JP2006163261A - Job management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the security of a highly confidential job by preventing the history and status of a highly confidential job from being viewed by a person with a low security level.
A management system for managing a job in an image forming apparatus 110, wherein a job other than a user job of a user of an image forming apparatus 110 currently being authenticated is a reception number, a reception time, a personal ID, The content of at least one of the information on the number of copies or the number of copies and the document name is made indistinguishable, or the existence of the job itself is not displayed.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a job management system using an image forming apparatus capable of obtaining a high-speed output image by both copying and printing.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a job management system using an image forming apparatus capable of performing a plurality of authentications for each function and simultaneously operating non-conflicting functions, printing on a LAN between PCs and PCs When a job conflict occurs, the status of job processing on the other PC side from the PC on which job processing is suspended passes through a remote job monitor (hereinafter, this remote job monitor is referred to as “remote UI”), It is configured to be monitored in real time.

  If authentication is completed via a job monitor of the main body of the image forming apparatus (hereinafter, the job monitor of the main body of the image forming apparatus is referred to as “main body UI”), a general user (excluding the administrator of the main body) is authenticated. ) Can also output the job history, and information such as “document name and document size”, “who output the document”, or “when the document was output” regarding the job other than the user can be obtained. Yes.

  However, in the above-described conventional example, for example, a person with a high security level (a person who is involved in a highly confidential business, a manager in a department, etc.) and a person with a low security level (a person engaged in a general business or a department) The person who corresponds to the latter, the history of the transmission of highly confidential jobs by the person corresponding to the former and the output status of the job, the person corresponding to the latter Can be monitored only under the condition that the personal authentication has been completed, so if the person corresponding to the latter is malicious, it is possible to search and steal the original file from there, There was a drawback that there was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. For highly confidential jobs, the security and security of highly confidential jobs are enhanced by preventing the history and status from being viewed by people with low security levels. An object of the present invention is to provide a job management system.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a job management system for managing jobs in an image forming apparatus, wherein a job other than a user job of a user of the image forming apparatus currently being authenticated is a receipt number related to the job, Job status display means is provided that makes it impossible to discriminate the content of at least one of reception time, personal ID, number or number of copies, and document name information, or hides the existence of the job itself. A featured job management system is provided.

  According to the present invention, since the job status display means, the job history display / output means, and the screen switching means are configured, a highly confidential job cannot be seen from a person with a low security level. There is an effect.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 800 constituting the job management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The image forming apparatus 800 includes a reader 10, a printer 11, and a controller 12. First, the configuration of the scanner 10 will be described. On the platen glass 101, the originals fed from the automatic document feeder 142 are sequentially placed at predetermined positions. The document placed on the document table glass 101 is exposed by a document illumination lamp 102 composed of, for example, a halogen lamp. Reference numerals 103, 104, and 105 denote scanning mirrors that are accommodated in the optical scanning unit 147 and guide reflected light from the document to the CCD unit 106 while reciprocating.

  The CCD unit 106 includes an imaging lens 107 that forms an image of reflected light from a document on the CCD, an image sensor 108 formed of, for example, a CCD, a CCD driver 109 that drives the image sensor 108, and the like. The CCD unit 106 is controlled by a reader controller 147. Accordingly, the image signal output from the image sensor 108 is converted into, for example, 8-bit digital data, subjected to shading correction, and then input to the controller 12 for various image processing.

  Although details of the controller 12 will be described later, an operation unit 140, a reader control unit 147, and a printer control unit 146 are connected, and an image forming operation is performed by controlling the reader 10 and the printer 11 in accordance with an instruction from the operation unit. The controller 12 communicates with an external I / F.

Next, the configuration of the printer 11 will be described.
Reference numeral 110 denotes a photosensitive drum, which is discharged by a pre-exposure lamp 112 in preparation for image formation. A cleaner 111 cleans the surface of the photosensitive drum 110. A primary charger 113 uniformly charges the photosensitive drum 110. Reference numeral 117 denotes a laser unit as exposure means. The laser unit 117 is composed of, for example, a semiconductor laser or the like, and exposes the photosensitive drum 110 based on image data processed by the controller unit 12 that performs image processing and overall control of the apparatus, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image. .

  Reference numeral 118 denotes a developing device that contains a black developer (toner). A pre-transfer charger 119 applies a high voltage before the toner image developed on the photosensitive drum 110 is transferred to a sheet. Also, 120, 122, and 124 in the figure are paper feed units, and the transfer paper is fed into the apparatus by driving of the paper feed rollers 121, 123, 125, and is temporarily stopped at the position where the registration rollers 126 are disposed. The writing timing with the image formed on the photosensitive drum 110 is taken and the paper is re-fed.

  A transfer charger 127 transfers the toner image developed on the photosensitive drum 110 onto a transfer sheet to be fed. Reference numeral 128 denotes a separation charger that separates the transfer sheet on which the transfer operation has been completed from the photosensitive drum 110. The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 110 without being transferred is collected by the cleaner 111. A conveyance belt 129 conveys the transfer sheet after the transfer process to the fixing device 130 and is fixed by heat, for example. 131 is a flapper that controls the transfer path of the transfer sheet after the fixing process to one of the arrangement directions of the staple sorter 132 and the intermediate tray 137.

  The sheets discharged to the staple sorter 132 are sorted into bins, and the staple unit 141 performs stapling according to instructions from the controller unit 12. Reference numerals 133 to 136 denote feeding rollers which feed the transfer paper once the fixing process is completed to the intermediate tray 137 by being reversed (multiple) or non-reversed (both sides). Reference numeral 138 denotes a re-feed roller that transports the transfer paper placed on the intermediate tray 137 to the position where the registration roller 126 is disposed again.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the reader 10.
Reference numeral 24 denotes a CPU that controls the entire reader unit, and sequentially reads the program from the read-only memory 26 (ROM) that stores the control program, and executes the program. The address bus and data bus of the CPU 24 are connected to each load via a circuit 25 including a bus driver and an address decoder. In addition, the CPU 24 communicates with the CPU 53 of the controller unit 12 via the reader I / F to share device control.

  Reference numeral 27 denotes a random access memory (RAM) as a main storage device used as storage of input data, a working storage area, or the like. Reference numeral 28 denotes an I / O interface, which includes devices such as a motor 29 for driving a paper feed system, a transport system, and an optical system, a clutch 30, and a paper detection sensor 31 for detecting the transported paper. Connected to each load. An image control unit 32 composed of 108, 21, 22, and 23 performs correction, control, and transfer of image signals. The video signal control 23 controls the timing of each function and controls image transfer to the controller unit 12.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the controller 12.
A core IC 53 with a built-in CPU controls the controller 12 and the entire apparatus. It has various external I / Fs and also has an image compression / decompression unit. First, a program is sequentially read from a read-only memory (ROM-DIMM) 51 that stores a control procedure (control program), and the program is executed. In addition, to the CPU 53. An I / O controller 60 is connected via a PCI bus. Each load connected to the I / O controller is changed to an I / F corresponding to each load via the PCI bus and controlled by a program executed by the CPU 53. An HD 307, EEPROM 65, operation unit 140, and RTC (real time clock) 59 are directly connected to the I / O controller 60. An image processing unit 55, a mask ROM 56, an SRAM 57, and an LCD controller 58 are connected via a data bus and an address bus.

  The HD 307 is a hard disk having a memory capacity of about 10 GB, and is divided into an area where a control program is stored and an area used for storing images. Although the control program is also stored in the ROM-DIMM 51, it has a small capacity and is used only at startup. After being started by the program of the ROM-DIMM 51, the program built in the HD 307 is transferred to the SDRAM-DIMM 52 via the PCI bus, and the device is controlled according to the program.

  When updating the device control program, the PC is connected via the IEEE 1284 (54), or the program is downloaded to the HD 307 from the PC connected via the 10 / 100BASE-T connector 62. The EEPROM 65 is an EEPROM connected to the I / O controller, and information on the specifications of the image forming apparatus, such as reading speed, print speed, and language used, is written in advance. The RTC 59 is a real time clock and indicates time. It is always backed up by a battery (not shown).

  The operation unit 140 performs serial communication with the I / O controller 60 to detect that a key of the operation unit is pressed. Display data for the operation unit is written to the LCD controller 58 via the external bus, and the data is transferred to the operation unit 140. The mask ROM 56 is a mask chrome in which font data is stored, and is used for displaying an operation unit, outputting characters on paper, and the like. The SRAM 57 is backed up by a battery (not shown) and stores various data.

  The image processing unit 55 performs image processing on the image signal. The image processing unit 55 includes a reader-type image processing unit for an image input from the reader I / F 63 and a printer-type image processing unit before transferring the image to the printer I / F 64. Conversion, binarization processing, etc. are performed.

  Further, the CPU 53 is connected to the LAN via the Ethernet (registered trademark) I / F 61 and via the 10/100 BASE-T connector 62, and can send and receive data to and from an external PC, etc. Can be sent and printed. IEEE 1284 (54) is a so-called Centronics I / F, which is connected in parallel with a PC and can transmit and receive data to and from the PC.

  Here, the flow of the image will be briefly described. The image input via the reader I / F 63 is subjected to various image processing by the image processing unit 55 and input to the SDRAM-DIMM 52 via the CPU 53. The image once stored in the SDRAM-DIMM 52 is read again by the CPU 53, is subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 55 via the CPU 53, is output to the printer unit via the printer I / F 64, and is printed on paper. An image is formed.

  When a plurality of copies are created, the input image is stored in the HD 307 and read out from the HD 307 every time one copy is created. More specifically, the image once stored in the SDRAM-DIMM 52 is read by the CPU 53, compressed by the image compression unit inside the CPU 53, and written in another area of the SDRAM-DIMM 53. Next, the compressed image is stored in the HD 307 via the CPU 53, PCI bus, and I / O controller 60.

  At the time of image formation, the compressed image read from the HD 307 is written to the SDRAM-DIMM 52 via the I / O controller 60, PCI bus, and CPU 53. The image read from the SDRAM-DIMM 52 is decompressed by the image decompression unit inside the CPU 53 and is written again in another area of the SDRAM-DIMM 52. As described above, the decompressed image is transferred to the image processing unit 55 via the CPU 53 and then transferred to the printer unit.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the printer 11.
Reference numeral 70 denotes a CPU that controls the printer 11. The CPU sequentially reads the program from the ROM 72 that stores the control procedure (control program) of the printer 11 and executes the program. The address bus and data bus of the CPU 70 are connected to each load via a circuit 71 including a bus driver and an address decoder. The CPU 70 is connected to and communicates with the CPU 53 of the controller 12 via the printer I / F.

  Reference numeral 73 denotes a random access memory (RAM) as a main storage device used as a storage area for input data or a working storage area. Further, all or a part of the RAM 73 is backed up by a battery or the like, and the contents of the memory are retained even when the main body is turned off. Reference numeral 74 denotes an I / O interface, and motors 76, clutches 77, solenoids 78 for driving the paper feed system, transport system, and optical system, and paper detection sensors 79 for detecting the transported paper. The sensor 80 for detecting the remaining amount of toner and the high voltage control 81 for image formation are connected to the respective loads. Further, the laser beam connected to the laser unit 117 and oscillated from the laser unit 117 irradiates and exposes the photosensitive drum 110, and in the non-image area, the light detection state and beam of the laser beam are detected by the beam detection sensor 82 (light receiving sensor). The position is detected.

  This detection signal is input to the video signal controller / timing generator 75 to form a timing synchronization signal. The generated timing synchronization signal is output to the controller unit, and in response to this signal, the controller transfers the image data to the printer unit. The image data transferred from the controller is input to the laser unit 117 via the video signal controller / timing generator 75, and image formation is performed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow of image data in the image forming apparatus 800.
The 8-bit image signal converted into the electrical signal by the CCD 108 in the reader 10 is converted from analog data to digital data by the A / D converter 21. Next, after the shading correction unit 301 corrects the variation between pixels, it is input to the image processing unit 55 of the controller. The image processing unit 55 includes reader-type image processing and printer-type image processing.

Image data from the reader 10 is input to the reduction / enlargement unit 90. Image data is thinned out during reduced copy, and image data interpolation is performed during enlarged copy. Next, in the edge enhancement unit 91, for example, secondary differentiation is performed in a window of 5 × 5 (5 lines × 5 pixels), thereby enhancing the edge of the image. The LUT 92 is a luminance density conversion unit that converts the luminance signal read by the CCD 108 into density data to be output to the printer by table search. The density is also adjusted using this conversion table.
Reference numeral 93 denotes a binarization processing unit that binarizes input multi-bit (for example, 8 bits) image data. This is to reduce the image size when accumulating in the subsequent memory to reduce the memory capacity.

  The binarized image data is temporarily stored in the image memory 52 (SDRAM-DIMM) via the CPU 53. The CPU 53 controls the image memory 52, receives image data from the scanner, stores it in the image memory 52, reads out the image stored in the image memory 52, and performs printer-type image processing as necessary. In 94, binary data enlargement / reduction processing is performed, and in 95, binary data density conversion is performed. These processes are mainly used as image processing for print processing from a PC. Thereafter, the image data is sent to the laser unit 117 via the printer controller unit 146, and an image is formed on the paper.

  The image stored in the image memory 52 is compressed by an image data compression unit in the CPU 53. The compressed image is stored in the HD 307 via the I / O controller 60. The HD 307 has a capacity of about 10 GB and can store thousands of pages of image data. When printing an image stored in the HD 307, the image data decompressing unit in the CPU 53 restores the original data and outputs it to the printing unit. Details regarding image transfer between the image memory 52 and the HD 307 will be described later.

  The image data once stored in the image memory (SDRAM-DIMM 52) is output to the LAN 310 via the Ethernet (registered trademark) I / F 61. Data is transmitted and received by connecting to an external personal computer or printer via the LAN 310 via a network. Even when image input from the reader unit 10, image output to the printer unit, image compression / decompression, image transfer with the HD 307, and image transfer to the external network overlap, time-division processing is performed on the SDRAM-DIMM 52, Parallel operation is possible.

Next, the image data will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a flow of image data in the image forming apparatus 800.
The CPU 53 is entirely controlled by an internal CPU core 531, and the CPU core 531, the memory controller 532, and the bus bridge 533 are connected by an internal bus. The memory controller 532 controls the memory 52 and the ROM-DIMM 51 configured by SDRAM. The bus bridge 533 is connected to another bus in the CPU 53. A LAN-I / F 534, a compression / decompression unit 535, a video I / F 536, and a PCI-I / F 537 are connected to the bus. The LAN-I / F 534 has an interface function with the network I / F, and the compression / decompression unit 535 has a function of compressing and decompressing image data. The video I / F 536 has an I / F function of image data with the image processing unit 55. The PCI-I / F 537 has a conversion function for connecting internal bus data to an external PCI bus.

  In the I / O controller 60, the bus controller 604 controls the bus in the I / O controller. A PCI-I / F 601, a serial I / F 602, an IDE-I / F 603, and an EXT bus I / F 605 are connected to the internal bus. The PCI-I / F 601 has an interface function with an external PCI bus, and the serial I / F 602 has an interface function with an IC having a serial communication function. The IDE-I / F 603 has an HD control function, can access the HD via this block, and can write and read data.

  The EXT bus I / F 605 has an external bus signal as an output, and can access an IC such as the SRAM 57 via this interface. The memory 52 is configured by an SDRAM having a capacity of about 128 MB to 256 MB. In the memory 52, four A4 size images are secured for image layout so that input image data (bit image) can be read and written at high speed. In addition, areas for program data and program work are secured. Therefore, the memory capacity can be further expanded in accordance with the expansion of the function.

  The image data binarized by the binarization processing unit 93 is input to the CPU 53 when the document image is read. The binarized image data is input to the video I / F 536 and input to the memory 52 via the bus, the bus bridge 533, and the memory controller 532. Image data read from the memory 52 at the time of printing is sent to the printer image processing unit 94 via the memory controller 532, the bus bridge 533, and the video I / F 536. Thereafter, an image is formed on a sheet by the printer unit.

  When data is stored in the HD, the image data stored in the memory 52 is read by the memory controller 532, and the image data is compressed by the compression / decompression unit 535. The compressed image data is transferred to the I / O controller 60 via the PCI-I / F 537 as it is. The PCI-I / F 601 in the I / O controller 60 is connected to an internal bus in the I / O controller, and data is written to the HD 307 via the IDE-I / F 603.

  At the time of reading data from the HD 307, image data is read from the HD 307 controlled by the IDE-I / F 603 and transferred to the PCI-I / F 537 in the CPU 53 via the PCI-I / F 601. Then, the image data sent to the decompression unit 535 and decompressed is written into the memory 52. The image data expanded at the time of printing is read out from the memory 52, is subjected to print image processing via the video I / F 536, and is output to the printer.

  As described above, when image information is exchanged between an input device (image reading device or the like) or output device (printer or the like) and a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk, data is transferred via the memory 52. It is possible to cover (buffer) the speed difference related to the data transfer rate. Therefore, the data transfer rate required for the hard disk may be slower than the operating frequency of the input device.

  Therefore, in the access in units of one page of image data, even if the inner area of the HD 307 (the area with low access speed) is used, the writing operation is normally performed by passing the data through the memory 52. In the present embodiment, the layout area in the memory 52 includes a memory 0, a memory 1, a memory 2, and a memory 3. Each memory has a capacity enough to accommodate one page of A4 size data.

  In addition, when handling an A4 size document, two memories, for example, memory 0 and memory 1, are used to perform double buffer processing (image data is read using memory 1 while image data in memory 0 is being read). Receive). At the time of image composition processing, for example, the form image from the HD 307 is written in the memory 2.

  When the original is a large size such as A3 size, the image data is written using the memory 0 and the memory 1 as one memory, and the image data is received using the memory 2 and the memory 3 in parallel therewith. . In the case of image data with an A3 size and a resolution of 600 dpi, a binary image requires a capacity of about 18 MB.

-Explanation of main unit startup sequence-
Next, the startup sequence of the main body will be described.
Each unit of the reader 10, the printer 11, and the controller 12 includes a CPU and a control program. Each unit communicates via a controller, and the entire apparatus is controlled by the controller.

First, the sequence at startup of each unit will be described.
The reader 10 is activated in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 26 when activated. Start up with default machine information specified in the program, and make settings related to reader cycle, number of processed sheets, etc. After that, the activation signal is activated to the controller 12 to notify that the reader 10 has been activated, and the controller 12 waits until the controller 12 is activated. When the reader 10 confirms that the controller 12 is activated, the reader 10 obtains machine body information from the controller 12. If the settings related to the reader cycle, the number of processed sheets, etc. differ according to the acquired machine information, the settings are made again. After confirming that the controller 12 is fully activated, detailed information is communicated. In addition, when the data notified from the controller 12 cannot be set, the controller 12 is notified to that effect and requests to change the setting data. Repeat until the optimal setting is achieved.

  Next, the printer 11 is activated in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 72. Start with the default machine information specified in the program, and make various settings such as specifying the number of prints. Thereafter, the activation signal of the printer 11 is made active to the controller 12, and the activation is notified. After confirming that the controller 12 is activated, correct machine information is obtained from the controller 12. Perform various settings again according to the obtained aircraft information. Thereafter, the process proceeds to communication of detailed information with the controller 12. In addition, when the data notified from the controller 12 cannot be set, the controller 12 is notified to that effect and requests to change the setting data. Repeat the process until the optimal settings are made.

Next, a startup sequence of the controller 12 will be described.
The CPU 53 of the controller 12 is activated by a program stored in a ROM-DIMM 51 composed of a flash memory or the like when the power is activated. PCI bus settings, I / O controller and other initial settings are made, and the activation of the controller is notified to the reader and printer. When the ready signal of the HD 307 becomes active and the HD 307 activation is confirmed, the program stored in the HD 307 is transferred to the SDRAM-DIMM 52 via the I / O controller 60, PCI bus, and CPU 53. When the transfer of the program ends, the program transferred to the SDRAM-DIMM 52 is activated. Further, the data stored in the HD 307, the SRAM 57, etc. are read out and various settings are made. After that, the controller and the printer are notified of full activation of the controller, and communication of detailed information is started.

  The reason why the controller unit that controls the function of the image forming apparatus 800 is activated by the program in the ROM-DIMM 51 and then activated by the program in the HD 307 is because the ROM-DIMM 51 stores the activation program. Thus, access to the HD is started by this program. A program for installing a program on the HD is also stored in the ROM-DIMM 51.

  However, the reason why all programs such as the control program of the image forming apparatus 800 are not stored in the ROM-DIMM 51 is that the memory unit price of the ROM-DIMM is higher than that of the HD and the program capacity is increased.

Next, the operation panel 140 of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a basic screen displayed on the operation panel 140 of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Reference numeral 1001 denotes an extended function key. When this key is pressed, a mode such as double-sided copying, multiple copying, movement, binding margin setting, frame erasing setting, or the like is entered. An image mode key 1002 enters a setting mode for performing shading, shadowing, trimming, and masking on a copy image. Reference numeral 1003 denotes a user mode key, which can register a mode memory and set a standard mode screen for each user. Reference numeral 1004 denotes an applied zoom key, which enters a mode for independently scaling the X and Y directions of a document, and a zoom program mode for calculating a scaling factor from the document size and copy size. Reference numerals 1005, 1006, and 1007 denote an M1 key, an M2 key, and an M3 key, which are pressed when calling each mode memory. Reference numeral 1008 denotes a call key, which is pressed to call the copy mode that was previously set. An option key 1009 sets an optional function such as a film projector for copying directly from a film.

  Reference numeral 1010 denotes a sorter key, which is used for setting the sorter, group mode, and the like. Reference numeral 1011 denotes a document mixed loading key which is pressed when setting A4 size and A3 size or B5 size and B4 size documents together in the document feeder.

  Reference numeral 1012 denotes an equal magnification key which is pressed when the copy magnification is set to 100%. Reference numerals 1014 and 1015 denote a reduction key and an enlargement key, respectively, which are pressed when performing regular reduction or enlargement. Reference numeral 1016 denotes a zoom key which is pressed when performing non-standard reduction or enlargement in increments of 1%. A sheet selection key 1013 is pressed when selecting a copy sheet. The density keys 1018 and 1020 are darkly copied every time 1018 is pressed, and lightly copied every time 1020 is pressed. Reference numeral 1017 denotes a density display. When the density key is pressed, the display changes to the left and right. Reference numeral 1019 denotes an AE key which is pressed when a document having a dark background such as a newspaper is copied for automatic density adjustment. Reference numeral 1021 denotes a HiFi key, which is pressed when copying a document having a large halftone density such as a photographic document. Reference numeral 1022 denotes a character emphasis key, which is pressed when it is desired to make a character stand out in copying a character original.

  Reference numeral 1023 denotes a guide key. When the key is not understood, a description of the key is displayed. Reference numeral 1024 denotes a copy mode key which is pressed when copying. Reference numeral 1025 denotes a fax key which is pressed when performing fax. A file key 1026 is pressed to output file data. A printer key 1027 is pressed to display a monitor for printing image data from an external device such as a computer. Reference numeral 1028 denotes a system status key, which is linked with each of the keys 1024 to 1027 to display the job status and job history in each operation mode, and receives a reception number and a reception regarding a job currently being processed and a predetermined number of jobs in the past. Information such as time, personal ID (person name code, etc.), number of copies / number of copies, document name, etc. is provided.

Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a job management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Since the main part of the image forming apparatus 800 in the figure has been described above, the description thereof is omitted here. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing in the job management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The following description is based on the configuration of the job management system shown in FIG. 1 with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when the user A performs copy output, personal authentication is performed on the image forming apparatus 800 via the operation unit 140 (step S101). As a personal authentication method, a name and a password may be input and collated with user information registered in, for example, the SRAM 57 in the controller 11 or collated by fingerprint recognition. Also, an ID card for personal authentication may be prepared and used for authentication.

  On the other hand, when user B performs print output, personal authentication is performed via an external device (PC_1 in this embodiment) which is a print information supply source (step S201). As the personal authentication method, the specification may be such that the personal computer cannot access the image forming apparatus 800 without a personal authentication ID card for each PC. Conversely, if each user using the PC is a registered user, the image forming apparatus The specification may be such that key information distributed from 800 can be extracted.

  Further, in the present embodiment, considering that the user C also performs print output from another external device (PC_2 in the present embodiment) that shares the image forming apparatus 800 on the same LAN, This is performed in the same manner as the user B (step S301).

  Regardless of the configuration, the image forming apparatus 800 according to the present embodiment can perform a plurality of authentications for each function, and can operate simultaneously for functions that do not compete with each other.

  When user A passes the personal authentication, a job for copy output can be submitted to the image forming apparatus 800 (step S102). If user B or user C print job is not being processed when user A submits a copy job (step S103 / NO), the image forming apparatus 800 reads the input document into the reader 10 for user A copy job processing. And copy output as described above. At that time, when the system status key 1028 shown in FIG. 8 is pressed to switch to the main body UI screen and the job status screen is displayed, it is obvious that the copying process of the user A is displayed (step S105).

  On the other hand, when user A or user C is processing a print job when user A submits a copy job (step S103 / YES), if the system status key 1028 is pressed after pressing the printer key 1027, the job of the main body UI On the status screen, the print job processing status of user B or user C who has completed personal authentication can be monitored (step S104). When the print job process is completed on the monitor, the process automatically shifts to the held copy job process of user A, and it can be confirmed that the copy process is being performed with the system status key 1028 (step S105).

Next, the job status display on the external device (PC_1, PC_2) side will be described.
When user B passes the personal authentication (step S201 / YES) and submits a print job to the image forming apparatus 800 (step S202), at that time, if user A has completed personal authentication and the copy job is being processed (step S202). S203 / YES), it is notified on the remote UI screen on PC_1 that it is “print busy” (step S204). Furthermore, if necessary, there is no problem even if it is notified that “user A is copying and print busy”. When the copy output of user A is completed, the notification is canceled and the process proceeds to the next process.

  If user C's print job for which personal authentication has been completed is already being processed when user B's print job is submitted (step S205 / YES), the remote UI screen becomes the user C's print processing screen (step S206). When the printing of user C is completed, the screen is shifted to the printing process of user B (step S207).

  Since the operation on the PC_2 side used by the user C is the same as the operation of the PC_1 used by the user B, the description of the processing in steps S301 to S307 is omitted.

  The above is the description regarding the job status display, and the description regarding the job history output is described below. In this embodiment, job history output can be executed only by the main body UI, and is not managed by the remote UI.

  For example, when user A outputs a job history (step S106), assuming that all the job processing for users A to C has been completed, conventionally, for a past prescribed number of jobs, the user has been authenticated at present. Regardless of whether or not the job history of all users was displayed and output, in the embodiment of the present invention, for job histories other than users A to C that have been authenticated at the time of history output, For example, “*” is used to hide the corresponding item, for example, *****, and the job itself exists, but “document name and document size”, “who output the document”, “when document” Information such as “output” or the like is made indistinguishable (step S107).

  Then, when someone of the users A to C cancels the authentication by, for example, removing an ID card for personal authentication (step S108 / YES), a user other than the user whose authentication has been canceled re-executes the job. When the history is output, the contents of the job of the user who has been de-authenticated are displayed in addition to the job of the unauthenticated user so that the contents cannot be discriminated (step S109).

  Of course, in addition to the above, there is a method of not outputting the existence of the unauthenticated and deauthenticated user's job when outputting the job history, and it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied in this case.

  The operation of the present embodiment has been described above. As described in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 800 includes a FAX-I / F (not shown) in the I / O controller 60 in addition to the copy / print function. If equipped, the FAX function can be realized, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied not only to simultaneous copying / printing operation but also to simultaneous FAX / printing operation.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to perform a plurality of authentications for each function and execute a plurality of jobs in an image forming apparatus capable of operating simultaneously for functions that do not conflict. When displaying the job status from the main unit and the remote UI, or displaying / outputting the job history, only the currently authenticated user's job is displayed, and for unauthenticated or already deauthenticated user jobs By making the contents indistinguishable, there is an effect that a history or status cannot be seen by a third party where the user of the job is not conscious.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 10-1, and 10-2.
10A and 10B are flowcharts illustrating processing in the job management system according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
In the first embodiment, when a job status is displayed from the main body and the remote UI during execution of a plurality of jobs, or when a job history is displayed / outputted, only the job of the currently authenticated user is displayed. However, in the second embodiment, in addition to this, the security level between users who are authenticated at the same time is compared, and the user's job history and status of a user with a high security level can be viewed from a user with a low security level. This is the addition of no configuration.

  As described also in the flowchart of FIG. 10A, from the personal authentication work of the users A to C until each job is submitted (step S101 to step S102, step S201 to step S202, step S301 to step S302). The operation is the same as that of the first embodiment, but if user B or user C is processing a print job when user A submits a copy job (step S103), in this embodiment, a user who is authenticated at the same time. The security levels of A and user B or user C are compared (step S110).

  Specifically, a security level is added in advance to user information registered in, for example, the SRAM 57 in the controller 11 and assigned to a user who is currently authenticated to determine whether the level is high or low. In addition, the security level may be assigned based on the confidentiality of the business, based on the presence or absence of a job in the department, and in addition to that, a free level unique to the image forming apparatus 800 may be used. It is also possible to attach a security level by a method.

  If the security level of user A is equal to or higher than the security level of user B or user C (step S110 / A ≧ B, C), the system is pressed after pressing the printer key 1027, as in the first embodiment. If the status key 1028 is pressed, the print job processing status of the user B or the user C who has completed personal authentication can be monitored on the job status screen of the main body UI (step S104). When the print job process is completed on the monitor, the process automatically shifts to the held copy job process of user A (step S105), and it can be confirmed that the copy process is being performed with the system status key 1028 as described above.

  On the other hand, when the security level of the user A is lower than that of the user B or the user C (step S110 / A <B, C), even if the system status key 1028 is pressed after pressing the printer key 1027, On the job status screen of the main body UI, the print job processing status of user B or user C cannot be monitored (step S111), and it can only be determined that “someone” is printing. The subsequent processing in step S104 and step S105 is the same as the processing shown in FIG.

Next, the job status display on the external device (PC_1, PC_2) side will be described.
When a print job is submitted by user B (step S202), if user A is in the process of a copy job (step S203 / YES), the security levels are compared as in step S110 (step S210). If the security level of user B is equal to or higher than the security level of user A (step S210 / B ≧ A), as in the first embodiment, “User A is copying” on the remote UI screen on PC_1. Therefore, if the security level of the user B is lower than the security level of the user A (step S210 / B <A), the “someone” copy job is being processed. , It is only notified that it is “print busy” (step S210).

  If the print job of the user C who has completed personal authentication is already being processed when the print job of the user B is submitted (step S205 / YES), the security levels of the user B and the user C are compared (step S212). ). As a result of this comparison, if the security level of user B is the same as or higher than the security level of user B (step S212 / B ≧ C), the “User C” printing process screen is displayed on the remote UI screen on PC_1 ( On the contrary, if the security level of the user B is lower than the security level of the user C (step S212 / B <C), the “anonymity” printing process screen is displayed (step S213). The processing in step S206 and step S207 is the same as the processing shown in FIG. Further, the operation on the PC_2 side used by the user C is the same as the operation of the PC_1, and thus description thereof is omitted.

The above is the description regarding the job status display, and the description regarding the job history output is described below.
Assuming that all the job processes of the users A to C are completed, for example, when the user A outputs a job history (step S106), for job histories other than the users A to C that have been authenticated at the time of history output ** *** In addition to displaying (step S107), if the security level of user B or user C is higher than user A who outputs the history, for example, the job contents of user B or user C are also displayed in a predetermined manner, and the contents Is made indistinguishable (step S112). For example, when the user B or the user C whose security level is the same or lower than that of the user A performs an action such as removing the personal authentication ID card (step S118 / YES), the user A When the job history is output again, in addition to the user job, the security level is the same as or lower than that of the user A, but the contents of the job of the user B or the user C that has already been deauthenticated are displayed as *****. The contents are made indistinguishable (step S113).

  As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to perform a plurality of authentications for each function and execute a plurality of jobs in an image forming apparatus capable of operating simultaneously for functions that do not conflict. When displaying the job status from the main unit and the remote UI, or displaying / outputting the job history, only the jobs of the user whose security level is the same as or lower than the currently authenticated user are displayed and are not authenticated or already authenticated By disabling the content of the job of the user who is currently working and the job of the user with a high security level, there is an effect that the history or status cannot be seen by a third party without the user of the job being conscious .

(Third embodiment)
In the first and second embodiments, when displaying the job status from the main unit and the remote UI during execution of a plurality of jobs, or displaying / outputting the job history, only the job of the currently authenticated user is recorded. Comparing the security level between users who can see the status or who have been authenticated at the same time, the low security level users were not able to see the job history and status of the high security level users. Both of these define operations on the general user (local user) side.

The third embodiment relates to the operation on the main body administrator (superuser) side when the above configuration is adopted.
In the third embodiment, when the super user's main body UI is used, if personal authentication is performed via the operation unit 140, an input request screen such as a password is displayed on the screen when the job status key 1028 is pressed. If the password is canceled in this state and the job history and status are viewed, the display / output is masked under the same conditions as in the first and second embodiments, and the contents cannot be determined. If you enter a special password, etc., and the authentication passes, the job status screen will switch and you can monitor “who is currently authenticating” and “who is currently booking a job” Further, it is possible to output a history of all the past specified number of jobs regardless of whether or not authentication is currently being performed and the security level.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to perform a plurality of authentications for each function and execute a plurality of jobs in an image forming apparatus that can operate simultaneously for functions that do not conflict. When displaying the job status from the main unit UI, or displaying / outputting the job history, only the main unit administrator can switch the job status screen by entering a special password etc. and used by general users In this case, it is possible to monitor all the history and status where the display / output is masked depending on the condition and the contents cannot be discriminated. It has the effect of improving security.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a job management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus constituting a job management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the leader. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the controller. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer. 3 is a diagram illustrating a flow of image data in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a flow of image data in the image forming apparatus. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a basic screen displayed on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is the flowchart which showed the process in the job management system in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the process in the job management system in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing in the job management system according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention following FIG.

Explanation of symbols

800: Image forming apparatus 10: Reader unit 11: Controller unit 12: Printer unit 140: Operation unit 62: Ethernet connector

Claims (3)

A job management system for managing jobs in an image forming apparatus,
The job other than the user job of the user of the image forming apparatus that is currently being authenticated is the content of at least one of the reception number, reception time, personal ID, number of copies or number of copies, and document name information regarding the job A job management system comprising job status display means for making it impossible to determine whether or not the existence of the job itself is not displayed. A job management system for managing jobs in an image forming apparatus,
The job other than the job of the user whose security level is the same or low as the user of the image forming apparatus currently being authenticated is at least one of the reception number, the reception time, the personal ID, the number of copies or the number of copies, and the document name related to the job. A job management system comprising job status display means for making the contents of any one of the information indistinguishable or for hiding the existence of the job itself.   Screen switching means capable of switching to a job status screen that can monitor all the history or status of a job that cannot be identified or hidden by a general user by inputting information including a special password only by an administrator of the image forming apparatus The job management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

Images