JP2008003864A - Printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a printing apparatus capable of preventing information from leaking from a print result and preventing information from being stolen due to interception of print data.
A printing apparatus is configured as an apparatus capable of executing password authentication printing for encrypted print data (for example, PDF data (PDF file) for which a password is set).
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

  As is well known, in recent printing apparatuses (apparatuses that perform printing such as printers and multifunction peripherals), if the print data transmitted from the PC has a password set, the print data There is an apparatus that does not start printing immediately but starts printing the print data when a password is input from the operation panel.

  If a printing apparatus capable of such printing (hereinafter referred to as password authentication printing) is installed in an office or the like, information can be prevented from leaking from the printing result.

  However, the print data (print data generated by the printer driver of the conventional printing apparatus) for which the conventional printing apparatus performs password authentication printing at the time of reception is obtained by adding a password or the like to the head part of normal printing data (for example, , See Patent Document 1.). And since it is relatively easy to intercept the print data transmitted from the PC to the printing device, the conventional printing device capable of password authentication printing leaks information from the printing result. Although it is a device that can prevent this, the device has a risk of information being stolen due to interception of print data.

JP-A-11-2127744

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that can prevent information from leaking from a print result and information from being stolen by intercepting print data.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a receiving unit for receiving print data, an operation unit capable of inputting character string information, and a print data received by the receiving unit. Printing means for generating a printed matter of the content, and when the print data is encrypted, the character string information for decryption for decrypting the print data to the operation means When the input operation of the decryption character string information is performed, the print data is decrypted using the decryption character string information, and the printed matter has contents corresponding to the decryption result. Printing means for generating

  In other words, the printing apparatus of the present invention has a configuration capable of executing password authentication printing for encrypted print data (for example, PDF data (PDF file) in which a password is set). Yes. Even if the encrypted print data is intercepted, the information itself indicated by the print data cannot be known. Therefore, if the printing apparatus of the present invention is installed in an office or the like, the print result can be obtained. It is possible to prevent information from leaking and information from being stolen due to interception of print data.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, an outline (mainly hardware configuration) of a printing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  As illustrated, the printing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is an apparatus that includes an operation panel 11, a control unit 12, and a print engine 13. The printing apparatus 10 is an apparatus that is used by being connected to several user PCs by a LAN cable, a USB cable, or the like.

  The operation panel 11 included in the printing apparatus 10 is a unit provided on the casing of the printing apparatus 10 as an interface unit with the user. The operation panel 11 (corresponding to the operation means of the present invention) is a unit composed of a plurality of push button switches such as an LCD, a plurality of LEDs, an upper button, a lower button, a determination button, a job cancel button, and an online button. Yes.

  The print engine 13 is a unit that performs printing (image formation) of contents instructed by the control unit 12 on a sheet.

  The control unit 12 is a unit that integrally controls each unit in the printing apparatus 10. The control unit 12 is composed of a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an EEPROM, various interface circuits, and the like, similarly to a unit having the same name / similar name in a general printing apparatus.

  Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  The control unit 12 in the printing apparatus 10 is configured as a unit that performs processing of the procedure shown in FIG. 2 when print data is received.

  That is, the control unit 12 that has received the print data first determines whether or not the received print data is encrypted print data (encrypted data in the figure) (step S101).

  The printing apparatus 10 includes print data generated and transmitted by a printer driver in the user PC (for the printing apparatus 10) and PDF [Portable Document Format] transmitted by the function of the OS of the user PC. The apparatus is configured to process data (PDF file itself; hereinafter also referred to as print data). In addition, the printer driver for the printing apparatus 10 has only a function for generating and transmitting normal print data (only transmits print data that is not encrypted and has no password set). ing. Therefore, the received print data is determined to be encrypted print data in the process of step S101 only when the received print data is PDF data for which a password is set. is there.

  When the received print data is unencrypted print data (step S101; NO), the control unit 12 interprets the print control process based on the print data (interprets the contents of the print data in step S109). Then, after executing the process of causing the print engine 13 to print the content according to the interpretation result), the process of FIG.

  On the other hand, when the received print data is encrypted print data (PDF data for which a password is set) (step S101; YES), the control unit 12 is a parameter used in the subsequent processing. After the number of retries is initialized to “0” (step S102), password input acceptance processing (step S103) is performed.

  Here, the password input acceptance process is to display a screen as shown in FIG. 3 on the LCD of the operation panel 11 to allow the user to input a password (up / down buttons and determination button on the operation panel 11). This is a process for performing the operation of inputting a password character string. This password input acceptance process is a process that ends when it is determined that the user has instructed to cancel the job when the job cancel button or the online button on the operation panel 11 is pressed. Also, the password input acceptance process is a process for displaying on the LCD a screen indicating that the input password is incorrect when it is executed in a state where the number of retries is “1” or more. .

  When the user gives an instruction to cancel the job (step S104; YES), the control unit 12 discards the received print data (step S108), and ends the processing in this figure.

  Further, when the user inputs a password (step S104; NO), the control unit 12 attempts to decrypt the print data with the input password, thereby determining whether the input password is correct. Judgment is made (step S105).

  If the input password is correct (step S106; YES), the control unit 12 decrypts the received print data (not encrypted / password data whose password setting has been canceled). After executing the print control process based on (Step S109), the process of FIG.

  If the input password is not correct (step S105; NO), the control unit 12 determines whether or not the number of retries is less than the specified number (in this embodiment, “3”). (Step S106) If the number of retries is less than the specified number (Step S106; YES), “1” is added to the number of retries (Step S108), and then the processes after Step S103 are started. In addition, when the correct password is not input and the number of retries matches the specified number of times (step S106; NO), the control unit 12 discards the received print data (step S108) and thereafter Terminate the process.

  As described above, the printing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is an apparatus capable of executing password authentication printing for encrypted print data (PDF data for which a password is set). . For this reason, if the printing apparatus 10 is installed in an office or the like and important documents are printed using PDF data, information is leaked from the print result and information is intercepted by printing data. Can be prevented from being stolen.

<Deformation>
The above-described printing apparatus 10 can perform various modifications. For example, the printer driver of the printing apparatus 10 is assumed to be capable of generating and transmitting print data encrypted with a password, and the printing apparatus 10 is modified to be capable of printing based on the print data. I can do it. Further, the printing apparatus 10 is a device that can be mounted with a storage medium such as a USB memory or a memory card, and is modified to a device that can print a PDF file for which a password is set on the mounted storage medium. You can also leave.

1 is a configuration diagram of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart of the process which the control unit in a printing apparatus performs with respect to the received print data. Explanatory drawing of the screen which a control unit displays on LCD in an operation panel.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printing apparatus, 11 Operation panel, 12 Control unit 13 Print engine

Claims (2)

Receiving means for receiving print data;
An operation means capable of inputting character string information,
A printing unit that generates a printed matter having a content corresponding to the print data received by the receiving unit, and the print data is encrypted, the print unit receives the print It waits for an input operation of decryption character string information for decrypting data, and when the input operation of decryption character string information is performed, the print data is decrypted using the decryption character string information. And a printing unit that generates a printed matter having contents according to the decryption result. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encrypted print data received by the receiving means is PDF data in which a password is set.