JP7379618B2 - Printing device, printing device control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing device that prints print data received from an external device.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, so-called retained printing systems, in which print data sent from a PC is retained in a printer or print server, have become widespread. In a hold printing system, print data is stored in a printer's hard disk or a server on a network, and printing of the print data is started in response to a user performing a specific operation in front of the printer. The hold printing system is used when the printer is a shared printer connected to a network and it is desired to prevent the printed matter from being viewed by others.

Patent Document 1 discloses that print data with identification information added is received and temporarily stored, and when the identification information input from the front panel of the printer matches the identification information added to the print data, A printer is disclosed that initiates printing.

Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, when a print job for which confidential printing is specified is received, the print job and user information are stored, the user is authenticated, and only the print jobs of the authenticated users are permitted to be printed. An image recording device is disclosed.

Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a printing system that deletes password information from the print data and prints the print data in a printer that receives print data corresponding to an authenticated user from a print server and prints the data.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-264865 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-182187 JP2009-223610A

However, in the above-mentioned hold printing, when printing print data that requires the user to be authenticated and requires input of identification information at the time of printing, the following problems occur. That is, if the user is required to input identification information at the time of printing even though the user has already been authenticated, the user's operation becomes extremely complicated.

Additionally, if user authentication is required and printing is not possible without user authentication, unauthenticated users will not even be able to print the stored print data, which will be extremely inconvenient. I end up.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is capable of selectively performing retention printing after authenticating the user or performing retention printing after requiring the user to enter a password. The purpose is to provide possible means.

The present invention includes an authentication means for authenticating an individual;
A printing device comprising: a deletion unit capable of deleting a password print job, and a setting unit capable of setting an input setting for inputting a password when deleting a password print job, the input setting being valid. In this case , the deletion means can delete the password print job without the personal authentication by accepting the same password information as the password information of the password print job in the state where the personal authentication is not performed, and the deletion means can delete the password print job without the personal authentication. The printing apparatus is characterized in that the password print job corresponding to the individual who has undergone the personal authentication can be deleted without accepting password information for the password print job.

According to the present invention, in retention printing, it is possible to selectively perform retention printing after authenticating the user, or performing retention printing after having the user input a password.

1 is an overall diagram of a network system including a multifunction peripheral, which is an example of a printing device, and a PC, which is an example of an external device. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of transmitting a print job, which is executed by a PC. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen of a printer driver of a PC. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of receiving a print job, which is executed in the multifunction device. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a series of operations when a user's operation is accepted by the multifunction device. 3 is a flowchart showing login processing executed by the multifunction device. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process executed by the multifunction device. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process for canceling printing, which is executed by the multifunction device. This is a job list of password-protected print jobs. This is an example of a setting screen for enabling the password entry omission setting. 7 is a flowchart showing print cancellation processing in the second embodiment. It is an example of the setting screen for enabling the password input omission setting in 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a login screen displayed when logging into a multifunction device.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using drawings.

First, terms that are a prerequisite for explaining this embodiment will be defined. In this embodiment, a job for printing print data that includes a password is referred to as a "password-attached print job." A password-protected print job is a job that starts printing when the password input by the user at the time of printing matches the password included in the print data.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a print job in which data to be printed included in a password-protected print job is encrypted is referred to as a "password-protected encrypted print job."

<First embodiment>
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall diagram of a network system including a multi-function peripheral (hereinafter simply referred to as a "multifunction peripheral") 1000 and a personal computer (hereinafter simply referred to as a PC) 2000. In the network system shown in FIG. 1, a multifunction device 1000 and a PC 2000 are connected to each other via a network 101 so that they can communicate with each other.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of multifunction peripherals and other PCs may be connected to the network 101 via relay devices such as switching hubs and routers. Further, the network system in FIG. 1 may be connected to the Internet via a router (not shown) connected to the network 101.

In the network system shown in FIG. 1, each of the multifunction device 1000 and the PC 2000 is assigned a unique IP address and host name. Furthermore, the network system of FIG. 1 is assigned a unique domain name representing its location on the Internet.

In this embodiment, a multifunction peripheral will be described as an example of a printing device. However, as long as the device has the function of executing a password-protected print job, it may be an SFP (Single Function Peripheral) instead of a multifunction device.

Further, in this embodiment, a personal computer (PC) will be described as an example of an external device. However, the computer need not be a personal computer, but may be a shared desktop computer, server computer, mobile terminal, or other device.

Next, the hardware configuration of the multifunction device 1000 will be explained.

A control unit 200 connects a scanner 201, which is an image input device, and a printer 202, which is an image output device. Further, the control unit 200 is connected to the network 101 and the public line 204, and inputs and outputs information to and from external devices.

The CPU 205 is a processor that controls the entire multifunction device 1000. The RAM 206 is a system work memory for the operation of the CPU 205, and is also a memory for temporarily storing image data, user names/passwords, and the like. ROM 207 is a boot ROM and stores a system boot program. The HDD 208 is a hard disk drive and stores system software, applications, and image data. Further, a program for executing a flowchart described later in this embodiment is also stored in this HDD 208. The program stored in the HDD 208 is then loaded into the RAM 206 and executed by the CPU 205.

Each step of the flowchart described in this embodiment is realized by the CPU 205 executing a control program stored in the HDD 208. However, a processor other than the CPU 205 may execute each step of the flowchart, or the CPU 205 and the other processor may cooperate to execute each step.

The operation unit interface 209 is an interface unit with the operation unit 210 having a liquid crystal touch panel, and outputs image data to be displayed on the operation unit 210 to the operation unit 210. Further, the operation unit interface 209 has the role of transmitting information input by a user as a user of the system to the CPU 205 from a keyboard provided in the operation unit 210. A network interface 211 connects to the network 101 and inputs and outputs data. The MODEM 212 is connected to the public line 204 and performs conversion from digital signals to analog signals, etc. The SRAM 213 is a nonvolatile recording medium that can operate at high speed. The RTC 214 is a real-time clock, and performs processing to continue counting the current time even when the control unit 200 is not powered on. The above devices are arranged on the system bus 215.

ImageBus I/F 216 is a bus bridge that connects system bus 215 and image bus 217 that transfers image data at high speed and converts data structure. The image bus 217 is composed of a PCI bus or IEEE1394. The following devices are arranged on the image bus 217.

The RIP unit 218 is a raster image processor and develops the PDL code into a bitmap image. The device I/F unit 219 connects the control unit 200 to the scanner 201 and printer 202, which are image input/output devices, and performs synchronous/asynchronous conversion of image data. The scanner image processing unit 220 corrects, processes, and edits input image data. The printer image processing unit 221 performs printer correction, resolution conversion, etc. on print output image data. The encryption processing unit 222 performs encryption processing on input data. When the received data (including print data) is encrypted, the decryption processing unit 223 decrypts the encrypted data.

Next, the hardware configuration of the PC 2000 will be explained. The PC 2000 includes a CPU 26, a main memory 27, a disk 21, a PC operation section 23, a PC communication section 25, and a PC display section 24. CPU26 is a processor that controls the operation of PC2000. The CPU 26 loads the program stored on the disk 21 into the main memory 27 and executes various processes. Although not shown, the disk 21 stores various programs such as an operating system (OS) and a document creation application. Further, the disk 21 also stores a printer driver program (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer driver) 22 corresponding to the multifunction device 1000.

The PC communication unit 25 transmits and receives various information to and from other devices connected to the network 101. The PC operation unit 23 is, for example, a mouse or a keyboard, and functions as an input device that receives input from the user. The PC display unit 24 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and functions as an output device for outputting data processed by the CPU 26.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation when the PC 2000 sends a password-protected print job to the multifunction device 1000. Each step in the flowchart of FIG. 2 is realized by the CPU 26 executing a program loaded from the disk 21 into the main memory 27.

First, in step S2001 (the step description will be omitted in the following description), the PC 2000 receives an instruction from the user via the PC operation unit 23 for printing with the multifunction device 1000. Upon receiving this instruction, the CPU 26 starts the printer driver 22 corresponding to the multifunction device 1000 and displays a print setting screen 0301 shown in FIG. 3(a) on the PC display unit 24.

FIG. 3A is an example of a screen displayed by the printer driver 22 in S2001. A check box 0302 for setting whether to enable password-protected printing is displayed in the print setting screen 0301 in FIG. 3A. Further, the print setting screen 0301 displays a check box 0303 for setting whether to encrypt data, an OK button 0303, and a cancel button 0304.

Check box 0302 is a check box that is checked when a password is added to the print job and the print job is sent to the multifunction device 1000. When check box 0302 is checked, check box 0303 can also be checked. When check box 0303 is checked, print data (data to be printed) is encrypted and sent to the multifunction device 1000. As the encryption key at this time, a password accepted from the user on the screen shown in FIG. 3(b), which will be described later, is used.

Further, on the print setting screen 0301, print settings such as paper size, number of copies, presence or absence of a stamp, etc. can be made, and a print job including these print settings is generated by the printer driver 22. The example in FIG. 3A shows an example in which password-protected printing is enabled, the paper size for printing is A4, the number of copies to be printed is 1, and print settings are made such that there is no stamp.

Next, in step S2002, the printer driver 22 accepts the user's operation on the print settings screen 0301, and writes the print settings to the RAM (not shown) of the PC 2000. Then, when the press of the OK button 0303 indicating that the print job settings are completed is detected, the process advances to S2004.

In S2004, the printer driver 22 determines whether to generate a password-protected print job based on the settings received in S2002.

If the printer driver 22 determines to generate a print job with a password (YES in S2004), it displays the user name/password entry screen shown in FIG. (S2005). On the other hand, if the printer driver 22 determines not to generate password-protected printing (that is, to generate a normal print job) (NO in S2004), it generates a print job according to the set print settings, and combines it with the print data. The information is transmitted to the machine 1000 (S2010).

FIG. 3(b) shows the user name/password input screen 0321 displayed in S2005. On the screen shown in FIG. 3B, the user enters a user name in a user name input form 0322 and a password in a password input form 0323. The input user name and password are added to the print job and sent to the multifunction device 1000.

The user name input into the user name input form 0322 is a user ID (user identifier) for identifying the owner of the print job. The user name is later used to match the user who has logged in to the multifunction device 1000 with the owner of the job (however, it is not used for the above verification if the multifunction device 1000 does not perform user authentication). Although the user name can be changed as needed on the screen shown in FIG. 3(b), the user name preset in the PC 2000 is input as an initial value.

The password entered into the password input form 0323 is information required when printing is started on the multifunction peripheral 1000 later. In other words, a print job to which a password has been added (a password-attached print job) is placed on standby in the multifunction device 1000 in a password input waiting state, and this password (the password input by the user in FIG. 3(b)) is input on the operation unit 210. Printing will begin based on what has been done. In this way, the password-protected print job allows only those who know the password added to the job to output the printed matter, and it is possible to reduce the situation where the printed matter is intercepted by someone who does not know the password. . On the other hand, for a print job with a password, the user enters the password on the PC 2000 side and also on the multifunction device 1000 side. Therefore, although security is maintained, from the user's point of view, the task of entering a password on the multifunction peripheral 1000 is required, which is time-consuming. Therefore, in this embodiment, when logging into the multifunction device 1000, if user authentication has been completed, it is possible to omit entering a password. This part will be explained in detail later. In this embodiment, the password is input by the user on the screen shown in FIG. 3(b), but the printer driver 22 generates a job-specific password and displays the generated password to notify the user. You can also do this. Alternatively, the multifunction device 1000 may be requested to generate a password, and the password generated by the multifunction device 1000 may be received and notified to the user.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 2. In S2006, the printer driver 22 receives the user name and password input from the user via the PC operation unit 23. The user name and password accepted here are the user name input form 0322 and password input form 0323 displayed on the PC display section 24 in FIG. 3(b). Then, the PC operation unit 23 accepts the pressing of the password-attached print job setting completion button 0324, and proceeds to S2007.

In S2007, the printer driver 22 determines whether or not to encrypt the data to be printed based on the encryption settings received in S2002. If it is determined in S2007 that the data should be encrypted, the process advances to S2009, and if it is determined that the data is not to be encrypted, the process advances to S2008.

In S2008, the printer driver 22 generates a password print job including data to be printed (print data) and a user name and password, and transmits it to the multifunction device 1000. In addition to this, the print job includes the domain name of the PC 2000 and other information. The user name is used to match the user who has logged in to the multifunction device 1000 with the owner of the job, and the password is used when the multifunction device 1000 starts printing.

In S2009, the printer driver 22 performs encryption processing on the print data using the password received in S2006 as an encryption key. The encryption method using the password at this time uses an algorithm such as SHA-256. The printer driver 22 sends a print job including an encryption flag indicating that the print data is encrypted, the encrypted print data, a user name, and a password (password-attached encrypted print job) to the multifunction device. Send to 1000.

In S2010, the printer driver 22 generates a print job including print data and a user name/password as a password-attached print job, and sends it to the multifunction device 1000.

The above is an explanation of the process of transmitting a print job from the printer driver 22 of the PC 2000 to the multifunction device 1000.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation when the multifunction device 1000 receives a print job. Each step shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is realized by the CPU 205 executing a program loaded from the HDD 208 to the RAM 206. The process in the flowchart of FIG. 4 starts in response to receiving a print job from the PC 2000 (or other external device).

In step S4001, the CPU 205 receives a print job sent from the PC 2000 or the like via the network interface 211. Then, the CPU 205 extracts print data and print settings from the received print job.

In step S4002, the CPU 205 determines whether the received print job is a password-protected print job based on the print settings extracted in step S4001. Specifically, it is checked whether the password-protected print job includes a job password, and if the job password is included, it is determined that the password-protected print job is a password-protected print job. If it is determined that the received print job is a password-protected print job, the process advances to step S4003. If it is determined in step S4002 that the print job is not a password-protected print job, the process advances to step S4004.

In S4003, the CPU 205 outputs the received print data to the RIP unit 218. Then, the CPU 205 stores the data of the bitmap image developed by the RIP unit 218 in the HDD 208 in association with the status of waiting for password input (S4003). Note that the bitmap image data stored in S4003 is not output to the printer 202 until the job password is compared with the password input in response to the password input on the operation unit 210. In other words, the received password-protected print job is held here without being printed. Furthermore, in S4003, the domain name, user name, and job password included in the print settings are managed in association with the bitmap image data.

If it is determined in step S4002 that the print job is not a password-protected print job (that is, if it is a normal print job), the CPU 205 outputs the received print data to the RIP unit 218. Then, the CPU 205 outputs the bitmap image developed by the RIP unit 218 to the printer 202. In response to this, the printer 202 prints an image on printing paper based on the output bitmap image data (S4004).

The above is a series of operations performed when the multifunction device 1000 receives a print job.

In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which a print job to which a password is not added (normal print job) is printed without being retained. However, for example, when the multifunction device 1000 is set to forced retention mode, the print data may be retained as in the process of S4003 even if the print job does not have a password added.

Although not shown in FIG. 4, in step S4003, the CPU 205 actually checks whether the received print job includes an encryption flag, and checks the print data included in the print job. Determine whether the is encrypted. If it is determined that the encryption flag is included, it means that the print data included in the print job is encrypted with a password. Therefore, the print data cannot be developed into a bitmap image unless it is decrypted with a password. Therefore, the CPU 205 stores the encrypted print data as is in the HDD 208.

On the other hand, if the print job does not include an encryption flag, it means that the print data included in the print job is plain text. Therefore, the plaintext print data is transferred to the RIP unit 218, and the print data is developed into a bitmap image and then stored in the HDD 208. In this way, if the print data is not encrypted, by developing the print data into a bitmap image when receiving a password-protected print job, it is possible for the user to go in front of the multifunction device 1000 and instruct the printing before the printed matter is printed. The time until paper is ejected can be shortened.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing operations when printing or canceling a password-protected print job. Each step shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is realized by the CPU 205 executing a program loaded from the HDD 208 to the RAM 206, similarly to FIG. 4.

In step S5001, the CPU 205 obtains the setting values of the multifunction peripheral 1000 stored in the SRAM 213, and determines whether or not to perform user authentication based on the obtained setting values. Note that the setting of whether or not to enable user authentication is registered in advance in the multifunction peripheral 1000 by the system administrator. In addition, the authentication information (user ID and password) for each user used when user authentication is enabled is registered in advance by the system administrator in the multifunction device 1000 or an authentication server (not shown) on the network. shall be kept.

If it is determined in S5001 that user authentication is to be performed, the process advances to S5002 and shifts to login processing. The login process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6, but when the user logs in to the multifunction device 1000 through this login process, the information of the logged-in user is written to the RAM 206, and the process moves to S5004. On the other hand, if it is determined in S5001 that the user is not authenticated, the login process in S5002 is omitted and the process advances to S5004.

In step S5004, the CPU 205 obtains the settings of the multifunction device 1000 stored in the SRAM 213, and determines whether the user has been authenticated using the multifunction device 1000. This determination is made by referring to the setting values used in the process in S5001. That is, if the setting value acquired from the SRAM 213 indicates that user authentication is to be performed, since user authentication has already been performed in S5002, YES is determined in S5004. On the other hand, if the setting value acquired from the SRAM 213 does not indicate that user authentication is to be performed, NO is determined in S5004.

In S5005, the CPU 205 checks the job list display conditions. For example, the CPU 205 acquires filtering settings for the job list from the SRAM 213, and determines whether to display all print jobs or only print jobs owned by the logged-in user based on the filtering settings. The filtering settings are settings for determining the range of instructions for printing or canceling jobs in the print job list 9002. If the filtering settings are valid, only print jobs of logged-in users are displayed in the print job list 9002. Therefore, if the filtering settings are enabled, a logged-in user can only start printing his or her own password-protected print job. On the other hand, if the filtering setting is disabled, all print jobs held in the HDD 208 in a password input waiting state are displayed in the print job list 9002. Therefore, the logged-in user can start printing not only his own print job but also a print job input into the multifunction device 1000 by another person. That is, in this embodiment, a user different from the user who submitted the job can log in to the multifunction device 1000 and receive printed matter related to the job. (However, since printing of print jobs is restricted by a password, the user who receives the print job must of course know this password.)

Note that in step S5005, the authority of the authenticated user is checked, and if the user has administrator authority, print jobs of all users are displayed, and if the user does not have administrator authority, only the jobs of the logged-in user are displayed. It may also be displayed.

In step S5006, the CPU 205 acquires the user name of the logged-in user from the RAM 206, and also acquires the user name (user ID) of the print job managed in a password input waiting state. Note that, as will be described later in the explanation of FIG. 6, when the login process is completed, a login context including a user name for identifying the login user is written to the RAM 206. The CPU 205 identifies the login user based on the login context written in the RAM 206. Then, in step S5006, the CPU 205 displays on the operation unit 210 a job list of password-protected print jobs that includes a user name that matches the user name of the logged-in user.

In step S5007, the CPU 205 displays on the operation unit 210 a list of all password-protected print jobs stored in the HDD 208 of the multifunction peripheral 1000 in a password input waiting state.

FIG. 9 is a screen example of the job list displayed in S5006 or S5007. The print job list 9002 is a list of password-protected print jobs stored in the multifunction peripheral 1000. However, when displaying a list of print jobs in S5006, only print jobs whose owner is the logged-in user are displayed.

A print button 9003 is a button for instructing to start printing the selected print job. A cancel button 9004 is a button for canceling printing of the selected print job.

The print job list 9002 also displays whether or not a print job is selected, the reception number, the time when the print job was received, the print job name, the name of the user who submitted the print job (that is, the owner of the print job), and the status of the job.

In the example of FIG. 9, five password-protected print jobs are displayed in the print job list 9002, and the password-protected print job with reception number 0001 is selected. FIG. 9 shows an example in which four unencrypted password-protected print jobs are displayed as reception numbers 0001 to 0004 in the print job list 9002. Furthermore, an example is taken in which the reception number 0005 in the print job list 9002 in FIG. 9 is an encrypted print job with a password, and the encryption presence display mark 9006 is displayed on the print job list 09002.

Although the types of jobs displayed in the print job list 9002 are only password-protected print jobs, normal print jobs can also be displayed on this screen.

In S5010, the CPU 205 receives from the user a selection of a print job to be operated from the print job list 9002 displayed in S5006 or S5007. When a print job to be operated is selected, the selection check box 9005 corresponding to the selected job is checked and becomes selected. When at least one of the jobs displayed in the print job list 9002 is selected, the cancel button 9004 and the print button 9003 become operable. In S5010, the CPU 205 further receives an operation of the cancel button 9004 or the print button 9003 from the operation unit 210. For example, if the user wants to print the selected print job, the user presses a print button 9003 to instruct printing. On the other hand, if the user wishes to cancel execution of the print job, the user presses a cancel button 9004. In S5010, it is determined whether the received instruction is to print or cancel, and if it is determined to be printing, the process moves to the printing process in FIG. 7 (S5011). On the other hand, if it is determined that the process is to be canceled, the process moves to the cancellation process shown in FIG. 8 (S5012).

The entire operation when the user logs into the multifunction device 1000 and uses the hold print function has been described above.

Next, a detailed explanation of the process at the time of logging into the multifunction device 1000 (S5002), a detailed explanation of the printing process of a password-protected print job (S5010), and a detailed explanation of the printing cancellation process (S5012) will be explained in detail in FIGS. 7. This will be explained using FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating details of the login process executed in S5002 of FIG.

In S6001, the CPU 205 displays a login screen on the operation unit 210.

FIG. 13 is an example of the login screen displayed in S6001. This example is an example of logging in using the keyboard authentication method. On the login screen, a user name input form 1301, a password input form 1302, a login button 1303, and a guest login button 1304 are displayed along with the above message.

When logging in after user authentication, the user enters the user name and password in the user name input form 1301 and password input form 1302, respectively, and presses the login button. On the other hand, when logging in as a guest user, the guest user presses the guest login button without entering a user name and password. However, when logging in as a guest, a simple character string such as "Guest" may be input as authentication information.

In S6002, the CPU 205 checks whether the login button 1303 or the guest login button 1304 has been pressed, and determines whether the logged-in user logs in as a guest user. If it is determined that the user will log in as a guest user, the process advances to S6006, and if it is determined that this is not the case, the process advances to S6002.

Next, the CPU 205 acquires the authentication information accepted via the login screen in S6002. The input authentication information is written to the RAM 206 via the operation unit interface 209.

In S6004, the CPU 205 performs user authentication based on the authentication information acquired in S6002. User authentication may be performed by the multifunction device 1000 itself, or may be performed using an external authentication server on the network, such as an active directory or an LDAP server. When the multifunction device 1000 itself performs user authentication, it has an authentication database in the HDD 208, checks the input user name and password against the authentication database, and performs user authentication. When an external authentication server performs user authentication, it issues an authentication request including the acquired authentication information to the authentication server, and receives the result of authentication success or authentication failure.

Note that user authentication may be performed using an IC card. Authentication methods such as fingerprint authentication and face authentication may also be used.

If it is determined that the user authentication has been successful (YES in S6004), the CPU 205 allows the user to log in, stores the login context including the user name obtained in S6002 in the RAM 206 (S6006), and ends the process in FIG. do. In addition to the user name, the login context includes information such as login time and expiration date. Further, when logging in with the authority of a guest user, information indicating that the user is a guest user is stored in the RAM 206.

If it is determined in step S6004 that the user authentication has failed, the CPU 205 displays an error on the operation unit 210, prohibits the user from using the multifunction device 1000, and returns to step S6002.

The details of the login process have been explained above.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the main focus of this embodiment, and corresponds to the printing process in S5011 in FIG.

First, in step S7001, the CPU 205 obtains the password entry omission setting of the multifunction device 1000 (see FIG. 10) from the SRAM 213, and determines the operation mode of the multifunction device 1000. Specifically, if the password entry omission setting acquired from the SRAM 213 is valid, the multifunction peripheral 1000 operates in a mode (hereinafter referred to as "password entry omission mode") that allows the user to omit password entry. It is determined that it is inside. On the other hand, if the setting value acquired from the SRAM 213 is invalid, the multifunction device 1000 determines that it is operating in a mode that requires the user to enter a password (hereinafter referred to as "password entry required mode"). . In S7001, if it is determined that the computer is operating in the password input omission mode, the process advances to S7002, and if it is determined that the password input required mode is active, the process advances to S7009.

FIG. 10 is a setting screen for setting password input omission. This setting screen 10001 is displayed on the operation unit 210 by the CPU 205. When the system administrator selects the enable button 10002 or the disable button 10003 on the setting screen 10001 and selects the OK button 10004, the CPU 205 indicates whether to enable or disable password input and writes the setting value to the SRAM 213.

In step S7002, the CPU 205 acquires from the HDD 208 the encryption flag of the password-protected print job for which printing has been instructed. Then, the CPU 205 determines whether the encryption flag of the password-protected print job for which printing has been instructed is valid (that is, whether the print data is encrypted) (S7003).

If it is determined in step S7003 that the print data is encrypted, the print data cannot be decrypted unless a password is received from the user even if it is operating in the password input omission mode. Therefore, the process advances to step S7009, and the CPU 205 displays a password input screen and accepts a password input from the user. On the other hand, if it is determined that the print data is not encrypted, the process advances to step S7004.

In step S7004, the CPU 205 obtains the setting values of the multifunction peripheral 1000 stored in the SRAM 213, and determines whether user authentication has been completed. This determination is made by referring to the setting values used in the process in S5001 of FIG. That is, if the setting value acquired from the SRAM 213 indicates that the user is to be authenticated, since the user has already been authenticated in S5002, it is determined as YES in S7004, and the process advances to S7005. On the other hand, if the setting value acquired from the SRAM 213 does not indicate that user authentication is to be performed, a negative determination is made in S7004, and the process advances to S7009.

In S7005, the CPU 205 obtains the login context stored in the RAM 206 and confirms the authority of the authenticated user.

In this embodiment, three types of authority are set for the logged-in user: administrator, general user, and guest user authority. However, this is just an example. These authorities are registered in advance by the user authentication management application of the multifunction device 1000.

A user with administrator authority has the authority to operate the management settings of the multifunction device 1000, and in this embodiment, only the user with administrator authority can set the password entry omission setting and whether or not to authenticate the user. do. A user with general user authority can operate items other than management settings and various functions of the multifunction device 1000. Regarding the functions and settings provided by the multifunction peripheral 1000, the guest user is limited to the items that can be operated by a general user and has the following characteristics. That is, when logging into the multifunction device 1000 as a guest user, whoever logs in is treated as a mere guest within the multifunction device 1000. Therefore, even if a user with guest user authority logs into the multifunction device 1000, the multifunction device 1000 cannot identify the individual.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 7. If the CPU 205 determines that the authority of the authenticated user is the guest user authority (YES in S7005), the process advances to S7009. If it is determined that the authority of the authenticated user is another authority (that is, administrator authority or general user authority) (NO in S7005), the process advances to S7007.

In step S7007, the CPU 205 determines whether the print job instructed to be printed is a job of an authenticated user by checking whether the user name of the print job selected in step S5010 matches the user name of the logged-in user. do. If the user name of the print job and the user name of the logged-in user do not match (NO in S7007), the CPU 205 displays a password input screen (not shown) on the operation unit 210 and accepts a password input from the user (S7009). ).

In step S7007, if the CPU 205 determines that the password-protected print job and the user name of the logged-in user match, the CPU 205 executes printing of the job without accepting the password input (S7008). That is, if the setting to omit password input is enabled, if the print job is one's own with a password (that is, the print job is owned by an authenticated user), the print job can be printed without accepting the password input. This allows the user to reduce the effort required to enter a password when printing his/her own password-protected print job.

In the above process, when the password entry omission setting is enabled and the logged-in user is a guest user, the multifunction device 1000 always requires a password entry when printing. Since the guest user cannot identify himself/herself, the multifunction peripheral cannot determine which password-protected print job is his/her own. Therefore, even if the setting to omit password input is enabled, when a guest user issues a print instruction for a password-protected print job, the password input is always required.

In step S7012, the CPU 205 compares the password received from the user via the operation unit 210 and the password of the password-added print job, and if it is determined that they match, the process advances to step S7013.

If it is determined in step S7012 that the passwords do not match, an error screen indicating that the passwords do not match is displayed on the operation unit 210 (S7014).

In step S7013, the CPU 205 acquires the encryption flag of the password-protected print job, and determines whether the print-instructed job is an encrypted password-protected print job. If it is determined that the print-instructed job is not a password-protected encrypted print job (S7013: NO), the password-protected print job is printed (S7008).

If it is determined that the print job is an encrypted print job with a password (YES in S7013), in S7015 the CPU 205 decrypts the encrypted print data using the password received in S7009, and outputs the decrypted print data to the RIP unit 218. do. The RIP unit 218 develops the output print data into a bitmap image. Thereafter, the printer 202 prints an image on printing paper based on the bitmap image data output from the RIP unit 218.

The operation of the printing process in FIG. 7 has been described above. According to this embodiment, even if the user cannot omit inputting a password for a password-protected print job, the password-protected print job can be executed by prompting the user to input the password as before. With this process, in a multifunction device in which the password input omission function is enabled and the job list filtering setting is disabled, it is possible to print password print jobs other than one's own by inputting a password, thereby improving convenience.

Next, processing for canceling a password-protected print job will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the cancellation process in S5012 of FIG.

In S8001, the CPU 205 obtains the settings of the multifunction device 1000 stored in the SRAM 213, and determines whether user authentication has been completed on the multifunction device 1000. If it is determined that the user has not been authenticated (NO in S8001), the CPU 205 erases the data of the password-protected print job for which cancellation was instructed from the HDD 208 (S8004). If it is determined that the user has been authenticated, the CPU 205 acquires the user name of the password-protected print job for which cancellation was instructed and the user name of the logged-in user (S8002).

Next, the CPU 205 determines whether the user name of the password-protected print job for which cancellation has been instructed matches the user name of the logged-in user (S8003). If it is determined that the password-protected print job and the user name of the logged-in user match (S8003: YES), the CPU 205 erases the data of the password-protected print job that was instructed to be canceled from the HDD 208 (S8004), and proceeds to S8005.

In step S8005, the CPU 205 deletes the password-protected print job for which cancellation was selected from the print job list 09002 displayed on the operation unit 210. Then, the print job cancellation process shown in FIG. 8 is ended.

If it is determined that the password-protected print job and the user name of the logged-in user do not match (NO in S8003), the CPU 205 displays an error screen on the operation unit 210 indicating that execution of the selected print job cannot be canceled; The print job cancellation process shown in FIG. 8 ends.

The first embodiment has been described above. According to the first embodiment, when an authenticated user instructs to execute a password-protected print job, control is performed so that printing can be started without inputting the password included in the print job.

Further, according to the first embodiment, control is performed so that even an unauthenticated user can instruct printing of a reserved print job. (However, if the unauthenticated user instructs to execute a job, control is performed so that printing can be started after prompting for a password). This control reduces the burden of password entry on authenticated users, and allows them to print with a single user authentication at login. Furthermore, since printing can be started for unauthenticated users on condition that they enter a password, convenience can be improved.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, security can be maintained by always requesting input of a password when a print instruction is received without user authentication.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, a user who has logged in to a multifunction device can have another person execute a password-protected print job (as long as he or she knows the password for that job), thereby increasing the convenience of the multifunction device. can be improved.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, regarding the process of canceling a password-protected print job (see FIG. 8), the multifunction device is capable of canceling only the password-protected print job of a logged-in user. In the second embodiment, in order to further improve convenience, even a print job with a password for a person other than the logged-in user can be canceled if the correct password is input. In the second embodiment, this function is referred to as a "cancellation password input function."

In the second embodiment, in a multifunction device that has a password input function at the time of cancellation, an instruction to cancel a print job with a password for oneself or another person is given according to the presence or absence of user authentication management and the role conditions of the user who has logged in to the multifunction device. We will explain the control when

Control of the process of canceling a password-protected print job executed by the multifunction peripheral 1000 in the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. In the embodiment, parts that are not explained, such as the configuration of the multifunction device, the printer driver's password-protected print job sending process, the multifunction device's login process, the password-protected print job print process, and the print job reception process, are explained in Part 1. This is the same as the embodiment.

The process in FIG. 11 in the second embodiment includes steps S11006 to S11015 added to the process in FIG. 8 in the first embodiment. This added process is related to the control in which the password setting at the time of cancellation is effective, and the details will be described later. The processes in steps S11001 to S11005 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 in this embodiment are similar to the processes in steps S8001 to S8005 described in the flowchart in FIG. 8 in the first embodiment. Further, the processes in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 are the same as in the first embodiment.

Hereinafter, portions of the first embodiment that are changed from the second embodiment will be described.

In step S11006, the CPU 205 acquires the password input setting at the time of cancellation of the multifunction device 1000 from the SRAM 213, and determines whether the password input setting at the time of cancellation of the multifunction device 1000 is valid.

FIG. 12 shows a password-protected print function setting screen 12001 according to the second embodiment, which is displayed on the operation unit 210. The password-protected print function setting screen 12001 has a password input omission setting and a password input setting upon cancellation. The password input omission setting is the same as that in FIG. 10 of the first embodiment, and in FIG. 12, in addition to FIG. 10, a setting for a password input function at the time of cancellation is added. In this embodiment, this is referred to as "password input setting at the time of cancellation." The password input setting at the time of cancellation in FIG. 12 will be explained.

The password input setting at the time of cancellation is set by the password input setting valid button 12006 at the time of cancellation and the invalid password input setting at the time of cancellation button 12007 in the password-attached retention printing function setting screen 12001. The user selects either the password input setting valid button 12006 or the invalid password input setting button 12007 via the operation unit 210. The password input setting at the time of cancellation includes the settings of the password input setting valid button 12006 and the password input setting invalidation button 12007 at the time of cancellation. The changed password input setting at the time of cancellation is saved in the SRAM 213 by the CPU 205 by selecting the password-attached retention printing function setting button 12004.

Returning to the explanation of the process in FIG. 11. In step S11006, if the CPU 205 determines that the password input setting at the time of cancellation is invalid, the process moves to step S11001. In step S11006, if the CPU 205 determines that the password input setting at the time of cancellation is valid, the process moves to step S11007.

In step S11007, the CPU 205 obtains the settings of the multifunction peripheral 1000 held in the SRAM 213, and determines whether the multifunction peripheral 1000 manages user authentication. If the CPU 205 determines in step S11007 that the multifunction peripheral 1000 is not managing user authentication, the CPU 205 displays a password input screen on the operation unit 210 and accepts a password input from the user (S11011). Then, the process moves to step S11012.

In step S11012, the CPU 205 acquires the password from the password-added print job for which the cancellation instruction has been given. Next, the process moves to step S11013.

In step S11013, the CPU 205 compares the password input by the user via the operation unit 210 with the password of the acquired password-added print job. Next, the process moves to step S11014.

In step S11014, if the CPU 205 determines that the password input by the user matches the password of the password-added print job, the CPU 205 cancels the password-added print job for which cancellation has been instructed (S11004). Then, the process moves to step S11005.

In step S11014, if the CPU 205 determines that the password input by the user and the password of the acquired password-attached print job do not match, it displays a password mismatch information screen (not shown here) on the operation unit 210 (S11015). . The CPU 205 then ends the password-added print job cancellation process.

If the CPU 205 determines in step S11007 that the multifunction peripheral 1000 is managing user authentication, the process moves to step S11008.

In step S11008, the CPU 205 obtains the role of the user logging into the multifunction peripheral 1000, and determines which role the user has. In step S11008, if the CPU 205 determines that the logged-in user is a general user, the CPU 205 acquires the user information of the password-protected print job for which cancellation was instructed and the user information of the logged-in user (S11009).

Then, the CPU 205 determines whether the user information of the password-protected print job for which cancellation was instructed matches the user information of the logged-in user (S11010). In step S11010, if the CPU 205 determines that the user information of the password-protected print job that was instructed to cancel matches the user information of the logged-in user, the CPU 205 cancels the password-protected print job that was instructed to cancel (S11004). Next, the process moves to step S11005.

Through the above process, when a user performs user authentication on a multifunction device for which the password entry setting for cancellation is enabled, if the user has a password-protected print job, it becomes possible to cancel the print job without entering the password. . As a result, the user can reduce the effort required to perform authentication when canceling his or her own password-protected print job for a multifunction device for which the password input setting for canceling is enabled.

If it is determined in step S11008 that the logged-in user is an administrator user, the CPU 205 cancels the password-protected print job for which cancellation has been instructed (S11004). Then, the process moves to step S11005.

In the above process, if the logged-in user has an administrator role for a multifunction device with password entry setting enabled when canceling, the multifunction device will not prompt for a password even if the print job does not have a password for the logged-in user. Printing is being canceled. In this embodiment, since the administrator is assumed to delete jobs of other people's multifunction devices that are no longer needed for the purpose of managing the multifunction device, any password-protected print job can be canceled.

In step S11008, if the CPU 205 determines that the logged-in user is a guest user, the CPU 205 displays a password input screen on the operation unit 210 and accepts a password input from the user (S11011).

In the above-described process, if the login user is a guest user, the multifunction device always requires a password input at the time of cancellation for a multifunction device in which the password input setting at the time of cancellation is enabled. Since the guest user cannot identify himself or herself, the multifunction peripheral cannot determine which password-protected print job is his or her own. Therefore, even if the password input setting at the time of cancellation is valid, when a guest user instructs to cancel a print job with a password, the user is always required to input the password.

The second embodiment has been described above. According to the second embodiment, the authentication work by entering a password is reduced for a multifunction device in which the password entry setting at the time of cancellation is enabled, thereby reducing the user's effort when executing printing of a print job with a password. becomes possible.

(Other examples)
In the first embodiment, the password input omission setting was described as being performed by the system administrator via the screen shown in FIG. 10. However, the setting for omitting password input may be automatically determined according to settings regarding user authentication. For example, if the user authentication settings are set to disabled, the enable button 10002 on the settings screen 10001 in FIG. It may be configured to operate in mandatory mode. In this case, the CPU 205 refers to the setting values stored in the SRAM 213 to determine whether or not to authenticate the user. If the CPU 205 determines that the user is not authenticated, it automatically disables the password input omission setting. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the burden of setting work on the system administrator.

Note that the timing for performing user authentication is not limited to the time of login. For example, if a multifunction device is a device that provides functions such as copying, scanning, and printing, it may be possible to switch whether or not user authentication is required for each function (this is called function-based authentication). If the device performs function-based authentication in this way, user authentication is performed when attempting to use the print function, and when this user authentication is performed, the setting to omit password entry is automatically enabled. You may also do so.

Note that in this embodiment, it is determined whether or not the password input can be omitted depending on whether the password-protected print job to be operated is a job of a logged-in user. However, it is also possible to determine whether or not the password entry can be omitted using other methods. For example, it may be determined whether or not the password entry can be omitted depending on whether the logged-in user is a user with administrator authority. In this case, if the user has administrator authority, the password entry is omitted, and if the user is a general user or a guest user, the password entry is required.

Furthermore, password input may be omitted for users of the group (or department) to which the logged-in user belongs. For example, it is possible to obtain the group ID (or department ID) of the logged-in user and the group ID specified from the user name included in the print job to be operated, and omit the password input if these match. good.

In the present embodiment, the password is input when printing after the user selects a job. However, it can also be done before selecting a job. In this case, it is possible to receive a password input by the user, identify a print job that includes the received password, and print it. In other words, one or more print jobs that match the input password are automatically identified and printed, eliminating the need for the user to select a job. Note that it is also possible to automatically identify and print only print jobs with matching passwords and print jobs of authenticated users.

Note that it is also possible to selectively (exclusively) set whether or not to authenticate the user and whether to enable password omission. For example, if the setting is to authenticate the user, the password omission setting is automatically disabled, and if the setting is not to authenticate the user, the password omission setting is automatically enabled. Good too. Further, switching between the password omission setting and the user authentication setting may be performed by instructions from the system administrator.

Note that in this embodiment, the password is accepted from the user both in the case where the authenticated user and the owner of the print job are different, and in the case where the print instruction is accepted without user authentication. (If NO in step 7004 of FIG. 7, and if NO in step S7007). However, this embodiment also includes a form in which a password is accepted from the user only in one of these cases. In other words, this embodiment also includes a form in which a password is received from the user only when a print instruction is accepted without user authentication, and a form in which a password is received only when the authenticated user and the owner of the print job are different. It will be done.

Further, the object of the present invention can also be achieved by performing the following processing. In other words, a storage medium recording a software program code that implements the functions of the embodiments described above is supplied to a system or device, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads the program stored in the storage medium. This is the process of reading the code. In this case, the program code read from the storage medium itself realizes the functions of the embodiments described above, and the program code and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention.

1000 Multifunction device 2000 Personal computer 205 CPU
206 RAM
207 ROM
208 HDD
210 Operation unit 201 Scanner 202 Printer

Claims (16)

an authentication means for personal authentication;
A printing device comprising a deletion means capable of deleting a password print job,
It has a setting means that can set an input setting to input a password when deleting a password print job,
When the input setting is valid , the deletion means:
In the state where the personal authentication is not performed, the password print job can be deleted without the personal authentication by accepting the same password information as the password information of the password print job,
A printing apparatus characterized in that, in a state where the individual has been authenticated, the password print job can be deleted without accepting password information for the password print job corresponding to the individual who has undergone the personal authentication. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the personal authentication is authentication based on a user name. accept authentication information including the username;
3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the personal authentication is based on the authentication information and authentication information stored in advance. It is possible to authenticate as a guest user without the personal authentication,
4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the state in which the personal authentication is not performed is a state in which the user is authenticated as the guest user. 4. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the state in which the personal authentication is not performed is a state in which the user is not logged into the printing device. The deletion means is
Claim characterized in that when a print job is received with a user ID but no password, the print job is deleted without accepting password information, regardless of whether the personal authentication has been performed or not. 6. The printing device according to any one of 1 to 5 . The deletion means is
In the state where the individual has been authenticated, if an instruction to delete the password print job is received without accepting password information of the password print job corresponding to the individual who has undergone the personal authentication, the password print job is deleted;
Claim characterized in that, in the state where the personal authentication is not performed, the password print job is deleted by accepting password information that is the same as the password information of the password print job and receiving an instruction to delete the password print job. 7. The printing device according to any one of 1 to 6 . 8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the password print job is a print job in which the password information is set. A method for controlling a printing device having an authentication means for personal authentication and a deletion means for deleting a password print job, the method comprising:
If the input setting for requiring a password to be entered when deleting a password print job is enabled, the deletion means:
In the state where the personal authentication is not performed, the deletion means deletes the password print job without the personal authentication by accepting the same password information as the password information of the password print job when deleting the password print job. death,
In the state where the individual has been authenticated, the deletion means deletes the password print job without accepting password information for the password print job corresponding to the individual who has authenticated the individual. Method. 10. The method of controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the personal authentication is authentication based on a user name. accept authentication information including the username;
11. The method of controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the personal authentication is based on the authentication information and authentication information stored in advance. It is possible to authenticate as a guest user without the personal authentication,
12. The method of controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the state in which the personal authentication is not performed is a state in which the user is authenticated as the guest user. 12. The method of controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the state in which the personal authentication is not performed is a state in which the user is not logged into the printing apparatus. The deletion means is
Claim characterized in that when a print job is received with a user ID but no password, the print job is deleted without accepting password information, regardless of whether the personal authentication has been performed or not. 14. The method for controlling a printing device according to any one of items 9 to 13 . The deletion means is
In the state where the individual has been authenticated, if an instruction to delete the password print job is received without accepting password information of the password print job corresponding to the individual who has undergone the personal authentication, the password print job is deleted;
Claim characterized in that, in the state where the personal authentication is not performed, the password print job is deleted by accepting password information that is the same as the password information of the password print job and receiving an instruction to delete the password print job. 15. The method for controlling a printing device according to any one of items 9 to 14 . 16. The method of controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the password print job is a print job in which the password information is set.

Images