JP2016175248A - Image forming apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device which does not require that a request destination of registration processing should be specified for allowing utilization via a service system on a cloud.SOLUTION: An image forming device 110 has its own account in a cloud print service, and the account is registered in the cloud print service as an administrator of a logical printer corresponding to the image forming device 110. When a user logs in the image forming device 110 by using an internal ID and instructs utilization of the cloud print service, the image forming device 110 allows the user to input an ID for cloud of the user. Then, by using its own account stored in an own account storage unit 125, it logs in the cloud print service, and it registers the ID for cloud as one of the users who can use the logical printer. Also, it stored a correspondence relation between the internal ID and the ID for cloud.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a program.

  In the system of Patent Literature 1, the administrator issues a user setting instruction including a logical printer ID, a cloud user ID, and an in-house user ID to the server. The server registers the user ID for the cloud as a sharer of the logical printer corresponding to the logical printer ID for the cloud print service on the Internet, and stores the user ID for the cloud and the company in the image forming apparatus. Register the correspondence. The print data arriving at the image forming apparatus from the logical printer includes a cloud user ID. The image forming apparatus converts the user ID into an in-house user ID according to the above-described correspondence, and The ID is included in log information or the like. With such a mechanism, the print instruction sent from the cloud print service to the in-house image forming apparatus can be managed by the in-house ID. In this system, when the user wants to use the image forming apparatus via the cloud print service, it is necessary for the administrator to perform registration processing for the use.

  In the system disclosed in Patent Document 2, when the user authentication according to the authentication request from the user is successful, the image forming apparatus sends a registration request including the user ID of the user and the identification information of the image forming apparatus on the Internet. Send to print service. In response to this, the print service registers the image forming apparatus as a printer used by the user, and creates a printer object (logical printer) for the image forming apparatus. Also, a list of electronic documents that can be printed by the user is obtained from the document storage, receives a selection of a print target, and sends information specifying the selected document and printer object to the document storage. The document storage sends a print instruction for the selected document to the printer object. The printer object sends a job corresponding to the print instruction to the image forming apparatus. With such a mechanism, an image forming apparatus that has not been registered in advance with the print service system can also execute printing via the system.

  In addition, in Google Cloud Print (registered trademark) (hereinafter abbreviated as “GCP”), which is one of the cloud print services, a user who registers an image forming apparatus in the GCP is registered in the GCP as an administrator of the image forming apparatus. . Other users can use the image forming apparatus via GCP by having the user register with GCP as a sharer of the image forming apparatus. The administrator of the image forming apparatus has authority to register a sharer with GCP.

JP 2013-186664 A JP2013-132892A

  When an arbitrary user is allowed to individually register a large number of image forming apparatuses in an organization such as a company with a service system on the cloud, an administrator differs extremely for each image forming apparatus. A user who wants to use an image forming apparatus via a service system needs to check an administrator who can perform registration processing for use and request the administrator to perform registration processing. In a case where the administrator of the image forming apparatus can be specified, it is not easy to specify the administrator.

  On the other hand, it is also conceivable that the system administrator of the organization centrally registers all the image forming apparatuses in the organization in the service system. In this case, since the administrator of the image forming apparatus is a specific one, that is, the system administrator of the organization (including cases where a plurality of members of the system management department share the account of the system administrator), the use of the image forming apparatus Identification of the registration request destination is easier than in the case described above. However, even though it is relatively easy, the contact information of the system administrator may not be disclosed, or even if it is disclosed, it may be difficult to find it, so it is not always easy to contact the system administrator. . Especially for guests who visit the organization from outside the organization, it is very difficult to contact the system administrator. Even if the system administrator can easily identify the system administrator, with this centralized management system, requests for use registration from many users for many image forming apparatuses are concentrated on the system administrator. The management burden is large.

  In either case, the administrator is a human being and does not always respond immediately to a user registration request.

  It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the need to specify a registration processing request destination so that an image forming apparatus can be used via a service system on the cloud.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first information receiving unit that receives first information that is identification information of a user in a system in a specific organization including an image forming apparatus that performs first authentication, and a cloud that performs second authentication. A second information receiving unit that receives second information that is identification information of the user in the service system; an association storage unit that stores the first information and the second information in association with each other; and And registration information for registering the second information as identification information of a user who uses the image forming apparatus with respect to the service system using the identification information of the image forming apparatus, and second information from the service system. Using the first information stored in the association storage unit in association with the second information included in the acquired print data It is an image forming apparatus and a control means for controlling the printing process of the print data acquired by the acquiring unit

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an association registration means for associating the first information with the second information and registering it in a user information management apparatus included in a system in the specific organization, and the first information reception When the second information associated with the first information received by the means is registered in the user information management apparatus, the second information registered in the user information management apparatus is stored in the use registration means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit that delivers the registration process.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the association registration means does not register the second information in the user information management device when the first information corresponds to predetermined guest identification information. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a release processing unit for performing a process for canceling the registration performed by the use registration unit when a condition for determining that the user no longer uses the image forming apparatus is satisfied. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

  The invention according to claim 5 controls the release processing means not to execute the process for canceling the registration when receiving an instruction from the user not to cancel the registration performed by the use registration means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means.

  The invention according to claim 6 obtains information on the whereabouts of the user at a normal time, and satisfies the conditions for regarding that the whereabouts and the installation location of the image forming apparatus are the same. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a unit that controls the cancellation processing unit not to execute the process for canceling the registration.

  According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the computer performs first authentication, first information receiving means for receiving first information which is identification information of a user in a system in a specific organization including an image forming apparatus that performs first authentication, and performs second authentication. A second information receiving unit that receives second information that is identification information of the user in the service system on the cloud; an association storage unit that stores the first information and the second information in association with each other; and The registration information for registering the second information as the identification information of the user who uses the image forming apparatus with respect to the service system using the identification information of the image forming apparatus, and the second information from the service system Acquisition means for acquiring print data including the first information stored in the association storage means in association with the second information included in the acquired print data; There are a program for causing the control means acquiring means for controlling the printing process of the print data acquired function as.

  According to the first or seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the need to specify a registration processing request destination for enabling an image forming apparatus to be used via a service system on the cloud.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, after the second information is once registered in the user information management device, the user can use the image forming device or another image forming device included in the system in the specific organization. When printing the print data from the service system on the cloud, it is not necessary to input the second information again.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to prevent the cloud ID, which is the personal information of the guest who is only a temporary visitor to the specific organization, from remaining in the specific organization.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the possibility that information related to user printing is transmitted to other users via the service system on the cloud is maintained rather than the case where the registration performed by the use registration unit is maintained without cancellation. Can be reduced.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 5, the user can select obtaining the convenience by maintaining the registration which the use registration means performed.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the need to frequently input the second information to the image forming apparatus that is considered to be frequently used by the user.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the system of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the user management information which an in-house authentication system has. It is a figure which shows the example of the user information which the logical printer of a cloud print service has. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of data contents of a user management table included in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a part of an example of a processing procedure of the image forming apparatus when a user instructs use via a cloud print service. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a remaining part of an example of a processing procedure of the image forming apparatus when a user instructs use via a cloud print service. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure when an image forming apparatus executes a job that has arrived from a cloud print service.

  With reference to FIG. 1, an example of the system configuration of this embodiment will be described. The illustrated system includes an image forming apparatus 110 and an in-house authentication system 160 connected to an in-house network 100 of a company, a cloud print service 200, and a mobile terminal 300. The in-house network 100 is configured as a LAN (local area network) or an intranet, for example. The in-house network 100, the cloud print service 200, and the mobile terminal 300 can be connected to the Internet 400.

  The company illustrated here is an example of an “organization” including a plurality of users. An information processing apparatus group connected to the in-house network 100 such as the image forming apparatus 110 and the in-house authentication system 160 is included in the “organization”. Assume that an information system is configured. For example, in the information system in the organization, in addition to the illustrated image forming apparatus 110 and in-house authentication system 160, printing charges for each user and each department in the entire in-house network 100 including a plurality of image forming apparatuses 110 are included. An aggregation device that performs aggregation may be included.

  The image forming apparatus 110 is an apparatus that prints input print data on paper. The image forming apparatus 110 may have a function other than the printing function. For example, the image forming apparatus 110 may be a so-called digital multi-function peripheral having a scanning function, a copying function, a fax transmission function, and an e-mail transmission function in addition to a printing function. Although only one image forming apparatus 110 is shown in the figure, a plurality of image forming apparatuses 110 may be connected to the in-house network 100. The image forming apparatus 110 has a function of executing processing such as copying, scanning, and printing in accordance with an instruction from a user received by its own UI (user interface) unit, and also an instruction from a computer in the in-house network 100 And a function of executing processing such as printing according to the above. The image forming apparatus 110 has a function of acquiring print data from the cloud print service 200 on the Internet 400 and printing it out.

  Each user (in this case, an individual) belonging to a company is assigned a user ID (hereinafter referred to as “in-house ID”) unique within the company (that is, unique within the company). For example, an employee number is an example. Each information processing apparatus (for example, the image forming apparatus 110, the totaling apparatus, etc.) on the in-house network 100 authenticates and manages the user using this in-house ID. For example, the image forming apparatus 110 has a function for performing user authentication using an in-house ID. In this example, the image forming apparatus 110 sends authentication information such as an in-house ID to an in-house authentication system 160 described later, and requests user authentication. However, this is only an example, and the image forming apparatus 110 itself may perform user authentication (for example, referring to authentication information managed by the in-house authentication system 160). For user authentication, the image forming apparatus 110 presents authentication information to a user who intends to use the apparatus (for example, input of an in-house ID and password from the UI unit, or reading internal data in a contact type or a non-contact type). Authentication using a possible identification card (ID) card) is requested, and the information presented in response is sent to the in-house authentication system 160 to request user authentication. If the user authentication is successful, the user's in-house ID is specified. The image forming apparatus 110 includes the identified in-house ID in the history (log) information of the executed process and records it in the own apparatus or a totaling apparatus (not shown) in the in-house network 100. The recorded history information may be totaled by a totaling device for the purpose of managing the usage status of the image forming apparatus 110 in the company or managing charging. The aggregation is performed, for example, for each user or for each department (such as a department or section in the company) to which the user belongs based on the in-house ID recorded in the individual history information.

  The in-house authentication system 160 is a system for authenticating a user who intends to connect to the in-house network 100. This user authentication is performed using an in-house ID. For example, when the employee causes the image forming apparatus 110 to read the identification card, the image forming apparatus 110 requests the in-house authentication system 160 to perform user authentication based on the identification card. As a result, based on the authentication result obtained from the in-house authentication system 160, the image forming apparatus 110 determines whether or not the use from the user is permitted, and even when the use is prohibited or permitted. Restriction is performed according to authority (for example, only operations within the permitted range are accepted).

  Here, a temporary in-house ID (guest ID) may be given to a guest who is temporarily visiting the company. In this case, the guest is authenticated by the in-house authentication system 160 by using the guest ID (that is, for example, by causing the image forming apparatus 110 or the like to read a guest ID card), and the image forming apparatus 110 or other A device on the in-house network 100 can be used within the authority of the guest.

  The in-house authentication system 160 manages authentication information and usage authority information of each user (employee, guest) (or can access the information), and uses the information to authenticate and use user authority information. To provide.

  An example of a user information table managed by the in-house authentication system 160 is shown in FIG. One row of the table shown in FIG. 2 is a record for one user. In the record of one user, the “name” (name), “in-house ID” of the user, “usage authority” for the group of image forming apparatuses 110 in the in-house network 100, “printable number”, “cloud ID” "And" Cloud registration attribute "are included. Here, the “use authority” is information that defines whether a function (for example, high cost) of the image forming apparatus 110 can be used, such as whether color printing is possible (only monochrome printing is possible). In the figure, as the use authority, two-level authority types for one viewpoint, ie, whether color printing is possible or only monochrome printing is possible are illustrated, but this is only an example. As the usage authority, for example, information indicating to what level the user can use the function for each of several functions may be used. “Number of printable sheets” indicates the number of sheets that can be printed by the end of a predetermined period (for example, one month). This value is updated (that is, subtracted by the number of printed pages) every time the user prints out. In this example, the “cloud ID” is an e-mail address given to the user by the cloud print service 200 (however, this is only an example). The character string “cloudprint.com” included in the cloud ID in the illustrated example is the domain name of the cloud print service 200. The “cloud registration attribute” is a method of user registration with the cloud print service 200, and can take three types of values “permanent”, “temporary”, and “guest” here. “Temporary” is a type of registration method in which a user's use registration made to the logical printer 210 of the cloud print service 200 is deleted according to a rule. In the case of a “temporary” user, for example, after the user registration of the user from the image forming apparatus 110 to the logical printer 210 is performed, the state in which the user does not operate the image forming apparatus 110 continues for a certain period or more. In this case, the usage registration is deleted from the logical printer 210. On the other hand, “permanent” means that the user's usage registration remains permanently in the logical printer 210 (in other words, the usage registration is not deleted from the logical printer 210 unless there is an explicit deregistration instruction). Means. “Temporary” and “permanent” are cloud registration attributes that can be selected by a user having permanent registration information in the in-house authentication system 160 (that is, an employee of the organization (company)). On the other hand, “guest” is a cloud registration attribute assigned to temporary visitors to the organization. “Guest” does not have his registration information in the in-house authentication system 160. Even if registration information about “guest” is created in the in-house authentication system 160 for practical reasons, it is deleted in a relatively short period of time.

  The in-house authentication system 160 may be a directory service such as an LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) server or Active Directory (registered trademark).

  Returning to FIG. 1, the cloud print service 200 is a system that provides a print service to a user on a network such as the Internet. The cloud print service 200 is generally a system including a plurality of computers, but may be configured by a single computer. For example, Google Cloud Print (GCP) is an example of the cloud print service 200.

  For example, the cloud print service 200 can process document data (for example, created by a word processor or spreadsheet software) designated as a print target by a user in a data format (for example, PDF (Portable) Document Format), PostScript (registered trademark, etc.) (page description language), a function that generates a print job corresponding to the received print instruction and manages its execution status (for example, queue management), etc. Provide for. The cloud print service 200 generates and manages a logical printer (also called a printer object) 210 that realizes various functions for the print service. In the logical printer 210, one or more users who use the logical printer are registered. A plurality of logical printers 210 are generally held in the cloud print service 200, and each logical printer 210 is used by one or more users registered in the cloud print service 200.

  In the logical printer 210, one or more physical image forming apparatuses 110 that output print jobs held in the queue of the logical printer are registered. In the case of GCP, when an image forming apparatus 110 is registered in GCP (cloud print service 200), a logical printer 210 corresponding to the image forming apparatus 110 is generated in the cloud print service 200. The logical printer 210 holds various management information regarding the registered image forming apparatus 110. The management information indicates, for example, identification information (for example, a printer name) of the image forming apparatus 110, account information (cloud ID described later) in the cloud print service 200 of the administrator, and capabilities (functions) that the image forming apparatus 110 has. Capability information etc. are included. The capability information includes, for example, information such as whether double-sided printing is possible and whether full-color printing is possible. In addition, when the image forming apparatus 110 includes a post-processing apparatus, information on the capabilities (for example, stapling, punching, folding function, etc.) of the post-processing apparatus is also included.

  The user registers (creates) his / her account in the cloud print service 200. When creating an account, the user registers a unique user ID (hereinafter referred to as “cloud ID”) in the cloud print service 200. Since the cloud print service 200 is a public service and its user ID management is independent of user management in the in-house network 100 of one company, the cloud ID and the in-house ID are generally not the same. For example, even if a user in the company tries to register a user ID consisting of the same character string as the in-house ID in the cloud print service 200, there may be a case where the user ID cannot be registered because it has already been assigned to another person. Thus, the in-house network 100 and the cloud print service 200 (or a larger cloud service system including the service 200) authenticate and manage users using different user IDs.

  The cloud print service 200 creates a logical printer 210 for the user in response to an instruction from the user. In addition, a shared user who can use the existing logical printer 210 is registered in response to an instruction from a user who has the right to register the shared user with respect to the existing logical printer 210. In the case of GCP, as described above, when the image forming apparatus 110 is registered, a logical printer 210 that manages the image forming apparatus 110 is created, and a user who instructs the registration forms the logical printer 210 and the image forming apparatus 110. The administrator is registered in the GCP as an administrator, and has the authority to register a shared user for the image forming apparatus 110 and the logical printer 210. The cloud print service 200 stores the cloud ID of each user who shares the logical printer 210 for each logical printer 210.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of user information held by the logical printer 210. In this example, the user information held by the logical printer 210 includes, for each user registered as an administrator or a sharer of the logical printer 210, the “name” (name) of the user, “cloud ID”, and logical information. Information of “user authority” for the printer 210 is included. “User authority” includes, for example, “administrator” authority of the logical printer 210. A user with administrator authority can register another user in the logical printer 210 as a sharer. In this example, as the administrator of the logical printer 210, the image forming apparatus 110 (control unit for controlling) itself corresponding to the logical printer 210 is registered. This feature will be described in detail later. The authority “printable” is an authority given to a normal sharer, and indicates that printing is possible using the logical printer 210. “Guest” authority is an authority given to a temporary sharer, and only predetermined operations equivalent to or less than those of a normal sharer are permitted. For example, guests are not allowed to print in color. Normal sharers and guests do not have the authority to register other users as sharers. The cloud print service 200 has such user information for each logical printer 210.

  The user logs in to the cloud print service 200 from the PC or the portable terminal 300 with the cloud ID using the communication protocol such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), and corresponds to the cloud ID. A print instruction is issued to the logical printer 210 selected from the attached logical printers 210. The print instruction includes document data to be printed or information specifying the document data (for example, information on the storage location of the document data on the Internet 400 (for example, URL: Uniform Resource Locator)). The information that specifies is included. The logical printer 210 generates and manages a print job according to the print instruction. A print job is a unit for managing print instructions in the logical printer 210, and is given a unique job ID. The logical printer 210 associates the job ID with the document data information to be printed, page description language data obtained by converting the document data, the cloud ID of the user who issued the print instruction, and the execution status of the print job. (For example, status such as not executed (waiting for execution), executing, execution completed, error, etc.) is managed.

  The logical printer 210 transmits a print job to be held to the image forming apparatus 110 instructed by the user to be printed, or in response to an acquisition request from the image forming apparatus 110, the logical printer 210 sends the print job to the image forming apparatus 110. The print job is provided to the image forming apparatus 110 by one of the provided pull methods. For example, when the image forming apparatus 110 is in a firewall, printing in the pull method is performed in which the image forming apparatus 110 accesses the cloud print service 200 using a protocol such as HTTP to acquire a print job.

  The mobile terminal 300 is a portable information terminal such as a notebook PC or tablet terminal, a smartphone, a mobile phone, or the like, and has a function of connecting to the Internet 400. The user logs in to the cloud print service 200 from the mobile terminal 300 and gives various instructions to the service 200. In addition, the mobile terminal 300 is a short-range wireless communication standard such as NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi (registered trademark), ZigBee (trademark) or the like, or a non-wireless device such as IrDA (infrared communication). It may have a function of communicating with the image forming apparatus 110 using a distance communication standard. These short-range communication functions by wireless or the like may be used for transmitting information such as a cloud ID held by the user from the portable terminal 300 to the image forming apparatus 110.

  Next, an example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus 110 in the in-house network 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The UI unit 112 is a mechanism for receiving a local operation from a user (that is, a direct operation by hand or the like). For example, the UI unit 112 includes input and display hardware such as a touch panel and mechanical buttons, and exchanges information with the user via these hardware.

  The authentication processing unit 114 performs processing for authenticating a user who uses the image forming apparatus 110 locally. This user authentication is performed using an in-house ID instead of a cloud ID. As a method for inputting authentication information to the authentication processing unit 114, a conventionally known method may be used. For example, communication with the user's ID card (stores information on the in-house ID) by a method of inputting the in-house ID and password to the UI unit 112 or a reading device such as an NFC reader attached to the image forming apparatus 110 There are various methods such as a method of authenticating the user. The authentication processing unit 114 passes the input information to the in-house authentication system 160 to request authentication, or collates the input information with user authentication information held by the in-house authentication system 160. Then, it is authenticated whether or not the user is a valid user who can use the image forming apparatus 110. When the user authentication is successful by the authentication processing unit 114, the in-house ID of the user who is operating the image forming apparatus 110 is specified.

  The job management unit 116 generates a job in response to a local processing instruction from the UI unit 112 for the image forming apparatus 110 or a processing instruction from a remote apparatus via a network, and manages the execution of the job.

  A user who has received user authentication can instruct various processes such as copying and scanning from the UI unit 112. In response to this processing instruction, the job management unit 116 generates a job for managing the processing, and performs job management such as queue management. Then, each mechanism of the image forming apparatus 110 is controlled to execute the job. For example, when a copy instruction is received, a scanner in the image forming apparatus 110 is activated to read a document, and the image forming unit 120 prints an image of the read result on a sheet.

  In addition, the job management unit 116 can receive print data from another apparatus (including the cloud print service 200 on the Internet 400) via the in-house network 100 by the job reception unit 118. In that case, the received print data can be received. Generate and manage jobs corresponding to the data. When the job execution order arrives, the image forming unit 120 causes the print data of the job to be printed on paper.

  The user registration processing unit 124 performs a user use registration process for the cloud print service 200 so that the user can use the image forming apparatus 110 via the cloud print service 200. The cloud print service 200 is provided with a logical printer 210 associated with the image forming apparatus 110, and a user who can use the logical printer 210 is registered in the logical printer 210. The user registration processing unit 124 registers a desired user in the cloud print service 200 as a user who can use the logical printer 210. When the cloud print service 200 is GCP, this usage registration corresponds to registration of a sharer with the logical printer 210 (or the image forming apparatus 110 corresponding thereto).

  A person who has the authority to register the use of such a user so that the image forming apparatus 110 is not used by an unrelated person via the cloud print service 200 is an administrator of the logical printer 210 corresponding to the image forming apparatus 110 (or Limited to those who have been given that authority by the administrator). In the case of GCP, it is limited to an administrator, that is, a user who registers the image forming apparatus 110 in GCP.

  In this embodiment, as the administrator of the logical printer 210 corresponding to the image forming apparatus 110, the image forming apparatus 110 itself is registered in the cloud print service 200. That is, when an account (including a cloud ID or the like) of the image forming apparatus 110 is created in the cloud print service 200 and a logical printer 210 corresponding to the image forming apparatus 110 is created in the cloud print service 200, etc. As an administrator of the logical printer 210, the account of the image forming apparatus 110 itself is registered. For example, when an image forming apparatus 110 that is supposed to be used via GCP is installed in an office or the like, an account dedicated to the image forming apparatus 110 (not a person such as an office system administrator) is created and installed in the GCP. A person who performs the work registers the image forming apparatus 110 in the GCP using the account. As a result, the account of the image forming apparatus 110 itself is set as an administrator in the logical printer 210 corresponding to the image forming apparatus 110 generated in the GCP.

  The user registration processing unit 124 uses the account of the image forming apparatus 110 itself, and with the authority of the administrator of the logical printer 210 corresponding to the image forming apparatus 110, the logical printer 210 (and thus the image forming apparatus 110). The user is registered as an available person (a sharer in the case of GCP).

  Information of the account of the image forming apparatus 110 itself necessary for the use registration (for example, authentication information such as a cloud ID and a password or a certificate) is stored in the own account storage unit 125.

  In addition to the self account storage unit 125, the image forming apparatus 110 may have means necessary for enabling user registration for the logical printer 210. For example, in the case of GCP, when a request for user use registration for the image forming apparatus 110 is received, the administrator of the image forming apparatus 110 is inquired by e-mail as to whether or not to accept the request. A function capable of handling is provided in the user registration processing unit 124. That is, a function for receiving an e-mail sent from the GCP to an e-mail address registered in the account of the image forming apparatus 110, a registration confirmation processing Web page included in the received e-mail (if necessary, the GCP The user registration processing unit 124 is provided with a function of accessing after login and using the Web page to answer whether or not to accept the use registration request. This answering function may be, for example, accepting a request for user use registration made by the user registration processing unit 124 itself and not accepting a request made by another person.

  When the user registration processing unit 124 receives a request for using the image forming apparatus 110 via the cloud print service 200 from the user via the UI unit 112, the user registration processing unit 124 requests the user's cloud ID from the user. Then, the account information stored in the self-account storage unit 125 is used to log in to the cloud print service 200, and the cloud ID of the user is registered in the cloud print service 200 as an ID of a person who can use the logical printer 210. .

  In addition, the user registration processing unit 124 registers the association information between the user's cloud ID and the in-house ID registered in the logical printer 210 in the user management table 122 and the in-house authentication system 160 as described above. Here, the user management table 122 is a table that holds management information about a user who uses the image forming apparatus 110.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of data contents of the user management table 122. One row of the table shown in FIG. 5 is a record for one user. The record of one user includes “user attribute”, “in-house ID” of the user, “use authority” for the image forming apparatus 110, “printable number of sheets”, “cloud ID”, and “cloud status”. Each item is included. Among these, the “user attribute” is a user attribute relating to the usage mode of the image forming apparatus 110, for example, the user's cloud registration attribute (see FIG. 2). At that time, the user executes (or executes) the image forming apparatus 110. Are expressed by a combination of one or more items such as a job type, a user type, and a user cloud status (described later). Here, the job type includes a job from the cloud print service 200, a local job in the in-house network 100 (a print job from a client on the in-house network 100, a copy instructed via the UI unit 112 of the image forming apparatus 110). And scanning). The types of users include employees and guests, for example. “Usage authority” is information that defines whether various functions of the image forming apparatus 110 can be used, such as whether color printing is possible. “Number of printable sheets” is a numerical value indicating how many sheets can be printed by the end of a predetermined period. This value is updated every time the user prints out. “Cloud status” is information indicating the user's involvement state with respect to the cloud print service 200. The cloud status includes, for example, “unregistered” (the user's cloud ID is not registered in the in-house authentication system 160), and “registered” (the user's cloud ID is registered in the in-house authentication system 160). At this time, the logical printer 210 corresponding to the image forming apparatus 110 is not registered for use), “Registering” (the process of registering the user's cloud ID in the in-house authentication system 160 has started, but is still registered. In a state in which the logical printer 210 corresponding to the image forming apparatus 110 is shared (that is, in a state where use is already registered), and “waiting for printing” (in which the logical printer 210 is The job addressed to the image forming apparatus 110 is waiting for printing to start).

  When the user authenticates the image forming apparatus 110 by presenting an identification card or the like, the image forming apparatus 110 acquires the user information of the user from the in-house authentication system 160, and some necessary items ( The company ID, usage authority, number of printable sheets, cloud ID, etc.) are copied to the user entry generated in the user management table 122. In addition, values of items such as user attributes and cloud status are set. Thereafter, as the process proceeds, the values of variable items such as the number of printable sheets and the cloud status are updated.

  In the case of a management system in which a guest ID card is lent to a guest (temporary visitor to the organization), a predetermined in-house ID for the guest is stored in the card. Further, the in-house authentication system 160 stores a guest management information template (for example, a limited use authority or printable number for the guest is set) in association with the in-house ID for the guest. ing. When the user authentication is successful with the guest ID card, the image forming apparatus 110 acquires the management information template corresponding to the guest internal ID from the internal authentication system 160 and stores the management information template in the user management table 122 according to the template. Create a guest management information record.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 4, the history recording processing unit 126 records processing history (log) information about each job executed in accordance with the management of the job management unit 116 in the history storage unit 128. The recorded log information includes information on the company ID of the user who has instructed execution of the job. The log information includes the process history management field of the image forming apparatus, such as the execution date and time of the job, print setting information in the case of print processing (whether double-sided printing or not, color printing or black-and-white printing, etc.) The information of various items generally recorded in is included. The log information of each job stored in the history storage unit 128 is used for, for example, summing up the usage amount and billing amount of the image forming apparatus 110 of each department in the company and each user. This totaling is performed by a totaling device (not shown) in the in-house network 100. In the aggregation, for each log information stored in the history storage unit 128, the user who executed the job related to the log information and the department to which the user belongs are specified and specified by the in-house ID included in the log information. A usage amount such as the number of printed sheets in the job (or a charging amount corresponding to the usage amount) is added to the usage amount (charging amount) of the user and department.

  As described above, the history storage unit 128 records the in-house ID of the job as an ID for identifying the user who has designated the job. Thereby, referring to the in-house organization information, the usage amount (charging) for each user and each department is realized.

  Here, in the case of a local processing instruction or a processing instruction from another device in the in-house network 100, since the in-house ID of the instruction source user is included in the processing instruction information, the history recording process The unit 126 may record the in-house ID incorporated in the log information.

  In contrast, the print data provided from the logical printer 210 of the cloud print service 200 to the image forming apparatus 110 includes the cloud ID of the user who has instructed printing of the print data, but does not include the in-house ID. This is because the cloud print service 200 does not know the in-house ID. The cloud print service 200 modifies the cloud print service 200 so as to manage the user IDs of other systems such as individual in-house systems in addition to the user ID (cloud ID) for managing its own users. May not be completely impossible, but generally cannot be expected.

  Therefore, when the user ID included in the job (print data or the like) is a cloud ID, the history recording processing unit 126 refers to the user management table 122 and converts the cloud ID into an in-house ID. For example, when the user ID included in the job is not an in-house ID, the history record processing unit 126 compares the ID with a cloud ID / in-house ID pair group registered in the user management table 122, and the ID is any one. If it matches the cloud ID of the pair, the cloud ID is converted to the in-house ID of the pair. Then, the internal ID of the conversion result is incorporated into the log information and recorded in the history storage unit 128.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the history storage unit 128 is provided in the image forming apparatus 110. Instead, the history storage unit 128 is provided in another device (for example, a totaling device) in the in-house network 100. The recording processing unit 126 may write log information to the device.

  Next, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, an example of processing performed by the image forming apparatus 110 (particularly, the user registration processing unit 124) for a user who desires to use the image forming apparatus 110 via the cloud print service 200. Will be explained. In the following, as an example of user authentication for the image forming apparatus 110, authentication is performed using an identification card carried by the user. However, this process is different from user authentication (for example, manual input of an in-house ID and a password). It is also applicable when using the above.

  First, when the user wants to use the image forming apparatus 110, he / she causes his / her identification card to be read by a reading device such as an NFC reader included in the image forming apparatus 110. The image forming apparatus 110 waits for an identification card to be presented from the user to the reading device (S10), and when presented, reads the card information (that is, the user's internal ID) (if necessary). User authentication is executed while exchanging information with the in-house authentication system 160 (S12). When the user authentication fails, the image forming apparatus 110 performs error processing such as displaying an error message on the screen of the UI unit 112 (not shown). When the user authentication is successful, the image forming apparatus 110 acquires the user information (see FIG. 2) of the user from the in-house authentication system 160, and the user management information record (in the user management table 122) based on the acquired information. (See FIG. 5) is created (S14). If the user's record already exists in the user management table 122 at the time when the identification card is presented (that is, the previous information has not yet been deleted), the process of S14 is unnecessary.

  When the authentication is successful for the user, the image forming apparatus 110 displays an operation menu on the screen of the UI unit 112 and receives an operation selection from the user. Here, it is determined whether printing using the cloud print service 200 has been selected (S16). When an operation other than using the cloud is selected, the image forming apparatus 110 executes processing corresponding to the selected operation as usual.

  If the determination result in S <b> 16 is Yes (using the cloud print service 200), the image forming apparatus 110 determines whether the user's cloud ID is included in the user record in the user management table 122. (S18). When the user intends to use the image forming apparatus 110 for the first time via the cloud print service 200, the user's cloud ID is not registered in the in-house authentication system 160 or the user management table 122. The determination result is No. In this case, the user registration processing unit 124 receives an input of the cloud ID from the user, for example, by displaying a message prompting the user to input the cloud ID on the screen of the UI unit 112 (S20). For example, the cloud ID is manually input from the keyboard of the UI unit 112, or the cloud ID is transferred from the user's portable terminal 300 to the image forming apparatus 110 using a near field communication technique such as NFC. Do. At this time, if the user is an employee, designation of whether the cloud registration attribute (see FIG. 2) is “permanent” or “temporary” is accepted. If “permanent” is selected, the usage registration in the logical printer 210 is not automatically deleted. For example, the image forming apparatus 110 is used via the cloud print service 200 at any later timing. Is possible. However, in the case of GCP, the logical printer 210 that has been registered for use (registered as a sharer) is shared with other users. Therefore, if the use registration is made “permanent”, the logical printer 210 itself can be used. There is a possibility that the history (for example, job name, date, and other attribute information) of the print job sent to is shared with other sharers. If the usage registration is “temporary”, for example, the usage registration is deleted after a certain period of time. Therefore, if the user wants to use the image forming apparatus 110 again via the cloud print service 200, the usage registration needs to be performed again. Therefore, it is necessary to perform authentication up to the image forming apparatus 110 and instruct to use the cloud. However, instead, the registration is deleted when, for example, a certain period of time elapses from the use registration, so that the use history of the logical printer 210 is less likely to be seen by other sharers. After S20, the process proceeds to S24.

  On the other hand, if the user has already registered the cloud ID in the in-house authentication system 160 at the time of previous use, the determination result in S18 is Yes. When the determination result in S18 is Yes, the user registration processing unit 124 has already registered use of the cloud ID in the logical printer 210 corresponding to the image forming apparatus 110 (in the case of GCP, the ID has been registered as a sharer). Is determined (S22). In this determination, if the value of “cloud status” in the user management table 122 is “shared” (or “use registration completed”), it is determined that use registration has been completed (determination result Yes), and otherwise. Determines that usage registration has not been made.

  Here, the value of “cloud status” in the user management table 122 is set to “shared” if the cloud registration attribute in the user information acquired from the in-house authentication system 160 in S14 is “permanent”. This is because if the “permanent” registration attribute is selected when the user is registered in the logical printer 210 in the past, the use registration (shared state) remains without being released. If the cloud registration attribute in the user information acquired from the in-house authentication system 160 is “temporary”, the “cloud status” in the user management table 122 is “registered”. “Registered” is an employee who can take the value “temporary”, so the cloud ID entered at the time of past use is already registered in the in-house authentication system 160, and “temporary” This is because the usage registration to the logical printer 210 is canceled when the past usage is finished (and therefore is not “shared”). If the cloud registration attribute in the user information acquired from the in-house authentication system 160 is “guest”, the “cloud status” in the user management table 122 is “unregistered”. The in-house authentication system 160 does not permanently store user information such as cloud IDs for guests, for reasons such as protecting personal information, and the usage registration to the logical printer 210 is deleted whenever usage ends. Because it does.

  If the determination result in S22 is Yes (the user has already registered for use with the logical printer 210), the use registration processing for the logical printer 210 (S24 to S32) is unnecessary, and the process proceeds to S34 in FIG. . If the determination result in S22 is No, the cloud ID of the user has already been registered in the in-house authentication system 160, so the processing in S20 (obtaining the cloud ID from the user) is unnecessary, but the cloud ID is the image. Since registration (use registration) is not performed in the logical printer 210 corresponding to the forming apparatus 110, the process proceeds to S24.

  In S <b> 24, the user registration processing unit 124 logs in to the cloud print service 200 using the account information of the image forming apparatus 110 stored in the self account storage unit 125. After login, the cloud ID of the user is registered as an available user (sharer) with administrator authority to the logical printer 210 corresponding to the image forming apparatus 110 (S26). Then, the cloud ID acquired in S20 is registered in the user record in the user management table 122 (S28) (if it is determined in S18 that the user has the cloud ID, this step is unnecessary). .

  Next, the process proceeds to the process of FIG. 7, and the user registration processing unit 124 determines whether or not the type of the user is a guest (S30). Whether or not the guest is a guest can be determined from the in-house ID determined at the time of user authentication (S12). If the user is not a guest, the user is an employee, and the cloud ID of the user acquired in S20 is registered in the record of the user in the in-house authentication system 160 (S32). At this time, the cloud registration attribute (“permanent” or “temporary”) acquired in S20 is registered in the in-house authentication system 160.

  Thereafter, the user registration processing unit 124 of the image forming apparatus 110 receives an explicit logout instruction from the user, or a state in which the user does not operate the image forming apparatus 110 continues for a predetermined time or longer ( Wait for timeout (S34, S36). When a logout instruction is issued in S34 or a time-out occurs in S36, the image forming apparatus 110 deletes the management information record of the user from the user management table 122 (S38). As a result, information such as the user's cloud ID (this may correspond to personal information) disappears from the image forming apparatus 110. Further, the user registration processing unit 124 determines whether the cloud registration attribute of the user corresponds to “temporary” or “guest” (S40). If the determination result in S <b> 40 is Yes, the user registration processing unit 124 logs in to the cloud print service 200 using the account information stored in the self account storage unit 125, and from the logical printer 210 corresponding to the image forming apparatus 110, The user's usage registration (registration as a sharer in the case of GCP) is deleted (S42). When the cloud registration attribute of the user is “permanent”, the determination result in S40 is No, and in this case, S42 is skipped. This completes the user registration process for the logical printer 210.

  In the example of FIG. 7, the cloud ID of a user who is not a guest (that is, an employee) is always registered in the in-house authentication system 160 (S30, S32), but this is only an example. Instead, for example, when the image forming apparatus 110 receives an input of the cloud ID from the user (S20), the user is asked whether the cloud ID may be registered in the in-house authentication system 160, and the user confirms the registration. If it is rejected, the cloud ID may not be registered in the in-house authentication system 160. If the cloud ID is not registered in the in-house authentication system 160, the user management information (including the in-house ID and the cloud ID) is obtained from the user management table 122 of the image forming apparatus 110 in step S42 of FIG. If deleted, the job sent to the cloud print service 200 cannot be printed out from the image forming apparatus 110. If the cloud ID is not registered in the in-house authentication system 160, it is necessary to input the own cloud ID (S20) when the other image forming apparatus 110 performs printing via the cloud print service 200 (S20). If you register, you can save time).

  In the example of FIG. 7, when the user is a guest, the cloud ID of the user is not registered in the in-house authentication system 160, so the cloud ID that is the personal information of the guest is only the visited system. The authentication system 160 does not remain. However, if the guest desires, the guest's cloud ID may be registered in the in-house authentication system 160.

  In the example of FIG. 7, the employee has selected whether the employee's cloud registration attribute is “permanent” or “temporary” in S20. You may determine automatically from the relationship with a place. In this example, information on the normal whereabouts of each employee (that is, the office or factory where he / she works) is registered in the in-house authentication system 160 and other databases, and the image forming apparatus 110 (or the image forming apparatus 110) is registered. Is registered in a database that can be accessed by the image forming apparatus 110. Then, the image forming apparatus 110 acquires information on the user's normal whereabouts from the in-house ID of the user authenticated in S12, and determines that the whereabouts matches the installation location of the image forming apparatus 110 itself (a predetermined condition ( For example, in the same room, in the same building, or within a predetermined distance between the two, the cloud registration attribute of the user is determined as “permanent”. On the other hand, if the user's normal whereabouts does not satisfy the condition that the user's normal location matches the installation location of the image forming apparatus 110, the image forming apparatus 110 determines that the user's cloud registration attribute is “temporary”. In this example, the image forming apparatus 110 installed at a location that matches the user's normal whereabouts is regarded as an image forming apparatus that the user normally uses, and the image forming apparatus 110 that corresponds to the image forming apparatus 110 is connected to the logical printer 210. The user's usage registration is “permanent”, and the image forming apparatus 110 installed at a location that does not match the user's normal location is regarded as only being used by the user on the go, and the image forming apparatus The use registration of the user to the logical printer 210 corresponding to 110 is made “temporary”. Note that the value of the cloud registration attribute of the employee thus determined may be displayed on the screen of the UI unit 112 so that the user who sees it can change the value.

  Next, an example of a processing procedure when the image forming apparatus 110 executes a job received from the cloud print service 200 will be described with reference to FIG.

  A user logs in to the cloud print service 200 from his computer (for example, the mobile terminal 300) with his account (cloud ID), and prints document data to the logical printer 210 registered as a user who can use the user. Assume that you have instructed. In response to this instruction, the cloud print service 200 converts the document data into print data corresponding to the output image forming apparatus 110 and provides the print data to the image forming apparatus 110. The provided print data (job) includes information on the cloud ID of the user who instructed printing.

  The image forming apparatus 110 waits for a job (print data) to arrive from the cloud print service 200 (S50). Upon receiving the job, the image forming apparatus 110 searches for user information including the cloud ID included in the job (S52). . This search is first performed on the user management table 122 in the image forming apparatus 110. If the search cannot be performed from the user management table 122, the search is further performed on the database in the in-house authentication system 160.

  Next, the image forming apparatus 110 determines whether to permit print output of the job according to the search result of S52 (S54). For example, when the user information (including the in-house ID) corresponding to the cloud ID could not be searched from the user management table 122 or the in-house authentication system 160, the cloud ID is completely unrelated to the organization. It is determined that printing output is not permitted. Further, when the user information corresponding to the cloud ID can be searched, the in-house ID corresponding to the cloud ID is known from the user information (in the case of a guest, the in-house ID for the guest is assigned). In this case, the image forming apparatus 110 can further calculate information such as usage authority and the number of printable sheets included in the user information, the print attribute (such as color or monochrome) of the job, and the number of output sheets (number of pages and number of copies). ) And the like are compared to determine whether the job can be output based on the authority of the user.

  If it is determined in S54 that printing is not permitted, the image forming apparatus 110 performs error processing such as returning an error code indicating that printing cannot be performed because the authority is exceeded to the cloud print service 200 (S60).

  When it is determined in S54 that printing is permitted, the image forming apparatus 110 executes the job (that is, prints out) (S56), and includes history information indicating the execution result of the job (including the in-house ID identified from the cloud ID). ) Is recorded in the log management apparatus in the own apparatus or on the in-house network 100 (S58).

  Further, the image forming apparatus 110 may realize security printing using an in-house ID specified from the cloud ID included in the job from the cloud print service 200. In the security printing method, the image forming apparatus 110 does not immediately print the received print data, but temporarily stores it in a built-in storage device. At this time, the print data to be stored is associated with the in-house ID identified from the cloud ID. When the user who has issued the print instruction later reaches the image forming apparatus 110 and performs user authentication using the in-house ID in the authentication processing unit 114, the job management unit 116 stores the information in association with the in-house ID. Print the print data (job) stored in the device.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the user wants to use the image forming apparatus 110 via the cloud print service 200, the image forming apparatus 110 (the logical printer 210 corresponding thereto) on the cloud print service 200. Even if the administrator is not checked and contacted, the purpose can be realized by an intuitive method of going to the image forming apparatus 110 and inputting his / her cloud ID. In this embodiment, since the image forming apparatus 110 records user registration with the logical printer 210 and association information between the user's in-house ID and cloud ID, the burden on the human system administrator is reduced. The

  The information processing unit (the functional module group other than the image forming unit 120 in the example of FIG. 4) of the image forming apparatus 110 exemplified above causes, for example, a general-purpose computer to execute a program representing the processing of each functional module of the apparatus. Is realized. Here, the computer includes, as hardware, a microprocessor such as a CPU, a memory (primary storage) such as a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM), an HDD controller that controls an HDD (hard disk drive), Various I / O (input / output) interfaces, network interfaces that perform control for connection to a network such as a local area network, and the like have a circuit configuration connected via a bus, for example. Also, portable non-volatile recording of various standards such as a disk drive and a flash memory for reading and / or writing to a portable disk recording medium such as a CD or a DVD via the I / O interface, for example. A memory reader / writer for reading from and / or writing to a medium may be connected. A program in which the processing contents of each functional module exemplified above are described is stored in a fixed storage device such as a hard disk drive via a recording medium such as a CD or DVD, or via a communication means such as a network, and stored in a computer. Installed. The program stored in the fixed storage device is read into the RAM and executed by a microprocessor such as a CPU, thereby realizing the functional module group exemplified above.

100 internal network, 110 image forming apparatus, 112 UI (user interface) unit, 114 authentication processing unit, 116 job management unit, 118 job receiving unit, 120 image forming unit, 122 user management table, 124 user registration processing unit, 125 Account storage unit, 126 History recording processing unit, 128 History storage unit, 160 In-house authentication system, 200 Cloud print service, 210 Logical printer, 300 Mobile terminal, 400 Internet.

Claims (7)

First information receiving means for receiving first information that is identification information of a user in a system in a specific organization including an image forming apparatus that performs first authentication;
Second information receiving means for receiving second information that is identification information of the user in a service system on the cloud that performs second authentication;
Association storage means for associating and storing the first information and the second information;
Use registration means for registering the second information as identification information of a user who uses the image forming apparatus with respect to the service system using the identification information of the image forming apparatus in the service system;
Obtaining means for obtaining print data including second information from the service system;
Control means for controlling print processing of the print data acquired by the acquisition means, using the first information stored in the association storage means in association with the second information included in the acquired print data;
An image forming apparatus including: Association registration means for associating the first information with the second information and registering it in a user information management device included in the system in the specific organization;
When the second information associated with the first information received by the first information receiving unit is registered in the user information management device, the second information registered in the user information management device is Means for passing to the use registration means and executing the registration process;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The association registration unit does not register the second information in the user information management device when the first information corresponds to predetermined guest identification information. Image forming apparatus.   2. A cancellation processing unit that performs processing for canceling registration performed by the usage registration unit when a condition for determining that the user no longer uses the image forming apparatus is satisfied. 4. The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 3.   5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a control unit that controls the cancellation processing unit not to execute the process for canceling the registration when receiving a designation from the user not to cancel the registration performed by the use registration unit. The image forming apparatus described in 1.   When the information on the normal location of the user is acquired and the location and the installation location of the image forming apparatus satisfy the condition for regarding the location and the installation location as matching, the release processing means The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for controlling not to execute the process for canceling the registration. Computer
First information receiving means for receiving first information that is identification information of a user in a system in a specific organization including an image forming apparatus that performs first authentication;
Second information receiving means for receiving second information which is identification information of the user in the service system on the cloud performing second authentication;
Association storage means for associating and storing the first information and the second information;
Use registration means for registering the second information as identification information of a user who uses the image forming apparatus with respect to the service system using the identification information of the image forming apparatus in the service system;
Obtaining means for obtaining print data including second information from the service system;
Control means for controlling print processing of the print data acquired by the acquisition means, using the first information stored in the association storage means in association with the second information included in the acquired print data;
Program to function as.

Images