U.S. patent application number 14/148186 was filed with the patent office on 2014-10-30 for image forming apparatus and method, information processing system, and non-transitory computer readable medium.
This patent application is currently assigned to FUJI XEROX Co., Ltd.. The applicant listed for this patent is FUJI XEROX Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Hajime ICHIDA.
Application Number | 20140320883 14/148186 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51768532 |
Filed Date | 2014-10-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140320883 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ICHIDA; Hajime |
October 30, 2014 |
IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND METHOD, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM,
AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM
Abstract
An image forming apparatus performs printing processing using
first identification information in a first system in a particular
organization that performs first authentication, the first
identification information being information that identifies a user
in the first authentication. The image forming apparatus includes
an obtaining unit and a controller. The obtaining unit obtains
print data from a logical printer in a second system that is a
cloud service system that performs second authentication. Setting
information including the first identification information is set
in the logical printer, and the image forming apparatus is set as
an output destination in the logical printer. The controller
controls printing processing of the print data obtained by the
obtaining unit using the first identification information included
in setting information set in the obtained print data.
Identification information of the user, which is temporarily issued
in the first system, is used as the first identification
information.
Inventors: |
ICHIDA; Hajime; (Kanagawa,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FUJI XEROX Co., Ltd. |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
FUJI XEROX Co., Ltd.
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
51768532 |
Appl. No.: |
14/148186 |
Filed: |
January 6, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
358/1.14 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/1222 20130101;
G06F 3/1238 20130101; G06F 3/1288 20130101; G06F 21/31 20130101;
G06K 15/4095 20130101; G06F 21/608 20130101; G07F 17/26 20130101;
G06Q 20/145 20130101; G06F 2221/2141 20130101; G06F 2221/2151
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
358/1.14 |
International
Class: |
G06K 15/00 20060101
G06K015/00; G06Q 20/14 20060101 G06Q020/14 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 26, 2013 |
JP |
2013-094698 |
Claims
1. An image forming apparatus that performs printing processing
using first identification information in a first system in a
particular organization that performs first authentication, the
first identification information being information that identifies
a user in the first authentication, the apparatus comprising: an
obtaining unit that obtains print data from a logical printer in a
second system that is a cloud service system that performs second
authentication, wherein setting information including the first
identification information is set in the logical printer, and the
image forming apparatus is set as an output destination in the
logical printer; and a controller that controls printing processing
of the print data obtained by the obtaining unit using the first
identification information included in setting information set in
the obtained print data, wherein identification information of the
user, which is temporarily issued in the first system, is used as
the first identification information.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in
the case where the first identification information included in the
setting information set in the obtained print data is the user's
temporarily issued identification information, a fee for the
printing processing is recorded as a fee billed to a predetermined
to-be-billed destination.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising: a use authority obtaining unit that obtains, from a
predetermined use authority memory device in the first system, use
authority information indicating whether a user who has been
authenticated by the first authentication using the first
identification information has authority to use the image forming
apparatus; a generating unit that generates restricted capability
information by more restricting information on capability of the
image forming apparatus in accordance with the user's use authority
information obtained by the use authority obtaining unit; and a
setting unit that sets capability setting information including the
restricted capability information in the logical printer in the
second system by accessing the second system using second
identification information, the second identification information
being information that identifies the user in the second
authentication.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further
comprising a log memory that records log information including the
first identification information included in the setting
information set in the obtained print data, the second
identification information of the user corresponding to the first
identification information, and log image data representing the
obtained print data or a to-be-printed image generated from the
obtained print data.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further
comprising a notification unit that notifies the user who has the
second identification information of information regarding the
printing processing of the obtained print data, via the second
system using the second identification information.
6. An information processing system comprising: a first
identification information obtaining unit that obtains first
identification information input by a user for user authentication
to an image forming apparatus connected to a first system that
performs first authentication, the first identification information
being identification information of the user in the first system; a
second identification information obtaining unit that obtains
second identification information that is identification
information of the user in a second system that performs second
authentication; a setting unit that sets setting information
including the obtained first identification information in a
logical printer in the second system by accessing the second system
using the obtained second identification information, and, that
sets, as identification information of a user of the logical
printer, the obtained second identification information in the
logical printer; and a printing processor that receives and
performs printing processing of to-be-printed print data generated
by the logical printer in the second system, and extracts and
outputs the first identification information included in setting
information set in the received print data, wherein identification
information of the user, which is temporarily issued in the first
system, is usable as the first identification information.
7. The information processing system according to claim 6, further
comprising a billing memory that records, in the case where the
first identification information included in the setting
information set in the obtained print data is the user's
temporarily issued identification information, a fee for the
printing processing as a fee billed to a predetermined to-be-billed
destination.
8. The information processing system according to claim 6, further
comprising: a use authority obtaining unit that obtains, from a
predetermined use authority memory device in the first system, use
authority information indicating whether a user who has been
authenticated by the first authentication using the first
identification information has authority to use the image forming
apparatus; a generating unit that generates restricted capability
information by more restricting information on capability of the
image forming apparatus in accordance with the user's use authority
information obtained by the use authority obtaining unit; and a
capability setting information setting unit that sets capability
setting information including the restricted capability information
in the logical printer in the second system by accessing the second
system using the second identification information.
9. The information processing system according to claim 8, further
comprising a log memory that records log information including the
first identification information included in the setting
information set in the obtained print data, the second
identification information of the user corresponding to the first
identification information, and log image data representing the
obtained print data or a to-be-printed image generated from the
obtained print data.
10. The information processing system according to claim 8, further
comprising a notification unit that notifies the user who has the
second identification information of information regarding the
printing processing of the obtained print data, via the second
system using the second identification information.
11. An image forming method comprising: obtaining print data
including first identification information that is identification
information of a user in a first system that performs first
authentication, to which an image forming apparatus is connected,
the print data being generated by a logical printer in a second
system that performs second authentication, wherein setting
information including the first identification information is
included in the logical printer, and the image forming apparatus is
set as an output destination in the logical printer; controlling
printing processing using the first identification information
included in setting information set in the obtained print data; and
using identification information of the user, which is temporarily
issued in the first system, as the first identification
information.
12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program
causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising:
obtaining print data including first identification information
that is identification information of a user in a first system that
performs first authentication, to which an image forming apparatus
is connected, the print data being generated by a logical printer
in a second system that performs second authentication, wherein
setting information including the first identification information
is included in the logical printer, and the image forming apparatus
is set as an output destination in the logical printer; controlling
printing processing using the first identification information
included in setting information set in the obtained print data; and
using identification information of the user, which is temporarily
issued in the first system, as the first identification
information.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on and claims priority under 35
USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-094698 filed Apr.
26, 2013.
BACKGROUND
[0002] (i) Technical Field
[0003] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus
and method, an information processing system, and a non-transitory
computer readable medium.
[0004] (ii) Related Art
[0005] Existing print services are generally on-premises services
installed at individual organizations (such as companies and
schools). Because an on-premises print service (server) is a closed
system for each organization, user identification information (ID)
(such as an employee number) unique to that organization may be
used as it is as a user account. Therefore, security printing and
aggregation management of print jobs may be easily performed using
user IDs unique to each organization.
[0006] In contrast, cloud print services provided on the Internet
400, such as Google Cloud Print (trademark) developed by Google,
have been proposed in recent years. A user at a personal computer
(PC) or the like logs in to a cloud print service with a user ID
for that service, and, after the user logs in, the user sends print
data to the cloud print service. The print data is printed by
providing the print data from the cloud print service to an image
forming apparatus via the Internet 400 or the like.
[0007] Unlike on-premises services, cloud print services are shared
among plural organizations or individuals, and each cloud print
service allocates user IDs independent of the individual
organizations. Because users may not be able to obtain, as their
user IDs for the cloud print services, the same user IDs as those
in their organizations, user IDs used for user authentication in
the cloud print services do not generally coincide with user IDs
that are given in and unique to the individual organizations. A
cloud print service knows a user ID for that service with regard to
print data, but does not know a user ID unique to each
organization. Therefore, when print data is provided from a cloud
print service to an image forming apparatus and is printed with the
image forming apparatus, because that print data includes no user
ID unique to an organization, the image forming apparatus is unable
to perform security printing or aggregation management regarding
that print data on the basis of the user ID unique to the
organization.
[0008] In user management in a print service system such as a cloud
print service, only user identification information in the print
service system is managed. Therefore, if there is any information
that may be sent as user identification information of print data
from the print service system to an image forming apparatus in a
certain organization, that information is the user identification
information in the print service system, not in the
organization.
SUMMARY
[0009] According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided
an image forming apparatus performs printing processing using first
identification information in a first system in a particular
organization that performs first authentication, the first
identification information being information that identifies a user
in the first authentication. The image forming apparatus includes
an obtaining unit and a controller. The obtaining unit obtains
print data from a logical printer in a second system that is a
cloud service system that performs second authentication. Setting
information including the first identification information is set
in the logical printer, and the image forming apparatus is set as
an output destination in the logical printer. The controller
controls printing processing of the print data obtained by the
obtaining unit using the first identification information included
in setting information set in the obtained print data.
Identification information of the user, which is temporarily issued
in the first system, is used as the first identification
information.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be
described in detail based on the following figures, wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the
configuration of a system according to an exemplary embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the
functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to
the exemplary embodiment;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a portion of the flow of a
printing process according to the exemplary embodiment;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a portion of the flow of
the printing process according to the exemplary embodiment;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a portion of the flow of
the printing process according to the exemplary embodiment;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a
system and the flow of a printing process according to a
modification;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the
functional configuration of an intermediary apparatus according to
the modification;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system
using a temporary local ID (in-house ID);
[0019] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of temporary ID
management information;
[0020] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of guest ID
management information;
[0021] FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating examples of log
information of processing recorded by the image forming apparatus
and an aggregation apparatus in the system using a temporary local
ID (in-house ID);
[0022] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of user
management information;
[0023] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of division
management information;
[0024] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of project
management information;
[0025] FIG. 15 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a print
ticket including, in addition to a local ID, a uniquely defined
element representing a to-be-billed destination;
[0026] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of guest ID
management information including information on a billing
system;
[0027] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of log
information including information on a to-be-billed destination,
recorded by the image forming apparatus;
[0028] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of use
authority information representing the use authority of each
user;
[0029] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of the
procedure of a process for realizing output restriction in
accordance with the use authority of each user by using a cloud
print service; and
[0030] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of the image
forming apparatus including a notification processor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] Referring to FIG. 1, an example of the configuration of a
system according to an exemplary embodiment will be described. The
system described by way of example includes an in-house network 100
in a certain company, a cloud print service 200, and a cloud
repository service 300, which are connected to the Internet
400.
[0032] The in-house network 100 is configured as, for example, a
local area network (LAN). A personal computer (PC), an image
forming apparatus 110, an aggregation apparatus 150, and another
server are connected to the in-house network 100.
[0033] The company described by way of example here is an example
of an "organization" including plural users. The PC, the image
forming apparatus 110, the aggregation apparatus 150, and the like
connected to the in-house network 100 constitute an internal
information system in that "organization".
[0034] The image forming apparatus 110 is an apparatus that prints,
on a sheet, print data input thereto. The image forming apparatus
110 may include functions in addition to a print function. For
example, the image forming apparatus 110 may be a so-called digital
multifunctional apparatus including, in addition to the print
function, a scan function, a copy function, a facsimile sending
function, and an email sending function. Although only one image
forming apparatus 110 is illustrated in FIG. 1, plural image
forming apparatuses 110 may be connected to the in-house network
100. Besides the function of executing a process such as copying,
scanning, or printing in response to an instruction from a user,
which is accepted by a user interface (UI) unit 112 (see FIG. 2) of
the image forming apparatus 110, the image forming apparatus 110
has the function of executing a process such as printing in
response to an instruction from a computer in the in-house network
100. Also, the image forming apparatus 110 has the function of
obtaining print data from the cloud print service 200 on the
Internet 400 and printing and outputting the print data.
[0035] Each user (individual in this case) who belongs to the
company is allocated a user ID unique in the company (that is,
exclusive within the company) (hereinafter referred to as an
"in-house ID"). For example, an employee number is an example of
such a user ID. The image forming apparatus 110 has the function of
performing user authentication using an in-house ID. A user who
wants to use the image forming apparatus 110 is asked to present
authentication information (such as inputting the in-house ID and
password from the UI unit 112, or integrated circuit (IC) card
authentication). The image forming apparatus 110 performs user
authentication in accordance with the presentation, thereby
specifying the in-house ID of that user. The image forming
apparatus 110 incorporates the specified in-house ID in log
information or the like of an executed process, and records the log
information therein or in the aggregation apparatus 150 in the
in-house network 100. The recorded log information may be
aggregated by the aggregation apparatus 150 for management of the
usage of the image forming apparatus 110 or for accounting
management. Aggregation is performed for, for example, each user or
for each section (department or group in the company) to which the
user belongs, on the basis of the in-house ID recorded in each
piece of log information.
[0036] The cloud print service 200 is a system that provides a
print service to a user on a network such as the Internet 400.
Although the cloud print service 200 is generally a system
including plural computers, the cloud print service 200 may be
constituted of a single computer. For example, Google Cloud Print
is an example of the cloud print service 200.
[0037] The cloud print service 200 provides users with the function
of converting, for example, document data (such as document data
generated by software such as a word-processing or spreadsheet
program) specified by a user to be printed into data in a data
format in a page description language that the image forming
apparatus 110 is capable of handling (such as Portable Document
Format (PDF) or PostScript (registered trademark)), the function of
generating a print job corresponding to the accepted print
instruction and managing the execution status of that print job
(such as queue management), and the like. The cloud print service
200 generates and manages a logical printer 210 (may also be
referred to as a "printer object") that realizes various functions
for print services. In the logical printer 210, at least one user
who uses the logical printer 210 is registered. In general, plural
logical printers 210 are held in the cloud print service 200, and
each logical printer 210 is used by at least one user who is
registered therein.
[0038] In addition, at least one physical image forming apparatus
110, which outputs a print job held in a queue in the logical
printer 210, may be registered in the logical printer 210. In this
case, the logical printer 210 holds management information
regarding the registered image forming apparatus 110. The
management information includes, for example, identification
information (such as a printer name) of the image forming apparatus
110, and capability information that indicates the capability
(functions) of the image forming apparatus 110. The capability
information includes information indicating, for example, whether
the image forming apparatus 110 is capable of performing duplex
printing or full-color printing, the sheet sizes held therein, and
the like. When the image forming apparatus 110 has a
post-processing device, the capability information further includes
information regarding the capability of the post-processing device
(such as stapling, punching, and folding functions).
[0039] The user registers (generates) the user's account in the
cloud print service 200. When generating the account, the user
registers a user ID (hereinafter referred to as a "cloud ID") that
is unique in the cloud print service 200. The cloud print service
200 is a public service, and management of user IDs in the cloud
print service 200 is independent of user management in the in-house
network 100 of the company. Thus, the cloud ID is generally not the
same as the in-house ID. For example, when a user in the company
tries to register a user ID including the same character string as
that of the in-house ID in the cloud print service 200, the user
may not be able to register that user ID because, for example, that
user ID has already been allocated to another person.
[0040] The cloud print service 200 generates a logical printer 210
in response to an instruction from a user. For each logical printer
210, the cloud print service 200 stores the cloud ID of each user
registered as a user who is capable of using that logical printer
210. Alternatively, in response to an instruction to an existing
logical printer 210 from a user who has the right to be registered,
the cloud print service 200 may register, in the existing logical
printer 210, that user as a user who is capable of using the
existing logical printer 210.
[0041] A user logs in with the user's cloud ID to the cloud print
service 200 via the Internet 400 by using a communication protocol
such as the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) from a PC or a
mobile terminal on the Internet 400 (outside the in-house network
100) or from a PC or the image forming apparatus 110 in the
in-house network 100, and the user gives a print instruction to a
logical printer 210 selected from among one or more logical
printers 210 (there may be plural logical printers 210) associated
with that cloud ID. The print instruction includes document data to
be printed, or information that specifies a target to be printed,
such as information that specifies document data to be printed
(such as information of the storage location of the document data
on the Internet 400 (such as a uniform resource locator (URL))).
Here, for example, document data may exist in the cloud repository
service 300, which will be described later. In response to the
print instruction, the logical printer 210 generates a print job
and manages the print job. The print job is a unit for managing the
print instruction in the logical printer 210, and the print job is
given a unique job ID. In association with the job ID, the logical
printer 210 manages information such as information of the document
data to be printed, page description language data obtained by
converting the document data, the cloud ID of the user who has
given the print instruction, and the execution status (such as
unexecuted, being executed, execution completed, or error) of the
print job.
[0042] The logical printer 210 sends the held print job to a
printer serving as a physical apparatus at an output destination
specified by the user (hereinafter referred to as a "physical
printer") and causes the physical printer to print the print job
(push method), or, in response to an obtaining request from the
physical printer, provides the print job to that physical printer
(pull method). For example, since the image forming apparatus 110
in the in-house network 100 is generally behind a firewall, when a
print job in the logical printer 210 is to be printed with the
image forming apparatus 110, printing is performed using the pull
method in which the image forming apparatus 110 accesses the cloud
print service 200 using a protocol such as HTTP and obtains the
print job.
[0043] The cloud repository service 300 is a system that provides
users with repository services on the Internet 400. Repository
services are services for storing data and programs and are also
called "online storage services". Although the cloud repository
service 300 is a system that is generally constituted of plural
computers, the cloud repository service 300 may be constituted of a
single computer. Examples of the cloud repository service 300
include, for example, Google Docs (trademark), Dropbox (trademark),
and Evernote (trademark).
[0044] For each user, the cloud repository service 300 saves
various files such as document data and programs uploaded by the
user, and provides the saved files to the user. The user obtains a
user ID that is unique in the cloud repository service 300 by
registering the user in the cloud repository service 300. Using the
user ID, the user logs in to the cloud repository service 300, and
uploads and downloads files. In principle, the user ID in the cloud
repository service 300 is unrelated to an in-house ID or a user ID
(cloud ID) in the cloud print service 200. However, a common user
ID is used in services that are related to each other, such as in
Google Cloud Print and Google Docs. Hereinafter, a cloud ID that is
common to that in the cloud print service 200 is used as a user ID
in the cloud repository service 300 in order to simplify the
description.
[0045] As has been described in the section of the related art, a
print job registered in the cloud print service 200 is linked to
the cloud ID of the user who has given the print instruction, but
is generally not linked to the in-house ID of the user. At the same
time, it is expected that there would be more occasions in which
the cloud print service 200 is used to perform printing with the
image forming apparatus 110 in the in-house network 100. Therefore,
it is meaningful to be able to perform recording and aggregation
using the in-house IDs of users for printing via the cloud print
service 200.
[0046] According to the exemplary embodiment, the case is described
by way of example in which, when printing is performed with the
image forming apparatus 110 in the in-house network 100 via the
cloud print service 200, the image forming apparatus 110 gives the
in-house ID of a person who gives a print instruction to the cloud
print service 200, and, when the cloud print service 200 sends
print data to the image forming apparatus 110, the in-house ID is
additionally transferred to the image forming apparatus 110.
[0047] Because the cloud print service 200 performs user
authentication using the cloud ID and does not recognize the
in-house ID as a user ID, it is meaningless when the image forming
apparatus 110 gives the in-house ID as a user ID to the cloud print
service 200. Therefore, according to the exemplary embodiment, the
in-house ID is transferred using the inherent function of the cloud
print service 200. This inherent function sends setting information
for printing, which has been set in the logical printer 210 (for
example, information indicating the functions used in printing,
such as duplex printing and collation), to a physical printer at an
output destination in association with print data.
[0048] For example, Google Cloud Print is configured to hold print
setting information (referred to as a "print ticket" or a "job
ticket") in association with the logical printer 210, and, when
providing print date from the logical printer 210 to its physical
printer, additionally provide the print setting information. The
print setting information may include an element that the user may
uniquely define (referred to as a "uniquely defined element"). That
is, the setting information including a uniquely defined element
including the in-house ID is set in the logical printer 210, and
accordingly, the in-house ID may be transferred, together with
print data, to the image forming apparatus 110.
[0049] Although Google Cloud Print has been described by way of
example here, associating an element similar to a print ticket with
print data transferred from a logical printer to a physical printer
is widely done in the overall printing systems, and the probability
of adopting this function in other public print services including
other cloud types is high.
[0050] As a method of setting print setting information (print
ticket) including a uniquely defined element that indicates the
in-house ID of a user in the logical printer 210 in the cloud print
service 200, there is a method of sending a logical printer
generation instruction with which such a print ticket is associated
to the cloud print service 200. For example, when the print control
technology of the ".NET Framework" (trademark) developed by
Microsoft (registered trademark) is used, print setting information
is configured as an instance in the PrintTicket class. Upon receipt
of a logical printer generation instruction, the cloud print
service 200 newly generates a logical printer 210 in which the
print ticket is set. In the exemplary embodiment, this method is
used by way of example. When an instruction to print document data
is given to the logical printer 210 generated in response to the
logical printer generation instruction, the logical printer 210
converts the document data into print data in a page description
language, and sends the print data, together with the print ticket
(including the in-house ID), to the image forming apparatus
110.
[0051] As another method, there is a method of generating a logical
printer 210 in which, instead of a print ticket, an element
including the in-house ID is incorporated in setting information
that indicates the capability information of a physical printer
associated with the logical printer 210 (the capability information
indicating whether the printer is capable of performing, for
example, duplex printing and/or color printing). In this method,
the image forming apparatus under 110 incorporates an element that
indicates the in-house ID in setting information that indicates the
capability information thereof, and sends a logical printer
generation instruction with which the setting information is
associated to the cloud print service 200. In response to the
logical printer generation instruction, the cloud print service 200
generates a logical printer 210 in which the setting information is
set. When the print control technology of the ".NET Framework"
(trademark) is used, the setting information is configured as an
instance in the PrintCapability class. In this method, a client
apparatus (such as the image forming apparatus 110) that is to
perform printing using the logical printer 210 receives, from the
logical printer 210, setting information that indicates the
capability of a physical printer to be used (such as
PrintCapability), and accepts a choice(s) selected by a user from
among choices of various functions included in the setting
information. The result of the selected choice(s) becomes print
setting information for the printing. Here, when an element that
indicates the in-house ID is incorporated in the setting
information provided to the client apparatus, that element is
handed over to the print setting information. The print setting
information is sent from the client apparatus to the cloud print
service 200 and is set in the logical printer 210. The print
setting information (including the in-house ID) is associated with
print data sent from the logical printer 210 to the physical
printer (such as the image forming apparatus 110 itself).
[0052] Both methods use the inherent function of the cloud print
service 200, which associates, when the logical printer 210 sends
print data to a physical printer such as the image forming
apparatus 110, setting information set therein with the print data
and sends the setting information and the print data. Therefore,
there is no need to change the functions of or add functions to the
existing cloud print service 200 in order to realize this
mechanism. It is only necessary to add, to the image forming
apparatus 110, the function of instructing the cloud print service
200 to generate such a logical printer 210. Hereinafter, an example
of the image forming apparatus 110 with this function according to
the exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
2.
[0053] The UI unit 112 is a mechanism for accepting a local
operation from a user (such as a direct operation entered by a hand
or the like). For example, the UI unit 112 includes input and
display hardware such as a touch panel and mechanical buttons. The
UI unit 112 exchanges information with a user via the hardware.
[0054] An authentication processor 114 performs a process for
authenticating a user who locally operates the image forming
apparatus 110. The user authentication is performed using an
in-house ID instead of a cloud ID. A known method may be used as a
method of inputting authentication information to the
authentication processor 114. For example, there are various
methods, such as the method of inputting an in-house ID and
password to the UI unit 112, or the method of performing
authentication by communicating with an IC card-type ID card (that
stores information of an in-house ID) of a user by using an IC card
reader attached to the image forming apparatus 110. When the user
authentication performed by the authentication processor 114 is
successful, the in-house ID of the user who is operating the image
forming apparatus 110 is specified. Alternatively, instead of the
authentication processor 114 performing user authentication, the
authentication processor 114 may request an authentication server
in the in-house network 100 to perform user authentication.
[0055] For a user who has been successfully authenticated, a
logical printer setting unit 126 performs a process for
establishing (such as newly generating), in the cloud print service
200, a logical printer 210 in which setting information including
the in-house ID of the user is set. The in-house ID of the user is
information known to an image forming unit 120 because of the
successful user authentication described above. Therefore, for
example, the logical printer setting unit 126 generates setting
information (such as a print ticket) including the in-house ID as
an element, and sends, to the cloud print service 200, a generation
instruction to generate a logical printer 210 that has the setting
information as its setting contents. In response to the generation
instruction, the cloud print service 200 generates a logical
printer 210. In the logical printer 210, the setting information
including information of the in-house ID is set.
[0056] In order to generate a logical printer 210, the logical
printer setting unit 126 needs to log in to the cloud print service
200. This logging in may be performed, in place of the user, by the
logical printer setting unit 126 using the cloud ID of the user or
using the cloud ID of the image forming apparatus 110 (or the cloud
ID of a system administrator, which is held by the image forming
apparatus 110). Here, in the former case (logging in in place of
the user), needless to say, that user is capable of using the
generated logical printer 210. In contrast, in the latter case
(logging in with the ID of the image forming apparatus 110), the
generated logical printer 210 is owned by the image forming
apparatus 110, and, when no change is made, the user who has been
authenticated has no right to use the logical printer 210. In this
case, the logical printer setting unit 126 registers, in the
generated logical printer 210, the cloud ID of the user as a person
who has the right to access and use the logical printer 210. The
logical printer 210 generated in this manner is unique to the user
(since other users are not registered as users of the logical
printer 210).
[0057] In order to generate a logical printer 2010 for a user and
to enable the user to use the generated logical printer 210 for
printing, the cloud ID of the user needs to be presented to the
cloud print service 200. There are some methods for obtaining the
cloud ID of the user.
[0058] In one example, the cloud ID may be input by the user to the
image forming unit 120, together with authentication information
such as the in-house ID for the user authentication. For example, a
UI screen of the UI unit 112 for prompting the user to input
authentication information (that is, the in-house ID and password)
for logging in to the image forming apparatus 110 (and to the
in-house network 100) may include a section for inputting the cloud
ID, and the user may be prompted to additionally input the cloud
ID. At the same time, the user may be prompted to input certificate
information such as a password for user authentication in the cloud
print service 200.
[0059] In another example, the IC card-type ID card may include the
cloud ID (and certificate information for the cloud print service
200, which corresponds to the cloud ID). When user authentication
using the in-house ID in the ID card is performed via an IC card
reader of the image forming apparatus 110, the cloud ID and the
like may be obtained from the ID card. In yet another example, the
cloud ID corresponding to the in-house ID (and, in some cases,
certificate information for the cloud print service 200, which
corresponds to the cloud ID) may be registered in a directory
service provided in the in-house network 100, and the cloud ID may
be obtained from the directory service. In this case, for example,
the logical printer setting unit 126 obtains, from the directory
service, the cloud ID and the like corresponding to the in-house ID
of the user, which is obtained from the authentication processor
114.
[0060] The logical printer setting unit 126 generates a logical
printer 210 in which setting information including the in-house ID
of the user is set by using, for example, the method of generating
a logical printer 210 in place of the user by using the cloud ID
obtained in this manner, or the method of setting the cloud ID of
the user as a user of a logical printer 210 generated with the ID
thereof. In the former case, because the user has already been
logged in to the cloud print service 200 at the time of generating
a logical printer 210, a print instruction unit 128 may afterwards
give a print instruction to the logical printer 210 using the name
(that is, the cloud ID) of that user. In contrast, in the latter
case, before the print instruction unit 128 gives a print
instruction to the logical printer 210, the image forming apparatus
110 may send the cloud ID and the like of the user to the cloud
print service 200 for logging in, and a print instruction may be
given afterwards.
[0061] At the time of giving an instruction to generate a logical
printer 210, the logical printer setting unit 126 registers, as a
physical printer corresponding to the logical printer 210, the
image forming apparatus 110 itself in the logical printer 210. Upon
the registration, the capability information of the image forming
apparatus 110 may be set in the logical printer 210. With this
registration, a unique physical printer ID (that is, an ID that
uniquely identifies a physical printer) is given from the cloud
print service 200 to the image forming apparatus 110. By presenting
the physical printer ID to the cloud print service 200, the image
forming apparatus 110 certifies that the image forming apparatus
110 is a physical printer registered in the logical printer 210,
and obtains a print job held in the logical printer 210.
[0062] In the case of the method of sending a logical printer
generation instruction including a print ticket from the logical
printer setting unit 126 to the cloud print service 200, upon
generation of a logical printer 210 in the cloud print service 200,
print settings (association of the print ticket with the logical
printer 210) are completed. When a print instruction is input to
the logical printer 210, print data to be printed is only necessary
to be sent, in association with the print ticket, to the image
forming apparatus 110. That is, in this case, the print instruction
unit 128 of the image forming apparatus 110 does not need to
perform print settings, which will be described later.
[0063] Alternatively, in the case of the method of sending a
logical printer generation instruction including the capability
information of the image forming apparatus 110, instead of a print
ticket, from the logical printer setting unit 126 to the cloud
print service 200, the capability information it set as setting
information in a logical printer 210 generated in response to this
logical printer generation instruction. The setting information is
provided to the image forming apparatus 110 for enabling the print
instruction unit 128 to perform operations regarding print
settings, and the print instruction unit 128 accepts print settings
entered from a user on the basis of the setting information and
generates a print ticket. The print ticket is sent to the cloud
print service 200 and is associated with the logical printer 210.
When print data is provided from the logical printer 210 to the
image forming apparatus 110, the print ticket is also provided.
[0064] At the time the user finishes using the logical printer 210
which has been generated for the user, the logical printer setting
unit 126 may delete the logical printer 210. "At the time the user
finishes using" the logical printer 210 may take various instances.
For example, after the logical printer 210 has been generated, the
user may have finished using the logical printer 210 upon
successful completion of obtaining of a print job from the logical
printer 210. Alternatively, the user may finish using the logical
printer 210 upon completion of printing of the obtained print job.
In these examples, the logical printer 210 is deleted upon printing
of a document. When plural documents are to be printed, one logical
printer 210 is generated for printing each document.
[0065] In another example, the point at which user authentication
by the authentication processor 114 of the image forming apparatus
110 is canceled is understood as the point at which the user no
longer uses the image forming apparatus 110, that is, the user has
finished using the logical printer 210. Cancellation of user
authentication is performed when, for example, the user explicitly
performs an operation to cancel authentication (logging out), or
when no user operation is performed on the image forming apparatus
110 over a predetermined time after completion of a print job in
response to a user instruction (timeout).
[0066] Whether to generate and delete a logical printer 210 for
each document, or whether to delete a logical printer 210 after
cancellation of authentication may be selectable in accordance with
the settings of the image forming apparatus 110 or in response to
an instruction from each user.
[0067] The print instruction unit 128 is a unit that gives an
instruction to perform printing using the logical printer 210
generated by the logical printer setting unit 126. Here, copying a
document set in the image forming apparatus 110 or printing
document data or the like in a document server in the in-house
network 100 basically does not involve usage of the cloud print
service 200 outside the in-house network 100. Mainly, conceivable
occasions in which the cloud print service 200 is used include
occasions to print document data in a data storage apparatus (as a
representative thereof, the cloud repository service 300 is
illustrated by way of example in FIG. 1) outside the in-house
network 100. In this case, the print instruction unit 128 logs in
to the cloud repository service 300 with the ID of a user (in this
example, logging in is possible with the same ID as the cloud ID in
the cloud print service 200 as described above), and obtains a list
of pieces of document data registered by the user in the cloud
repository service 300. The obtained list is displayed on the UI
screen of the UI unit 112, and the user is prompted to select at
least one piece of document data to be printed from the list. The
print instruction unit 128 generates a print instruction that
includes information for specifying each piece of document data
selected to be printed and that specifies the logical printer 210
generated previously as a print destination, and sends the print
instruction to the cloud repository service 300. The print
instruction includes, as information for specifying the logical
printer 210, information for specifying the cloud print service 200
(domain name or the like) and the ID of the logical printer 210 in
the cloud print service 200. Of these pieces of information, the
information for specifying the cloud print service 200 is
registered in advance in the image forming apparatus 110 (for the
necessity to access the cloud print service 200). In contrast, the
ID of the logical printer 210 is provided upon an instruction made
by the logical printer setting unit 126 to generate a logical
printer 210, from the cloud print service 200, which has generated
the logical printer 210 in response to that instruction, to the
logical printer setting unit 126 as a response to that
instruction.
[0068] Also, when accepting at least one document selected by the
user to be printed, the print instruction unit 128 may obtain
setting information (capability information) of a physical printer
to be used this time (that is, the image forming apparatus 110),
which is set in the logical printer 210, generate, on the basis of
the setting information, a screen for accepting an input of print
settings for printing of the document(s) to be printed and display
the generated screen on the UI unit 112, and accept an input of
print settings. When an instruction to generate a logical printer
210 has been made using, as a parameter, capability information of
the physical printer instead of using a print ticket (print setting
information), such print settings are made when an instruction to
print the document(s) is made. As has been described above, the
setting information (capability information) of the logical printer
210 includes information of choices of the individual functions of
the image forming apparatus 110, such as duplex/simplex,
color/monochrome, usable sheet sizes, and stapling/no stapling. The
setting information (capability information) of the logical printer
210 further includes information of the in-house ID. The logical
printer 210 presents the setting information to the print
instruction unit 128. On the basis of the setting information, the
print instruction unit 128 displays, on the UI unit 112, a UI
screen including an input unit for selecting one from the choices
of each function and an input unit for inputting a numeral such as
the number of prints to be made, thereby prompting the user to
select one from the choices of each function and to input a
numeral. The results of such selected choices and input numeral
become print settings for printing this time. The print instruction
unit 128 generates a print ticket that indicates the contents of
the print settings. Since the setting information of the logical
printer 210, which has been obtained from the logical printer 210,
includes an element that indicates the in-house ID, the element
indicating the in-house ID may be left in the print ticket which
has been generated on the basis of the setting information. The
generated print ticket may be incorporated in a print instruction
for the cloud repository service 300 and may be set in the logical
printer 210 in the cloud print service 200 via the cloud repository
service 300, or may be directly set in the logical printer 210.
[0069] In the above-described example in which generation and print
settings of the logical printer 210 are done at the same time using
a print ticket including the in-house ID, it is unnecessary to
input print settings at the print instruction unit 128, which has
been described here (and, in response to this, transfer of the
print ticket to the logical printer 210). However, print settings
may be made at the print instruction unit 128 when the user wants
to make settings different from print settings made upon generation
of the logical printer 210.
[0070] Upon receipt of the print instruction, the cloud repository
service 300 gives, by using information included in the print
instruction, a print instruction that specifies the selected
document data to be printed, to the logical printer 210 in the
cloud print service 200.
[0071] Upon receipt of the print instruction, the logical printer
210 converts each piece of the selected document data into print
data in a page description language that the image forming
apparatus 110 is capable of handling (such as data in the PDF
format), and provides information of a print job including the
print data and the print ticket set in the logical printer 210 to
the image forming apparatus 110. The print ticket includes the
in-house ID of the user, which is included in the setting
information set in the logical printer 210. Alternatively, the
information of the print job provided from the logical printer 210
to the image forming apparatus 110 may include, instead of the
entity data of the print data and/or the print ticket, information
such as a URL for obtaining these pieces of entity data. Such
information of the print job is received by a job receiving unit
118 of the image forming apparatus 110 and is conveyed to a job
management unit 116.
[0072] The job management unit 116 generates a job in response to a
local processing instruction from the UI unit 112 to the image
forming apparatus 110 or a processing instruction from a remote
apparatus via a network, and manages execution of the job.
[0073] The user who has been authenticated is enabled to give
various processing instructions, such as copying and scanning
instructions, from the UI unit 112. In response to such a
processing instruction, the job management unit 116 generates a job
for managing the processing, and performs job management such as
queue management. The job management unit 116 controls each device
of the image forming apparatus 110 to execute the job. For example,
upon receipt of a copying instruction, a scanner in the image
forming apparatus 110 is activated to read a document, and the
image forming unit 120 prints, on a sheet, an image obtained as a
result of reading the document.
[0074] The job management unit 116 receives, at the job receiving
unit 118, print data from another apparatus (including the cloud
print service 200 on the Internet 400) via the in-house network
100, and generates and manages a job corresponding to the print
data. When that job becomes the top item in the execution order,
the job management unit 116 causes the image forming unit 120 to
print the print data of the job on a sheet.
[0075] The job management unit 116 receives print data
corresponding to the print instruction received by the job
receiving unit 118 from the cloud print service 200 and a print
ticket, generates a job regarding the print data, and causes the
image forming unit 120 to execute the job (that is, causes the
image forming unit 120 to perform printing). Here, a setting
extraction unit 117 extracts the value of the in-house ID included
in the print ticket. The extracted in-house ID is used for
recording a log or the like. Alternatively, the setting extraction
unit 117 may extract information of print settings from the print
ticket, and the job management unit 116 may control the image
forming apparatus 110 to perform an operation in accordance with
the print settings.
[0076] A log recording processor 122 records, in a log memory 124,
processing log information of each job executed under management of
the job management unit 116. The recorded log information includes
information of the in-house ID of a user who has given an
instruction to execute the job. The log information further
includes information of various items that are generally recorded
in the field of processing log management of image forming
apparatuses, such as the job execution time and date, print setting
information in the case of printing (duplex printing or not, color
printing or monochrome printing, etc.), and the number of prints
made. The log information of each job, which is stored in the log
memory 124, is used for aggregation of the amount of usage of the
image forming apparatus 110 by each section or each user in the
company or the fees for each section or each user in the company.
The aggregation is performed by, for example, the aggregation
apparatus 150 in the in-house network 100. In the aggregation, for
each piece of log information stored in the log memory 124, a user
who has executed a job regarding the log information and, as
occasion calls, a section to which the user belongs are specified
on the basis of the in-house ID included in the log information.
The amount of usage, such as the number of prints made in the job
(or the fees in accordance with the amount of usage), is added to
the aggregated value of the amount of usage (fees) of the specified
user and section.
[0077] In the log memory 124, the in-house ID in the job is
recorded as an ID for specifying the user who has given the job
instruction. Accordingly, the amount of usage (fees) may be
aggregated for each user or for each section by referring to
in-house organization information.
[0078] In the case of a local processing instruction or a
processing instruction from another apparatus in the in-house
network 100, information of the processing instruction includes the
in-house ID of a user who has given the instruction. Thus, the log
recording processor 122 may only need to incorporate that in-house
ID in the log information and to record the log information.
[0079] In contrast, for print data sent from the logical printer
210 in the cloud print service 200 to the image forming apparatus
110, it is only necessary to incorporate, in the log information,
an in-house ID extracted by the setting extraction unit 117 from a
print ticket that accompanies the print data.
[0080] In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the log memory 124 is
provided in the image forming apparatus 110. Alternatively, the log
memory 124 may be provided in another apparatus (such as the
aggregation apparatus 150) in the in-house network 100, and the log
recording processor 122 may write log information in that
apparatus.
[0081] The configuration and functions of the image forming
apparatus 110 according to the exemplary embodiment have been
described above. Next, an example of the flow of a printing process
using the cloud print service 200 from the image forming apparatus
110 will be described.
[0082] As illustrated in FIG. 3, a user 500 who wants to print
document data in the cloud repository service 300 by using the
cloud print service 200 goes to the nearest image forming apparatus
110 in the in-house network 100, and (1) the user 500 performs a
user authentication operation on the image forming apparatus 110.
Upon the user authentication operation, the user 500 inputs (by
hand or by presenting an IC card-type employee ID card) the
in-house ID (the user name "hajime" in the illustrated example) and
the cloud ID (the account name "cloud-hajime" in the illustrated
example) to the authentication processor 114 of the image forming
apparatus 110. As described previously, user authentication on the
image forming apparatus 110 is performed on the basis of the
in-house ID. Although the user 500 additionally inputs the cloud ID
in this example, the cloud ID may be obtained from an in-house
directory server.
[0083] When the user authentication is successful, in the example
illustrated in FIG. 3, (2) the logical printer setting unit 126
generates, as a PrintTicket 550, setting information of a logical
printer 210 to be generated. The PrintTicket 550 in this example is
written in an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and is generated as,
for example, an instance in the PrintTicket class used in the print
control technology of the ".NET Framework" (trademark) developed by
Microsoft (registered trademark). The PrintTicket class defines
print settings (configuration space of a device to be used in the
job) to be applied to a print job serving as a target. Here, the
PrintTicket class is appropriated to the settings of a logical
printer 210 to be generated. For example, the description of the
second and third rows from the top of the PrintTicket 550
illustrated in FIG. 3 indicates that the choice "psk:Collated"
(perform collation) is selected with regard to the function named
"psk:DocumentCollate" (collation of print output) of the image
forming apparatus 110. That is, in a print job to which the
PrintTicket 550 is applied, the image forming apparatus 110 is
instructed to collate the printed sheets. After the user
authentication, the image forming apparatus 110 displays a screen
for inputting print settings, accepts an input of print settings
from the user 500, and incorporates the print settings in such a
form in the PrintTicket 550.
[0084] The fifth to ninth rows from the top of the PrintTicket 550
illustrated in FIG. 3 are elements describing the in-house ID of
the user 500. In this example, the element named "fx:UserInfo"
which indicates user information includes the element named
"fx:UserID" which indicates the in-house ID attribute, and the
in-house ID attribute element includes an element including the
character string "hajime" which is the value of the in-house ID.
The cloud print service 200 need not understand the contents of
these elements in the fifth to ninth rows or execute control in
accordance with the contents. These elements in the fifth to ninth
rows may be elements that are uniquely defined on the in-house
network 100 side.
[0085] The cloud print service 200 sets the PrintTicket 550 in the
generated logical printer 210. In response to a print instruction
given to the logical printer 210 afterwards, it is only necessary
for the cloud print service 200 to associate the PrintTicket 550
with print data generated in response to the print instruction and
to provide the PrintTicket 550 and the print data to the image
forming apparatus 110.
[0086] When the PrintTicket 550 is generated, as illustrated in
FIG. 4, (3) the logical printer setting unit 126 of the image
forming apparatus 110 sends the PrintTicket 550 together with an
instruction to newly generate a logical printer 210 to the cloud
print service 200. Upon receipt of the instruction, the cloud print
service 200 newly generates a logical printer 210 and sets the
PrintTicket 550 in the generated logical printer 210 (for example,
the cloud print service 200 saves the PrintTicket 550 in
association with the ID of the logical printer 210). The
PrintTicket 550 includes the in-house ID "hajime" of the user 500
who has been authenticated in the above (1). Also, the logical
printer setting unit 126 sets, in the logical printer 210, the
cloud ID "cloud-hajime" of the user 500, which has been obtained in
the user authentication in the above (1), as a person (such as a
sharer) who has the right to use the logical printer 210.
[0087] Next, (4) the print instruction unit 128 logs in to the
cloud repository service 300 using the cloud ID "cloud-hajime" and
gives an instruction to search for document data that
"cloud-hajime" has the right to print from among pieces of document
data saved in the cloud repository service 300. In response to this
instruction, the cloud repository service 300 executes the search
and provides a list of pieces of document data obtained as a result
of the search to the print instruction unit 128. This list is
provided as, for example, a webpage for selecting a document(s) and
giving a print instruction. The print instruction unit 128 displays
the list on the screen of the UI unit 112, and accepts at least one
document selected, from the list, by the user 500 to be
printed.
[0088] When the user 500 finishes selecting at least one piece of
document data to be printed and inputs an instruction to execute
printing to the UI unit 112, (5) the print instruction unit 128
sends a print instruction including information indicating the
selected piece(s) of document data and information specifying the
logical printer 210 (generated in the above (3)) in the cloud print
service 200, which performs printing, to the cloud repository
service 300.
[0089] (6) In response to the print instruction, the cloud
repository service 300 sends a print instruction including the
selected piece(s) of document data (or information such as a URL
for specifying the selected piece(s) of document data) to the
specified logical printer 210.
[0090] Upon receipt of the print instruction, as illustrated in
FIG. 5, (7) the logical printer 210 converts the document data to
be printed into print data in a data format such as PDF that is
printable with the image forming apparatus 110 (indicated as a
"printable document(s)" in FIG. 5). The logical printer 210
generates outputtable document data including the print data and
the PrintTicket 550 set in the logical printer 210.
[0091] (8) The generated outputtable document data is provided from
the logical printer 210 to the image forming apparatus 110. When
the image forming apparatus 110 is behind the firewall of the
in-house network 100 and the logical printer 210 is incapable of
sending the outputtable document data across the firewall to the
image forming apparatus 110, the following may be performed. For
example, the logical printer 210 sends a message indicating that
the outputtable document data has been prepared to the image
forming apparatus 110 at an output destination by using a protocol
that may go through the firewall. Upon receipt of the message, the
image forming apparatus 110 requests the logical printer 210 for
the outputtable document data by using a protocol that may go
through the firewall, such as HTTP, and obtains the outputtable
document data as a response in response to the request. Since the
address of the image forming apparatus 110 has been registered in
the logical printer 210 at the time the logical printer 210 has
been generated, the logical printer 210 may send a message to the
image forming apparatus 110 by using that address. Alternatively,
for example, the image forming apparatus 110 may periodically
access the logical printer 210 by using a protocol such as HTTP
(polling), and may obtain outputtable document data if there is any
outputtable document data addressed to the image forming apparatus
110.
[0092] (9) In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, at the time (or
immediately after) the image forming apparatus 110 normally
completes obtaining of the outputtable document data from the
logical printer 210, the image forming apparatus 110 gives an
instruction to the cloud print service 200 to delete the logical
printer 210. The timing of deleting the logical printer 210 is not
limited to this example. As has been described above, the logical
printer 210 may be deleted upon cancellation of the user
authentication. Anyway, the logical printer 210 is deleted at the
time the user 500 who has given the print instruction finishes
using the logical printer 210.
[0093] If the generated logical printer 210 is not deleted, the
logical printer 210 may be used by a different user by using some
way. In that case, even though the logical printer 210 has been
used by the different user, it is recorded in the log memory 124
that the logical printer 210 has been used by the user 500 with the
in-house ID included in the settings in the logical printer 210. In
contrast, as in the above (9), when the logical printer 210 is
immediately deleted after the user 500 finishes using the logical
printer 210, such abuse of the logical printer 210 by third person
is prevented.
[0094] (10) The image forming apparatus 110, which has obtained the
outputtable document data, performs printing on a sheet in
accordance with the data. The image forming apparatus 110 records
log information of the printing in the log memory 124. In the log
information, the value of the in-house ID included in the
PrintTicket 550 in the outputtable document data is recorded as a
user ID item indicating the user who has given the print
instruction. In this way, the printing is recorded as being
performed by the user with that in-house ID, and the aggregation
apparatus 150 performs aggregation in accordance with that in-house
ID.
[0095] As has been described above, according to the exemplary
embodiment, with the use of the mechanism of the cloud print
service 200 in which setting information such as the PrintTicket
550 set in the logical printer 210 is provided, together with print
data, to the image forming apparatus 110, the in-house ID of a user
that is inherently not under management of the cloud print service
200 is provided in association with print data to the image forming
apparatus 110.
[0096] According to the exemplary embodiment, the logical printer
210 is deleted at the time the use of the logical printer 210
including the in-house ID of the user is finished. Therefore, the
risk of the logical printer 210 being used by people other than
that user is very low.
[0097] According to the exemplary embodiment, information of print
settings in which the functions of the image forming apparatus 110
at the time the user performs printing are reflected is included in
the PrintTicket 550 and set in the logical printer 210. Therefore,
the logical printer 210 functions as a printer that reflects the
latest functions of the image forming apparatus 110 at that
time.
[0098] In the above-described example illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5,
the print instruction unit 128 presents, from the UI unit 112 of
the image forming apparatus 110, a list of documents only on the
cloud repository service 300 to the user and accepts a document(s)
selected by the user to be printed. However, this is only an
example. Alternatively, the print instruction unit 128 may obtain a
list of documents that the user has the right to print from
document servers on the cloud repository service 300 and the
in-house network 100, display the list of the documents saved
outside and inside the company on the UI unit 112, and accept a
document(s) selected from the list to be printed. In this case,
when a document on the cloud repository service 300 is selected to
be printed, printing is performed using the cloud print service 200
in the above-described manner. When a document on the in-house
server is selected, the image forming apparatus 110 obtains the
document from the server and prints the document by using an
existing method.
[0099] In the example illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5, when the user
500 performs user authentication on the image forming apparatus
110, the logical printer setting unit 126 automatically generates a
logical printer 210 for that user 500 in the cloud print service
200. However, this is only an example. Alternatively, even when the
user authentication is successful, a logical printer 210 may not be
immediately generated. Instead, a logical printer 210 may be
generated only after the cloud print service 200 is selected in a
function menu of the UI unit 112. In this example, no logical
printer 210 is generated when a menu item other than the cloud
print service 200, such as copying or printing of a document on a
document server on the in-house network 100, is selected. In this
example, at the time of the user authentication, the user 500 may
not be asked to input the cloud ID. The user 500 may be asked to
input the cloud ID only when the cloud print service 200 is
selected.
[0100] Next, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a modification of the
above-described exemplary embodiment will be described. A system
according to this modification includes an intermediary apparatus
600. The intermediary apparatus 600 is realized as a system,
outside the image forming apparatus 110, which has the functions
(such as the logical printer setting unit 126 and the print
instruction unit 128) included in the image forming apparatus 110
in the above-described exemplary embodiment for exchanging
information with the cloud print service 200 and the cloud
repository service 300. When performing printing using the cloud
print service 200, the image forming apparatus 110 requests the
intermediary apparatus 600 to perform processing for the
printing.
[0101] The intermediary apparatus 600 may be realized as a service
(configured as a single server or a cloud system including plural
computers) on the Internet 400 or a server on the in-house network
100. Alternatively, a computer that serves the functions of the
intermediary apparatus 600, which will be described below, may be
included in a housing of the image forming apparatus 110.
[0102] As illustrated in FIG. 7, the intermediary apparatus 600
includes a client interface (IF) unit 602, a repository IF unit
604, and a print IF unit 610. The client IF unit 602 is a function
module that performs communication and processing with a client
apparatus (that is, the image forming apparatus 110 in this case)
necessary for realizing printing via the cloud print service 200.
The client IF unit 602 provides an interface for printing using a
cloud from the image forming apparatus 110 in the form of, for
example, a Web service. The repository IF unit 604 is a function
module that performs communication and processing with the cloud
repository service 300. The print IF unit 610 is a function module
that performs communication and processing with the cloud print
service 200. The print IF unit 610 includes a logical printer
setting unit 612 and a print instruction processor 614, which have
functions that are the same as or similar to the logical printer
setting unit 126 and the print instruction unit 128 of the image
forming apparatus 110 according to the exemplary embodiment.
[0103] Referring back to FIG. 6, (1) when the user 500 comes to the
image forming apparatus 110 to be successfully authenticated, and
selects execution of printing using the cloud print service 200
from the UI screen of the image forming apparatus 110, (2) the
image forming apparatus 110 sends a request for obtaining a
document list for printing to the intermediary apparatus 600. This
request for obtaining a document list gives an instruction to start
a print session using the cloud print service 200, and information
of this request includes the in-house ID and the cloud ID of the
user 500 who has been confirmed by the user authentication. (3)
When the client IF unit 602 of the intermediary apparatus 600
receives this request, the repository IF unit 604 logs in, with the
cloud ID of the user 500, to the cloud repository service 300 which
has been set in advance, and obtains a list of documents that the
user 500 has the right to print from among documents saved in the
cloud repository service 300. (4) The obtained document list is
provided from the client IF unit 602 to the image forming apparatus
110. (5) The image forming apparatus 110 displays the document list
on the UI screen, and accepts at least one document selected by the
user 500 to be printed. (6) Upon acceptance of the selected
document(s), the image forming apparatus 110 sends an instruction
to print the selected document(s) to the intermediary apparatus
600. (7) In the intermediary apparatus 600 which has received the
print instruction, the repository IF unit 604 obtains the entity
data of the selected document(s) from the cloud repository service
300.
[0104] (8) The logical printer setting unit 612 in the intermediary
apparatus 600 generates a print ticket 550 including an element
that indicates the in-house ID ("user name") of the user 500, which
has been obtained in the above step (2). Alternatively, for
example, at the time at which at least one document is selected to
be printed in the above-described (5), an input of print settings
from the user 500 may be accepted, the print settings may be sent,
together with the print instruction in the above-described (6), to
the intermediary apparatus 600, and the logical printer setting
unit 612 may incorporate information of the print settings in the
print ticket 550.
[0105] (9) An instruction to generate a logical printer 210 with
which the print ticket is associated is sent to the cloud print
service 200. Accordingly, a logical printer 210 for this printing
for the user 500 is generated in the cloud print service 200. The
print ticket is set in the logical printer 210. The logical printer
setting unit 612 sets, as a user who uses the generated logical
printer 210, the cloud ID of the user 500 in the logical printer
210. (10) When the logical printer 210 is generated, the print
instruction processor 614 of the intermediary apparatus 600 sends,
to the logical printer 210, a print instruction including each
piece of document data obtained in the above-described (7) as data
to be printed.
[0106] (11) Upon receipt of the print instruction, the logical
printer 210 converts, for each document to be printed, the document
data into print data that the image forming apparatus 110 is
capable of handling, and adds the print ticket set in the logical
printer 210 to the print data, thereby generating an outputtable
document.
[0107] (12) When the outputtable document to be printed is
generated, the print instruction processor 614 of the intermediary
apparatus 600 obtains the outputtable document (or the cloud print
service 200 transfers the generated outputtable document to the
intermediary apparatus 600). This obtaining (or transfer) is
repeated the number of documents selected to be printed. (13) Upon
completion of the obtaining of outputtable documents for all the
documents, the logical printer setting unit 612 of the intermediary
apparatus 600 gives an instruction to the cloud print service 200
to delete the logical printer 210 generated in the above-described
(9).
[0108] (14) Every time the client IF unit 602 of the intermediary
apparatus 600 obtains an outputtable document in the
above-described (12), the client IF unit 602 provides the
outputtable document to the image forming apparatus 110. When the
intermediary apparatus 600 is outside the in-house network 100, the
outputtable document is provided as follows. For example, a message
that the outputtable document has been prepared is sent to the
image forming apparatus 110 by using a protocol that goes through
the firewall of the in-house network 100. In response to the
message, the image forming apparatus 110 requests the intermediary
apparatus 600 for the outputtable document by using HTTP or the
like and obtains the outputtable document. (15) When the
outputtable document is obtained, the image forming apparatus 110
prints the outputtable document. The image forming apparatus 110
extracts the in-house ID from the print ticket in the outputtable
document, incorporates the in-house ID in log information of the
printing, and records the log information.
[0109] In the above example, the intermediary apparatus 600
provides the outputtable document, which has been obtained from the
cloud print service 200, to the image forming apparatus 110 without
changing the outputtable document. This mechanism works only when
the image forming apparatus 110 conforms to a print schema such as
the print ticket included in the outputtable document. In
conceivable cases, the image forming apparatus 110 may not conform
to the print schema because, for example, the image forming
apparatus 110 is of an old type. In such a case, the intermediary
apparatus 600 may convert the outputtable document (particularly
the print ticket included therein) into a format to which the image
forming apparatus 110 in the in-house network 100 conforms, and
provide the converted outputtable document to the image forming
apparatus 110.
[0110] As above, the example of the system including the
intermediary apparatus 600 has been described. In the above
example, upon completion of the obtaining of the outputtable
document(s) for all the document(s) selected by the user 500, the
intermediary apparatus 600 deletes the logical printer 210.
However, this is only an example. For example, after the user 500
selects at least one document to be printed and gives a print
instruction, the user 500 may continuously select another
document(s) to be printed and give the next print instruction. In
such a case, if the logical printer 210 is deleted every time the
obtaining of the to-be-printed document(s) in each print
instruction is completed, the logical printer 210 is generated
again for the next print instruction. To avoid such inconvenience,
as in the above-described exemplary embodiment, the intermediary
apparatus 600 may delete the logical printer 210 in response to
detection that the user 500 no longer uses the image forming
apparatus 110 as explicit authentication cancellation or
timeout.
[0111] In this modification, with the intermediary apparatus 600 as
above being provided, log information including the in-house ID is
recorded for printing using the cloud print service 200 without
adding particular changes to the existing image forming apparatus
110 (if there is any change, the item "printing using the cloud" in
an operation menu is associated with the URL of the intermediary
apparatus 600 and is stored).
[0112] Since the intermediary apparatus 600 is aware of the number
of document(s) requested by the image forming apparatus 110 to be
printed in the above-described (6), the intermediary apparatus 600
may recognize completion of the obtaining (or print output) of that
number of outputtable document(s) from the cloud print service 200,
and, upon the completion, give an instruction to the cloud print
service 200 to delete the logical printer 210.
[0113] In the above-described exemplary embodiment in which the
image forming apparatus 110 performs management for printing using
a cloud, there may be occasions in which a print instruction for
the cloud repository service 300 is sent as an HTTP request from a
Web browser of the UI unit 112. In such occasions, the Web browser
is only sending HTTP requests; the Web browser does not analyze the
number of document(s) specified to be printed in each request.
Unlike the intermediary apparatus 600, the image forming apparatus
110 may not be able to determine whether all the pieces of selected
document data have been obtained from the cloud print service 200.
In such a case, a print instruction for documents selected at one
time may be handled by the method of deleting the logical printer
210 upon detection that the user 500 no longer uses the image
forming apparatus 110. Alternatively, such a case may be handled by
including the functions of the intermediary apparatus 600 in the
image forming apparatus 110.
[0114] The exemplary embodiment and the modification described
above are examples in the case where the user IDs for the cloud
print service 200 and the cloud repository service 300 are the
same. However, the mechanisms in the exemplary embodiment and the
modification are applicable to other cases. In such cases, for
example, the user ID for the cloud repository service 300 may be
input by a user or may be read from an IC card. Alternatively, a
directory service in the in-house network 100 may be searched for
the user ID for the cloud repository service 300 which corresponds
to the authenticated in-house ID.
[0115] In the foregoing, when a user performs printing using a
cloud, a logical printer 210 for the user is "generated", and that
logical printer is "deleted" upon finishing the printing. However,
this is only an example. Instead, with the cloud ID of the
administrator of the in-house network 100 or the cloud ID of the
image forming apparatus 110, a logical printer 210 associated with
the image forming apparatus 110 may be generated in the cloud print
service 200. When performing printing using a cloud, each user may
use that logical printer 210 as the user's logical printer 210. In
this case, the logical printer setting unit 126 or 612 sends
setting information (such as a print ticket) including, as an
element, the in-house ID of the user authenticated by the image
forming apparatus 110 to the cloud print service 200, thereby
updating the setting information in the logical printer 210
associated with the image forming apparatus 110. With this updating
process, the logical printer 210 has the setting information
including the in-house ID of that user. When that logical printer
210 is used, the print ticket including the in-house ID of that
user is transferred, together with print data, to the image forming
apparatus 110. Also in this example, when the user has finished
using the logical printer 210 (such as when the image forming
apparatus 110 completes obtaining of an outputtable document(s) or
when the authentication of the user in the image forming apparatus
110 is cancelled), the setting information is updated so that at
least the in-house ID is deleted from the setting information in
the logical printer 210. In this updating process, the cloud ID of
that user may be deleted from the settings of a person (sharer) who
has the right to use the logical printer 210. With such processing,
even if the logical printer 210 is used by a different person after
the use by the former user, the processing log of the use by the
different person will not be recorded under the name of the former
user.
Handling of Temporary ID
[0116] In the above example, it has been described that a user who
uses the image forming apparatus 110 has an in-house ID. However,
there may be cases in which a user who does not have an in-house ID
uses the in-house image forming apparatus 110. One example is the
case in which a visitor to the company is permitted to use the
image forming apparatus 110. In addition, the case where an
employee user has forgotten to bring his/her IC card type ID card
used for authentication using his/her in-house ID corresponds to
such cases. In the following description, an exemplary case in
which, as described here, a user who does not have an in-house ID
uses the image forming apparatus 110 will be described.
[0117] In the following description, instead of the word "in-house
ID" used so far, the word "local ID" will be used. A local ID
represents the aspect that the local ID is user identification
information in an organization such as a company, which is a local
environment. If a "local environment" is a company, a "local ID"
means the same thing as an "in-house ID".
[0118] In this example, a temporary local ID is given to a user who
does not have a local ID.
[0119] For example, in the case of a system in which an IC card
type ID card storing local ID information is given to each user and
user authentication for using the image forming apparatus 110 is
performed using that IC card, an IC card is temporarily lent to a
user who does not have an IC card. An IC card to be temporarily
lent stores a predetermined local ID dedicated for temporary use.
That is, a local ID included in an IC card to be temporarily lent
has a value distinguished from a local ID (such as an employee
number) formally given to an employee.
[0120] The user, who has been temporarily lent an IC card, performs
user authentication on the image forming apparatus 110 by using
that IC card, and uses a function such as printing or copying
provided by the image forming apparatus 110. Here, in the case
where the user wishes to perform printing using a cloud service,
the image forming apparatus 110 includes the temporary local ID of
the IC card in log information of that printing by using the method
of the exemplary embodiment described using FIGS. 3 to 5.
[0121] In a certain example, an employee who has forgotten his/her
IC card and a person (such as a visitor or a guest) who does not
have an IC card in the first place are handled differently. For
example, even in the case where an employee who has forgotten
his/her IC card uses the image forming apparatus 110 with a
temporary local ID, that employee's formal local ID will be
apparent in the end. Thus, the formal local ID is recorded in
association with log information recording the temporary local ID.
Accordingly, who among the employees of the company has used the
image forming apparatus 110 becomes apparent, and a destination to
which the fee for using the image forming apparatus 110 is to be
billed (hereinafter may also be referred to as a "to-be-billed
destination") becomes specifiable, for example. In contrast, in the
case of a person such as a visitor or a guest who does not have a
formal local ID, log information is not associated with a formal
local ID.
[0122] In the following description, a temporary local ID given to
an employee who has forgotten his/her IC card will be referred to
as a "temporary ID", and a temporary local ID given to a person
(such as a visitor) who does not have an IC card will be referred
to as a "guest ID".
[0123] If the range of values of temporary IDs and the range of
values of guest IDs are arranged in advance, a device (such as the
image forming apparatus 110) in the in-house network 100 is capable
of distinguishing between a temporary ID and a guest ID from the
value of an input local ID.
[0124] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the
configuration of a system in this example. In FIG. 8, elements that
are the same as or similar to those illustrated in FIG. 1 are given
the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are
omitted.
[0125] In the system example illustrated in FIG. 8, compared with
the system example illustrated in FIG. 1, a management database
(DB) 160 and a reception terminal 170 are added to the in-house
network 100.
[0126] The management DB 160 is a database that manages management
information of users and organizations in the in-house network 100.
Various examples of the management information held by the
management DB 160 will be given hereinafter. In the following
description, it is described that these various types of management
information are collectively managed by one management DB 160 in
order to make the description concise. However, this is not
essential. Alternatively, a discrete database configuration may be
adopted in which various types of management information are
configured as separate databases in separate computers.
[0127] The reception terminal 170 is a terminal for the work of
issuing a temporary ID such as a temporary ID or a guest ID. For
example, the reception terminal 170 is located at the reception of
an organization such as a company.
[0128] An employee who has forgotten his/her IC card tells a
receptionist at the reception that he/she has forgotten the IC
card. After the employee has been checked that he/she is an
employee, the employee receives a temporary IC card storing a
temporary ID (a temporary IC card is temporarily lent). At this
time, the receptionist operates the reception terminal 170 to
register in the management DB 160 management information of the
issued temporary ID. FIG. 9 illustrates an example of temporary ID
management information recorded in the management DB 160.
[0129] In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the information
recorded in association with the temporary ID issued to the
employee (which is stored in the IC card temporarily issued at the
reception) includes the regular local ID of the employee (that is,
the employee ID stored in the forgotten employee ID card) and the
effective period of the temporary ID. Among these pieces of
information, the temporary ID is simply read from the temporary IC
card to be issued, for example. In addition, because who the
employee is has been specified at the time of issuing the temporary
IC card, the receptionist simply registers the employee's formal
local ID in association with the temporary ID. The effective period
is simply input by the receptionist in accordance with in-house
rules, for example. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the
temporary ID is arranged to take a value within the range from
"fx50000" to "fx59999", which is only given here by way of
example.
[0130] A visitor (guest) who is not an employee tells the
receptionist at the reception his/her name, an organization (such
as a company) to which he/she belongs, and the destination of
his/her visit, and the guest is checked whether he/she is allowed
to enter the company. After it has been confirmed by an employee or
a division at the destination of the guest's visit that the guest
is allowed to enter the company, the receptionist temporarily
issues a guest IC card. In association with a local ID (guest ID)
stored in the guest IC card, various types of information on the
guest are registered in the management DB 160. FIG. 10 illustrates
an example of guest ID management information recorded in the
management DB 160.
[0131] In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, the effective period
of the issued guest ID (stored in the IC card) and various types of
information on the guest (the name of the guest, information
indicating an organization to which the guest belongs, information
on the destination of the visit, and a cloud ID in the illustrated
example) are registered in association with the guest ID. In the
example illustrated in FIG. 10, the guest ID is arranged to take a
value within the range from "fx90000" to "fx99999", which is only
given here by way of example.
[0132] As information on the destination of the visit, if the
destination of the visit is an employee, the formal local ID of
that employee ("fx10002" in the example illustrated in FIG. 10) is
registered; if the destination of the visit is a division, a code
specifying that division ("dv123" in the example illustrated in
FIG. 10) is registered.
[0133] Alternatively, if the destination of the visit is a project,
a code specifying that project ("pr345" in the example illustrated
in FIG. 10) is registered in the information on the guest. Here, a
"project" is a temporarily set user group, in contrast to a
division that is permanently set as a premise. For example, a group
is configured of employees from multiple divisions in order to
develop a certain product. This group, which exists for the
duration of the development, is an example of a project.
Alternatively, it is possible to manage an event such as one held
at a company or an academic conference as a project.
[0134] In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, a guest information
management ID is provided to distinguish information on each guest
(such as a set of a guest ID, effective period, and guest name). A
guest ID (local ID issued to a guest) is an ID fixedly built into
an IC card and is used for multiple guests, as in the case where
the IC card is returned from one guest and then temporarily lent to
the next guest. In contrast, a guest information management ID is
unique to each visit, that is, unique to each set of a guest ID and
its effective period. A guest information management ID is provided
in order to easily associate log (processing history) information
of the use of the image forming apparatus 110 and information on
the guest and is not essential (because such association may be
performed on the basis of information on the guest ID and the
effective period).
[0135] In the case of a prescheduled guest, information on the name
of the guest, an organization to which the guest belongs, the
destination of the visit, and the like may be registered in the
management DB 160 prior to the visit, and, upon the guest's visit,
a guest ID held in a guest IC card temporarily lent to the guest
may be registered in association with the pre-registered
information in the management DB 160.
[0136] Next, an example of recording log information in the case
where a user who is given a temporary ID or a guest ID uses the
image forming apparatus 110 will be described.
[0137] FIG. 11A illustrates an example of log information generated
by the image forming apparatus 110, and FIG. 11B illustrates an
example of log information managed by the aggregation apparatus 150
which collects log information from each image forming apparatus
110.
[0138] In the example illustrated in FIG. 11A, the time and date on
which the image forming apparatus 110 has performed processing, the
type of the processing (types such as copying, printing, and
facsimile sending), and the local ID of a user who has instructed
the image forming apparatus 110 to perform that processing are
recorded in log information generated by the image forming
apparatus 110. Among these pieces of information, the local ID is
simply read by a reading device connected to the image forming
apparatus 110 from an IC card presented by the user for user
authentication. If the IC card is one for temporary use, the read
local ID is a temporary ID; if the IC card is one for a guest, the
read local ID is a guest ID.
[0139] Even in the case where the user performs user authentication
on the image forming apparatus 110 with a temporary ID or a guest
ID and performs printing using the cloud, as has been described
with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, the value of the temporary ID or
guest ID is set in a logical printer 210 in the cloud print service
200. The image forming apparatus 110 reads the temporary ID or
guest ID from print setting information sent along with print data
from the logical printer 210, and records the temporary ID or guest
ID as the value of the local ID in the log information.
[0140] In addition, the log information generated by the image
forming apparatus 110 may include, besides the above information,
various types of information regarding the executed processing,
such as parameters of the processing. For example, when copying or
printing has been executed, information such as the number of
output prints as a result thereof, the type of printing such as
color printing or monochrome printing, and the like is recorded as
items of log information. For example, in the case of facsimile
sending or email sending, information on the sending destination
(facsimile number or email address) and the like is recorded as
items of log information.
[0141] In addition, in the case where printing using the cloud has
been performed, the cloud ID of the user, which is used in logging
into the cloud print service 200 upon printing, is recorded in the
log information. In this case, for example, the cloud ID sent along
with the print data from the cloud print service 200 may be
recorded in the log information, or the cloud ID input by the user
to the image forming apparatus 110 upon giving an instruction to
perform printing using the cloud may be recorded in the log
information.
[0142] In addition, the log information may further include an
image log. An image log is data representing an image processed by
the image forming apparatus 110. For example, in the case where
copying has been performed, the image forming apparatus 110 records
image data of a read document as an image log and records the image
log as an item of the log information of the copying.
Alternatively, in the case where print data in a page description
language sent from a PC has been printed, the image forming
apparatus 110 records image data generated by analyzing the print
data, or the print data itself as an image log. Image data recorded
as an image log may be the image data itself used in copying or
printing, or data with a reduced amount of data generated by
performing image compression or pixel skipping of the image data.
In the example illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B, a Joint
Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image data generated by
compressing an original image in the JPEG format is recorded as an
image log in the case of copying (needles to say, this is only an
example).
[0143] Because the image log is recorded in association with the
local ID and the cloud ID in this example, for example, it is
possible to track who has performed printing using the cloud and
what kind of an image has been printed.
[0144] In the case where printing using the cloud described with
reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 has been performed, print data (such as
PDF data) sent from the cloud print service 200 may be recorded as
an image log, or image data which is a processing target as in the
case where local copying or printing is performed in response to an
instruction from a PC in the in-house network 100 may be recorded
as an image log.
[0145] In addition, in the case where printing using the cloud has
been performed, the cloud ID used by the user may be recorded as an
item of the log information (see FIGS. 11A and 11B). In the case of
closed processing in the in-house network 100, the cloud ID is not
recorded in the log information.
[0146] In the case of printing using the cloud, among the items of
log information illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 11A and 11B,
items other than the image log and the ID user may be obtained from
information included in a print ticket sent to the image forming
apparatus 110 along with print data from the cloud print service
200. Therefore, in the case of printing using the cloud, the image
forming apparatus 110 may record a pair of print data (such as PDF
data) and a print ticket as log information. In this case, print
data corresponds to an image log, and a print ticket corresponds to
another log item.
[0147] By applying a digital signature based on a digital
certificate of the image forming apparatus 110 itself (that is, an
electronic signature based on a secret key corresponding to the
digital certificate) to an image log recorded by the image forming
apparatus 110, even if someone tampers with the image log saved in
the image forming apparatus 110, aggregation apparatus 150, or the
like, the tampering becomes detectable.
[0148] In addition, a digital signature based on a digital
certificate of the cloud print service 200 may be applied to print
data or a print ticket sent from the cloud print service 200 to the
image forming apparatus 110, and the signature may be verified by
the image forming apparatus 110. With this verification, if someone
tampers with the print data or the like on the way, the tampering
is detectable, and, in response to this detection, error processing
such as stopping the printing may be performed. In addition, a
digital certificate of a reliable cloud print service 200 may be
registered in advance in the image forming apparatus 110, and,
among items of signed print data or the like coming from the
outside, print data that is unverifiable with the registered
digital certificate may not be printed by the image forming
apparatus 110.
[0149] After user authentication with an IC card, each image
forming apparatus 110 in the in-house network 100 generates the
above-described log information every time the image forming
apparatus 110 performs processing in response to an instruction
given by the user, and saves the log information in a built-in
memory.
[0150] In a first example, log information recorded by each image
forming apparatus 110 is collected by the aggregation apparatus 150
at a predetermined frequency such as once a day or in a preset
non-busy period (such as at night or during a lunch break). If the
capacity of a communication line between each image forming
apparatus 110 and the aggregation apparatus 150 is sufficiently
large (that is, the communication line is sufficiently fast), log
information generated by the image forming apparatus 110 may be
instantly registered in the management DB 160; if the capacity of
the communication line is limited, the log information may be
collected in a non-busy period in order to suppress effects on a
normal communication traffic.
[0151] In the examples illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B, in log
information managed by the aggregation apparatus 150, which is
illustrated in FIG. 11B, the item "ID user" is added to log
information generated by the image forming apparatus 110, which is
illustrated in FIG. 11A. The "ID user" is information that
specifies a user who has used the image forming apparatus 110 using
an IC card with a temporary ID or a guest ID. Therefore, the
information "ID user" is not included in log information generated
in the case where an employee uses the image forming apparatus 110
after performing user authentication with his/her regular local ID
(employee ID) because the local ID recorded in the log information
is the "ID user" himself/herself.
[0152] In the case of processing using a temporary ID, the regular
local ID of a user who has given an instruction for this processing
is registered in the "ID user" column. Alternatively, in the case
of processing using a guest ID, information that specifies who a
user (guest) who has given an instruction for this processing is,
that is, a guest information management ID that specifies
information on the guest registered in the management DB 160 in the
example illustrated in FIG. 11B, is registered. Instead of the
guest information management ID, guest information itself (such as
the name, an organization to which the guest belongs, etc.; see
FIG. 10) may be recorded as the "ID user" information.
[0153] The value of the "ID user" in the log information may be
specified by collating, for example, a combination of a local ID
(temporary ID or guest ID) and the processing time and date
included in the log information with a combination of a temporary
ID or a guest ID recorded in the guest ID management information
(see FIG. 9) and the ID's effective period. For example, in the
example illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B, in the case of printing
performed by a user with the local ID (guest ID) "fx90001" at
10:27:03 on Apr. 1, 2013, a combination of the guest ID and the
time and date matches a combination of the guest ID and the
effective period of the guest information management ID "gt123456"
in FIG. 10. Thus, the guest information management ID "gt123456" is
recorded in the "ID user" line.
[0154] Although omitted in the drawings, information that specifies
the to-be-billed destination of processing performed by the image
forming apparatus 110 may be recorded in the log information.
[0155] In the example illustrated in FIG. 11A, the "ID user"
information is not included in the log information recorded by the
image forming apparatus 110; this is because of the following
reason. That is, in order to specify the "ID user", it is necessary
for the image forming apparatus 110 to access the management DB 160
and refer to management information of a temporary ID or a guest
ID. If the capacity of a communication line between the image
forming apparatus 110 and the management DB 160 is small (low
speed), it takes much time to refer to the information, or part of
the computing power of the image forming apparatus 110 is used to
refer to the information. For these reasons, it takes time from
when a user gives a processing instruction to the image forming
apparatus 110 to when the image forming apparatus 110 actually
starts the processing. In the example illustrated in FIG. 11A, in
order to prevent such a delay in the start of processing, the image
forming apparatus 110 does not specify the "ID user", but the
aggregation apparatus 150 specifies the "ID user".
[0156] Alternatively, in the case where, for example, the capacity
of a communication line between the image forming apparatus 110 and
the management DB 160 is sufficiently large, if a delay in the
start of processing for which an instruction has been given from a
user is unlikely to be caused even when the image forming apparatus
110 specifies the "ID user", the image forming apparatus 110 may
record the "ID user" as part of the log information.
[0157] A temporary or guest IC card that has been temporarily
issued to an employee or guest is returned to the reception when
the employee or guest exits the company. The returned temporary or
guest IC card will be temporarily issued to another employee or
guest at a later time.
[0158] This method of re-using a temporary or guest IC card (and a
local ID included therein) is only exemplary. Instead of this
method, a temporary ID card on which a completely unique temporary
ID or guest ID is printed as a code image such as a barcode may be
issued to a user. In this case, a reading device connected to the
image forming apparatus 110 simply recognizes the code image
printed on the ID card presented by the user, and obtains the
user's local ID (temporary ID or guest ID).
[0159] As has been described so far, even in the case where a
temporary local ID such as a temporary ID or a guest ID is used, as
with the example illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7, printing using the
cloud may be performed, and the temporary ID or guest ID of the
user who has given a printing instruction may be recorded in log
information of that printing. In addition, detailed information on
an employee or guest corresponding to the recorded temporary ID or
guest ID may be specified, and the specified information may be
associated with the log information.
[0160] In the above example, association between a temporary ID and
a regular local ID is performed on the basis of the corresponding
relationship between a temporary ID and a local ID included in the
management information (see FIG. 9) held in the management DB 160
or the like. Instead of this example, information on the
corresponding relationship between a regular local ID and a cloud
ID of each user may be retained in the management DB 160, and, for
log information of printing using the cloud or the like, a local ID
corresponding to a cloud ID included in the log information may be
specified from the corresponding relationship between the local ID
and the cloud ID.
Billing Processing
[0161] Next, an example of billing processing in this system will
be described.
[0162] In this example, besides the method of billing the local ID
of a user who has given an instruction to execute processing, the
method of changing the a destination to which the fee for the
processing is to be billed to a to-be-billed destination specified
by the user is also provided. As an example of the latter method,
for example, there is a case in which the to-be-billed destination
of processing performed by an employee using the image forming
apparatus 110 is changed to the budget of a division (department)
or project in the company to which the user belongs. As another
example of changing the to-be-billed destination, for example,
there is a case in which the fee for processing performed by an
employee using a temporary ID is billed to the employee's regular
(formal) local ID, or a case in which the fee for processing
performed by a guest using a guest ID is billed to an in-house
division that has invited that guest.
[0163] To change the to-be-billed destination as in the above
cases, management information of users (employees), divisions, and
projects illustrated in FIGS. 12 to 14 is registered in, for
example, the management DB 160 in the in-house network 100.
[0164] In the user management information illustrated in FIG. 12,
in association with the local ID (regular one) of each employee, a
division code indicating a division to which the employee belongs
and a project code indicating a project to which the employee
currently belongs are registered. In the case where one employee is
simultaneously participating in multiple projects, codes of the
projects in which the employee participates are registered in the
user management information. In the example illustrated in FIG. 12,
the employee "fx10001" participates in two projects "pr012" and
"pr123". If it is assumed that an employee will be notified of
processing performed by the image forming apparatus 110, the
employee's contact information (such as an email address or the
address of an instant message service) may be registered as an item
of the user management information.
[0165] In the division management information illustrated in FIG.
13, in association with a division ID (may also be referred to as a
"division code") that uniquely identifies each division in a
company (organization), that division's name and contact
information (such as an email address, the address of an instant
message service, or a telephone number) of a representative who is
in charge of that division are registered.
[0166] In the project management information illustrated in FIG.
14, in association with a project ID (may also be referred to as a
"project code") that uniquely identifies each project that has been
temporarily organized, that project's name and contact information
(such as an email address, the address of an instant message
service, or a telephone number) of a representative who is in
charge of that project are registered.
[0167] In the case where an employee performs user authentication
on the image forming apparatus 110 by using his/her regular local
ID, the image forming apparatus 110 causes the user to specify the
to-be-billed destination of processing performed by the user. In
one example, information on a division and a project(s) to which
the user belongs corresponding to the local ID is read from the
management DB 160, and, on the basis of the read result, a user
interface (UI) screen is generated on which the employee and the
division and project(s) to which the employee belongs are given as
candidates for a to-be-billed destination. From the UI screen, the
user selects a to-be-billed destination of this processing. Upon
selecting a to-be-billed destination, the user may be asked to
enter a password corresponding to a division or project to which
the user belongs, and, if the entered password is correct, the user
may be able to select that division or project as a to-be-billed
destination.
[0168] Instead of presenting to the user candidates for a
to-be-billed destination and having the user select one from among
the candidates, a to-be-billed destination may be specified by
having the user directly input the code (ID) of a division or
project serving as a to-be-billed destination by using a keypad or
the like of the image forming apparatus 110. In this case, the user
management information may not include information on a division or
project(s) to which each user belongs. Also in this case, to check
that the user has a legitimate right to a division or project input
by the user as a to-be-billed destination, the user may be asked to
enter authentication information such as a password corresponding
to the division or project.
[0169] In addition, a division code or project code serving as the
to-be-billed destination of processing performed using the image
forming apparatus 110 may be set in the image forming apparatus
110. One example is the case in which the code of a division or
project serving as a to-be-billed destination is set in the image
forming apparatus 110 located in the division or the image forming
apparatus 110 set to be dedicated for the project.
[0170] In the case of printing using the cloud, information on a
to-be-billed destination specified by a user or set in the image
forming apparatus 110 in the foregoing manner may be set in a
logical printer 210 of the cloud print service 200 as a uniquely
defined element, as with the above-described method of recording a
local ID. That is, by giving an instruction to generate a logical
printer 210 or to update the setting in an existing logical printer
210 using a print ticket or setting information (such as
PrintCapability) representing the capability of the image forming
apparatus 110, the logical printer 210 in which information on the
to-be-billed destination is set is provided in the cloud print
service 200.
[0171] In this case, a print ticket sent from the logical printer
210 to the image forming apparatus 110 along with print data
includes, as illustrated in FIG. 15, a local ID and a to-be-billed
destination code that are uniquely defined elements set in the
logical printer 210. In the example illustrated in FIG. 15, the
print ticket includes, as uniquely defined elements, the local ID
"fx23456" of a user who has given a print instruction and the code
"pr456" of a project serving as a to-be-billed destination selected
by the user. In the case where the local ID of a user who has given
a print instruction is selected as a to-be-billed destination, the
to-be-billed destination code element may be omitted from the
setting information in the logical printer 210 or the print
ticket.
[0172] The image forming apparatus 110, which has received the
print ticket along with the print data, records the local ID and
to-be-billed destination code extracted from the print ticket as
items of log information regarding printing of the print data (see
FIG. 17). The recorded to-be-billed destination code is used in
aggregation of fees at the aggregation apparatus 150. That is, in
aggregation of fees by the aggregation apparatus 150, the amount of
fee for processing corresponding to each piece of log information
is added to, for example, the value of a total fee corresponding to
a to-be-billed destination code included in that piece of log
information.
[0173] In this case, as with the case described with reference to
FIGS. 1 to 7, the used logical printer 210 may be deleted upon
completion of printing or the like, or the local ID of the user may
be deleted from the logical printer 210.
[0174] In another example, a logical printer 210 may be generated
in the cloud print service 200 for each to-be-billed destination
(each employee, each division, and each project), and the image
forming apparatus 110 may give a print instruction to a logical
printer 210 corresponding to a to-be-billed destination specified
by the user. In a logical printer 210 for each to-be-billed
destination, a to-be-billed destination code (local ID, division
code, etc.) that specifies the to-be-billed destination is set as a
uniquely defined element. A logical printer 210 provides the image
forming apparatus 110 with print data along with a print ticket
including the to-be-billed destination code of the logical printer
210, and the image forming apparatus 110 records the to-be-billed
destination code in the print ticket in log information. In this
case, information of the local ID of a user who has given the print
instruction is set in a logical printer 210 corresponding to the
selected to-be-billed destination. The information of the local ID
is incorporated in a print ticket, and the print ticket is provided
to the image forming apparatus 110 along with print data. The
information of the local ID may be deleted upon finishing of the
printing, as with the case described with reference to FIGS. 1 to
7.
[0175] The foregoing example is the case in which an employee
performs printing using his/her regular local ID. Meanwhile, in the
case where a temporary IC card (temporary ID) is issued to an
employee who has forgotten his/her regular IC card and the employee
uses the image forming apparatus 110 using the temporary ID, the
fee for the use of the image forming apparatus 110 is billed to the
employee's regular local ID, for example. That is, in the case
where a local ID included in log information collected from the
image forming apparatus 110 is a temporary ID, the aggregation
apparatus 150 obtains a regular local ID corresponding to the
temporary ID from temporary ID management information (see FIG. 9),
and adds the amount of fee for processing corresponding to the log
information to the total amount of fee billed to the regular
ID.
[0176] In another example, a user who has performed user
authentication on the image forming apparatus 110 using a temporary
ID may be asked to enter a division code or a project code serving
as a to-be-billed destination, and the entered code of the
to-be-billed destination may be recorded in log information. In
this case, in the case of printing using the cloud, as with the
above-described example of using a regular local ID, the entered
code of the to-be-billed destination is set in a logical printer
210, and the image forming apparatus 110 records, in log
information, the to-be-billed destination code included in a print
ticket sent along with print data from the logical printer 210.
[0177] Further, the following method may be used. That is, in this
method, the image forming apparatus 110 sends a temporary ID
presented by a user in user authentication to the management DB
160. In response to this, the management DB 160 specifies a regular
local ID corresponding to the temporary ID, specifies a division
and each project, to which the user belongs, corresponding to the
specified regular ID, and provides the image forming apparatus 110
with a list including the specified division and project(s). The
image forming apparatus 110 causes the user to select a
to-be-billed destination from the list, sets the selected
to-be-billed destination in a logical printer 210, and performs
printing using the logical printer 210. In response to this, the
logical printer 210 provides the image forming apparatus 110 with
print data and a print ticket including the code of the
to-be-billed destination, and the image forming apparatus 110
records the to-be-billed destination code extracted from the print
ticket in log information of printing of the print data.
[0178] For each guest, a billing method to be applied to the guest
is registered in the management DB 160, and billing processing in
accordance with the billing method is performed. A billing method
to be applied to each guest includes cash, payment by emoney,
payment by debit card or credit card, payment corresponding to the
cloud account of the guest, and changing the to-be-billed
destination to an in-house division or project the guest has
visited.
[0179] Here, an example of payment corresponding to a cloud account
(cloud ID) includes, for example, Google Wallet (registered
trademark) corresponding to the Google account of a user who has
performed printing using Google Cloud Print as the cloud print
service 200.
[0180] In the case of printing using the cloud print service 200, a
user enters his/her cloud ID for giving a print instruction. Thus,
a payment system in the in-house network 100 simply accesses the
cloud service, bills the amount of fee for the printing to an
account corresponding to the cloud ID, and settles the payment.
[0181] The fee for processing not using the cloud print service 200
(such as copying of a paper document) may be settled with the cloud
account of a guest. In this case, at the time a guest ID is issued
at the reception terminal 170 to a guest or a guest gives an
instruction to the image forming apparatus 110 to perform
processing, the guest is asked to enter his/her cloud ID, and the
fee for a cloud service may be settled using the cloud ID in
billing processing.
[0182] FIG. 16 illustrates an example of guest management
information including information on a billing method, which is
held in the management DB 160. In this example, information
representing a billing method to be applied to each guest is
registered in correspondence with the guest ID, besides items
(omitted in FIG. 16) illustrated by way of example in FIG. 10. In
the case where payment by cash, emoney, debit card, credit card, or
the like is used, for example, identification information that
identifies the type of billing method is registered in information
on the billing method. In the case of cloud account settlement,
identification information indicating a cloud account settlement
method is registered in the billing method column. In the case
where a guest is allowed for cloud account settlement for the
functions of the image forming apparatus 110 other than printing
using the cloud, the cloud ID of the guest is further registered.
In addition, in the case of the method of changing the to-be-billed
destination to an employee, division, project, or the like, a local
ID or code that specifies an employee, division, or project serving
as a new to-be-billed destination after the change is registered
along with identification information indicating the method. For
example, in the case where an employee, division, or project that
invites a guest accepts a fee billed to the guest, the to-be-billed
destination code (local ID or the code of a division or project) of
the employee, division, or project is simply registered in advance
as a to-be-billed destination in management information on the
guest in the management DB 160. In the example illustrated in FIG.
16, as a billing method corresponding to the guest management
information ID "gt125678", changing of the to-be-billed destination
to the account of the project "pr1234" is specified.
[0183] In the case where payment by cash, emoney, debit card, or
credit card is selected as a guest's billing method, for example,
at the time the guest returns a guest IC card upon exiting, the
receptionist simply settles the amount of fee with the guest by
using the selected method. In the case where payment by cash is
selected, the receptionist simply accepts payment by cash from the
guest. In the case of payment by credit card, credit settlement is
simply done at the reception. In the settlement, the reception
terminal 170 accesses the aggregation apparatus 150, receives
information on the amount of fee corresponding to the guest ID of
the guest, and asks the guest to pay the amount of fee (here, it is
assumed that, for each guest ID, the aggregation apparatus 150
collects the amount of fee in each piece of log information
including the guest ID). Among items of log information of
processing performed with each guest ID, each image forming
apparatus 110 sends at least information necessary for determining
the amount of fee to the aggregation apparatus 150 immediately
after execution of processing, without waiting for the timing to
collect log information from the aggregation apparatus 150.
Accordingly, settlement may be done at the reception at the time a
guest exists.
[0184] Note that the amount of fee is simply calculated on the
basis of a unit price according to each type of processing for
which a guest has given an instruction and the amount of processing
(the number of outputs). The type of processing is, for example, a
combination of distinction between monochrome output and color
output, distinction among copying, printing, and facsimile sending,
and whether to use the cloud.
[0185] In the case where it has been specified to perform cloud
account settlement or to change the to-be-billed destination to an
in-house to-be-billed destination, settlement processing at the
reception is unnecessary, and the amount of fee billed to the guest
is simply added to the cloud account or the code of the specified
in-house to-be-billed destination.
[0186] In determination of a to-be-billed destination regarding
each piece of log information of each guest, for example, the
aggregation apparatus 150, which has received log information from
the image forming apparatus 110, refers to the management DB 160 to
specify a billing method, determines a to-be-billed destination in
accordance with the billing method, and records the to-be-billed
destination in log information. In another example, the image
forming apparatus 110 may refer to the management DB 160 to
determine a billing method (and further a to-be-billed destination
if necessary). In this case, information on the determined billing
method (and further the to-be-billed destination if necessary) is
set as a uniquely defined element in a logical printer 210 in the
cloud print service 200. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus
110 is able to obtain a to-be-billed destination for print data
coming from the logical printer 210, from a print ticket that
accompanies the print data, in the same or similar method as the
case of a local ID.
[0187] FIG. 17 illustrates an example of data content of log
information recorded by the aggregation apparatus 150 in this
example. In this example, in addition to the items illustrated by
way of example in FIG. 11B, "to-be-billed destination" information
is recorded. In the case where an employee, division, or project is
a to-be-billed destination (or a new to-be-billed destination after
the change), the local ID of the employee, the division code of the
division, or the project code of the project is recorded in the
to-be-billed destination. In the case where a guest or the like
personally settles the fee as in credit card settlement, this
billing method is recorded as information on the to-be-billed
destination. Although omitted in the drawing, the aggregation
apparatus 150 collects, from these pieces of log information, the
total amount of fee billed to each local ID, each division code,
each project code, and each guest information management ID. The
result of collecting the total amount of fee of a guest is referred
to upon settlement of the fee billed to the guest at the reception
or the like. The fee billed to a local ID or division ID is settled
in-house as has been done previously.
[0188] In the above example, the code of a to-be-billed destination
specified by a user is set in a logical printer 210, the
to-be-billed destination code is detected from a print ticket that
comes from the logical printer 210 to the image forming apparatus
110 along with print data, and the to-be-billed destination code is
recorded in a log. However, this is only exemplary. Instead of
this, for example, the image forming apparatus 110 may store a
to-be-billed destination code specified by a user at the time the
user gives a print instruction, and, upon printing of print data
corresponding to the print instruction, the stored to-be-billed
destination code may be recorded in log information.
Other Processing Using Cloud
[0189] So far, the case in which printing is performed with the
image forming apparatus 110 using the cloud print service 200 has
been described by way of example. However, there are various types
of processing performed by the image forming apparatus 110 using
print data (in the PDF format or the like) from the cloud print
service 200, besides directly printing the print data. Hereinafter,
some examples will be described.
(a) Security Printing
[0190] One example is security printing. Security printing is
generally a method used to prevent, in response to a print
instruction given by a user from a PC or the like to the image
forming apparatus 110, a printed sheet from being exposed to other
people before the user comes to a place where the image forming
apparatus 110 is located and obtains the printed sheet output to an
output tray of the image forming apparatus 110. In security
printing, the image forming apparatus 110 does not promptly print
print data received from a PC or the like or output the printed
result to the output tray; the image forming apparatus 110 saves
the print data (or image data for printing, generated from the
print data) in a storage area secured in a corresponding memory in
association with a local ID. When the user comes to the image
forming apparatus 110 and is authenticated using a local ID by
using an IC card or the like, printing and outputting of the print
data held in a storage area corresponding to the user is
performed.
[0191] Such security printing is realized in the exemplary
embodiment as follows. A user inputs, from the user's terminal such
as a PC or smart phone, specification of print data to be printed,
various types of print setting such as the number of prints,
specification of the image forming apparatus 110 at an output
destination, the user's local ID, and specification to perform
security printing, and gives a print instruction including these
pieces of information to the cloud print service 200. Information
of this print instruction is simply generated by the terminal in
the form of, for example, a print ticket, and sent to the cloud
print service 200. Among these pieces of information, the local ID
and specification to perform security printing are simply included
as, for example, uniquely defined elements in the print ticket, and
sent to the cloud print service 200. As with the example
illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7, the cloud print service 200 generates
a logical printer 210 in which the local ID and specification to
perform security printing are set as uniquely defined elements, or
sets the values of these uniquely defined elements in setting
information in an existing logical printer 210. These pieces of
setting information including the local ID are included in a print
ticket that comes from the logical printer 210 to the image forming
apparatus 110 along with print data. Upon reading information that
specifies a security printing function from the print ticket, the
image forming apparatus 110 saves the print data in a storage area
corresponding to the local ID included in the print ticket. When a
user with the local ID gives an instruction to perform user
authentication on the image forming apparatus 110 and when it is
determined that the authentication is appropriate, the image
forming apparatus 110 prints and outputs the print data in the
storage area corresponding to the local ID.
[0192] In addition, there is a method in which a storage area is
shared by multiple people, and, in response to inputting, by a user
to the image forming apparatus 110, authentication information
corresponding to the storage area (such as a password set for the
storage area), print data saved in the storage area is printed and
output. In the case where security printing in such a method is
realized by using the cloud, it is simply necessary for print
instruction information such as a print ticket sent from a terminal
to the cloud print service 200 to include, as uniquely defined
information, information that identifies a storage area of print
data that specifies the storage area. In this case, when a user
performs user authentication on the image forming apparatus 110 and
enters authentication information corresponding to the storage
area, print data saved in the storage area is printed and output.
In this case, a local ID specified by the user authentication is
recorded in log information. In addition, "security printing" may
be recorded as the type of processing in the log information.
[0193] In addition, there is a known function in which, a job flow,
described later, is associated with a security box, and, in
response to inputting of print data to the security box, the
associated job flow is executed. This function may be applied to
print data input from the cloud print service 200.
[0194] In this example, in the case where a print ticket
transferred along with print data from the cloud print service 200
to the image forming apparatus 110 includes information that
specifies a storage area of the print data, the print data is input
to the storage area. In the case where the storage area is
associated with a job flow describing a series of processes, the
image forming apparatus 110 executes the series of processes
described in the job flow on the print data saved in the storage
area. The series of processes on the print data may be processing
performed by the image forming apparatus 110, such as image
processing or format conversion processing, or may be processing
such as transfer processing to another apparatus or processing
performed by this other apparatus.
(b) Facsimile Sending and Email Sending
[0195] A user's document data in the cloud may be sent via
facsimile from the image forming apparatus 110 via the cloud print
service 200. To perform facsimile sending using the cloud, after
user authentication, the user inputs information that specifies
document data to be sent, the facsimile number of a destination,
and the like to the image forming apparatus 110. In response to
this input, the image forming apparatus 110 sends a print ticket
including the user's local ID and the facsimile number of the
destination as uniquely defined information to the cloud print
service 200, and prepares a logical printer 210 in which the local
ID and the facsimile number of the destination are set in the cloud
print service 200. In addition, the image forming apparatus 110
gives an instruction to the cloud repository service 300 to send
the document data to the logical printer 210. The logical printer
210 converts the document data into print data in the PDF format or
the like, and sends the print data along with a print ticket
including the local ID and the facsimile number of the destination,
set in the logical printer 210, to the image forming apparatus 110.
In the case where the print ticket, received along with the print
data, includes the facsimile number of the destination, the image
forming apparatus 110 sends the print data (or image data generated
by analyzing the print data) via facsimile to the facsimile number
of the destination.
[0196] Using the same or similar method, the image forming
apparatus 110 may send document data in the cloud to the email
address of a destination, specified by a user.
[0197] In the case where a facsimile is sent or an email is sent as
above, destination information is recorded in log information.
(c) Job Flow Processing
[0198] There is known technology for performing a series of
coordinated services (referred to as a "job flow") on data by
coordinating one or more processing functions on various types of
data provided by the image forming apparatus 110, a server in the
in-house network 100, or a server on the Internet 400. A job flow
realizes one coordinated service on data by performing processing
while transferring, among processing functions, services, or
apparatuses, print data or the result of processing in accordance
with flow definition data (hereinafter referred to as "instruction
data") which is data describing a series of processes. Data
includes description of the execution order of a series of
processes configuring a job flow, information that specifies an
apparatus or application that execute each process (such as the IP
address of an apparatus or a server or information that identifies
a processing application), and information on the content of a
process executed by the apparatus or the like (the type of process,
a parameter used in the process, etc.). Schematically, processing
result data in an apparatus or the like defined as an apparatus or
the like that performs each process in a job flow is transferred to
the next apparatus in a procedure defined in the job flow, and this
next apparatus or the like further performs processing on the
processing result data in accordance with information on the
content of the process performed by the next apparatus or the like
in the procedure described in the instruction data.
[0199] For example, an exemplary job flow is the flow of a series
of processes on data, including (a) printing input print data, (b)
extracting text data from the print data, and (c) sending an email
including the text data as attached data to a specified email
address. In this case, the processes (a) and (c) are executed by,
for example, the image forming apparatus 110, and the process (b)
is executed by, for example, an in-house server. In this example,
the image forming apparatus 110 prints print data received along
with instruction data in which the job flow is defined, and
transfers the print data along with the instruction data to a
server that performs text data extraction processing, which is the
process (b). The server executes processing to extract text data
from the print data in accordance with an instruction indicated in
the instruction data, and transfers the extracted text data along
with the instruction data to the image forming apparatus 110. The
image forming apparatus 110 generates an email including the text
data, and sends the email to a destination email address indicated
in the instruction data.
[0200] Such a job flow is specifiable as the output destination of
print data provided from the cloud print service 200 to the image
forming apparatus 110.
[0201] In one example, upon receipt of an instruction given from a
user to execute job flow processing on a document in the cloud, the
image forming apparatus 110 sets, in a logical printer 210 in the
cloud print service 200, information that specifies the job flow
given in the instruction (such as a flow ID that is identification
information that specifies the job flow). This setting is simply
performed, as with the case of setting the local ID of a user in a
logical printer 210, by giving an instruction to generate a logical
printer 210 or to update setting in an existing logical printer 210
using a print ticket or setting information (such as
PrintCapability) representing the capability of the image forming
apparatus 110. In one example, using a print ticket including the
local ID of a user who has given an instruction to perform
processing and a flow ID as uniquely defined elements, the local ID
and the flow ID are collectively set in the logical printer 210 (or
such a logical printer 210 is generated). In the case where a
to-be-billed destination is specified, the to-be-billed destination
code may be included in the print ticket, and the to-be-billed
destination code may also be set in the logical printer 210.
[0202] For example, in the case where a job flow is also presented
as a processing choice besides printing, copying, and facsimile
sending on the UI unit 112 of the image forming apparatus 110 and a
user selects the job flow from among these choices, the user is
prompted to further select one from among multiple job flows
prepared in advance. The flow ID of the job flow selected by the
user is included in a print ticket, and the print ticket is sent to
the cloud print service 200, thereby setting the flow ID of the job
flow in a logical printer 210.
[0203] Pieces of definition information (instruction data) of
multiple job flows serving as choices are held in association with
flow IDs in, for example, the image forming apparatus 110. In
another example, these pieces of instruction data are held in a
server (referred to as a "flow server") located in the in-house
network 100 or the Internet 400, and the image forming apparatus
110 obtains instruction data corresponding to a flow ID specified
by a user from the flow server or requests the flow server to
execute the instruction data corresponding to the flow ID.
[0204] The foregoing examples describe the method of providing,
every time specification of a job flow to be executed is received
from a user, a logical printer 210 in which the flow ID of the job
flow is set in the cloud print service 200.
[0205] In contrast, as another method, a logical printer 210 in
which, for each job flow, the flow ID of the job flow is set as a
uniquely defined element may be prepared in the cloud print service
200. In this case, the image forming apparatus 110 is capable of
accessing information on the corresponding relationship between a
flow ID and a logical printer 210. The image forming apparatus 110
specifies, on the basis of the information, a logical printer 210
corresponding to a flow ID selected by a user as an execution
target, and gives an instruction to the specified logical printer
210 to process document data specified separately by the user as a
processing target.
[0206] In any of the above methods, a logical printer 210 in which
a flow ID representing a job flow for which a user has given an
instruction exists in the cloud print service 200, and the logical
printer 210 is specified as a device in charge of processing
to-be-processed document data. The image forming apparatus 110
gives an instruction to the logical printer 210 to output, for
example, document data in the cloud repository service 300. This
output instruction may be a print instruction corresponding to the
logical printer 210 (that is, in realization of the job flow, it is
unnecessary to alter a program in the logical printer 210). The
logical printer 210, which has received the instruction, processes
the document data to generate print data (in the PDF format, for
example), and sends the print data along with a print ticket that
includes the set flow ID as a uniquely defined element to the image
forming apparatus 110.
[0207] The image forming apparatus 110, which has received the
print data and the print ticket, detects the flow ID from the print
ticket, and recognizes that processing to be performed on the print
data is not printing but a job flow corresponding to the flow ID.
In this case, the image forming apparatus 110 specifies, from among
pieces of instruction data held therein, instruction data
corresponding to the flow ID, and executes processing described in
the instruction data. Accordingly, processing realized by
coordination between one or more processing apparatuses (the image
forming apparatus 110, a server, and the like) described in the
instruction data is applied to the print data. Having executed the
job flow, the image forming apparatus 110 records the flow ID of
the job flow in log information.
[0208] In the case where, in the image forming apparatus 110, there
is no instruction data corresponding to the flow ID included in the
print ticket, the image forming apparatus 110 accesses the flow
server (the image forming apparatus 110 knows how to access the
flow server) and obtains instruction data corresponding to the flow
ID from the flow server or gives an instruction to the flow server
to execute instruction data corresponding to the flow ID. Even in
the case where the flow server executes the instruction data, each
processing apparatus described in the instruction data is caused to
execute corresponding processing. Thus, the content of executed
processing remains unchanged.
[0209] In the foregoing example, the ID of a job flow for which a
user has given an instruction is set in a logical printer 210, and
a print ticket including the flow ID along with print data from the
logical printer 210 is provided to the image forming apparatus 110.
However, this is only exemplary. In principle, it is only necessary
that the content of a job flow for which a user has given an
instruction be specifiable from a print ticket coming along with
print data from the logical printer 210. In an extreme example, the
instruction data of a job flow itself may be set as a uniquely
defined element in the logical printer 210, and a print ticket
including the instruction data may be caused to arrive at the image
forming apparatus 110.
(d) Outputting from Another Printer
[0210] For example, in the case where the image forming apparatus
110 is a multifunctional apparatus for office use, the image
forming apparatus 110 is incapable of printing on a plastic card.
However, such special printing unexecutable by the image forming
apparatus 110 may be executed using the cloud print service 200.
For example, a printer in the in-house network 100 that is capable
of printing on a plastic card is not provided with a UI function
for giving an instruction to perform processing using the cloud
print service 200, and an instruction is given to the cloud using
the UI function of the image forming apparatus 110.
[0211] In this case, a user inputs information that specifies a
printer at an output destination (such as an IP address), an output
parameter to be transferred to the output destination (such as
information that specifies a medium at the output destination), and
the like to the image forming apparatus 110. The image forming
apparatus 110 sets these pieces of information as uniquely defined
elements in a logical printer 210 by using the same or similar
method as setting a local ID. The image forming apparatus 110
specifies document data to be printed and gives an instruction to
the logical printer 210 to print the document data.
[0212] In response to this, the logical printer 210 generates print
data by processing the document data, and sends the print data
along with a print ticket including the information which specifies
the printer at the output destination, the output parameter, and
the like as uniquely defined elements to the image forming
apparatus 110. The image forming apparatus 110, which has received
the print data and the print ticket, transfers the print data to
the printer to print the print data when the image forming
apparatus 110 has detected the information on the printer at the
output destination from the print ticket. In transfer of the print
data, the output parameter included in the print ticket is
additionally transferred, and hence printing in accordance with the
output printer may be performed.
(e) Conclusion
[0213] As has been described above, various functions executable by
the image forming apparatus 110 on print data sent from an
apparatus in the in-house network 100 or image data read with the
scan function of the image forming apparatus 110 are also
executable on print data sent from the cloud print service 200 to
the image forming apparatus 110.
[0214] In the foregoing examples, in order to realize these various
functions, information that specifies these functions (such as
specification of security, the facsimile number of a destination,
and job flow information) is set in a logical printer 210. However,
this is only exemplary. Instead of this, for example, the image
forming apparatus 110 may store information that specifies a
function specified by a user in a processing instruction and, upon
receipt of print data corresponding to the processing instruction,
execute a function specified by the stored information (such as
security printing or a job flow).
Output Restriction
[0215] An output restriction, based on user authority, on output
processing from the image forming apparatus 110 using the cloud
print service 200 will be described.
[0216] For processing such as printing or copying closed in the
in-house network 100, control has hitherto been performed in which
the use authority of each individual user is determined and use is
permitted within the authority. Hereinafter, an example in which
such use authority control for each individual is applied to
processing using the cloud print service 200 will be described.
[0217] In this example, each user's use authority information for
the image forming apparatus 110 in the in-house network 100 is
registered in the management DB 160 (see FIG. 8). FIG. 18
illustrates an example of use authority information.
[0218] In the example illustrated in FIG. 18, information on each
user's various types of authority is indicated in association with
the user's local ID. In the illustrated example, the use authority
information includes information indicating whether the user has
authority to use color printing and double-sided printing, the
maximum number of output prints permitted to the user at present,
and whether the user has authority to use each of the basic
functions including printing, copying, facsimile sending, and
scanning. The value of the maximum number of output prints is
updated every time the user executes processing, such as printing,
using the image forming apparatus 110, for example. In another
example, the maximum number of output prints is updated in
accordance with the result of aggregation every time the
aggregation apparatus 150 aggregates log information of processing
executed by the image forming apparatus 110. That is, for example,
the sum of output prints in processing executed after the last
aggregation timing is subtracted from the maximum number of output
prints.
[0219] In addition, in the example illustrated in FIG. 18, the use
authority information includes information on various types of use
authority for each temporary ID (in this example, the temporary ID
may take a value within the range from "fx50000" to "fx59999") and
each guest ID (in this example, the guest ID may take a value
within the range from "fx90000" to "fx99999").
[0220] FIG. 19 illustrates an example of the procedure of a process
performed by the image forming apparatus 110 in this example. In
this procedure, the image forming apparatus 110 performs user
authentication using an IC card or the like (S10), and, if the
authentication is successful, the image forming apparatus 110
(particularly the logical printer setting unit 126) obtains the
user's use authority information from the management DB 160, and
obtains the capability information of the image forming apparatus
110 itself (S12). In the obtained capability information of the
image forming apparatus 110, the current state of the image forming
apparatus 110 (such as the type and number of sheets set in a sheet
feeding unit) may be reflected.
[0221] By reflecting the user's use authority information in the
capability information of the image forming apparatus 110 (that is,
by more restricting the capability information in accordance with
the use authority information), capability information specialized
for the user is generated (S14). For example, in the case where the
image forming apparatus 110 has both color printing and monochrome
printing functions and the user only has authority to use
monochrome printing, capability information specialized for the
user is restricted to the monochrome printing function only. In
another example, in the case where the image forming apparatus 110
has the facsimile sending function whereas the user has no
authority to use facsimile sending, capability information
specialized for the user has no facsimile sending function. In
addition, the maximum number of output prints may be incorporated
in the capability information specialized for the user. Information
on the maximum number of output prints is used to determine, for
example, the upper limit value of output prints specifiable by the
user.
[0222] The image forming apparatus 110 sends the capability
information specialized for the user, generated in step S14, to the
cloud print service 200 in the form of, for example, setting
information (such as PrintCapability) representing the capability
of the image forming apparatus 110, and generates a new logical
printer 210 that has the capability information specialized for the
user as the setting information of the image forming apparatus 110
(S16). Alternatively, the image forming apparatus 110 sets the
capability information specialized for the user as the setting
information of the image forming apparatus 110 in an existing
logical printer 210 (S16).
[0223] In response to specifying, by the user, in the logical
printer 210 in which the capability information specialized for the
user has been set, the image forming apparatus 110 as an output
destination, a processing parameter setting UI in accordance with
the capability setting information of the image forming apparatus
110 set in the logical printer 210 is provided from the logical
printer 210 to the image forming apparatus 110 (S18). For example,
in the case where the capability information specialized for the
user indicates that both color printing and monochrome printing are
possible, double-sided printing is impossible, and facsimile
sending is possible, choices for selecting one of printing and
facsimile sending are presented in the processing parameter setting
UI, and, in the case where printing is selected, choices for
selecting whether to perform color or monochrome printing are
presented. In this case, even when the image forming apparatus 110
itself has the double-sided printing function, the choice of
double-sided printing is not presented in the processing parameter
setting UI. Alternatively, instead of the logical printer 210
generating a processing parameter setting UI, the logical printer
210 may transfer the setting information of the image forming
apparatus 110 (the capability information specialized for the user)
to the image forming apparatus 110, and the image forming apparatus
110 may generate a processing parameter setting UI from the setting
information.
[0224] The user inputs setting items to the processing parameter
setting UI (S18). That is, the user selects a desired choice(s)
from among the choices presented by the processing parameter
setting UI, and, if necessary, inputs the value of the number of
output prints, for example (the number of output prints inputtable
here may be restricted in accordance with the maximum number of
output prints). In response to this, the image forming apparatus
110 generates a print ticket including the content of the
processing parameter settings (such as the result of choice(s)
selected by the user and an input made by the user) (S20), and
sends a processing instruction including the print ticket to the
logical printer 210 (S22).
[0225] The logical printer 210 converts document data to be
processed, indicated by the processing instruction, into print
data, and sends the print data along with the print ticket
including the content of the processing parameter settings to the
image forming apparatus 110. In accordance with the processing
parameters indicated in the print ticket, the image forming
apparatus 110 processes (such as prints) the print data (S24).
[0226] By including the user's local ID as a uniquely defined
element in the print ticket generated in step S20, the user's local
ID may be included in the print ticket sent along with the print
data from the logical printer 210, as with the example described
with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. In addition, instead of including
the user's local ID in the print ticket generated in step S20 and
sending the print ticket to the logical printer 210, the local ID
may be included as a uniquely defined element in the capability
setting information of the image forming apparatus 110, sent to the
cloud print service 200 in step S16. Also in this case, the print
ticket sent along with the print data from the logical printer 210
includes the user's local ID.
[0227] If the user authentication is unsuccessful in step S10, the
image forming apparatus 110 performs error processing such as
displaying an error message (S26).
[0228] In the example illustrated in FIG. 19, if the user
authentication is successful, the flow proceeds to step S12 onward.
Alternatively, after the user authentication is successful, only
when the user inputs an instruction to use the cloud print service
200, the process may proceed to step S12 onward. In the case where
the user specifies processing that does not use the cloud print
service 200 (such as local copying or facsimile sending), the
specified processing is simply executed, as has been conventionally
done.
[0229] In the above-described output restriction mechanism, for a
user who has performed user authentication with a temporary ID, in
one example, in generation of capability information
(PrintCapability) specialized for the user in step S14, default use
authority information for a temporary ID, illustrated in FIG. 18 by
way of example, is used. In another example, a regular local ID
corresponding to the temporary ID is specified, and use authority
information corresponding to the regular local ID is used. Such a
method is adoptable if it only takes a short period of time to
specify a regular local ID corresponding to a temporary ID.
Notification Regarding Processing
[0230] Hereinafter, a service in which, in the case where the image
forming apparatus 110 executes processing for which an instruction
has been given by a user, notification regarding the processing is
given to the user or other people concerned will be described.
[0231] In this example, as illustrated in FIG. 20, the image
forming apparatus 110 includes a notification processor 129. The
notification processor 129 executes notification processing
described below by way of example. Note that elements other than
the notification processor 129 of the image forming apparatus 110
illustrated in FIG. 20 are the same as or similar to elements with
the same reference numerals illustrated in FIG. 2.
[0232] In one example, in the case where a user performs printing
processing with the image forming apparatus 110 using the cloud
print service 200, the image forming apparatus 110 notifies the
user of the processing result via the cloud service using the
user's cloud ID. Notification is simply given by using an email
service or a message service (such as a short message service)
provided by the cloud service. That is, in the case where the cloud
service manages destination information corresponding to the cloud
ID, the cloud services gives notification using the destination
information.
[0233] For example, in the case where printing is performed using
Google Cloud Print, the user is notified using Gmail (registered
trademark), which is an email service, or Google Talk (registered
trademark), where the same Google account is usable.
[0234] Since the cloud ID (cloud account) has already been input at
the time the user has used the cloud print service 200, it is only
necessary to specify the cloud ID as a destination and to request
the cloud service to notify the user.
[0235] In another example, in the case where a user is
authenticated by using his/her regular local ID and gives a
processing instruction (in this case, the user is an employee),
notification regarding the processing is sent to a contact
destination (such as an email address, see FIG. 12) registered in
the management DB 160 in association with the local ID.
[0236] Meanwhile, for processing for which a user has given
instruction using an ID whose corresponding contact destination is
not registered in the management DB 160, as in a guest ID or a
temporary ID, the image forming apparatus 110 sends notification
regarding the processing via the cloud service using the user's
cloud ID. Such notification using a cloud ID is possible in the
case where the user has input his/her cloud ID to the image forming
apparatus 110 (input when, for example, printing using the cloud
print service 200 has been performed).
[0237] The content of notification sent by the image forming
apparatus 110 to a user who has given a processing instruction
includes, for example, the actual result value of the processing
(such as the number of output prints) and the user's upper limit
value of the number of outputtable prints updated by reflecting the
actual result value.
[0238] In addition, the image forming apparatus 110 may send
notification regarding processing to those who are concerned, other
than a user who has given an instruction to perform the processing.
In one example, in the case where a user uses the image forming
apparatus 110 using a temporary ID or a guest ID, a predetermined
administrator who administers such local IDs and guest IDs is
notified of the content of processing performed by the user.
Address information (such as an email address) of the administrator
at a notification destination is either set in the image forming
apparatus 110 or is obtainable by the image forming apparatus 110
from a certain apparatus in the in-house network 100.
[0239] Notification sent by the image forming apparatus 110 to the
administrator may include, for example, the processing time and
date, identification information of the image forming apparatus 110
which has performed the processing, identification of the user who
has given the processing instruction (obtainable information from
among a temporary ID, guest ID, cloud ID, name, and the like),
various types of information indicating the content of the
processing (such as the processing type, processing parameters,
number of output prints, and image data or an image serving as a
processing target). Needless to say, the administrator may not
necessarily be notified of all the pieces of information given
above, and may be notified of information other than those pieces
of information given above. The administrator refers to information
included in the notification and checks the user's temporary use
state of the image forming apparatus 110.
[0240] In addition, in the case where a destination to which the
fee for processing executed by the image forming apparatus 110 is
to be billed is changed to a person other than the user who has
given an instruction to execute the processing, the image forming
apparatus 110 may notify the new to-be-billed destination of
information regarding the processing. In this case, the new
to-be-billed destination after the change is determinable from, for
example, a to-be-billed destination element (see FIG. 15) included
in a print ticket that comes from the cloud print service 200 along
with print data, and the contact destination address of the new
to-be-billed destination is simply obtained from information on the
contact destination included in management information (see FIGS.
12 to 14) of users (employees), divisions, and projects held by the
management DB 160. The new to-be-billed destination is simply
notified of the same or similar information as the above-described
administrator. Reading the notification, a person in charge at the
new to-be-billed destination is able to check whether abnormal
processing such as mass printing has been performed.
[0241] Instead of notifying the administrator or the new
to-be-billed destination of all processes serving as targets (such
as all processes whose to-be-billed destinations have been
changed), the administrator or the new to-be-billed destination may
be notified of, among these processes serving as targets, processes
that satisfy a predetermined notification condition. The
notification condition is a condition for extracting a process that
is highly likely to be abnormal, to which the administrator or the
new to-be-billed destination should pay special attention. Specific
examples of the notification condition include the fact that the
number of prints that exceeds a predetermined threshold are printed
at one time, the fact that the sum of output prints processed in
response to a user instruction(s) given within a most recent period
exceeds a predetermined threshold, and the fact that print data
including a character string or an image (such as a secret mark)
that is determined in advance to be monitored is output.
[0242] In one example, for each type (regular, temporary, or guest)
of local ID used for authentication, whether to notify the user,
whether to notify the administrator, and whether to notify the new
to-be-billed destination are set in the image forming apparatus
110. This setting may be made not for each type of local ID, but
for each local ID. In addition, for each type of notification
destination (user, administrator, or new to-be-billed destination),
items of notification information are set in the image forming
apparatus 110. The notification processor 129 of the image forming
apparatus 110 specifies a notification destination in accordance
with the setting, obtains address information of the specified
notification destination from the management DB 160 or the like,
and sends notification including the set information items to each
notification destination.
[0243] Alternatively, processing described as being executed by the
aggregation apparatus 150 in the above-described examples may be
executed by a built-in computer in the image forming apparatus
110.
[0244] The information processing function parts (parts that
execute a function module group other than the image forming unit
120 in the example illustrated in FIG. 2) of the image forming
apparatus 110, and the intermediary apparatus 600, which are
described above by way of example, are realized by running, for
example, on a general computer, a program that represents
processing of the individual function modules of the image forming
apparatus 110 and the intermediary apparatus 600. Here, the
computer has a circuit configuration in which, as hardware, a
microprocessor such as a central processor (CPU), memories (main
storages) such as a random-access memory (RAM) and a read-only
memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD) controller that controls an
HDD, various input/output (I/O) interfaces, a network interface
that performs control for connection with a network such as a LAN,
and the like are interconnected via, for example, bus. Further, for
example, a disk drive for reading and/or writing data from/to
portable disk recording media, such as a compact disc (CD) and a
digital versatile disc (DVD), via an I/O interface, and a memory
reader/writer for reading and/or writing data from/to portable
non-volatile recording media in various standards, such as a flash
memory, may be connected to the bus. A program in which the
contents of the processing of the individual function modules
described above by way of example are written is saved in a fixed
storage such as an HDD via a recording medium such as a CD or a DVD
or via a communication tool such as a network, and the program is
installed in the computer. The program stored in the fixed storage
is read to the RAM and executed by the microprocessor such as the
CPU, thereby realizing the function module group described above by
way of example.
[0245] The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiment of the
present invention has been provided for the purposes of
illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive
or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.
Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to
practitioners skilled in the art. The embodiment was chosen and
described in order to best explain the principles of the invention
and its practical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in
the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and
with the various modifications as are suited to the particular use
contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be
defined by the following claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *