operation received in the reception process, in response to the determination in the third determination process that the permission state is set. When,
Whether or not the login permission information associated with the permission information via the identification information indicates the target instruction operation in response to the determination in the fourth determination process that the permission information is not indicated. Fifth judgment process to judge
A claim for executing a notification process for prompting the login operation using the account information associated with the login permission information in response to the determination in the fifth determination process that the login permission information indicates. 9. The image forming apparatus according to 9. The control unit
A third determination process for determining whether or not the image forming apparatus is in the permitted state in response to the acceptance of the instruction operation in the reception process.
A fourth determination process for determining whether or not the permission information indicates the target instruction operation, which is the instruction operation received in the reception process, in response to the determination in the third determination process that the permission state is set. When,
In response to the determination in the fourth determination process that the permission information indicates, the inquiry process of transmitting the inquiry signal to the mobile terminal, which is the source of the first radio signal, through the communication unit is executed. , The inquiry signal is the first radio signal inquiring whether or not to permit the execution of the formation operation associated with the instruction operation.
The control unit
Response reception processing in which a permission signal indicating that execution of the formation operation is permitted is received from the mobile terminal through the communication unit, and
The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the operation control process is executed in response to the reception of the permission signal in the answer reception process. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the control unit does not execute the operation control process in response to the failure to receive the permission signal in the response reception process. The mobile terminal repeatedly transmits a terminal beacon signal, which is the first radio signal having a predetermined radio wave strength.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the control unit receives the terminal beacon signal transmitted by the mobile terminal in the reception process. The reception unit can send and receive a second radio signal conforming to the second radio communication protocol, and the second radio communication protocol is a proximity radio communication protocol having a shorter reach of the radio signal than the first radio communication protocol. Yes,
The control unit executes a third transition process for transitioning the image forming apparatus to the login state in response to receiving the login operation in the reception process, and the login operation is the user operation for inputting account information. The login state is a state in which only the instruction operation associated with the input account information can be accepted by the reception process.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the control unit receives the second radio signal including the account information through the reception unit in the reception process. An image forming system including an image forming device and a mobile terminal.
The image forming apparatus
An image forming unit capable of performing a plurality of forming operations for forming an image,
The reception department that accepts user operations and
The first communication unit that can send and receive wireless signals conforming to the wireless communication protocol,
Equipped with a first control unit
The first control unit
The reception process that accepts the user operation through the reception unit,
In response to the reception of the instruction operation in the reception process, the operation control process for causing the image forming unit to execute the formation operation corresponding to the instruction operation is executed, and the instruction operation is the corresponding formation operation. This is the user operation instructing execution.
The first control unit executes a reception process of receiving the radio signal from the mobile terminal through the first communication unit, and the radio signal is the radio signal transmitted by the mobile terminal with a predetermined radio wave strength. Yes, and contains identification information that identifies the mobile terminal.
The first control unit receives the radio signal including the specific identification information in the reception process, is in a specific state, and is in a specific state, depending on the distance between the image forming device and the mobile terminal. The first transition process for transitioning the image forming apparatus to the permitted state is executed, and the permitted state is a state in which only the instruction operation associated with the received radio signal can be accepted by the reception process. The specific state is a state in which only the instruction operation less than the permission state can be accepted by the reception process.
The first control unit is configured in response to the period of not receiving the radio signal by the reception processing when the permission state has reached the threshold time period, a second to shift the image forming apparatus before Kitoku constant state Execute transition processing and
The first control unit
The first determination process for determining the degree of separation distance between the image forming apparatus and the mobile terminal based on the wireless signal received in the reception process.
In the first transition process when the first determination process determines that the separation distance is less than the first distance, the image forming apparatus is transitioned to the first permitted state.
In the first transition process when it is determined by the first determination process that the separation distance is greater than or equal to the first distance and less than the second distance, only the instruction operation less than the first permission state is accepted. The image forming apparatus is transitioned to the second permitted state that can be accepted by
The second transition process is executed in response to the determination in the first determination process that the separation distance is equal to or greater than the second distance.
The first permitted state and the second permitted state are states in which at least one of the plurality of forming operations is permitted.
The mobile terminal
A second communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving the wireless signal, and
Equipped with a second control unit
The second control unit is an image forming system that executes a transmission process of transmitting the radio signal to the image forming apparatus through the second communication unit.

Images