JP7156886B2 - image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to technology for determining a network in an image forming apparatus.

Currently, research and development of printing apparatuses equipped with a plurality of network connection units are underway. Since this printing apparatus has a plurality of network connection units, when files such as scan data are to be saved in another apparatus, it is necessary to specify the file save destination and then determine the network when starting communication. Regarding such network determination processing, Patent Literature 1 discloses a method of selecting a network in response to a user's operation and switching networks when communication connection is not possible.

JP 2010-183375 A

However, there is the following problem when switching the network when the communication connection is disabled. If a save destination with the same name happens to exist in each network before and after switching, the file saving process itself ends normally, but the file may not be saved in the desired save destination. Also, if the file is mistakenly stored in a storage destination of another network that the user cannot access, it cannot be deleted due to access restrictions of the other network or storage destination, and the file is disclosed to a third party. Furthermore, traffic increases and waste such as response waiting time occurs. These problems occur, for example, when the file storage destination is located in a network beyond a router and located in a network that can be reached only from one of the networks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to transmit data to an appropriate network when storing data in a storage destination in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of network connection units. .

In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a network determination unit that limits a network to be used from among a plurality of networks to only one, and a data transmission unit that transmits data via the limited network. and a part.

According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of network connection units, data can be transmitted to an appropriate network when data is stored in a storage destination.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a network having printers; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of functional block configuration of a printing apparatus; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of registered user information; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of authentication server information; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of file storage destination information; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of network information; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of network usage history information; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of print job history information; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a processing flow of operation example 1; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a processing flow of operation example 2; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a processing flow of operation example 3;

The present invention is characterized in that, in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of network connection units, when data is stored in a storage destination, in addition to specifying the data storage destination, the network to be used is limited to only one. do. Since the network to be used is limited to only one, the printing device can transmit data to an appropriate network and reliably store the data in a desired storage destination. An embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a network having a printing device 1. As shown in FIG. The printing apparatus 1 includes two network connection units (NICs: Network Interface Cards). The NIC 20a and the NIC 20b are connected in multiple stages to a plurality of networks N including the Internet via a plurality of routers R, respectively. Note that the printing apparatus 1 may include three or more NICs.

The printer 1 operates as a client that transmits data in addition to the original operation of the printer that receives and prints a print job from the user terminal 2 . Specifically, the printing apparatus 1 can access each network N through the NIC 20a or NIC 20b, transmits files such as scan data to a predetermined network N, and stores them in the user terminal 2 or the DB server 3. FIG. Further, when authenticating a user who operates the printing apparatus 1, the printing apparatus 1 performs authentication using registered user information provided in the printing apparatus 1, and also uses each authentication server 4 for performing user authentication in each network N. authentication.

The user terminal 2 is an information processing terminal used by a user for business or the like. The DB server 3 is a server device that stores data from the user terminals 2 belonging to each network N. FIG. The printing device 1 can selectably designate the user terminal 2 and the DB server 3 as a file storage destination. The authentication server 4 is a server device that associates and stores user IDs and passwords of users belonging to each network N, and authenticates users who operate the printing apparatus 1 .

The network configuration shown in FIG. 1 is applicable, for example, to a case where a plurality of departments with different networks N share one printer 1 in a company. Access is possible between each department and the printing device 1, but access is not possible between departments. Each user in each department can print a print job on one shared printing device 1, and save a file of scan data scanned by the printing device 1 in their own user terminal 2 or DB server 3 of their own department. do.

Here, the definition of network will be explained. A network is a network represented by a network address, and includes, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), a VLAN (Virtual LAN), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a private network, a public network, and the like. In addition, the network in the sense of communication medium is closely related to the NIC in that it is connected to the NIC, and both are located in the network layer when viewed from the application layer of the printing apparatus 1. The phrase “network” includes “NIC” provided in the printing apparatus 1 .

Next, functions of the printer 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a functional block configuration example of the printing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. The printing apparatus 1 includes a user authentication unit 11, a file generation unit 12, a file storage destination designation unit 13, a network determination unit 14, a file transmission unit 15, a print job control unit 16, and a network usage control unit 17. , a data storage unit 18 and a data setting unit 19 .

The user authentication unit 11 has a function of authenticating the user who operates the printing device 1 using the registered user information 181 in the data storage unit 18 . The user authentication unit 11 also has a function of using the authentication server information 182 of the data storage unit 18 to authenticate the user who operates the printing apparatus 1 using the authentication server 4 of each network.

The file generation unit 12 has a function of generating a file of transmission target data to be transmitted from the printing apparatus 1 . The type and type of transmission target data are arbitrary. For example, it is scan data scanned by a scanner device of the printing device 1 .

The file storage destination designation unit 13 acquires the file storage destination information 183 from the data storage unit 18, displays the file storage destination in a selectable manner on the panel screen of the printer 1, and saves the file storage destination selected by the user. It has a function to specify as a specified save destination for

The network determination unit 14 has a function of limiting the network to be used when saving a file to only one of a plurality of networks using the network information 184 of the data storage unit 18 .

The file transmission unit 15 has a function of transmitting a file of data to be transmitted via one limited network and storing it in a designated storage destination. The file transmission unit 15 also has a function of storing the date and time of transmission of the file as the network usage history information 185 in the data storage unit 18 . The file transmission unit 15 corresponds to the "data transmission unit" described in the claims.

The print job control unit 16 receives a print job from the user terminal 2, prints it on a paper medium using the printing mechanism of the printing apparatus 1, and stores the date and time of reception of the print job as print job history information 186. It has a function of storing in the storage unit 18 .

Using the network information 184 of the data storage unit 18, the network usage control unit 17 restricts the use of the restricted network only when the input password input to the printing device 1 matches the password of one restricted network. It has a function to allow

As shown in FIG. 2, the data storage unit 18 stores registered user information 181, authentication server information 182, file storage destination information 183, network information 184, network usage history information 185, and print job history information 186. and readable storage.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the registered user information 181. As shown in FIG. The registered user information 181 stores information about registered users who can operate the printing apparatus 1 . For example, the user's name, the user's belonging group, the user's belonging network, and the user's password are stored in association with the user ID.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the authentication server information 182. As shown in FIG. Information about the authentication server 4 is stored in the authentication server information 182 . For example, the ID of the authentication server 4 and the IP address of the authentication server 4 are stored in association with each other. Since the IP address can be resolved from the ID (name, etc.) of the server, the IP address of the authentication server 4 may be obtained during user authentication instead of being stored in advance.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the file storage destination information 183. As shown in FIG. The file save destination information 183 stores information about the save destination of the file. For example, the ID of the storage destination and the IP address of the storage destination are stored in association with each other. The storage destination may be the user terminal 2 or the DB server 3 illustrated in FIG. 5, or may be a folder or directory within a computer. Since the IP address can be resolved from the server ID (name, etc.), the IP address of the save destination may be obtained when the file is saved instead of being registered in advance. Also, the save destination may be obtained by inquiring of the user terminal 2 and the DB server 3 when saving the file.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the network information 184. As shown in FIG. The network information 184 stores information about the network connected to the printing apparatus 1 . For example, network IDs, network addresses, and network passwords are stored in association with each other. The network may be the NIC of the printing device 1 as described above. Note that the network address can be obtained by inquiring of the network, so instead of registering the network address of each network in advance, it may be obtained when the file is saved.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of network usage history information 185. As shown in FIG. The network usage history information 185 stores information about network usage history at the time of file saving. For example, the transmission date and time of the file, the ID (name, etc.) of the user who transmitted the file, and the ID of the network (NIC) used when saving the file are stored in association with the file ID.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the print job history information 186. As shown in FIG. The print job history information 186 stores information about print jobs printed by the user in the past. For example, the date and time of reception of the print job from the user terminal 2, the ID (name, etc.) of the job owner of the print job, and the ID of the network (NIC) that received the print job are stored in association with the print job ID. .

The data setting unit 19 displays input fields for setting registered user information 181, authentication server information 182, file storage destination information 183, and network information 184 on the panel screen, and manages the printing apparatus 1. It has a function of receiving setting data input by a user and storing it in the data storage unit 18 .

Next, operations of the printer 1 will be described. As described at the beginning, the printing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is characterized in that the network to be used is limited to only one when saving a file to a saving destination. Hereinafter, an operation example of determining a network from among a plurality of networks will be described.

(Operation example 1)
In operation example 1, a case where the network determination unit 14 limits the network to be used to only one of a plurality of networks will be described, and a case where the network to be used is determined to be a network designated by the user will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram depicting a processing flow of operation example 1;

Step S101;
First, the file generation unit 12 receives scan data scanned by a scanner device and generates a file of the scan data.

Step S102;
Next, the file storage destination designation unit 13 displays the file storage destinations included in the file storage destination information 183 in a selectable manner on the panel screen, and designates the storage destination selected by the user as the designated file storage destination. At this time, the file storage destination specifying unit 13 may additionally display the file storage destination (for example, a folder of the DB server 3, etc.) obtained by inquiring of the user terminal 2 and the DB server 3. FIG.

Step S103;
Next, the network determination unit 14 determines whether or not (YES) or not (NO) the specified save destination of the file is within the segment of the first network (LAN1) included in the network information 184 . If YES, go to step S104; if NO, go to step S105. For example, the network determination unit 14 determines whether or not the leading 24-bit bit string of the IP address of the specified storage destination matches the leading 24-bit bit string of the network address of LAN1.

Step S104;
If YES in step S103, the network determining unit 14 determines LAN1 as the network to be used when saving the file. When the network to be used is determined to be LAN1, the NIC 20a connected to LAN1 is used. After that, the process proceeds to step S112.

Step S105;
In the case of NO in step S103, the network determination unit 14 determines whether or not (YES) the specified save destination of the file is within the segment of the next network (LAN2) included in the network information 184 (NO). If YES, go to step S106; if NO, go to step S107.

Step S106;
If YES in step S105, the network determining unit 14 determines LAN2 as the network to be used when saving the file. When LAN2 is determined as the network to be used, the NIC 20b connected to LAN2 is used. After that, the process proceeds to step S112.

Step S107;
In the case of NO in step S105, the network determining unit 14 determines whether or not (YES) or not (NO) whether a static route to a specified file save destination or a segment including a specified file save destination is set in the printing apparatus 1. do. A static route is a fixed communication route set by the administrator of the printing apparatus 1 . If YES, go to step S108; if NO, go to step S109.

Step S108;
If YES in step S107, the network determination unit 14 determines the network specified by the static route as the network to be used when saving the file. After that, the process proceeds to step S112.

Step S109;
In the case of NO in step S107, the network determining unit 14 determines whether or not the network to be used when saving the file is specified by the user (YES) or not (NO). If YES, go to step S110; if NO, go to step S111.

Step S110;
If YES in step S109, the network determination unit 14 determines the network specified by the user as the network to be used when saving the file. After that, the process proceeds to step S112.

Step S111;
In the case of NO in step S109, the network determining unit 14 determines the network of the default gateway set in the printing apparatus 1 as the network to be used when saving the file. After that, the process proceeds to step S112.

Step S112;
Finally, the file transmission unit 15 transmits the file generated in step S101 to the network to be used determined in any one of steps S104, S106, S108, S110, and S111, and the designated network specified in step S102. Save to destination.

According to operation example 1, the file is transmitted to the network used determined in any one of steps S104, S106, S108, S110, and S111. When saving to a destination, you can send the file to the appropriate network. In other words, since the network used when saving files is limited to only one, the possibility of files being sent to unintended saving destinations by the user can be reliably eliminated, and the traffic generated by the conventional method of switching networks when communication connections are unavailable can be eliminated. It is possible to reliably prevent an increase in response time and a wasteful response waiting time. In addition, if the operation intended by the user is not performed when saving the file, the cause can be found easily and quickly.

Further, according to Operation Example 1, in step S110, the network to be used when saving the file is determined to be the network specified by the user. Can save files.

(Operation example 2)
In operation example 2, a case will be described in which the network determining unit 14 determines the network used when saving a file to be the network associated with the user authenticated as the registered user. FIG. 10 is a diagram depicting a processing flow of operation example 2;

Step S201;
First, the user authentication unit 11 receives the user ID and password of the user accepted by the card reader or the monitor screen of the printing apparatus 1, and whether they match the user ID and password of the registered user included in the registered user information 181 (YES). No (NO) is determined. If YES, the user logs in as a registered user and proceeds to step S202. If NO, the process ends without logging in.

Step S202;
Next, the file generation unit 12 receives scan data scanned by the scanner device and generates a file of the scan data.

Step S203;
Next, the file storage destination designation unit 13 displays the file storage destinations included in the file storage destination information 183 in a selectable manner on the panel screen, and designates the storage destination selected by the user as the designated file storage destination.

Step S204;
Next, the network determination unit 14 refers to the registered user information 181, and determines the network to which the logged-in user who logged in in step S201 belongs, as the network used when saving the file.

Step S205;
Finally, the file transmission unit 15 transmits the file generated in step S202 to the network used determined in step S204, and saves it in the specified storage destination specified in step S203.

According to Operation Example 2, in step S204, the network to be used when the file is saved is determined to be the affiliated network associated with the logged-in user. You can automatically select the appropriate network without specifying it each time you save the file, and you can send the file to the appropriate network.

(Operation example 3)
In operation example 3, a case will be described in which the network determining unit 14 determines the network to be used at the time of file saving to be the network to which the authentication server that has authenticated the user as a registered user belongs. FIG. 11 is a diagram depicting a processing flow of operation example 3;

Step S301;
First, the user authentication unit 11 determines whether there is an authentication server 4 that has not been inquired about user authentication (YES) or not (NO). If YES, the process proceeds to step S302, and if NO, the process ends.

Step S302;
If YES in step S301 , the user authentication unit 11 determines one authentication server 4 to inquire about user authentication from among the plurality of authentication servers 4 included in the authentication server information 182 .

Step S303;
Next, the user authentication unit 11 transmits a user authentication request including the user ID and password received by the card reader or the monitor screen of the printing apparatus 1 to the determined authentication server 4 to execute user authentication.

Step S304;
After that, the user authentication unit 11 receives the user authentication result from the authentication server 4 and determines whether the user has been authenticated (YES) or not (NO) based on the user authentication result. If YES, the process proceeds to step S305, and if NO, the process returns to step S301 to inquire of another authentication server 4 about user authentication.

Step S305;
In the case of YES in step S304, the user authentication unit 11 determines the network to which the authentication server 4 that has authenticated the user as a registered user belongs, as the network to be used when saving the file.

According to the operation example 3, in step S305, the network to which the authentication server 4 that has authenticated the user as a registered user belongs is determined as the network to be used when saving the file. In this case, the appropriate network can be automatically selected without specifying the network to use each time the file is saved, and the file can be sent to the appropriate network.

(Operation example 4)
In operation example 4, as another example of step S204, a case will be described in which a history of network (NIC) information used when a print job is received is stored as needed, and the history information is utilized when saving a file.

Specifically, the network determination unit 14 uses the print job history information 186 that associates the network (NIC) that received the print job with the job owner of the print job to notify the logged-in user of the network to be used when saving the file. Determines the network associated with the matching job owner. For example, the network determining unit 14 searches the print job history information 186 for a job owner ID that matches the user ID of the logged-in user, and selects the network (NIC) associated with the searched job owner ID as the network used when saving the file. Determined as

According to operation example 4, the network to be used at the time of file saving is determined by using the print job history information 186 to be the network associated with the job owner who matches the logged-in user, so the network to be used is specified each time the file is saved. You can automatically select the appropriate network and send files to the appropriate network without having to.

As Option 1 of Operation Example 4, the network determining unit 14 may give priority to the network (NIC) that received the print job received within a predetermined time immediately before the current time among the plurality of print jobs related to the logged-in user. good. For example, in the case of the print job history information 186 illustrated in FIG. 8, the printing apparatus 1 receives the print job from user A through NIC#1 and NIC#2. In this way, when one user uses multiple networks, the printing apparatus 1 regards the NIC that received the print job within a predetermined time period close to the current time as the NIC of the network to which user A belongs. If the current time is "2018/09/01 00:00:00" and the predetermined time is "one day", then "2018/08/31 00:00:00" to "2018/09/01 00: 00:00”, the NIC#1 that received the print job is prioritized as the network used by the user A.

According to Option 1 of Operation Example 4, priority is given to the network (NIC) that has received a print job received within a predetermined period of time immediately before among a plurality of print jobs related to the logged-in user. You can choose your network and send files to the more appropriate network.

As option 2 of operation example 4, the network determining unit 14 may give priority to the network (NIC) from which print jobs related to the logged-in user have been received the most. Even if one user uses a plurality of networks, it is not always correct to regard the network used immediately before as the network to which the user belongs, as in Option 1. Therefore, in Option 2, the number of receptions of print jobs related to the logged-in user is calculated for each NIC from the print job history information 186, and the NIC with the highest number of receptions is regarded as the NIC of the network to which the logged-in user belongs. For example, in the case of the print job history information 186 illustrated in FIG. 8, if the login user is user B, NIC#1 is prioritized as user B's network.

According to Option 2 of Operation Example 4, priority is given to the network (NIC) that has received the largest number of print jobs related to the logged-in user. can be sent.

(Operation example 5)
In operation example 5, as another example of step S204, a case will be described in which the user stores the network (NIC) previously used when saving the file, and the logged-in user determines the network to be used when saving the file.

Specifically, the network determination unit 14 uses the network usage history information 185 that associates the user who previously sent the file with the network used when the file was saved, and determines the network used when the file was saved by the logged-in user. Decide on the network used for For example, the network determination unit 14 identifies a network (NIC) associated with the user ID of the logged-in user from the network usage history information 185, and determines the identified network (NIC) as the network used when saving the file.

According to Operation Example 5, the network used when the file is saved is determined to be the network used by the user before, so the file can be sent to a more appropriate network.

(Operation example 6)
In operation example 6, as another example of step S204, the network (NIC) used by other users in the same group is stored, and the log-in user determines the network to be used when saving a file.

Specifically, the network determining unit 14 uses the registered user information 181 that associates the user with the group to which he belongs and the network usage history information 185 that stores the network previously specified by the user, and determines the networks to be used when the file is saved. to the network associated with other users in the same group as the logged-in user belongs to. For example, the network determining unit 14 searches the registered user information 181 for other users belonging to the same group as the logged-in user, identifies the network that the other user has used in the past from the network usage history information 185, and identifies the identified network. is determined as the network to be used when saving the file.

According to Operation Example 6, a network associated with another user in the same group as the user's group is determined as the network to be used when saving the file, so the file can be transmitted to a more appropriate network.

(Operation example 7)
In operation example 7, operations after step S204 will be described. In operation example 7, a case will be described in which a password is set in the network (NIC) and only users who know the password can use the network (NIC).

Specifically, the network usage control unit 17 permits the use of the restricted network only when the input password matches the password of the restricted network. For example, after step S204, the network usage control unit 17 requests the login user for the password of the determined network to be used (NIC). After the password is entered, the network usage control unit 17 uses the network information 184 to determine whether or not the input password matches the password of the network being used. Allow use. If the passwords do not match each other, the process ends without proceeding to step S205.

According to Operation Example 7, the use of the used network is permitted only when the input password matches the password of the used network, so the security of network use can be improved.

(Operation example 8)
In operation example 8, another example of step S203 will be described. In operation example 8, the file storage destination designation unit 13 displays storage destination list information in which all storage destinations are listed on the panel screen. For example, the file storage destination specifying unit 13 lists all the file storage destinations included in the file storage destination information 183 and all the file storage destinations obtained by inquiring of the user terminal 2 and the DB server 3, and Display on the panel screen as a save destination candidate. In addition, the file storage destination designation unit 13 inquires of the storage destination designated according to the user's operation, and displays a list of files existing in the storage destination. According to Operation Example 8, since the storage destination list information in which all storage destinations are listed is displayed on the panel screen, the user can reliably and easily determine whether or not the storage destination is correct. In addition, according to Operation Example 8, since a list of files existing in the save destination is displayed, it is possible to refer to the list of files in the save destination. can be determined easily and reliably.

(Operation example 9)
In operation example 9, another example of step S204 will be described. In operation example 9, the network determining unit 14 performs a communication test before file transmission, identifies a communicable network (NIC) based on the test result, and selects a communicable network (NIC) that has the fastest communication speed among one or more communicable networks. The network is determined as the network to be used when saving the file. For example, the network determining unit 14 transmits test data of several bits to a predetermined server via each network, measures the response time until receiving a response, and selects the network (NIC) with the shortest response time. Use network. According to Operation Example 9, the network with the fastest communication speed among the one or more communicable networks is determined as the network to be used, so files can be transmitted to a more appropriate network.

(Operation example 10)
In operation example 10, operations before step S201 will be described. In operation example 10, the data setting unit 19 displays a network information setting column on the monitor screen, and adds the network name (NIC name) input by the user to the network information 184 in a changeable manner. In this case, the printing apparatus 1 uses the network name (NIC name) for the network (NIC) stored in the network usage history information 185 and print job history information 186 . According to Operation Example 10, the network name input by the user is added to the network information 184 in a modifiable manner, so that the user can easily set a recognizable network name and easily determine the network to be used.

(Operation example 11)
In operation example 11, an operation example after step S205 will be described. In operation example 11, the file transmission unit 15 displays information such as the name of the network used when saving the file on the monitor screen. According to Operation Example 11, since the information about the used network used when saving the file is displayed on the monitor screen, the used network can be notified to the user, and the used network can be easily determined.

Finally, the printing apparatus 1 can perform all the operations described in Operation Example 1 to Operation Example 11. FIG. The printing apparatus 1 may select and execute any one operation example by user operation, or may execute a combination of two or more operation examples. Also, the printing apparatus 1 can be realized by a computer having a memory and a CPU. It is also possible to construct each process of the printing apparatus 1 as a program, install it in a computer, execute it, and distribute it through a communication network. Further, the printing device 1 is an example of an image forming device. An enclosing and sealing device attached to the printing device 1 can also be included in the target device.

<Appendix>
This application discloses the following inventions.

(Appendix 1)
a network determination unit that limits a network to be used from among a plurality of networks to only one;
a data transmitter for transmitting data over a restricted network;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

(Appendix 2)
The network determination unit
The image forming apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the network to be used is determined to be a network specified by a user.

(Appendix 3)
The network determination unit
3. The image forming apparatus according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein the network to be used is determined to be a network associated with a user authenticated as a registered user.

(Appendix 4)
The network determination unit
4. The image forming apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, wherein the network to be used is determined to be a network to which an authentication server that has authenticated the user as a registered user belongs.

(Appendix 5)
The network determination unit
The network to be used is determined to be the network associated with the job owner that matches the user, using print job history information that associates the network that received the print job with the job owner of the print job. 5. The image forming apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 4.

(Appendix 6)
The network determination unit
6. The image forming apparatus according to Supplementary note 5, wherein priority is given to a network that has received a print job received within a predetermined time immediately before the current time among the plurality of print jobs related to the user.

(Appendix 7)
The network determination unit
7. The image forming apparatus according to any one of attachments 1 to 6, wherein the network to be used is determined to be a network associated with another user belonging to the same group as the group to which the user belongs.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 printing device 2 user terminal 3 DB server 4 authentication server 11 user authentication unit 12 file generation unit 13 file storage destination designation unit 14 network determination unit 15 file transmission unit 16 print job control unit 17 ... network usage control unit 18 ... data storage unit 19 ... data setting unit 20a ... NIC#1
20b... NIC#2
181 Registered user information 182 Authentication server information 183 File storage destination information 184 Network information 185 Network usage history information 186 Print job history information

Claims (7)

In an image forming apparatus,
a network determining unit for limiting a network to be used from among a plurality of networks, which are local networks other than the network to which the image forming apparatus belongs, to only one where a desired transmission destination may exist ;
a data transmitter for transmitting data over a restricted network;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The network determination unit
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the network to be used is determined to be a network specified by a user. The network determination unit
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the network to be used is determined to be a network associated with a user authenticated as a registered user. The network determination unit
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the network to be used is determined to be a network to which an authentication server that has authenticated the user as a registered user belongs. The network determination unit
The network to be used is determined to be the network associated with the job owner that matches the user, using print job history information that associates the network that received the print job with the job owner of the print job. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 . The network determination unit
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein priority is given to a network that has received a print job received within a predetermined time immediately before the current time among the plurality of print jobs related to the user. The network determination unit
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the network to be used is determined to be a network associated with another user belonging to the same group as the group to which the user belongs.

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